JP2010011587A - Optically driven actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optically driven actuator which can be used for an optical device using light with the same or substantially the same wavelength as that of a driving light for driving a photo-deformable member to stably generate highly accurate displacement and a driving force caused by the displacement. <P>SOLUTION: The optically driven actuator includes a photo-deformable member 1 to be deformed by an irradiation of the drive light with a specific wavelength, a light source member 4 emitting the drive light, and a light guide member 2 arranged adjacent to the photo-deformable member 1, wherein at least a part of the photo-deformable member 1 or the light guide member 2 is covered with a light shield member 3 suppressing the transmission of the driving light therethrough. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an actuator using a photo-deformable material that deforms when irradiated with light.

  Conventionally, many actuators using an electric motor driven by supplying electric power have been adopted. The electric motor includes a permanent magnet and a coil therein, and is rotated by a magnetic force generated between the coil and the permanent magnet by supplying electric power to the coil. In addition, due to restrictions on the size, shape, etc. of the installation location, the power source installed at a location away from the movable portion as the actuator, the power source such as a drive shaft, gear, pulley, belt, etc. and the movable portion And a connecting mechanism for transmitting the power generated from the power source to the movable part.

  In recent years, electronic devices have been reduced in size. Along with the downsizing of the electronic equipment, there is a demand for downsizing of articles disposed therein, and naturally downsizing of actuators is also required. Therefore, actuators using small electric motors have been developed.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-232600 discloses that a light-induced phase transition material is formed in a film shape and fixed on the surface of a movable film, and the light-induced phase transition material is irradiated with two types of light. Thus, an optically driven actuator that reversibly deforms the movable film is described.

  However, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-232232, in a region where light containing light having a wavelength necessary for driving the actuator is irradiated, the light-induced phase transition material reacts with light from the outside. As a result, the accuracy of the operation of the actuator is deteriorated.

Therefore, in JP-A-6-27427, when guided light propagates through an optical waveguide of an optical functional element that functions as an optical switch, an optical modulator, a harmonic generation element, a short wavelength light source, a mode converter, or the like, Suppressing the emission of radiation from the substrate.
JP 2001-232600 A JP-A-6-27427

  In the invention described in JP-A-6-27427, the emitted light from the optical waveguide is prevented from coming out of the substrate, the emitted light from the optical waveguide is turned on and off, and the intensity of the emitted light is modulated. It is not an invention relating to a light deformation type actuator, and does not block light incident from the outside. Further, since the optical waveguide is not covered, light having the same or substantially the same wavelength as the driving light for driving the optically driven actuator is likely to enter, and an optical device using light having the same or substantially the same wavelength as the driving light is used. It is difficult to use inside.

  Therefore, the present invention can be used in an optical device that uses light having the same or substantially the same wavelength as the driving light that drives the light deformable member, and stably generates high-accuracy displacement and driving force associated with the displacement. It is an object to provide an optically driven actuator that can be made to operate.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a light deformation member that is deformed by being irradiated with drive light having a predetermined wavelength, a light source member that emits the drive light, and a drive member that is disposed adjacent to the light deformation member. A light-driven actuator having a light guide member that guides light to the light deformable member and driven by being irradiated with the drive light, wherein the light deformable member or at least a part of the light guide member Is covered with a light shielding member that suppresses transmission of light in the wavelength region of the drive light.

  According to this structure, it can suppress that the light from the outside is irradiated to the said light deformation member by the said light shielding member. Thereby, it can suppress that the said optical deformation member is deform | transformed with lights other than drive light, and can raise the precision of a displacement.

  Further, since the driving light can be prevented from leaking to the outside by the light shielding member, even if the driving light is harmful to the external atmosphere or has some effect, A light-driven actuator can be installed regardless of the external environment.

  In the above configuration, the light shielding member surrounds the entire light deforming member and the light guide member, and suppresses transmission of light in a wavelength region of the driving light even when the light deforming member is deformed. Also good. The said structure WHEREIN: The said light-shielding member is produced with the material which has a softness | flexibility higher than the said optical deformation member, and can deform | transform with the deformation | transformation of the said optical deformation member.

  According to this configuration, even if the light deformable member is deformed, it is possible to prevent external light from entering or leakage of driving light to the outside. As a result, the optically driven actuator can extract displacement with higher accuracy.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said light shielding member may be formed so that the inside can reflect the said drive light.

  According to this configuration, since the drive light is reflected, it is possible to suppress the light amount of the drive light from being attenuated, so that it is possible to efficiently extract a highly accurate displacement. In addition, energy required for driving can be reduced by suppressing the attenuation of the amount of light.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said light source may be arrange | positioned between the said light-shielding member and the said optical deformation member, or the said light guide member.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said light source member may be arrange | positioned on the outer side of the said light shielding member, and may be provided with the waveguide for guiding the said drive light to the said light guide member covered with the said light shielding member.

  According to this configuration, since the light deformable member and the light source member can be arranged apart from each other, the degree of freedom in installing the light driven actuator can be increased. In addition, the light-driven actuator can be easily remotely operated.

  In the above configuration, examples of usage of the optically driven actuator include the following. That is, the light source member is disposed outside the light shielding member, and includes a waveguide for guiding the driving light to the light guide member covered with the light shielding member, the light shielding member including a cylindrical portion, It has a disk part connected to both ends of the cylindrical part, and a protrusion part protruding inwardly on the inner surface of the cylindrical part, and the waveguide can rotate around one center of the disk part. A shaft support member that passes through and rotates through the center of the other disk portion is provided, and a fixed plate that is fixed to the end of the shaft support member on the inner side of the light shielding member is provided. The light guide member is disposed at the center of the fixed plate, and a light deformable member is disposed at a peripheral end portion of the fixed plate so as to be in contact with the protrusion. The projection is pushed and the light shielding member rotates.

  According to the present invention, it can be used in an optical device that uses light having the same or substantially the same wavelength as the driving light that drives the light deformable member, and stably generates a high precision displacement and a driving force associated with the displacement. An optically driven actuator that can be provided can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  A schematic configuration of the optically driven actuator will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an optically driven actuator according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the optical actuator shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light-driven actuator includes a light deformation member 1, a light guide member 2, a light shielding member 3, and a light source member 4.

  The light deformable member 1 is a flat member formed of a light deformable material that is deformed by irradiation with light having a predetermined wavelength. Examples of the photo-deformable material include a photochromic material alone or a compound thereof such as diarylethene and azobenzene, or PLZT having a bimorph structure.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light guide member 2 is a flat plate member having an incident portion 21 into which driving light is incident and an emitting portion 22 that emits driving light incident from the incident portion 21. The light guide member 2 is made of a transparent glass, a transparent resin, or the like that can guide light to the end while suppressing the amount of driving light incident from the incident portion from being attenuated. A material obtained by adding an additive having a different refractive index (for example, a fine particle polymer such as cross-linked polymethyl methacrylate) is formed into a thin plate shape. The light guide member 2 can diffuse the light incident from the incident portion 21 and uniformize the light beam emitted from the light emitting portion 22.

  In addition to those to which additives are added, those in which countless bubbles for diffusing light inside are formed, those in which the surface of the emission part 22 is finely scratched and formed in a glass shape, etc. can be adopted. . In addition, since the surface of the emission part 22 is joined with the optical deformation member 1 at the time of lamination, a smooth surface is preferable. For this reason, in the case of having an emission part formed with unevenness on the surface, it is preferable that a clear layer having a high light transmittance is formed on the emission part. As this clear layer, the surface of the emission part 22 may be applied in advance, or an adhesive having high permeability may be substituted. In the following embodiments, unless otherwise specified, a light guide member 2 made of a material obtained by adding an additive to a glass substrate is employed.

  The light guide member 2 is disposed such that the emission portion 22 faces the light deformable member 1. The light deformable member 1 and the light guide member 2 are made by a method that does not prevent the transmission of well-known driving light, such as adhesion, welding, and pressure bonding using a translucent adhesive. It is also possible to form a laminate by alternately forming the light deformable member 1 and the light guide member 2 by a physical or chemical film forming method such as sputtering or vapor deposition. In the light-driven actuator according to the present embodiment, a member in which the light deformable member 1 and the light guide member 2 are bonded with an adhesive is employed. The light guide member 2 has flexibility to be deformed in accordance with the deformation of the light deformable member 1.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the light blocking member 3 is a box formed so as to cover the light deformable member 1 and the light guide member 2. The light shielding member 3 is a member for suppressing the light having the same wavelength as that of the drive light from entering the inside from the outside while suppressing the drive light irradiated to the light deformable member 1 from leaking to the outside. The light shielding member 3 is formed so that the inner surface can reflect the drive light. The light shielding member 3 is formed of a flexible member so that it can be expanded and contracted in accordance with the deformation of the light deformable member 1.

  Further, the light shielding member 3 is a film capable of suppressing transmission of light having the same wavelength as that of the drive light, and is formed so as to cover at least a portion exposed to the outside of the light deformation member 1 or the light guide member 2. It may be what has been done.

  The light source member 4 is provided with a light source 41 that emits driving light when power is supplied, and a tip portion of the light source member 4 that faces the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2, and guides the driving light to the incident portion 21. And a waveguide 42. As the light source 41, for example, a light source that can emit drive light by supplying power such as an LED element, a laser diode element, or an organic EL element can be widely used. Although not shown, the light source member 4 is provided with wiring for supplying power to the light source 41. The waveguide 42 guides the drive light to the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2 while suppressing the attenuation of the light amount, and is not limited thereto, and examples thereof include an optical fiber.

(First embodiment)
An optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an optically driven actuator according to the present invention. The optically driven actuator A1 shown in FIG. 3 includes an optical deformation member 1c using a photochromic material. The light deformable member is deformed by drive light necessary for deformation by first drive light that is ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 350 nm and second drive light that is visible light having a wavelength of 540 nm. The main wavelengths of the first driving light and the second driving light vary depending on the photochromic material constituting the light deformable member 1, but ultraviolet light and visible light are often used.

  Here, the photochromic material will be described. Photochromic materials undergo molecular structural changes (isomerization) due to recombination of chemical bonds within the molecule without changing molecular weight when irradiated with light of a predetermined wavelength, and deform (displace) according to this isomerization. Is a material that generates Further, the photochromic material constituting the light deformable member has a characteristic that the deformation direction can be changed by the orientation of the crystal. Here, the optically deformable member 1c expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction.

  The light source 41 is a light source that can selectively emit first driving light (ultraviolet light) and second driving light (visible light). As shown in FIG. 3, in the light-driven actuator A <b> 1, the light source member 4 is disposed outside the light shielding member 3. Therefore, a part of the waveguide 42 is also projected to the outside of the light shielding member 3, and a light shielding portion 421 that suppresses transmission of light having the same wavelength as the driving light is formed in the portion projecting to the outside. . The light shielding part 421 and the light shielding member 3 are bonded so that light having the same wavelength as the driving light can be prevented from entering from the joint part. The light shielding part 421 and the light shielding member 3 may be integrally formed.

  When power is supplied to the light source 41, the light-driven actuator A1 emits first drive light from the light source 41. The first drive light emitted from the light source 41 is guided to the inside of the light shielding member 3 through the light guide path 42. The first drive light guided by the light guide path 42 is incident from the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2. The first drive light is diffused by the light guide member 2, and the light flux is made uniform and emitted from the emission part 22. The emission part 22 is bonded to the light deformable member 1c, and the first drive light is irradiated to the light deformable member 1c.

  The light deformable member 1c irradiated with the first drive light is elongated and deformed in the longitudinal direction. The light guide member 2 and the light shielding member 3 are deformed along with the deformation of the light deformable member 1c. As a result, the optically driven actuator A1 is deformed to the extended state.

  When the irradiation of the first drive light from the light source 41 is stopped, the irradiation of the first drive light to the light deformable member 1c is stopped. Since the light having a wavelength (disturbance light) applied to the light deformable member 1c from the outside is blocked by the light blocking member 3, the light deformable member 1c is not irradiated with light having the same wavelength as the second drive light. . Further, in the state where heat energy and external force are not acting, the light deformable member 1c maintains the extended state.

  When the second drive light is emitted from the light source 41, the second drive light is incident on the incident portion 21 via the movement path 42. The second driving light is diffused by the light guide member 2, the light flux is made uniform, and is irradiated to the light deformable member 1 c from the emitting portion 22. The light deformable member 1c is contracted and deformed by being irradiated with the second drive light, and returns to the state before the first drive light is irradiated. Thereby, the light guide member 2 and the light shielding member 3 are also contracted and deformed, and the light-driven actuator A1 is contracted and deformed. Even when the emission of the second drive light from the light source 41 is stopped, the light deformable member 1c maintains the contracted state in the same manner as when the first drive light is stopped.

  In this way, by irradiating the first drive light and the second drive light, the light drive actuator A1 is selectively deformed into a contracted state and an extended state. Further, by alternately irradiating the first drive light and the second drive light, the light drive actuator A1 repeats the contracted state and the extended state.

  By providing the light shielding member 3 as in the light-driven actuator A1, it is possible to suppress the disturbance light from being irradiated to the light deformation member 1c. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the light deformation member 1c from being unexpectedly deformed by being irradiated with drive light more than necessary, and the light drive actuator A1 can generate displacement with high accuracy. Moreover, since the light shielding member 3 is provided, it is possible to suppress the drive light from leaking to the outside, so that the drive light emitted from the light source 41 can be efficiently applied to the light deformation member 1c. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of the light-driven actuator A1. In addition, although the optical deformation member 1c is assumed to be elastically deformed in the longitudinal direction, the deformation direction can be changed depending on the crystal orientation of the photochromic material.

(Second Embodiment)
Another example of the optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an optically driven actuator according to the present invention. The optically driven actuator A2 shown in FIG. 4 uses an optically deformable member 1p made of PLZT having a bimorph structure.

  PLZT is a ceramic material that deforms when irradiated with drive light (ultraviolet light) and returns to its original state when irradiation is stopped. When the optically deformable member is manufactured using PLZT, it is necessary to continuously irradiate the drive light to maintain the deformed state, but the deformation can be controlled with one kind of drive light.

  The light source 41 is a light source that can selectively emit first driving light (ultraviolet light) and second driving light (visible light). As shown in FIG. 3, in the light-driven actuator A <b> 1, the light source member 4 is disposed outside the light shielding member 3. Therefore, a part of the waveguide 42 is also projected to the outside of the light shielding member 3, and a light shielding portion 421 that suppresses transmission of light having the same wavelength as the driving light is formed in the portion projecting to the outside. . The light shielding part 421 and the light shielding member 3 are bonded so that light having the same wavelength as the driving light can be prevented from entering from the joint part. The light shielding part 421 and the light shielding member 3 may be integrally formed.

  When power is supplied to the light source 41, the light driving actuator A2 emits driving light from the light source 41. The drive light emitted from the light source 41 is guided into the light shielding member 3 through the light guide path 42. The drive light guided by the light guide path 42 is incident from the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2. The drive light is diffused by the light guide member 2, and the light flux is made uniform and emitted from the emission part 22. The emission part 22 is bonded to the light deformable member 1p, and the drive light is irradiated to the light deformable member 1p.

  The light deformation member 1p irradiated with the drive light is elongated and deformed in the longitudinal direction. The light guide member 2 and the light shielding member 3 are deformed along with the deformation of the light deformable member 1p. As a result, the optically driven actuator A2 is deformed to the extended state.

  While the drive light from the light source 41 is emitted, the light deformable member 1p maintains the extended state. At this time, since light having a wavelength (disturbance light) applied to the light deformation member 1p from the outside is blocked by the light blocking member 3, the light deformation member 1p is irradiated with light having the same wavelength as the drive light. Not. Further, in the state where heat energy and external force are not acting, the light deformable member 1p is not deformed unintentionally.

  When the driving light is stopped by the light source 41, the irradiation of the driving light to the light deformable member 1p is stopped. The light deformation member 1p is contracted and deformed by stopping the irradiation of the driving light, and returns to the state before the driving light is irradiated. Thereby, the light guide member 2 and the light shielding member 3 are also contracted and deformed, and the light-driven actuator A2 is contracted and deformed. Since the light is disturbed by the light blocking member 3, the light deformable member 1p maintains the contracted state.

  In this way, the light-driven actuator A2 is selectively deformed between the contracted state and the extended state by switching between irradiation and stop of the drive light. Further, by repeatedly irradiating and stopping the drive light, the light-driven actuator A1 repeats the contracted state and the extended state.

  By providing the light shielding member 3 as in the light-driven actuator A2, it is possible to suppress the disturbance light from being irradiated to the light deformation member 1p. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the light deformation member 1p from being unexpectedly deformed by being irradiated with drive light more than necessary, and the light drive actuator A2 can generate displacement with high accuracy. Further, since the light shielding member 3 is provided, it is possible to suppress the drive light from leaking to the outside, so that the drive light emitted from the light source 41 can be efficiently applied to the light deformation member 1p. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the energy consumption of the light-driven actuator A2. In addition, although the optical deformation member 1p expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction, the deformation direction can be changed by the crystal orientation of PLZT.

  When the optically driven actuators A1 and A2 are used, the length of the waveguide 42 can be adjusted to enable remote operation from a remote position. However, since the loss of light quantity in the waveguide 42 is not zero, it is preferable that the length is not too long. Further, since the light guide member 2, the light shielding member 3, the light deformable member 1c (1p), and the light source member 4 are arranged apart from each other, the place where the light driven actuator is installed is not easily limited.

(Third embodiment)
Still another example of the optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an optically driven actuator according to the present invention. In the light-driven actuator B shown in FIG. 5, the light source member 5 is arranged inside the region covered with the light shielding member 3. The optically driven actuator B1 shown in FIG. 5 includes an optical deformation member 1c using a photochromic material. Except the light source member 5, it has the same configuration as the optically driven actuator A1, and substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The light source member 5 can selectively emit the first driving light and the second driving light that can drive the light deformable member 1c. In the light-driven actuator B1 shown in FIG. 5, the light source member 5 has a first light source 511 that can emit first drive light, a second light source 512 that can emit second drive light, and a first light source. 511 and a waveguide 52 for guiding the drive light emitted from the second light source 512 to the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the first light source 511 and the second light source 512 are disposed close to both ends of the optical deformation member 1c in the expansion / contraction deformation direction (longitudinal direction here).

  In the optically driven actuator B, the first driving light is emitted from the first light source 511 to elongate and deform the light deformation member 1c, and the second driving light is emitted from the second light source 512 to contract and deform the light deformation member 1c. . The deformation process of the optically deformable member 1c and the deformation process of the optically driven actuator B1 accompanying the deformation of the optically deformable member 1c are the same as those of the optically driven actuator A1 shown in FIG.

  By arranging the light source member 5 in the region covered with the light shielding member 3 in this way, it is possible to efficiently irradiate the light deformable member 1c with the driving light emitted from the light source member 5. It is possible to provide an optically driven actuator B that generates sufficient displacement and driving force while suppressing the amount of driving light emitted from the light source member 5. In the light-driven actuator B1, a light deformation member 1c that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction is employed, but the light deformation member 1c is not limited thereto.

(Fourth embodiment)
Still another example of the optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an example of an optically driven actuator according to the present invention. In the light-driven actuator B <b> 2 shown in FIG. 6, the light source member 5 b is disposed inside the area covered with the light shielding member 3. The optically driven actuator B2 shown in FIG. 6 includes an optical deformation member 1p using a bimorph-structured PLZT. Except the light source member 5b, it has the same configuration as the optically driven actuator A2, and substantially the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals.

  The light source member 5b can emit drive light that can drive the light deformable member 1p. In the optically driven actuator B2 shown in FIG. 6, the light source member 5b can emit drive light, and the waveguide 52b guides the drive light emitted from the light source 51b to the incident portion 21 of the light guide member 2. And have. As shown in FIG. 6, the light source 51b is disposed close to one of the end portions of the optical deformation member 1p in the expansion / contraction deformation direction (here, the longitudinal direction).

  The light-driven actuator B2 emits drive light from the light source 51b, expands and deforms the light deformable member 1p, and stops the irradiation of the drive light to contract and deform the light deformable member 1p. The deformation process of the optically deformable member 1p and the deformation process of the optically driven actuator B2 accompanying the deformation of the optically deformable member 1p are the same as those of the optically driven actuator A2 shown in FIG.

  By disposing the light source member 5b in the region covered with the light shielding member 3 in this way, it is possible to efficiently irradiate the light deformation member 1p with the driving light emitted from the light source member 5b. It is possible to provide an optically driven actuator B2 that generates sufficient displacement and driving force while suppressing the amount of driving light emitted from the light source member 5. The light source member 5b of the light-driven actuator B2 only needs to include the light source 51b that emits one type of drive light, and is small in size and easily fit in the region covered with the light shielding member 3. In the light-driven actuator B2, a light deformation member 1p that expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction is employed, but the light deformation member 1p is not limited thereto.

(Fifth embodiment)
Another example of the optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another example of the optically driven actuator according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the light-driven actuator C uses a light deformable member 1c made of a photochromic material as a light deformable member. Although not limited to this, the optical deformation member 1c is elastically deformed in the longitudinal direction. The light-driven actuator C includes a laminated body 11 in which four thin light deformable members 1c and three thin light guide members 2 are alternately bonded.

  As a bonding method, a conventionally well-known method such as bonding using an adhesive, welding, a method in which the light deformable member 1c and / or the light guide member 2 are alternately formed by a film forming method such as vapor deposition or sputtering, etc. Can be adopted. Here, adhesion by an adhesive is employed. The light guide member 2 is preferably formed of a material having flexibility in order to suppress pulling of the light deformable member 1c. Further, a bonding method having flexibility may be used.

  In the laminated body 11, the light guide member 2 has the emitting portion 22 bonded to the light deformable member 1c and the incident portion 21 formed on the side surface not bonded to the light deformable member 1c. Although the photochromic material depends on the output of the driving light to be irradiated, the surface is irradiated with light, and the deep portion is not easily irradiated with light. Thereby, the crystal of the photochromic material disposed on the surface irradiated with the drive light is irradiated with the drive light and deformed, but the crystal disposed in the deep part is not irradiated with the drive light and is not deformed.

  However, by forming the light deformable member 1c thin and adhering and laminating the light guide member 2 between the adjacent light deformable members 1c, one layer of the light deformable member 1c can be formed using the same amount of photochromic material. Compared to the manufactured one, the shape can be made compact, and the area of the light deformable member 1c irradiated with the drive light can be increased. Accordingly, the displacement of the light deformable member 1c can be increased without changing the light amount of the drive light, the shape and size of the light deformable member 1c, and the driving force generated with the displacement can be increased. .

  In the light-driven actuator C, an example in which the light source member 5 is provided inside the light-shielding member 3 is described. However, the light-driven actuator C is also stacked on the light-driven actuator provided with the light source member 4 outside the light shielding member 3. It is possible to employ the body 11. Moreover, although the optical deformation member 1c produced with the photochromic material is employ | adopted as the optical deformation member which comprises the laminated body 11, the same laminated body is comprised also with the optical deformation member 1p comprised by PLZT of a bimorph structure. Is possible.

(Sixth embodiment)
A rotary drive body that is one example of using an optically driven actuator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along a section perpendicular to the rotation axis of the optically driven actuator that rotates according to the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a cross section taken along a plane along the rotational axis of the optically driven actuator shown in FIG. FIG.

  The light-driven actuator D includes a light deforming member 1d, a light guide member 2d, a light shielding member 3d, a light source member 4d, a rotation support shaft 6d, and a fixed plate 7d. The light deformable member 1d is made of a photochromic material, and is deformed alternately into a straight state (straight state) and a curved state by irradiation with drive light, as shown in FIG.

  A part of the light deformable member 1d is fixed to a fixed plate 7d having a disk shape. Although not limited thereto, in the optically driven actuator D, the two light deformable members 1d are disposed symmetrically on the fixed plate 7d with the center of the fixed plate 7d interposed therebetween. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the optical deformation member 1d is arranged and fixed in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion of the fixing plate 7d. The light guide member 2d guides the drive light guided by the light source member 4 to the light deformation member 1d. The light guide member 2d is disposed at the center of the fixed plate 7d, and a member that can change the optical path of the drive light, such as a prism or a reflector, is used.

  The light shielding member 3d is a member that can block light having the same wavelength as the driving light for driving the light deformable member 1d. The light shielding member 3d includes a cylindrical portion 31d, a first disc portion 32d connected to the cylindrical portion 31d at one end portion in the axial direction of the cylindrical portion 31d, and a first disc portion 32d on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 31d. It has the 2nd disc part 33d connected with the cylindrical part 31d in the edge part, and the projection part 34d protruded inside from the inner wall face of the cylindrical part 31d.

  The first disc portion 32d has a first through hole 321d through which the rotation support shaft 6d passes. Further, the second disc portion 33d has a second through hole 331d through which a waveguide 42d described later of the light source member 4d passes in the center.

  The protruding portion 34d protrudes toward the center from the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 31d, and the protruding portion 34d is arranged on the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 31d so as to be equicentered in one direction in the circumferential direction. The protrusion 34d has a first inclined portion 341d, a second inclined portion 342d, and a vertex portion 343d where the first inclined portion 341d and the second inclined portion 342d intersect. The protrusion 34d is formed such that the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 341d with respect to the tangent to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 31d is smaller than the inclination angle of the second inclined portion 342d with respect to the inner wall surface. The second inclined portion 342d is not limited to this, but is formed so as to be perpendicular to the tangent to the cylindrical portion 31d (overlap with the normal line).

  The light source member 4d guides the light source 41d that selectively emits the first driving light and the second driving light having a wavelength capable of deforming the photochromic material, and the first driving light or the second driving light into the light shielding portion. And a waveguide 42d for emitting light. The light source 41d emits drive light by receiving a drive signal from a control device (not shown).

  The waveguide 42d guides driving light, and is produced by molding a light guide material such as an optical fiber into a cylindrical shape. The waveguide 42d is slidably penetrated through the through hole 331d of the light shielding member 3d, and a part thereof is exposed to the outside of the light shielding member 3d. Therefore, the light shielding portion 421d is formed in order to suppress the ingress of light from the outside of the waveguide 42d and the leakage of driving light from the waveguide 42d to the outside. The light shielding portion 421d is a member that suppresses transmission of light having the same wavelength as the driving light, and is formed in close contact with the waveguide 42d.

  The connecting portion between the light shielding member 3d and the waveguide 42d will be described in detail. FIG. 10 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a connection portion between the waveguide and the light shielding member. As shown in FIG. 10, the second through hole 331d has a stepped shape in which a small diameter portion 332d and a through hole having different inner diameters of the large diameter portion 333d are connected in the axial direction. The light shielding member 3d is formed such that the outer side is a small diameter portion 332d and the inner side is 333d. The waveguide 42d is held by a holding member (not shown).

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, a flange portion 422d is formed in the light shielding portion 421d of the waveguide 42d. The waveguide 42d passes through the second through hole 331d so that the outer peripheral surface of the light shielding portion 421d, the inner peripheral surface of the small diameter portion 332d, and the outer peripheral surface of the flange portion 422d and the inner peripheral surface of the large diameter portion 333d slide. ing. By fitting the waveguide 42d and the through hole 331d in this manner, it is possible to effectively prevent light having the same wavelength as the driving light from the outside to the inside of the light shielding member 3d. Further, it is possible to suppress the dropout of the waveguide 42d from the light shielding member 3d.

  The rotation support shaft 6d is a cylindrical shaft member that penetrates the first through hole 321d so that the outer peripheral surface can slide with the inner peripheral surface of the first through hole 321d of the light shielding member 3d. The central axis of the rotation support shaft 6d coincides with the central axis of the waveguide 42d. The rotation support shaft 6d and the first disk portion 32d and the waveguide 42d and the second disk 33d are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other, and the portion of the waveguide 42d exposed from the light shielding member 3d and the rotation support shaft 6d. By holding the exposed portion from the light shielding member 3d, the light shielding member 3d is supported so as to be able to rotate smoothly.

  A part of the rotating spindle 6d is inserted into the light shielding member 3d. A fixed plate 7d is connected and fixed to the inner end of the light shielding member 3d of the rotation support shaft 6d so as to be orthogonal to the central axis of the rotation support shaft 6d. As described above, the light guide member 2d is disposed at the center of the fixed plate 7d, and the two light deformable members 1d are disposed so as to face each other with the light guide member 2d sandwiched therebetween. The tip of the waveguide 42d on the side inserted into the light shielding member 3d is disposed so as to face the light guide member 2d. The drive light guided by the waveguide 42d is irradiated to the light deformable member 1d after the optical path is bent by the light guide member 2d.

  The operation of the optically driven actuator D will be described. FIG. 11 is a timing chart showing the timing of switching the irradiation of the driving light when driving the light-driven actuator shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 11, first, power is supplied to the light source 41d to emit the first drive light (ultraviolet light). The first drive light is guided to the inside of the space surrounded by the light shielding member 3d through the waveguide 42d. The first drive light is irradiated to the light guide member 2d from the waveguide 42d, the optical path is changed by the light guide member 2d, and the light deformation member 1d is irradiated.

  The light deformable member 1d irradiated with the first drive light is deformed from a straight state to a bent state. When the light deformable member 1d is deformed from the straight state to the bent state, the second inclined portion 342d is pushed by the light deformable member 1d. Thereby, the light shielding member 3d to which the protrusion 34d is fixed is rotated. By alternately emitting the first drive light and the second drive light from the light source 41d, the light deformable member 1d is repeatedly deformed into a straight state and a bent state. As a result, the plurality of protrusions 34d provided on the light shielding member 4d are sequentially pushed to continuously rotate the light shielding member 3d.

  In the light-driven actuator D, the light deformable member 1d contacts the protrusion 34d when deforming from the bent state to the straight state. The inclination angle with respect to the tangent line of the first inclined portion 341d is formed small, and the light deformable member 1d can slide on the first inclined portion 341d and can get over the top portion 343d with a small resistance. Thereby, when the light deformable member 1d is deformed from the bent state to the straight state, it is possible to reduce the force urged by the light deformable member 1d in the direction in which the light shield member 3d is reversely rotated. It is possible to carry out efficiently and smoothly.

  Note that the angle between the projection 34d and the contact portion of the first inclined portion 341d with the cylindrical portion 31d, that is, the inclination angle of the first inclined portion 341d with respect to the inner wall surface of the cylindrical portion 31d is the vertex of the light deformable member 1d. An angle that easily exceeds the portion 343d is employed.

  In this embodiment, the optically deformable member 1d made of a photochromic material is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an optically deformable member made of PLZT having a bimorph structure may be used. In this case, the configuration is the same as that of the optically driven actuator D except that the driving light becomes one type and the light deformable member returns to the original shape by stopping the irradiation of the driving light.

  The present invention has been described above with reference to specific embodiments, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to those described in the embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. .

  The light-driven actuator of the present invention is an actuator using a light deformable member that deforms when irradiated with light, and has advantages such as a small size, a simple structure, and being hardly influenced by an external environment such as electromagnetic waves. It can be used as an actuator for optical equipment, electronic equipment, and the like.

These are the schematic perspective views of the optically driven actuator concerning this invention. These are sectional drawings of the optical actuator shown in FIG. These are sectional drawings of an example of the optical drive type actuator concerning the present invention. These are sectional drawings of an example of the optical drive type actuator concerning the present invention. These are sectional drawings of an example of the optical drive type actuator concerning the present invention. These are sectional drawings of an example of the optical drive type actuator concerning the present invention. These are sectional drawings of other examples of a light drive type actuator concerning the present invention. These are sectional drawings cut | disconnected by the cross section perpendicular | vertical to the rotating shaft of the optically driven actuator which rotationally drives concerning this invention. These are sectional drawings cut | disconnected by the surface in alignment with the rotating shaft of the optically driven actuator shown in FIG. These are the expanded sectional views of the connection part of a waveguide and a light shielding member. These are timing charts showing the timing of switching the irradiation of drive light when driving the optically driven actuator shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1c, 1p Light deformation member 11 Laminated body 2 Light guide member 21 Incident part 22 Output part 3 Light shielding member 4 Light source member 41 Light source 42 Waveguide 421 Light shielding part 5 Light source member 511 1st light source 512 2nd light source 52 Waveguide 1d Light deformation member 2d Light guide member 3d Light blocking member 4d Light source member 6d Support shaft member 7d Fixing plate

Claims (7)

A light deformable member that is deformed by being irradiated with drive light of a predetermined wavelength;
A light source member for emitting the driving light;
A light-driven actuator that is disposed adjacent to the light-deformable member and guides the drive light to the light-deformable member, and is driven by being irradiated with the drive light,
An optically driven actuator, wherein at least a part of the optically deformable member or the light guide member is covered with a light shielding member that suppresses transmission of light in a wavelength region of the driving light.   2. The optically driven type according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member surrounds the entire optically deformable member and the light guide member, and can suppress transmission of light in a wavelength region of the drive light even when the optically deformable member is deformed. Actuator.   The light-driven actuator according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the light shielding member is made of a material having higher flexibility than the light deformable member and can be deformed along with the deformation of the light deformable member.   4. The optically driven actuator according to claim 1, wherein the light shielding member is formed so that an inside thereof can reflect the driving light. 5.   The light-driven actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the light source is disposed between the light shielding member and the light deformable member or the light guide member.   The said light source member is arrange | positioned on the outer side of the said light-shielding member, The waveguide for guiding the said drive light to the said light guide member covered with the said light-shielding member is provided in any one of Claims 1-4. Light-driven actuator. The light source member is disposed outside the light shielding member, and includes a waveguide for guiding the driving light to the light guide member covered with the light shielding member;
The light shielding member includes a cylindrical part, a disk part connected to both ends of the cylindrical part, and a protruding part protruding inwardly on the inner surface of the cylindrical part, and one of the disk parts The waveguide passes through the center in a rotatable manner,
A shaft support member is provided that rotatably penetrates the center of the other disk part,
A fixing plate fixed to the end portion of the shaft support member on the inner side of the light shielding member is provided;
The light guide member is disposed at the center of the fixed plate, and a light deformable member is disposed at a peripheral end portion of the fixed plate so as to be in contact with the protrusion.
The light-driven actuator according to claim 2, wherein the projection is pushed by the deformation of the light deformation member and the light shielding member rotates.

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