JP3053278B2 - Electrostatic actuator - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an electrostatic actuator for moving a moving body using polarization induced by electrostatic induction.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An electrostatic actuator generates a polarization on a moving body by electrostatic induction, and utilizes a repulsive force and an attractive force between one of the polarizations and an electrode to which a predetermined voltage is applied.
This is for moving a moving object. Since the structure is simple, miniaturization is easy, and application to various fields, for example, living bodies and space equipment, is expected.

FIG. 8A is a schematic view of the structure of a general electrostatic actuator. The cross section along the moving direction of the moving body 88 is shown. Three sets of electrodes 8 on the stator 80
2, 84, 86 are alternately arranged, and each electrode has 3
Phase (phase A, B, and C phase) pulses are applied.
The moving body 88 is an insulator, and when a voltage is applied to the electrodes 82, 84, and 86 disposed on the stator 80, polarization occurs on the surface of the moving body 88 facing each of the electrodes by electrostatic induction. When the voltage applied to each electrode is changed from this state as shown in FIG. 3B, an attractive force or a repulsive force acts between each charge generated by the polarization and each electrode,
The moving body 88 moves in a certain direction.

As a conventional electrostatic actuator, a liquid electrode type electrostatic motor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H3-40777 is known, and the basic operation principle is shown in FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG.

[0005]

By the way, in the above-mentioned conventional electrostatic actuator, the forward and backward directions of the moving body (clockwise and counterclockwise directions when the moving body is a rotor) are determined. Therefore, electrodes of at least three phases are required. Therefore, in order to form these three or more phase electrodes on the same surface, a wiring structure of two or more layers is required.
There is a problem that wiring becomes complicated.

[0006] For example, FIG.
84 and 86 are shown when viewed from the moving body 88 side. As shown in the drawing, each of the electrodes 82 and 84 can be easily wired on the surface of the stator 80 by using a printed wiring technique or the like by forming the comb teeth in a mutually meshing shape. However, the third-phase electrode 86 cannot be printed on the same surface, and it is necessary to provide a conductive hole on the back surface, which complicates the wiring. When using four-phase electrodes, wiring must be performed in at least two layers, and when five-phase electrodes are used, wiring must be performed in at least three layers.

Further, when the conventional electrostatic actuator is applied to a three-dimensional structure, for example, if it is applied to a cylindrical structure, a double tube structure, or a rectangular tube structure, extremely complicated electrode wiring is required. There was a problem that it was difficult. In particular, when it is desired to increase the driving force, it is necessary to arrange the electrodes in a three-dimensional manner, and a method in which wiring can be easily performed has been desired.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of such a point, it is possible to simplify the wiring,
An object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic actuator that can easily realize a three-dimensional structure of an electrode.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a stator having an electrode section to which a multi-phase voltage is applied. In the electrostatic actuator to be moved, the electrode section is formed by spirally winding a plurality of electrode wires corresponding to each phase of the polyphase voltage and arranged in parallel along a moving path of the moving body. Formed as a phase coil ,
The adjacent electrode lines are fixed .

Here, it is preferable that the plurality of electrode lines are formed as one parallel line arranged in parallel with each other.

[0011]

In the electrostatic actuator according to the present invention, a plurality of electrode wires corresponding to each phase of the polyphase voltage and arranged in parallel are spirally wound along the moving path of the moving body to form a multiphase voltage. Form a coil. More specifically, when a plurality of electrode wires are wound once, the starting position of the plurality of electrode wires is shifted from the position after the first winding, and the plurality of electrode wires are similarly wound a plurality of times. A plurality of electrodes corresponding to each phase of the multi-phase voltage are three-dimensionally formed on the stator.

When moving the insulating movable body along the stator, a multiphase voltage is applied to each electrode wire.
At this time, polarization occurs in each part of the moving body facing each electrode line. Next, when the state of the applied polyphase voltage changes,
An attractive force or a repulsive force is generated between each part of the moving body that has been polarized and the electrode wire whose polarity has changed, and the moving body moves in a certain direction.

As described above, in the present invention, the plurality of electrodes of the stator are formed by connecting a plurality of electrode wires, which correspond to each phase of the multi-phase voltage and are arranged in parallel, in a spiral shape along the moving path of the moving body. By forming the coil as a multi-phase coil, there is no need to connect the middle of a plurality of electrodes. Wiring can be performed by connecting the terminal end to the power supply side, and wiring can be simplified. Becomes Further, since the electrode is formed by winding, a three-dimensional structure of the electrode such as a cylindrical structure can be easily realized.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the structure of an electrostatic actuator according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the stator 100 parallel to the moving direction of the moving body, and shows an enlarged electrode portion to explain the structure of the electrode, which is a feature of the present invention.

The stator 100 of the embodiment has three phases (A phase,
Electrode section 1 to which a pulse voltage of B phase and C phase is applied
10 to move the insulating movable body in the direction in which the electrode unit 110 is arranged.

In the embodiment, the electrode portion 110 includes three electrode wires 50 corresponding to each phase of the three-phase pulse voltage.
One parallel wire 14 in which 52 and 54 are arranged in parallel to each other is formed by spirally winding along the outer periphery of the pipe 10.

The pipe 10 is a cylindrical member made of an insulator, and the inside thereof forms a hollow passage 12.

FIG. 2 is a view showing a detailed configuration of the electrode section 110. FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing the external appearance, and FIG.
Indicates the cross-sectional structure of the parallel line 14, respectively.

The three electrode wires 5 constituting the parallel wire 14
Reference numerals 0, 52, and 54 each include an electric conductor portion 20, an electric insulating film 22 covering the periphery thereof, and a self-welding layer 24 covering the periphery thereof.

Here, each electric conductor portion 20 functions as an electrode when a voltage is applied, and is formed using, for example, a wire having a rectangular cross section. The electric insulating film 22 is an insulating film that covers an outer peripheral portion of the electric conductor portion 20 and protects the electric conductor portion 20 from electric leakage, rust, and the like. The self-fusion layer 24 is mainly made of a semi-fused thermosetting resin, and covers the outer peripheral portion of the electric insulating film 22.
The self-bonding layer 24 includes three electrode wires 50, 52, 54
Functions as a structural member that joins and holds the flat parallel lines 14. Further, the self-fusion layer 24 melts once when heated, and then hardens, and functions as an adhesive for bonding adjacent parallel lines 14 to each other.

The flat parallel line 14 composed of the electric conductor portion 20, the electric insulating film 22, and the self-fusion layer 24 is formed.
Are wound spirally while shifting their positions little by little so as not to overlap each other, thereby forming a cylindrical three-phase coil 16 functioning as the electrode unit 110.

When wiring is performed on the three-phase coil 16 formed into a cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 2A, electric power is supplied near the end 26 of the parallel wire (either at the beginning or end of winding). What is necessary is just to connect to the conductor part 20, and the special structure for wiring is unnecessary. Wiring can be performed in the same manner when four or more electric conductors 20 are used to apply a multiphase pulse voltage of four or more phases. There is no inconvenience such as high cost.

FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing an apparatus for manufacturing the parallel line 14. As shown in FIG. FIG. 1A is a schematic side view of the whole, and FIG. 1B is a schematic front view on the sector side.

The sector 30 is a member having an arc-shaped cross section, and four cylinders are combined to form one cylindrical shape.
The ring 32 is a member attached to the outer peripheral portions of the four sectors 30, and the core 34 is a member having a conical outer shape. The sector 30 is fixed by sandwiching the four sectors 30 between the ring 32 and the core 34, and the cylindrical shape of the outer periphery thereof is maintained.

The output shaft 36 controls the rotation of the motor 38
4 is a rotation axis for transmitting the information to The output shaft 36 has a concave portion in part, and the core 34 has a convex portion corresponding to the concave portion,
By engaging the concave and convex portions, the motor 38
The rotational force generated by the
0. A sensor 40 is mounted near one end 39 of the output shaft of the motor 38 (on the side opposite to the joint surface with the core 34). This sensor 40
This is for detecting the rotational position of the output shaft 36 of the motor 38, and sends a detection signal to a motor control device 48 described later.

The slider 42 has a parallel line guide portion 42a for supplying the parallel line 14 to the sector 30.
4 is rotated by a motor 46,
Move along. The rotation shaft 44 is provided in parallel with the rotation center axis of the sector 30. When the sector 30 is rotated to wind the parallel line 14, the slider 42 is moved at a constant speed, and the adjacent parallel line 14 in the cylindrical shape is formed. But do not overlap.

The motor control device 48 controls the motor 46 for driving the rotating shaft 44, and controls the number of rotations of the motor 46 according to the detection signal from the sensor 40 described above. Under the control of the motor control device 48, when the sector 30 is rotated to wind the parallel line 14, the slider 42 is moved at a constant speed in accordance with the rotation of the sector 30.

Thus, the above-described three-phase coil 16 is formed.

FIG. 4 is a view showing a procedure (manufacturing process) when the three-phase coil 16 shown in FIG. 2 is manufactured by using the apparatus shown in FIG.

First, parallel wires, that is, parallel wires 14 are manufactured prior to winding (step 100). An outer peripheral portion of an electric conductor portion 20 (for example, a copper wire) having a rectangular cross section is coated with an electric insulating film 22 (for example, a polyamide resin), and a self-fusion layer 24 is further formed on the outer peripheral portion.

Next, winding is performed by the apparatus shown in FIG. 3 (step 101). The tip of the parallel wire 14 manufactured in the step 100 is attached and fixed near the tip of the sector 30. Then, the sector 30 is rotated while shifting the horizontal position of the slider 42 for positioning the parallel line 14, and the parallel line, that is, the parallel line 14 is wound around the outer periphery of the sector 30 (see FIG. 3). This winding is performed so that the adjacent parallel lines 14 are arranged without any gap.

Next, the core 34 is removed from the output shaft 36, and the parallel wire 14 wound around the outer peripheral portion of the sector 30 is removed.
Is heated (step 103). For example, the parallel lines 14 are fixed between the lines by heating at 180 ° C. to cure the self-fused layer 24 in the semi-fused state.

Finally, the fixed parallel line 14 is connected to the sector 3
0 (step 104). After extracting the core 34 from the sector 30, the sector 30 is removed. In addition, a release material is applied in advance to the outer peripheral portion of the sector 30 so that it can be easily removed. Then, the three-phase coil 16 is completed by performing processing (terminal attachment and the like) on the end of the detached parallel wire 14.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a configuration of a control circuit of the electrostatic actuator of the embodiment shown in FIG.

The high voltage generating circuit 60 is a circuit for generating a predetermined high voltage to be supplied to the three electrode lines 50, 52, 54 of the electrostatic actuator of the present embodiment. For example, it has three output terminals, generates and outputs constant voltages of 0 and ± V. The high voltage control circuit 62 receives the three constant voltages output from the high voltage
This is a circuit that performs control to generate three-phase pulse voltages having different degrees of phase. By performing a switching operation at predetermined time intervals using a thyristor or the like, a three-phase pulse voltage shown in FIG. 6 is output. In FIG. 6, "+" is a portion corresponding to the voltage of + V, and "-" is a portion corresponding to the voltage of -V. The three-phase pulse voltage output from the high voltage control circuit 62 is supplied to the electrode lines 50, 52, 54. As described above, the supply of the pulse voltage can be easily performed only by connecting a wire near the end of the cylindrical three-phase coil 16 shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the electrostatic actuator of this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram when a three-phase pulse voltage is actually applied to the electrostatic actuator of the embodiment. FIG. 3A shows a predetermined 3 when the moving body is stationary.
FIG. 4B shows a case where a phase pulse voltage is applied, and FIG. 4B shows a case where the waveform of the applied pulse voltage changes. In this embodiment, a liquid (for example, silicon oil 70) is considered as the moving body, and the case where the rotor as the moving body and the transported object are combined is handled.

First, the passage 12 in the pipe 10 is filled with the silicone oil 70. At this time, the silicon oil 70 is in a stationary state, and no external force is acting. In this state, 0 potential is applied to the A-phase electrode wire 50, -V potential is applied to the B-phase electrode wire 52, and + V potential is applied to the C-phase electrode wire 54. At this time, charges opposing the electrode wire potential are induced near the electrode wire on the pipe wall of the pipe 10. In the case of the silicon oil 70, electrostatic polarization occurs in units of one molecule, and an electric charge appears (see FIG. 7A). Specifically, the silicon oil 70 located near the B-phase electrode wire 52 is positively charged, and the silicon oil 70 located near the C-phase electrode wire 54 is charged positively.
Is negatively charged.

Next, the state of the pulse voltage applied to each electrode line is changed. For example, a potential of + V is applied to the A-phase electrode wire 50, a zero potential is applied to the B-phase electrode wire 52, and a C-phase electrode wire 54.
Is applied with a potential of -V. Then, the negatively charged silicon oil 70 near the C phase is attracted to the + V potential applied to the A phase electrode wire 50. Similarly, the silicone oil 70 that has been positively charged in the vicinity of the B phase
Is attracted to the -V potential applied to the C-phase electrode wire 54, and the + V potential applied to the A-phase electrode wire 50 is repelled. Further, the negatively charged silicon oil 70 near the C phase is repelled by the -V potential applied to the C phase electrode wire 54, and thus the silicon oil 70 that is the object to be transported.
Also has the function of preventing adhesion to the pipe 10 and reducing the frictional force.

Such a phenomenon occurs everywhere in the pipe 10, and as a whole, the silicone oil 70 moves to the left in FIG. 7, and the electrostatic actuator of this embodiment has a function as a pump. Will be. If it is desired to change the transfer direction of the silicon oil 70, it is only necessary to change the phase sequence of the three-phase pulse voltages supplied to the respective electrode wires.

As described above, according to the electrostatic actuator of this embodiment, the electrode wire 5 near one end of the three-phase coil 16 is used.
Wiring of the entire three-phase coil 16 can be performed only by making connections at 0, 52, and 54, and wiring can be simplified. Even when a multi-phase coil having four or more phases is formed and a multi-phase pulse voltage is applied thereto, the wiring can be simplified in the same manner. Further, since the multi-phase coil 16 is formed by winding, a three-dimensional structure of the electrode wire can be easily realized. Further, since the moving body moves inside the multi-phase coil 16, a propulsive force acts from up, down, left, and right, and the driving force can be increased. In particular, since it has the advantage of reducing the above-mentioned friction in addition to this large driving force, it is suitable for use as a microminiature driving source.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention.

In the electrostatic actuator of this embodiment, the case where the liquid silicon oil 70 is transported as the moving body has been described as an example, but the moving body may be a powder or a solid. For example, the electrostatic actuator of the present embodiment may be applied as a pump for conveying toner in a copying machine. In this case, there is also an effect of preventing toner particles from adhering to the inner wall of the pipe 10 due to the repulsive force, so that the pipe 10 can be transported smoothly.

In this embodiment, the case where the moving object is transported inside the three-phase coil 16 has been described.
Various deformations can be considered, such as a case where a cylindrical moving body is moved around the outer peripheral portion, and a case where the outer peripheral portion and the inside are used together. Even in these cases, since the three-phase coil 16 is formed by winding it into a cylindrical shape, there is no change in effects such as easy wiring and easy application to a three-dimensional structure.

In this embodiment, the case where a three-phase pulse voltage is applied has been described. However, a case where a multi-phase coil of four or more phases is formed and a pulse voltage is applied thereto may be used. Two-phase coils may be formed at unequal intervals to apply a two-phase pulse voltage .

Further, in this embodiment, the cylindrical three-phase coil 16 is used, but the cross section may be other shapes such as a rectangle.

In the embodiment, the plurality of electrode lines are formed as one parallel line. However, the plurality of electrode lines need not necessarily be formed as one parallel line if they are arranged in parallel.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of electrodes to which a multi-phase voltage is applied are connected to a plurality of electrode lines corresponding to each phase of the multi-phase voltage and arranged in parallel. By forming the coil as a multi-phase coil that is spirally wound along the moving path of the moving body, wiring can be performed by connecting the terminal ends thereof, eliminating the need for intermediate wiring and simplifying wiring. Becomes possible. Further, since the electrode is formed by winding, a three-dimensional structure of the electrode such as a cylindrical structure can be easily realized.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the plurality of electrode wires are formed as one parallel line arranged in parallel with each other, so that the winding operation can be performed more simply and accurately. It can be carried out.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a structure of an electrostatic actuator according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams showing a detailed configuration of a coil. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an external appearance, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure.

3A and 3B schematically show a coil manufacturing apparatus, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic side view of the whole, and FIG. 3B is a schematic front view of a sector side.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a procedure for manufacturing a coil using the apparatus shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a control circuit of the electrostatic actuator according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a three-phase pulse voltage.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of the operation of the present embodiment, and FIGS. 7A and 7B are explanatory diagrams of a state when a predetermined pulse voltage is applied.

FIG. 8A is a diagram showing a structure of a conventional electrostatic actuator, and FIG. 8B is a diagram showing an operation principle thereof.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional electrode wiring.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Pipe 12 Passage 14 Parallel wire 16 Polyphase coil 20 Electric conductor part 22 Electric insulating film 24 Self-fusion layer 50,52,54 Electrode wire 60 High voltage generation circuit 62 High voltage control circuit 70 Silicon oil
AS011501

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Toshiro Higuchi 4-1-1-1109 Chigasaki Minami, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture (56) References JP-A-4-222471 (JP, A) JP-A-4- 112685 (JP, A) JP-A-1-185177 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H02N 1/00

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An electrostatic actuator having a stator on which an electrode unit to which a multi-phase voltage is applied is arranged, and an insulative moving body is moved along the stator. A plurality of electrode wires corresponding to each phase and arranged in parallel are formed as a multi-phase coil formed by spirally winding along a moving path of the moving body, and the adjacent electrode wires are fixed. An electrostatic actuator characterized by the above-mentioned. 2. The electrostatic actuator according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrode lines are formed as one parallel line arranged in parallel with each other. 3. The electrostatic actuator according to claim 1, wherein the stator has a cavity in which the moving body moves on an inner peripheral side of the polyphase coil. 4. The electrostatic actuator according to claim 1, wherein the stator is formed so that the moving body moves on an outer peripheral side of the multi-phase coil.