JP5432479B2 - Electric telescopic mechanism and actuator - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an electric expansion / contraction mechanism used for manufacturing an actuator and the like, and an actuator manufactured using the electric expansion / contraction mechanism.

Actuators convert input energy into physical momentum, and various actuators have been developed and used. For example, the actuator described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a stretchable part in which three or more stretchable layers made of a thin elastic material having insulation properties are stacked in the thickness direction and the stretchable layers provided on both sides in the thickness direction of each stretchable layer A plurality of electrodes that can be deformed to allow expansion and contraction of the layers, and a power supply control unit that selects a voltage polarity connected to each electrode are formed. The actuator formed in this way can expand the stretchable layer relative to the original position where no voltage is applied, and can contract the stretchable layer relative to the original position.
Japanese Patent No. 3809802

  However, in the conventional actuator as described above, since the lead wire is connected to the electrodes on both sides of the stretchable layer, the wiring also moves when the stretchable layer expands and contracts. However, it is difficult to reduce the size because the wiring is complicated.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and it is possible to reduce the size with a simpler wiring than before and to provide an electrical expansion / contraction mechanism and actuator that can improve connection reliability. It is the purpose.

Electrical telescopic mechanism according to claim 1 of the present invention, the stretchable possess, and an electrical expansion mechanism A is formed by the electrode 2 provided on both surfaces formed in the insulating layer 1 in the porous body 3, with the one electrode 2a is conducting holes 5 which are electrically connected are formed on the insulating layer 1, the through hole 5, along the mesh of the inner surface of the through-hole 16 provided in the porous body 3 a metal It is formed by plating .

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the hole is formed in the porous body 3 with the electrolyte solution, and the other electrode 2b not electrically connected to the conduction hole 5 and the insulating layer 1 is provided with an insulating film 8 .
An electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to claim 3 of the present invention is an electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A formed by providing electrodes 2 on both surfaces of a stretchable insulating layer 1 and electrically connected to one electrode 2a. The conductive hole 5 is formed in the insulating layer 1, and the conductive hole 5 is formed by performing metal plating on the inner surface of the internal thread-like through hole 16 provided in the insulating layer 1. It is characterized by.
Invention Oite to claim 3, wherein the insulating layer 1 is formed of a porous body 3, the electrolytic solution is filled in the porous body 3 in the pores, the through hole 5 and the electric according to claim 4 An insulating film 8 is provided between the other electrode 2b that is not electrically connected and the insulating layer 1.

The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 4 , a plurality of insulating layers 1 are laminated via the electrodes 2.

The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that, in any one of claims 1 to 5 , a part of the insulating layer 1 between the electrodes 2 is missing to form a gap 9. is there.

An actuator according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is formed by including the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A according to any one of the first to sixth aspects and a power supply control unit 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2. It is characterized by that.

According to the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to the first aspect of the present invention, the conduction hole formed in the insulating layer can reduce the size with a simpler wiring than the conventional one and can improve the connection reliability. Is. In addition, since the metal plating is applied along the mesh on the inner surface of the through hole, when the porous body as the insulating layer expands and contracts, it can be deformed following the expansion and contraction, and disconnection is prevented. Is.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, a larger output can be obtained when the electrolytic solution is used than when a normal dielectric is used .
According to the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to claim 3 of the present invention, the conduction hole formed in the insulating layer can reduce the size with a simpler wiring than the conventional one and can improve the connection reliability. Is. Further, by forming the inner surface of the through hole in advance in the form of a female screw, it is possible to prevent the metal plating from peeling when the insulating layer expands and contracts, thereby preventing disconnection.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a larger output can be obtained when the electrolytic solution is used than when a normal dielectric is used.

According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5 , stretchability can be improved by laminating | stacking several insulating layers.

According to the invention of claim 6 , since the void portion does not become a resistance when the insulating layer contracts, the insulating layer can be contracted more greatly than when the insulating layer between the electrodes is not missing at all. Is.

According to the actuator of the seventh aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size with a simpler wiring than before, and for example, it can be suitably used as an artificial muscle in the field of robot technology.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1A shows an example of an electric expansion / contraction mechanism A. The electric expansion / contraction mechanism A is formed by providing electrodes 2 on both surfaces of a stretchable insulating layer 1.

  The insulating layer 1 is formed of a non-porous body or a porous body 3. An elastic body such as rubber can be used as the non-porous body. Moreover, as the porous body 3, for example, a continuous porous body in which holes are continuously provided, such as PVA sponge or urethane sponge, or a material in which holes are independently provided can be used. The porosity of the porous body 3 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 30 to 90%.

  On the other hand, the electrode 2 can be provided by bonding a metal foil such as a copper foil to the surface of the insulating layer 1 via a bonding sheet, or can be provided by metal plating or sputtering. Further, the electrode 2 may be formed so as to be deformable following the expansion and contraction of the insulating layer 1. Specifically, the electrode 2 can be provided by applying on the surface of the insulating layer 1 a conductive material added to the base material to impart conductivity. The base material is not particularly limited as long as it has high adhesion to the insulating layer 1, and for example, Teflon (registered trademark), silicone rubber, acrylic rubber, phenoxy resin, or the like can be used. As the conductive additive, metal powder such as gold, silver, copper, carbon black, or the like can be used.

  In particular, the insulating layer 1 is provided with a conduction hole 5 electrically connected to one electrode 2a. The conduction hole 5 is formed to be deformable following the expansion and contraction of the insulating layer 1. Specifically, the conduction hole 5 can be formed by providing the through hole 16 in the insulating layer 1 and applying metal plating such as copper plating to the inner surface of the through hole 16. At this time, the metal plating is applied so as to be deformable following the expansion and contraction of the insulating layer 1. One end of the conduction hole 5 is connected to one electrode 2a, and the other end of the conduction hole 5 is insulated from the other electrode 2b by a connection electrode 15 connected to a power control unit 6 described later. It is provided in the state. Moreover, you may form the conduction | electrical_connection hole 5 as shown in FIG. 2 other than the conduction | electrical_connection hole 5 as shown in FIG. That is, the conduction hole 5 shown in FIG. 2A is formed by providing an internal thread-like through hole 16 in the insulating layer 1 and applying metal plating such as copper plating to the inner surface of the through hole 16. In this way, by forming the inner surface of the through-hole 16 in the form of a female screw in advance, it is possible to prevent the metal plating from peeling when the insulating layer 1 expands and contracts, thereby preventing disconnection. 2B is formed by providing the through hole 16 in the insulating layer 1 and filling the through hole 16 with a conductive paste. This conductive paste can be obtained by adding metal powder such as silver and copper to silicone rubber, and can be deformed following the expansion and contraction of the insulating layer 1.

  FIG. 1B shows an example of the actuator B. The actuator B is formed by including the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and the power control unit 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2. . The power control unit 6 includes a DC power supply 11 and a switch 12 and is connected to the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b by a lead wire 13. As described above, the connection hole between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b can be gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A by the conduction hole 5 formed in the insulating layer 1, which is more than conventional. Miniaturization can be achieved with simple wiring. When the switch 12 is on, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 2, and dielectric polarization occurs in the insulating layer 1, so that a Coulomb force is generated inside the insulating layer 1, and so-called electrostriction causes the insulating layer 1. A compressive force is generated. Conversely, when the switch 12 is off, such a compression force does not occur. Therefore, the actuator B can be arbitrarily expanded and contracted in the thickness direction of the insulating layer 1 by controlling the on / off of the switch 12. In this way, even if the insulating layer 1 repeatedly expands and contracts, the connection points between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b are gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and move together with the insulating layer 1. Since there is no connection reliability, it is possible to improve the connection reliability.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3A shows another example of the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A. FIG. This electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A is also formed by providing electrodes 2 on both sides of the insulating layer 1 having elasticity, but in this embodiment, the insulating layer 1 is formed of the porous body 3 and the porous body 3 The holes are filled with a dielectric. As this dielectric, for example, a liquid dielectric such as a fluorine-based inert liquid or a gaseous dielectric such as nitrogen, helium, neon, or argon can be used. At this time, a fine powder material having a high dielectric constant such as barium titanate may be used in combination. However, since such a dielectric material leaks from the porous material 3, the porous material 3 impregnated with a liquid or gaseous dielectric material is sealed in the bag body 14. The bag 14 is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility, but for example, a bag formed of rubber or plastic can be used. As described above, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 1 can be adjusted by filling the pores of the porous body 3 with various dielectrics.

  Further, when the through-hole 16 is provided in the porous body 3, the inner surface thereof is formed in a mesh shape, but the conduction hole 5 can be formed by performing metal plating such as copper plating along the mesh of the inner surface. Thus, since the metal plating is applied along the mesh on the inner surface of the through-hole 16, when the porous body 3 as the insulating layer 1 expands and contracts, it can be deformed following the expansion and contraction. Is prevented. One end of the conduction hole 5 is connected to one electrode 2a, and the other end of the conduction hole 5 is in a state where a connection electrode 15 connected to a power supply control unit 6 described later is insulated from the other electrode 2b. Is provided.

  FIG. 3B shows another example of the actuator B. The actuator B is formed by including the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A and the power control unit 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2. ing. The power control unit 6 includes a DC power supply 11 and a switch 12 and is connected to the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b by a lead wire 13. As described above, the connection hole between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b can be gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A by the conduction hole 5 formed in the insulating layer 1, which is more than conventional. Miniaturization can be achieved with simple wiring. When the switch 12 is on, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 2, and dielectric polarization occurs in the insulating layer 1, so that a Coulomb force is generated inside the insulating layer 1, and so-called electrostriction causes the insulating layer 1. A compressive force is generated. Conversely, when the switch 12 is off, such a compression force does not occur. Therefore, the actuator B can be arbitrarily expanded and contracted in the thickness direction of the insulating layer 1 by controlling the on / off of the switch 12. In this way, even if the insulating layer 1 repeatedly expands and contracts, the connection points between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b are gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and move together with the insulating layer 1. Since there is no connection reliability, it is possible to improve the connection reliability.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 4A shows another example of the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A. FIG. This electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A is also formed by providing the electrodes 2 on both surfaces of the insulating layer 1 having elasticity, but in this embodiment, a plurality of insulating layers 1 are laminated via the electrodes 2. The electrodes 2 having the same polarity are connected to each other through the conduction holes 5 so that the electrodes 2 facing each other through the insulating layers 1 have different polarities. At this time, the conduction hole 5 can be formed by the same method as in the first and second embodiments.

  Specifically, in the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A shown in FIG. 4A, the inner layer electrode 2a is sandwiched between the insulating layers 1, and each insulating layer 1 is sandwiched between the inner layer electrode 2a and the outer layer electrodes 2b and 2c. Is formed. The insulating layer 1 is formed with a conduction hole 5a electrically connected to the inner electrode 2a and a conduction hole 5b electrically connected to the outer electrodes 2b and 2c. That is, one end of the former conduction hole 5a is connected to the inner layer electrode 2a, and the other end is insulated from the outer layer electrode 2b by a connection electrode 15 connected to a power control unit 6 described later. It is provided in the state. The latter conduction hole 5b is formed in a state in which the insulating layer 1 on both sides of the inner layer electrode 2a passes through the thickness direction and is insulated from the inner layer electrode 2a, and both ends are respectively connected to the outer layer electrodes 2b and 2c. It is connected. In addition, this invention is not limited to such an electric expansion-contraction mechanism A.

  As described above, in the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A as shown in FIG. 4A, the stretchability can be enhanced by laminating the plurality of insulating layers 1.

  When the insulating layer 1 is formed of the porous body 3 as in the second embodiment, the material of the porous body 3 is selected, the porosity of the porous body 3 is changed in advance, or the dielectric filled in the porous body 3 is filled. By selecting the body material, the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 1 can be adjusted, and the degree of expansion and contraction can be finely adjusted.

  FIG. 4B shows another example of the actuator B. The actuator B is formed by including the above-described electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and the power supply control unit 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2. ing. The power supply control unit 6 includes a DC power supply 11 and a switch 12, and is connected to the connection electrode 15 and the outer layer by the lead wire 13 so that the electrodes 2 facing each other through the insulating layer 1 are different from each other. Connected to the electrode 2b. In this way, even if a plurality of insulating layers 1 are laminated, the conductive hole 5 formed in the insulating layer 1 allows the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism to connect the lead wire 13 to the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b. A can be collected on one side of A, and can be reduced in size with a simpler wiring than in the past. When the switch 12 is on, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 2, and dielectric polarization occurs in the insulating layer 1, so that a Coulomb force is generated inside the insulating layer 1, and so-called electrostriction causes the insulating layer 1. A compressive force is generated. Conversely, when the switch 12 is off, such a compression force does not occur. Therefore, the actuator B can be arbitrarily expanded and contracted in the thickness direction of the insulating layer 1 by controlling the on / off of the switch 12. In this way, even if the insulating layer 1 repeatedly expands and contracts, the connection points between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b are gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and move together with the insulating layer 1. Since there is no connection reliability, it is possible to improve the connection reliability.

(Embodiment 4)
FIG. 5A shows another example of the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A. FIG. The electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A is also formed by providing the electrodes 2 on both surfaces of the elastic insulating layer 1 as in the first embodiment. In this embodiment, the insulating layer 1 is formed of the porous body 3. The porous body 3 is filled with an electrolyte solution, and an insulating film 8 is provided between the other electrode 2 b not electrically connected to the conduction hole 5 and the insulating layer 1. The force generated in the thickness direction of the insulating layer 1 is proportional to the dielectric constant of the insulating layer 1, but the dielectric constant of the electrolyte is about 20-30 while the dielectric constant of a normal dielectric is about 3 or less. Therefore, a larger output can be obtained when the electrolytic solution is used than when a normal dielectric is used.

  As the electrolytic solution, an electrolyte prepared by mixing an electrolyte salt that generates ions composed of an acid and a base and a solvent in which the salt is dissolved can be used. The acid component of the electrolyte salt can be a weak acid such as boric acid or carboxylic acid, the base component can be an organic base such as ammonia or amine, and the solvent is ethylene glycol or γ -Butyrolactone etc. can be used. Specifically, as the electrolytic solution, “SAN ELEC” manufactured by Sanyo Chemical Industries, Ltd. can be used.

Since the electrolytic solution is a liquid that conducts electricity, an insulating film 8 is provided between the other electrode 2b that is not electrically connected to the conduction hole 5 and the insulating layer 1 in order to prevent a short circuit. ing. The insulating film 8 is provided by covering the surface of the electrode 2b with an insulating resin or a bonding sheet so that the electrode 2b and the electrolytic solution do not come into contact with each other. In particular, when aluminum is used as the electrode 2b, an oxide film (aluminum oxide: Al ₂ O ₃ ) formed by oxidizing the surface of the electrode 2b can be used as the insulating film 8.

  Incidentally, as in the case of using a liquid or gaseous dielectric, the electrolytic solution leaks from the porous body 3, so that the porous body 3 infiltrated with the electrolytic solution is a bag 14 as shown in FIG. Is enclosed. The bag 14 is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility, but for example, a bag formed of rubber or plastic can be used. In addition to such non-conductive materials, as the bag body 14, a conductive material such as metal can be used. In particular, when a metal bag 14 is used, the side surface of the bag 14 is formed in a bellows shape as shown in FIG. At this time, the insulating film 8 is provided between the other electrode 2b that is not electrically connected to the conduction hole 5 and the bag body 14 to ensure insulation.

  FIG. 5B shows another example of the actuator B, and this actuator B is formed to include the above-described electric expansion / contraction mechanism A and the power supply control unit 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2. ing. The power control unit 6 includes a DC power supply 11 and a switch 12 and is connected to the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b by a lead wire 13. As described above, the connection hole between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b can be gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A by the conduction hole 5 formed in the insulating layer 1, which is more than conventional. Miniaturization can be achieved with simple wiring. When the switch 12 is on, a voltage is applied between the electrodes 2, and dielectric polarization occurs in the insulating layer 1, so that a Coulomb force is generated inside the insulating layer 1, and so-called electrostriction causes the insulating layer 1. A compressive force is generated. Conversely, when the switch 12 is off, such a compression force does not occur. Therefore, the actuator B can be arbitrarily expanded and contracted in the thickness direction of the insulating layer 1 by controlling the on / off of the switch 12. In this way, even if the insulating layer 1 repeatedly expands and contracts, the connection points between the lead wire 13 and the connection electrode 15 and the other electrode 2b are gathered on one side of the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A and move together with the insulating layer 1. Since there is no connection reliability, it is possible to improve the connection reliability.

(Embodiment 5)
FIG. 7 shows another example of the electric expansion / contraction mechanism A. In FIG. This electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A is also formed by providing electrodes 2 on both sides of the insulating layer 1 having elasticity, but in this embodiment, a part of the insulating layer 1 between the electrodes 2 is missing and the gap 9 is formed. Is formed.

  That is, in the structure shown in FIG. 7A, the gap portion 9 is formed from the center portion of the insulating layer 1 to one end portion. In order to prevent the electrodes 2 from coming into contact with each other and contracting when the insulating layer 1 contracts, the insulating layer 1 is left in a layered manner on at least one of the electrodes 2 facing each other through the gap portion 9 so that the short-circuit preventing layer 10 is formed. Is formed. This short-circuit prevention layer 10 is also formed in the conduction hole 5.

  FIG. 7B shows a case where the insulating layer 1 is formed of a porous body 3, and in this case also, a gap portion 9 is formed from the central portion of the insulating layer 1 to one end portion. . The gap 9 is formed larger than each hole of the porous body 3.

  FIG. 7C shows a case where a plurality of insulating layers 1 are laminated, and a gap portion 9 is formed from the central portion of each insulating layer 1 to one end portion. Further, a short-circuit prevention layer 10 is formed by leaving the insulating layer 1 in the form of a layer on the electrode 2 facing through the gap 9, and the short-circuit prevention layer 10 is also formed around the conduction hole 5. . And the space | gap part 9 of the insulating layer 1 adjacent via the electrode 2 is located so that it may not overlap in the lamination direction. Thus, by arranging the gaps 9 alternately so as to form a bellows shape, even when a plurality of insulating layers 1 are stacked, the stretchability can be further improved. Note that FIG. 7C shows a case where two insulating layers 1 are stacked, but the same applies to a case where three or more insulating layers 1 are stacked.

  FIG. 7D shows a case where an insulating film 8 is provided between the other electrode 2 b not electrically connected to the conduction hole 5 and the insulating layer 1. A gap portion 9 is formed from the center portion of the insulating layer 1 to one end portion. In this case, since the other electrode 2b is not exposed to the inside of the gap 9 by the insulating film 8, it is not necessary to further form the short-circuit preventing layer 10 on the insulating film 8.

  As described above, in the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A as shown in FIG. 7, when the insulating layer 1 is contracted, the gap portion 9 does not become a resistance, so that the insulating layer 1 between the electrodes 2 is not missing at all. Compared to the above, the insulating layer 1 can be contracted more greatly.

  Although not shown in the drawing, the actuator B can be formed by including the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism A shown in FIG. 7 and the power supply controller 6 that applies a voltage between the electrodes 2.

  As described above, any of the actuators B of the first to fifth embodiments can be reduced in size with a simpler wiring than conventional ones, and can be suitably used as, for example, an artificial muscle in the field of robot technology. Is. In particular, when the insulating layer 1 is formed of the porous body 3, the stretchability can be improved as compared with the conventional case.

An example of embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is sectional drawing of an electric expansion-contraction mechanism, (b) is sectional drawing of an actuator. FIG. 2 shows another example of the embodiment of the present invention, and (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of an electric extension / contraction mechanism. It shows another example of the embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the electrical expansion and contraction mechanism, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the actuator. It shows another example of the embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the electrical expansion and contraction mechanism, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the actuator. It shows another example of the embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a cross-sectional view of the electrical expansion and contraction mechanism, (b) is a cross-sectional view of the actuator. It shows other examples of embodiment of this invention and is sectional drawing of an electric expansion-contraction mechanism. The other example of embodiment of this invention is shown, (a)-(d) is sectional drawing of an electric expansion-contraction mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

A Electrical expansion and contraction mechanism B Actuator 1 Insulating layer 2 Electrode 3 Porous body 5 Conducting hole 6 Power supply control unit 8 Insulating film 9 Void

Claims (7)

  An electrical expansion / contraction mechanism formed by providing electrodes on both sides of an insulating layer made of a porous material having elasticity, and a conductive hole electrically connected to one electrode is formed in the insulating layer The electrical expansion / contraction mechanism is characterized in that the conduction hole is formed by performing metal plating along the mesh of the inner surface of the through hole provided in the porous body.   The hole of the porous body is filled with an electrolytic solution, and an insulating film is provided between the other electrode that is not electrically connected to the conduction hole and the insulating layer. The electrical telescopic mechanism according to claim 1.   An electrical expansion / contraction mechanism formed by providing electrodes on both surfaces of a stretchable insulating layer, wherein a conductive hole electrically connected to one electrode is formed in the insulating layer, and the conductive hole Is formed by performing metal plating on the inner surface of the female screw-shaped through hole provided in the insulating layer. The insulating layer is formed of a porous body, an electrolyte is filled in the pores of the porous body, and an insulating film is formed between the other electrode that is not electrically connected to the conduction hole and the insulating layer. The electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to claim 3, wherein: The electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a plurality of insulating layers are laminated via the electrodes. Electrical telescopic mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the air gap lacks part of the insulating layer is formed between the electrodes. An actuator comprising: the electrical expansion / contraction mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ; and a power supply control unit that applies a voltage between the electrodes.

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