JP6789156B2 - Electromechanical transducer - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to electromechanical transducers.

Patent Document 1 includes an electrode to which a sheet-shaped electret is attached and a counter electrode arranged in parallel with the electret sticking surface side of the electrode, and both electrodes are relatively rotated to face the electret and the counter electrode. An electrostatic generator is described in which the area is continuously changed to generate an AC voltage in a load connected between both electrodes.

Patent Document 2 describes an electret element including an electret film and a charge outflow suppressing film formed so as to surround the side end faces of the electret film and suppressing the outflow of charges accumulated in the electret film. ing.

Patent Document 3 describes a mechanical electric energy conversion device in which an electret film is applied to an electret support, the film is directed to an operating electrode, and an electric charge having a sign opposite to that of the electret surface charge is induced on the surface thereof. Patent Document 3 describes that the amount of effective charge induced on the surface of the operating electrode is improved by supporting the electret film as a self-supporting film or supporting it on an insulating support.

JP-A-58-209379 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-277473 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2009-207344

In an electromechanical converter that converts between electric power and power by utilizing the electrostatic interaction between the charged part and the fixed electrode, the charged part and the fixed electrode are arranged so as to face each other. The electric lines of force generated from the charged portion do not necessarily concentrate on the fixed electrode side, but diverge to the periphery thereof. The lines of electric force diverging from the charged portion in a direction other than the fixed electrode are wasted because they do not contribute to the electrostatic interaction between the charged portion and the fixed electrode.

In the electret element of Patent Document 2, the charge outflow of the electret film is suppressed by forming a charge outflow suppressing film around the side end surface of the electret film, and the charge outflow suppressing film suppresses the divergence of electric lines of force. The effect is limited to the outer peripheral portion of the electret film. For example, when this charge outflow suppression film is applied to a movable member (rotor) in which charged parts and through holes are alternately formed radially around the rotation axis, electric lines of force are still generated on the inner peripheral side near the rotation axis. Since it diverges in a direction other than the fixed electrode, that amount does not contribute to the output of the electromechanical converter, which is wasted.

Further, in the manufacturing method described in Patent Document 3, there are many complicated steps such as producing an electret film as a self-supporting film and temporarily attaching the electret film to a metal body at the time of charging treatment. Since it is difficult to handle the electret film, it is difficult to actually manufacture such an electret film.

The present invention is an electromechanical conversion in which electric lines of force generated from a charged portion are concentrated on the fixed electrode side facing the charged portion to generate a stronger electrostatic interaction between the charged portion and the fixed electrode. The purpose is to provide a vessel.

It is an electromechanical converter that converts between electric power and power by utilizing the electrostatic interaction between the charged part and the fixed electrode facing the charged part, and is between the fixed substrate and the fixed substrate. A movable member that can be moved while maintaining a certain distance, a plurality of fixed electrodes formed on a surface facing the movable member of the fixed substrate at intervals in the moving direction of the movable member, and a fixed substrate of the movable member. A first charging portion formed on the facing surface at intervals in the moving direction and any fixed electrode having the same polarity as the first charging portion and formed on the surface opposite to the facing surface of the movable member. Provided is an electromechanical converter characterized by having a second charged portion that does not face the same.

In the electromechanical converter described above, the second charging portion is composed of a plurality of partial regions formed at intervals in the moving direction, and the first charging portion and the second charging portion have a movable member between them. It is preferable that the movable members are formed at the same positions in the moving direction on the facing surface and the opposite surface of the movable member.

In the electromechanical converter described above, it is preferable that the movable member is made of a material that can be charged to the same polarity as the first charged portion, and the second charged portion is a base portion of the movable member.

In the electromechanical transducer described above, the movable member has a plurality of through holes formed at intervals in the moving direction, and in the movable member, the first and second charged portions and a plurality of through holes are formed in the moving direction. It is preferable that the holes are arranged alternately.

In the electromechanical transducers described above, the movable member is rotatable around a rotation axis passing through the center of the movable member, and the first and second charged portions and the plurality of fixed electrodes are radial about the rotation axis, respectively. It is preferably arranged in.

The electromechanical transducer described above is a drive unit that applies a voltage that alternates polarities to a plurality of fixed electrodes and moves a movable member by an electrostatic force generated between the first charging unit and the plurality of fixed electrodes. It is preferable to have more.

It is preferable that the electromechanical converter further has a power storage unit that stores electric power generated by electrostatic induction between the first charging unit and the plurality of fixed electrodes according to the movement of the movable member.

According to the electromechanical converter described above, the lines of electric force generated from the charged portion are concentrated on the fixed electrode side facing the charged portion, and the electrostatic interaction between the charged portion and the fixed electrode is further enhanced. It occurs strongly.

It is a schematic block diagram of an electromechanical converter 1. It is a perspective view of the power generation part 10. It is a partial sectional view of the power generation part 10 along the circumferential direction about the rotation shaft 11. It is a figure for demonstrating the charging method of the charging part 14, 17. It is a figure which shows the difference of the distribution of the electric line 80 depending on the presence or absence of a charged part 17. It is a figure which shows the difference of the output waveform of a power generation part 10 depending on the presence or absence of a charge part 17. It is a partial sectional view of the power generation part 10'having another rotating member 12'. It is a figure which shows the general charge train. It is a schematic block diagram of another electromechanical converter 1'. It is a schematic block diagram of still another electromechanical converter 2. It is a schematic block diagram of still another electromechanical converter 3. It is sectional drawing of the electromechanical converter 1 which shows the arrangement example of a rotary weight 18.

Hereinafter, the electromechanical converter will be described with reference to the drawings. However, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the drawings or embodiments described below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of the electromechanical converter 1. The electromechanical converter 1 has a power generation unit 10 and a power storage unit 20. The power generation unit 10 includes a rotating shaft 11, a rotating member 12, a fixed substrate 13, charging units 14, 17 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), and counter electrodes 15 and 16. In FIG. 1, the upper surface of the fixed substrate 13 and the lower surface of the rotating member 12 are shown side by side as the power generation unit 10. Since the charging portion 17 is arranged on the upper surface of the rotating member 12, it is not shown in FIG. The electromechanical converter 1 uses the kinetic energy of the external environment to rotate the rotating member 12, and generates static electricity by electrostatic induction between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16, thereby generating electric power from the power. It is a power generator (electric generator) to be taken out.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the power generation unit 10. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation unit 10 along the circumferential direction centered on the rotation shaft 11. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the power generation unit 10 is composed of a rotating member 12 and a fixed substrate 13 arranged in parallel with each other. There is a certain distance between the rotating member 12 and the fixed substrate 13. In FIG. 3, for the sake of simplicity, the lateral direction of the drawing is deformed so as to correspond to the circumferential direction of the rotating member 12 and the fixed substrate 13 (direction of arrow C in FIG. 2).

The rotating shaft 11 is a shaft that serves as the center of rotation of the rotating member 12, and as shown in FIG. 2, penetrates the center of the rotating member 12. The upper and lower ends of the rotating shaft 11 are fixed to the housing of the electromechanical converter 1 (not shown) via bearings. In FIG. 3, the rotation shaft 11 is not shown.

The rotating member 12 is an example of a movable member, and is made of a well-known substrate material such as a silicon substrate or a glass epoxy substrate. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating member 12 has, for example, a disk shape, and is connected to the rotating shaft 11 at the center thereof. In order to reduce the weight, the rotating member 12 is formed with a plurality of rectangular or substantially trapezoidal through holes (slits) 121 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. However, the shape of the rotating member 12 shown in the figure is an example, and the rotating member may be a flat plate material having no through hole. Reference numeral 122 in FIG. 3 is a rectangular or substantially trapezoidal portion (hereinafter referred to as a base 122) of the rotating member 12 between the two through holes 121.

In the electromechanical converter 1, for example, a rotary member 12 or a rotary weight having a weight balance bias is attached separately from the rotary member 12. The rotating member 12 is rotated around the rotating shaft 11 in a circumferential direction by using the movement of a human body carrying the electromechanical converter 1 or the vibration of a machine to which the electromechanical converter 1 is attached as a power source. It can rotate in the direction of arrow C (clockwise and counterclockwise). That is, the rotating member 12 can move with respect to the fixed substrate 13 while maintaining a constant distance.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the electromechanical converter 1 showing an arrangement example of the rotary weight 18. FIG. 12 shows an example in which the rotary weight 18 for rotating the rotary member 12 is arranged separately from the rotary member 12 in the housing of the electromechanical converter 1. In the illustrated example, the rotary weight 18 is attached to a rotary shaft 11'which is different from the rotary shaft 11 provided in the housing of the electromechanical converter 1. In this case, a gear 19 is attached to the rotating shaft 11, and a gear (acceleration train wheel) 19'is attached to the rotating shaft 11', and the gear 19 and the gear 19'are connected to each other. As a result, the rotational movement of the rotary weight 18 is transmitted to the gear 19 via the gear 19', and the rotating member 12 can be rotated.

The fixed substrate 13 is made of a well-known substrate material such as a glass epoxy substrate. As shown in FIG. 2, the fixed substrate 13 has, for example, a disk shape, and is arranged below the rotating member 12 so as to face the lower surface of the rotating member 12. Unlike the rotating member 12, the fixed substrate 13 is fixed to the housing of the electromechanical converter 1 (not shown).

The charging portion 14 is a thin film made of an electret material, and is radial around the rotating shaft 11 on the lower surface of the rotating member 12 (the surface facing the fixed substrate 13) except for the central portion around the rotating shaft 11. Is formed in. The charging portion 14 is an example of the first charging portion, and is composed of a plurality of rectangular or substantially trapezoidal partial regions formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. The charged portions 14 are all charged with the same polarity (for example, negative). Examples of the electlet material of the charged portion 14 include resin materials such as CYTOP (registered trademark), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). , A polymer material such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVF), or an inorganic material such as silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) or silicon nitride (SiN) is used.

The counter electrodes 15 and 16 are each composed of a plurality of rectangular or substantially trapezoidal electrodes, and are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the fixed substrate 13 (the surface facing the rotating member 12) and centered on the rotating shaft 11. It is formed in a radial pattern. Each of the counter electrodes 15 and 16 is an example of a plurality of fixed electrodes. The facing electrodes 15 and 16 are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction and are arranged at equal intervals, similarly to the through holes 121 and the charging portion 14 of the rotating member 12. On the same circumference centered on the rotating shaft 11, the widths of the counter electrode 15 and the counter electrode 16 are the same, and it is preferable that the sizes are the same as or substantially the same as the widths of the through hole 121 and the charging portion 14. .. Further, it is preferable that the number of the charging portion 14, the counter electrode 15 and the counter electrode 16 is the same.

The charging portion 17 is a thin film made of an electret material like the charging portion 14, and is opposite to the upper surface of the rotating member 12 (opposite to the surface facing the fixed substrate 13) except for the central portion around the rotating shaft 11. On the side surface), it is formed radially around the rotation shaft 11. The charging portion 17 is an example of the second charging portion, and is composed of a plurality of rectangular or substantially trapezoidal partial regions formed at intervals in the circumferential direction. The charging portions 14 and 17 are formed at the same positions in the circumferential direction of the rotating member 12 with the base 122 of the rotating member 12 sandwiched between them. Therefore, in the rotating member 12, the charging portions 14 and 17 and the through holes 121 are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction.

The charged portion 17 is charged to the same polarity as the charged portion 14, and if the charged portion 14 is negative, all the charged portions 17 are also negatively charged. In the electromechanical converter 1, the fixed electrode is not arranged on the upper surface side of the rotating member 12, and the charging portion 17 does not face any fixed electrode. As will be described later, the charging portion 17 is provided on the upper surface side of the rotating member 12 opposite to the fixed substrate 13 in order to repel the electric lines of force radiated from the charging portion 14 toward the fixed substrate 13. When the rotating member 12 is a flat plate material having no through hole, the charging portion 17 is not divided into a plurality of partial regions and is integrally (solid) formed on the upper surface of the rotating member 12. You may.

As the rotating member 12 rotates, the overlapping area between the charging portion 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 increases or decreases accordingly. For example, assuming that a negative charge is held in the charging unit 14, the positive charge attracted to the counter electrodes 15 and 16 by the electric field generated by the charging unit 14 increases or decreases as the rotating member 12 rotates. In this way, the power generation unit 10 generates an alternating current between the counter electrode 15 and the counter electrode 16 to generate power using electrostatic induction.

The power storage unit 20 has a rectifier circuit 21 and a secondary battery 22, and stores electric power generated by electrostatic induction between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating member 12. The outputs from the counter electrodes 15 and 16 are connected to the rectifier circuit 21, and the rectifier circuit 21 is connected to the secondary battery 22. The rectifier circuit 21 is a bridge type circuit having four diodes, and rectifies the current generated between the counter electrode 15 and the counter electrode 16. The secondary battery 22 is a rechargeable / dischargeable battery such as a lithium secondary battery, which stores the electric power generated by the power generation unit 10 and supplies the electric power to a circuit to be driven (not shown).

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a charging method of the charging units 14 and 17. At the time of manufacturing the charging portions 14 and 17, for example, electrodes for charging are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotating member 12, and a resin film to be the charging portions 14 and 17 is further formed on the electrodes, and then as shown in FIG. The rotating member 12 is grounded. Then, the needle electrodes 91 are arranged so as to face each of the resin films on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotating member 12, and a high voltage of, for example, several thousand V is applied to the needle electrodes 91 by the high voltage power supply 90. As a result, electrons are emitted from the needle electrode 91 toward the rotating member 12 by corona discharge, so that the electrons can simultaneously negatively charge the charging portions 14 and 17 on the upper and lower surfaces of the rotating member 12. The charging step may be performed on each side of the rotating member 12.

5 (A) and 5 (B) are diagrams showing the difference in the distribution of the electric lines of force 80 depending on the presence or absence of the charged portion 17. FIG. 5 (A) shows an enlarged cross section of one charged portion 14 and the counter electrode 15 in the power generation unit having the same configuration as the power generation unit 10 except that the charging unit 17 is not provided. B) shows an enlarged cross section of one charged portion 14 and the counter electrode 15 in the power generation unit 10.

When there is no charging portion 17 on the upper surface of the rotating member 12, as shown in FIG. 5A, electric lines of force 80 are emitted from the charging portion 14 in the vertical direction. That is, some of the lines of electric force 80 are directed to the lower side of the rotating member 12 having the counter electrode 15, and some are directed to the upper side opposite to the counter electrode 15, due to the latter of these. , The number of electric lines of force generated in the charged portion 14 and the counter electrode 15 is relatively small. The electric line of force 80 directed to the side opposite to the counter electrode 15 is wasted because it does not contribute to power generation in the electromechanical converter 1.

On the other hand, when there is a charging portion 17 on the upper surface of the rotating member 12, as shown in FIG. 5B, the electric line of force 80 emitted from the charging portion 14 is the same as the charging portion 14 above the charging portion 14. Due to the presence of the polar charged portion 17, it is repelled downward, and most of it is directed toward the counter electrode 15. Therefore, in the power generation unit 10, the electric lines of force 80 are concentrated between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrode 15 as compared with the power generation unit 10 without the charging unit 17.

6 (A) and 6 (B) are diagrams showing the difference in the output waveform of the power generation unit 10 depending on the presence or absence of the charged unit 17. FIG. 6 (A) shows the output waveform of the voltage V from the counter electrodes 15 and 16 of the power generation unit having the same configuration as the power generation unit 10 except that there is no charging unit 17, and FIG. 6 (B) shows power generation. The output waveform of the voltage V from the counter electrodes 15 and 16 of the part 10 is shown.

When there is no charging portion 17 on the upper surface of the rotating member 12, the number of electric lines of force 80 from the charging portion 14 to the counter electrodes 15 and 16 is small, so that the output waveform (alternating current) is as shown in FIG. 6 (A). The amplitude A1 of the waveform) is also small. On the other hand, when the charging portion 17 is provided on the upper surface of the rotating member 12, more electric lines of force 80 are concentrated between the charging portion 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16, as shown in FIG. 6 (B). , The electrostatic induction between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 becomes stronger, and the amplitude A2 of the output waveform becomes larger than that of A1.

In the electromechanical converter 1 having the power generation unit 10, although the counter electrode is not arranged on the upper side of the rotating member 12, electricity is applied to the upper surface of the rotating member 12 on the side not facing the counter electrodes 15 and 16. A charging portion 17 for repelling the lines of force is provided. Since the electric line 80 from the charging unit 14 can be directed toward the counter electrode 15 by the charging unit 17 and the electric line 80 can be concentrated between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrode 15, the electromechanical converter In 1, the amount of power generation increases accordingly. In the electromechanical converter 1, since the charging portions 14 and 17 need only be formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the disk-shaped rotating member 12, the charging treatment is easy, the charging portion is easy to handle, and it is relatively simple. The amount of power generated by the electret generator can be improved by the method.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the power generation unit 10'with another rotating member 12'. FIG. 7 shows a partial cross section of the power generation unit 10'along the circumferential direction centered on the rotation axis 11 as in FIG. However, even in FIG. 7, the rotation shaft 11 is not shown. Unlike the rotating member 12, the rotating member 12'is made of a material in which the base 122 itself can be charged, and is charged to the same polarity as the charging unit 14. In the electromechanical converter having the power generation unit 10', the base 122 of the rotating member 12'corresponds to the second charging unit. As shown in FIG. 7, in the power generation unit 10', the charging unit 17 of the power generation unit 10 may be omitted, and the upper surface of the rotating member 12'on the opposite side of the counter electrodes 15 and 16 is exposed. If the rotating member 12'itself is made of a chargeable material, the power generation unit 10'can obtain the effect of improving the amount of power generation as in the power generation unit 10 even if the charging unit 17 of the power generation unit 10 is omitted. ..

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a general charged train. The materials listed in the figure are more likely to be negatively charged as they are on the right side of the figure, and are more likely to be positively charged as they are on the left side of the figure. When the polarity of the charged portion 14 is made negative, the base 122 of the rotating member 12'also needs to be negatively charged. Therefore, the material of the rotating member 12'is a material that is negatively charged in the illustrated charging train. Among them, the one that can be processed into the plate material of the substrate may be selected. For example, as the material of the rotating member 12', a fluororesin plate material, Teflon (registered trademark), polyester resin, vinyl chloride, urethane, celluloid, acetate or the like may be used. Since these materials are insulators, it is not necessary to provide a separate insulating layer at the boundary between the base 122 of the rotating member 12'and the charged portion 14.

In the power generation unit 10 of the electromechanical converter 1 shown in FIG. 1, the power generation current is taken out from the two sets of counter electrodes 15 and 16 formed on the fixed substrate 13. The form of the electromechanical converter 1 is convenient because it is sufficient to take out the current only from the electrodes on the stationary fixed substrate 13 and it is not necessary to electrically connect the rotating member 12 to the rotating member 12. However, the present invention is not limited to this form, and both the rotating member 12 and the fixed substrate 13 may be electrically connected to the power storage unit 20 to take out the generated current. Therefore, an example in this case will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of another electromechanical converter 1'. The power generation unit 10 ″ of the electromechanical converter 1'has the same configuration as the power generation unit 10 of the electromechanical converter 1 of FIG. 1, but the rotating member 12 is electrically connected to the power storage unit 20. The difference from the power generation unit 10 is that only one set of counter electrodes 15 is formed on the fixed substrate 13. In the power generation unit 10 ″, the rotating shaft 11 is composed of a conductive member, and each rectangular or substantially trapezoidal partial region constituting the charging unit 14 is connected to the rotating shaft 11 via an electric contact. In the electromechanical converter 1', the power storage unit 20 is electrically connected to the rotating shaft 11 and the counter electrode 15, and the generated current is taken out through them. Instead of connecting each partial region of the charging film 14 to the rotating shaft 11 one by one, the connecting wiring may be connected to the rotating shaft 11 after connecting the partial regions to each other. Alternatively, the rotating member 12 may be formed of a metal material, and each partial region may be directly connected to the rotating shaft 11 via the base of the rotating member 12.

FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of yet another electromechanical converter 2. The electromechanical converter 2 has an actuator 30 and a drive unit 40, and the actuator 30 has the same configuration as the power generation unit 10 of the electromechanical converter 1. The counter electrodes 15 and 16 of the electromechanical converter 2 are connected to the drive unit 40 via electrical wiring, respectively. The electromechanical converter 2 rotates the rotating member 12 by utilizing the electrostatic force generated between the charging unit 14 of the actuator 30 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 based on the electric signal input to the drive unit 40. It is a drive device (electric motor) that extracts power from electric power by making it.

The drive unit 40 is a circuit for driving the actuator 30, and includes a clock 41 and comparators 42 and 43. The drive unit 40 applies an alternating voltage whose polarity is alternately switched to the counter electrodes 15 and 16, and rotates the rotating member 12 by the electrostatic force generated between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16.

As shown in FIG. 10, the output of the clock 41 is connected to the inputs of the comparators 42 and 43, the output of the comparator 42 is connected to the counter electrode 15, and the output of the comparator 43 is connected to the counter electrode 16 via electrical wiring. Is connected. The comparators 42 and 43 compare the potential of the input signal from the clock 41 with the ground potential, respectively, and output the result as a binary value, but the output signals of the comparators 42 and 43 have opposite codes. When the input signal from the clock 41 is H, the counter electrode 15 has a potential of + V and the counter electrode 16 has a potential of −V, and when the input signal is L, the counter electrode 15 has a potential of −V and the counter electrode 16 has a potential of + V. Become.

When the actuator 30 is driven, the drive unit 40 applies a voltage having the same code as the charge of the charge unit 14 to one counter electrode 15 and a voltage having a code different from the charge of the charge unit 14 to the other counter electrode 16. Then, the signs of those voltages are alternately inverted. When the voltage is applied in this way, an attractive force or a repulsive force is generated between the charging unit 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 due to the interaction between the electric field created by the charging unit 14 and the electric field created by the counter electrodes 15 and 16. .. When the drive unit 40 applies an alternating voltage to the counter electrodes 15 and 16, a continuous force is applied to the rotating member 12, so that the rotating member 12 can be rotated.

Even in the electromechanical converter 2 having the actuator 30, although the counter electrode is not arranged on the upper side of the rotating member 12, the electric force is applied to the upper surface of the rotating member 12 on the side not facing the counter electrodes 15 and 16. A charging portion 17 for repelling the wire is provided. Since the electric lines of force 80 can be concentrated between the charged portions 14 and the counter electrodes 15 and 16 by the charged portion 17, the driving force (rotational torque) generated in the electromechanical converter 2 increases accordingly. .. In other words, in the electromechanical converter 2, even if the applied voltage is lower than that of the electromechanical converter of the comparative example in which the charging portion 17 is omitted from the actuator 30, the rotation is the same as that of the electromechanical converter of the comparative example. It also has the effect of obtaining torque. That is, since the electromechanical converter 2 can be driven with lower static electricity consumption than the electromechanical converter of the comparative example, it is suitable for application to electronic devices such as wristwatches driven by a battery having a small capacity.

11 (A) to 11 (C) are schematic configuration diagrams of still another electromechanical converter 3. As shown in FIG. 11A, the electromechanical transducer 3 has an actuator 50 and a drive unit 40. The actuator 50 includes a housing 51, a slide plate 52, a fixed substrate 53, charging portions 54, 57, and counter electrodes 55, 56. 11 (B) and 11 (C) are plan views showing the arrangement of the counter electrodes 55 and 56 and the moving direction of the slide plate 52.

The electromechanical converter 3 reciprocates the slide plate 52 by using the electrostatic force between the charging unit 54 and the counter electrodes 55 and 56 based on the electric signal input to the driving unit 40. , A drive device that extracts power from electric power. The movable members of the electromechanical converter are not limited to those that rotate like the rotating members 12 of the electromechanical converters 1, 1'and 2, but also those that slide and move like the slide plate 52 of the electromechanical converter 3. There may be.

The slide plate 52 is an example of a movable member, and is made of a well-known substrate material such as a silicon substrate or a glass epoxy substrate, and is supported in the housing 51 by a movable support portion (not shown). The material of the slide plate 52 may be a conductive metal material such as brass, stainless steel, or aluminum. Further, the fixed substrate 53 is arranged on the bottom surface of the box-shaped housing 51. The slide plate 52 can reciprocate in a direction parallel to the fixed substrate 53 (horizontal direction, arrow A direction) while maintaining a constant distance from the fixed substrate 53.

The charging portions 54 and 57 are thin films made of an electret material and are charged to the same polarity (for example, negative), like the charging portions 14 and 17 of the electromechanical converters 1, 1'and 2. The charging portions 54 and 57 are examples of the first and second charging portions, and the charging portion 54 is formed on the lower surface of the slide plate 52 and the charging portion 57 is formed on the upper surface of the slide plate 52, respectively. Each of the charging portions 54 and 57 extends in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the slide plate 52, and is composed of a plurality of strip-shaped (straight line) regions arranged at equal intervals in the moving direction of the slide plate 52. In order to reduce the weight of the slide plate 52, through holes (slits) may be formed in the band-shaped region between the charged portions 54 and the charged portions 57 in the slide plate 52.

The counter electrodes 55 and 56 are each composed of a plurality of strip-shaped electrodes extending in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the slide plate 52, and are formed alternately on the upper surface of the fixed substrate 53 in the moving direction of the slide plate 52. Each of the counter electrodes 55 and 56 is an example of a plurality of fixed electrodes. The counter electrodes 55 and 56 are arranged at equal intervals, and it is preferable that their widths are the same. Further, the width of the counter electrodes 55 and 56 is preferably the same as or substantially the same as the width of the charging portions 54 and 57, and the number of the charging portions 14, the counter electrode 55 and the counter electrode 56 is also preferably the same.

The drive unit 40 is a circuit for driving the actuator 50, and is connected to the counter electrodes 55 and 56 via electrical wiring. The drive unit 40 has the same configuration as that of the electromechanical converter 2, and by applying a voltage at which the polarities are alternately switched to the counter electrodes 55 and 56, FIGS. 11 (B) and 11 (C) are shown. As shown, the slide plate 52 is slid and moved in the housing 51 in the horizontal direction (arrow A direction).

Even in the electromechanical converter 3 having the actuator 50, the slide plate on the side not facing the counter electrodes 55 and 56 even though the counter electrode is not arranged on the upper surface of the housing 51 on the upper side of the slide plate 52. A charging portion 57 for repelling electric lines of force is provided on the upper surface of the 52. Since the electric force lines 80 can be concentrated between the charging unit 54 and the counter electrodes 55 and 56 by the charging unit 57, the driving force generated by the electromechanical converter 3 is increased accordingly.

By replacing the drive unit 40 of the electromechanical converter 3 with the power storage unit 20 of the electromechanical converter 1 and sliding the slide plate 52 in the direction of arrow A using the kinetic energy of the external environment, the slide plate 52 and the slide plate 52 A power generation device may be configured in which static electricity is generated by electrostatic induction between the counter electrodes 55 and 56 to extract power from the power. Even in the power generation device in this case, since the electric lines of force 80 can be concentrated between the charging unit 54 and the counter electrodes 55 and 56 by the charging unit 57, the amount of power generated by the electromechanical converter 3 is correspondingly large. Become.

1,1', 2,3 Electromechanical converter 10,10', 10'Power generation unit 11 Rotating shaft 12,12'Rotating member 13,53 Fixed substrate 14,17,54,57 Charging part 15,16,55 , 56 Opposite electrode 20 Power storage unit 30, 50 Actuator 40 Drive unit 52 Slide plate

Claims (7)

An electromechanical converter that converts between electric power and power by utilizing the electrostatic interaction between a charged portion and a fixed electrode facing the charged portion.
With a fixed board
A movable member that can move with a certain distance from the fixed substrate,
A plurality of fixed electrodes formed on the surface of the fixed substrate facing the movable member at intervals in the moving direction of the movable member.
A first charged portion formed on the surface of the movable member facing the fixed substrate at intervals in the moving direction, and
A second charged portion having the same polarity as the first charged portion, formed on the surface of the movable member opposite to the facing surface, and not facing any fixed electrode.
An electromechanical transducer characterized by having. The second charged portion is composed of a plurality of partial regions formed at intervals in the moving direction.
The first charging portion and the second charging portion are formed at the same positions in the moving direction on the facing surface and the opposite surface of the movable member with the movable member sandwiched between them. , The electromechanical converter according to claim 1. The movable member is made of a material that can be charged to the same polarity as the first charging portion.
The electromechanical converter according to claim 1, wherein the second charging portion is a base portion of the movable member. The movable member has a plurality of through holes formed at intervals in the moving direction.
The electromechanical conversion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein in the movable member, the first and second charged portions and the plurality of through holes are alternately arranged in the moving direction. vessel. The movable member is rotatable around a rotation axis passing through the center of the movable member.
The electromechanical converter according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first and second charged portions and the plurality of fixed electrodes are arranged radially with respect to the rotation axis, respectively. It further has a drive unit that applies a voltage that alternately switches polarities to the plurality of fixed electrodes and moves the movable member by an electrostatic force generated between the first charging unit and the plurality of fixed electrodes. The electromechanical converter according to any one of claims 1 to 5. Any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a power storage unit that stores electric power generated by electrostatic induction between the first charging unit and the plurality of fixed electrodes in response to the movement of the movable member. The electromechanical converter described in.

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