JPH0642506A - Actuator and manufacture of actuator device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable mass-production with a simple process by arranging a plurality of resin housing baths for impregnating a support base with photo- curing resin liquid, performing light-irradiation to cure the resin and form a first layer, similarly forming second and more layers while laminating them. CONSTITUTION:A first vessel 10 made of transparent glass, a washing vessel 11, and a second vessel 12 are mounted on an XY table 23 which is movable in X and Y directions by means of an X direction motor 20 and a Y direction motor. Photo-curing resins 13, 15 are respectively housed in the first vessel 10 and the second vessel 12, while washing liquid 14 such as acetone is housed in the washer vessel 11. A support base 26 is impregnated with the liquid of the photo-curing resin 13 in the first vessel 10. Irradiation of ultraviolet rays are carried out from an optical, fiber 25 through an opening 27. The photo- curing resin 13 under the support base 26 is cured to form a first layer. Next, the XY table 23 is moved leftward, and a formed actuator 2 is impregnated with the washer liquid 14 before washing. Then, it is impregnated with second photo-curing resin 15. The same process as described above is carried out to form a second layer.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an actuator that operates by the pressure of a liquid and a method for manufacturing an actuator device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The applicant of the present application has a plurality of (three) pressure chambers 102a, 102b, 102c inside, as shown in FIG.
The actuator 101, which is elastically deformed by separating the pressure chambers 102a, 102b, and 102c from each other by adjusting the internal pressure of each pressure chamber 102a, 102b, and 102c, has been developed (JP-A-1-247809). The actuator 101 has sealing terminals 110 and 111 at both ends, and each pressure chamber 1 is connected via one sealing terminal 110.
One end of a plurality (three) tubes 112 is connected to 02a, 102b, and 102c, and the other end of the tube 112 is connected to the pressure control device 106. The actuator 101, the tube 112, and the pressure control device 106 constitute an actuator device 100.

The actuator 101 is made of rubber as a whole, and reinforcing fibers 105 are wound in the circumferential direction inside the actuator 101. Therefore, the axial direction (longitudinal direction)
It has a characteristic that it is easily stretched in the circumferential direction and is hard to stretch in the circumferential direction. Therefore, for example, the three pressure chambers 102a and 102a
When b and 102c are equally pressurized, the actuator 101
Extends in the axial direction, and each pressure chamber 102a, 102b, 102
When a differential pressure is applied between c, the actuator 101 bends to the low pressure side.

In order to give this anisotropy, conventionally, in addition to the actuator structure in which the reinforcing fibers 105 are embedded in the circumferential direction as described above, two kinds of materials having different elastic coefficients are sequentially laminated in the axial direction and bonded. Actuator structures that work are being considered.

[0005]

However, in the case of the conventional structure in which the reinforcing fibers are wound in the circumferential direction or the structure in which two kinds of materials are bonded, the steps of winding the reinforcing fibers and bonding the materials are troublesome. It is not suitable for mass production. Further, when manufacturing an actuator device in which a plurality of actuators are attached to a base, the manufacturing process for fixing the actuator to the base or providing a pipe on the base is complicated and expensive.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these points, and it is possible to manufacture a large number of actuators at low cost by a simple process, and to easily form a base portion and conduits for supporting a plurality of actuators. It is an object of the present invention to provide an actuator and an actuator device manufacturing method that can be manufactured.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction is formed by laminating a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient in a proper mixture. In the method for manufacturing an actuator in which the support is formed, the support base is immersed in the first layer photocurable resin liquid housed in the first container, and light is irradiated from the first direction or the second direction. , A photocurable resin for the second layer, in which the photocurable resin between the support and the liquid surface of the photocurable resin or between the support and the wall surface of the first container is cured, and the support is housed in the second container. The resin is moved to the resin liquid side and irradiated with light from the first direction or the second direction to form a second layer on the cured photo-curable resin of the first layer.
A method for manufacturing an actuator, characterized in that a layered actuator is formed by curing a layer of photo-curable resin and then repeating the above steps.

According to a second aspect of the invention, in a method of manufacturing an actuator in which a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction is formed by a wall body in a bellows, a support base is provided in a photocurable resin liquid housed in a container. It is a manufacturing method of an actuator, characterized by immersing, and irradiating with light from a first direction or a second direction while sequentially moving the support base in a vertical direction to cure and stack a photo-curing resin.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a plurality of actuators in which a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient are appropriately mixed and laminated and a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction is formed inside are formed. In a method of manufacturing an actuator device having a base portion that supports the actuator on one surface and a pipeline that is disposed in the base portion and communicates with the pressure chamber, a first container housed in a first container. Immerse the support in the photocurable resin liquid for the layer, and the first direction or the second
The light was irradiated from the direction to cure the photocurable resin between the support and the liquid surface of the photocurable resin or between the support and the wall surface of the first container, and the support was housed in the second container. Move to above the photo-curable resin liquid for the second layer, and
By irradiating light from the direction, the second layer of photo-curable resin is cured and formed on the cured first layer of photo-curable resin, and the above steps are repeated to form a plurality of actuators. And a step of moving the support table to a container containing a photocurable resin solution for a base and irradiating light from a first direction or a second direction, and connecting the plurality of actuators with each other. And a step of forming a flat base portion having a conduit in it by curing a photocurable resin solution for the base portion.

[0010]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the photocurable resin liquid for the first layer is cured by irradiation of light to form the first layer, and the photocurable resin liquid for the second layer is cured by light. It is possible to manufacture an actuator in which a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient are appropriately mixed by curing the resin layer by irradiation with the second layer to form the second layer on the first layer and repeating this step sequentially. it can.

According to the second aspect of the invention, it is possible to manufacture an actuator having a pressure chamber formed in the bellows by curing the photocurable resin liquid by irradiation of light.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the photocurable resin liquid for the first layer is cured by irradiation of light to form the first layer, and the photocurable resin liquid for the second layer is photocured. To form a second layer on the first layer, and by repeating this step in sequence, a plurality of actuators in which a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient are appropriately mixed are created. . Next, the photocurable resin solution for base is cured by irradiation with light to form a flat base which is connected to the actuator and has a conduit therein, and thus the actuator device can be manufactured.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 are views showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the entire manufacturing apparatus of an actuator device. In FIG. 1, the XY table 23 is moved in the X and Y directions by the X direction motor 20 and the Y direction (not shown).
It is movable in any direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1). The XY table 23 has a transparent glass first container 10,
A cleaning container 11 and a second container 12 are placed, and two kinds of liquid photocurable resin liquids 13 and 1 which are cured by ultraviolet irradiation are respectively placed in the first container 10 and the second container 12.
5 is stored. For example, an ultraviolet curable liquid rubber is used as the photocurable resin liquid 13, and an ultraviolet curable liquid plastic is used as the photocurable resin liquid 15. Generally, the photocurable resin liquids 13 and 15 may be materials having different elastic coefficients after curing. An opening 27 and a closing opening 28 are formed in the XY table 23 at positions corresponding to the first container 10 and the second container 12, respectively, and an opening is formed from an optical fiber 25 provided below the XY table 23. Two
7 and the closing port 28, the first container 10 and the second container 12
Ultraviolet rays are radiated through the bottom surface of the. In addition, the suspension type support base 26 that supports the actuator 2 is
The direction motor 21 drives in the Z direction. In the container 11, a cleaning liquid 1 such as acetone is used.
4 is stored.

Next, a method of manufacturing the actuator device will be described.

First, the support 26 is immersed in the photocurable resin liquid 13 contained in the first container 10, and ultraviolet rays are emitted from the optical fiber 25 through the opening 27 and the bottom surface of the first container 10 to support the support 26. The photo-curable resin liquid 13 is cured at the lower end of, and the first layer is formed from the photo-curable resin liquid 13. Next, the support 26 is placed in the cleaning container 11, and the cleaning liquid 14 is stored in the cleaning container 11.
It is immersed in the inside and the uncured photocurable resin liquid 13 is washed. Subsequently, the support base 26 is dipped in the photocurable resin liquid 15 housed in the second container 12, and ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the optical fiber 25 through the opening 28 and the bottom surface of the second container 12 to cure the first cured resin. The photocurable resin liquid 15 is cured on the photocurable resin of the layer to form the second layer. Next, the support base 26 is dipped in the cleaning liquid 14 contained in the cleaning container 11 to wash the uncured photocurable resin liquid 15.

After that, the support base 26 is again immersed in the photo-curable resin liquid 13 housed in the first container 10 and irradiated with ultraviolet rays to be photo-cured on the cured second-layer photo-curable resin. The mold resin liquid 13 forms a third layer.

Next, the uncured photocurable resin liquid 15 is washed with the cleaning liquid 14, and then the photocurable resin liquid 15 contained in the second container 12 is used to cure the photocurable resin of the third layer. A fourth layer is formed on the resin.

By repeating the above steps in sequence, the actuator 2 can be formed below the support base 26. In this case, the actuator 2 has a layer (1 layer, made of the photocurable resin liquid 13 having a relatively large elastic coefficient after curing).
.) And layers (2 layers, 4 layers, ...) Of the photocurable resin liquid 15 having a relatively small elastic coefficient after curing are alternately laminated. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, pressure chambers 3a, 3b, 3c extending in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) are formed in the actuator 2 by the partition wall 5.

Next, the ultraviolet irradiation action of the first container 10 and the second container 12 will be described in more detail.

First, the photocurable resin liquid 13 in the first container 10
The process of irradiating ultraviolet rays from the optical fiber 25 will be described below. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the first container 10. In FIG. 3, the lower end of the actuator 2 being manufactured is positioned by the Z-direction motor 21 with a slight clearance δ ₁ from the bottom surface of the first container 10. When ultraviolet rays are emitted from the optical fiber 25 in this state, a part 17 of the photocurable resin liquid 13 between the actuator 2 and the bottom surface of the first container 10 is cured. In this case, the XY table 23 is driven, and the optical fiber 25 is adjusted according to the sectional shape of the actuator 2 to be created.
Scanning of ultraviolet irradiation is performed. In this embodiment, light is applied according to the sectional shape of the actuator 2 shown in FIG.
Layer 1 having a thickness of δ ₁ by irradiation in this way
3a is newly formed at the lower end of the actuator 2 being manufactured. That is, the layer 13a is formed by curing the photocurable resin liquid 13.

Next, the X-direction motor 20 and the Y-direction motor are driven to move the XY table 23 in the horizontal direction,
The Z-direction motor 21 is driven to move the support base 26 in the vertical direction, and the actuator 2 being manufactured is put into the cleaning container 11. A cleaning liquid 14 such as acetone is stored in the cleaning container 11 and cleans the uncured photocurable resin liquid 13 around the actuator 2. An ultrasonic vibrator 24 is arranged in the cleaning container 11.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, the XY table 23 is moved horizontally and the support table 26 is moved vertically to move the actuator 2 to the second container 12 in the same manner as described above.
Put it in. In this case, the lower end of the actuator 2 and the second
A clearance δ ₂ is formed between the container 12 and the bottom surface.
As in the case of FIG. 3, while the XY table 23 is being driven, ultraviolet irradiation is performed by the optical fiber 25 in accordance with the sectional shape of the actuator 2. In this way, a part 18 of the photocurable resin liquid 15 between the lower end of the actuator 2 and the bottom surface of the second container 12 is cured, and a layer 15a having a thickness δ ₂ is newly formed on the lower end of the actuator 2. To be done. In this case, the cross section of the layer 13a formed in the process of FIG. 3 and the cross section of the layer 15a formed in the process of FIG. 4 do not necessarily have to be the same.

Next, the XY table 23 is moved in the horizontal direction, the support base 26 is moved in the vertical direction, and the actuator 2 is placed in the cleaning device 11, and again the uncured light around the actuator 2 in the cleaning container 11 is uncured. The curable resin liquid 15 is washed. Then, the actuator 2 is put in the first container 11 again, and the process shown in FIG. 3 is performed.

By repeating the above steps, the cylindrical actuator 2 in which the photo-curing resin layers 13a and 15a having the thicknesses δ ₁ and δ ₂ are alternately laminated is prepared, and thereafter, the both ends of the actuator 2 are sealed. The terminal is attached.

In such a structure of the actuator 2, when the photo-curable resin layers 13a made of liquid rubber and having a large elastic coefficient and the photo-curable resin layers 15a made of liquid plastic and having a small elastic coefficient are alternately laminated, The photo-curable resin layer 15a has the same function as the reinforcing fiber shown in FIG. Therefore, the actuator 2 easily extends in the axial direction,
It has the property of being difficult to stretch in the circumferential direction.

Actuator 2 thus obtained
The actuator device 1 is obtained by attaching the to the base 33 (see FIG. 5). And each pressure chamber 3a, 3
The actuator 2 can be extended in the axial direction by supplying the pressurized air into b and 3c.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the actuator 2 can be easily manufactured without winding the reinforcing fiber or adhering materials having different elastic coefficients one by one.

In the above embodiment, the XY table 2 is used.
Although the example in which 3 is moved is shown, the invention is not limited to this, and the optical fiber side 25 may be scanned. Also, an example has been shown in which ultraviolet rays are irradiated from the lower side (second direction) of the first container 10 and the second container 12 by the optical fiber 25, but the present invention is not limited to this. (1 direction) to irradiate ultraviolet rays from the optical fiber, and the photocurable resin between the support and the liquid surface of the photocurable resin liquid, or between the actuator being manufactured and the liquid surface of the photocurable resin liquid. The liquid may be cured. Further, the irradiation direction of the ultraviolet rays is not limited to the upper direction or the lower direction, and the photocurable resin liquid between the actuator and the side wall of the container during irradiation manufacture may be cured from the side.

An example in which the first layer, the third layer, ... Are formed by the same photocurable resin liquid 13 and the second layer, the fourth layer, ... Are formed by another same photocurable resin liquid 15. Although shown, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first layer, the second layer, the third layer, the fourth layer, ... May all be formed of different photocurable resin liquids.

Next, a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing an actuator device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the actuator device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The actuator device 1 includes a plurality of actuators 2a to 2o each having a single pressure chamber 4a to 4o, and a base portion 33 that supports the actuators 2a to 2o on one surface. Here, for simplification of description, each of the actuators 2a to 2o has one pressure chamber 4a to 4o and is configured to extend in the axial direction by pressurizing the inside of the pressure chambers 4a to 4o. However, the actuators 2a to 2o may have a plurality of pressure chambers, and may be extended and curved.

FIG. 6 shows the actuator device 1 shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 is a view from above, and as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the actuators a to 2o are formed on the base portion 33 in 3 × 5 rows, and the base portion 33 is provided with pipes 34, 35,
36 is formed. Of these, the pipeline 34 communicates with the pressure chambers 4a to 4e in the actuators 2a to 2e, and the pipeline 35 connects the pressure chambers 4f to 4e in the actuators 2f to 2i.
The conduit 36 communicates with the pressure chambers 4k to 4o in the actuators 2k to 2o.

As shown in FIG. 5, each of the actuators 2a to 2o is formed by alternately laminating two kinds of photo-curable resin layers 30 and 31 having different elastic coefficients. In this embodiment, the photo-curable resin layer 30 has a higher elastic coefficient than the photo-curable resin layer 31. With this configuration, the internal pressure of the pressure chambers 4a to 4o of the actuators 2a to 2o can be increased through the conduits 34, 35, and 36, whereby the actuators 2a to 2o extend in the longitudinal direction.

As mentioned above, in FIG.
Two conduits 34, 35, 36 are formed, and the conduit 34 is connected to the pressure chambers 4a to 4e in the actuators 2a to 2e and the conduit 3 is formed.
Reference numeral 5 denotes pressure chambers 4f to 4j in the actuators 2f to 2j.
In addition, the conduit 36 is connected to the pressure chamber 4 in the actuators 2k to 2o.
Each of the actuators 2a communicates with k to 4o.
Pipe lines may be provided for the pressure chambers 4a to 4o in the actuators 2a to 2o to drive the actuators 2a to 2o independently.

By the way, each of the pipe lines 34, 35, 36 is provided with a diaphragm 34a, 35a, 36a, respectively, and the actuator 3 is formed by the diaphragm 34a, 35a, 36a.
Phase lag occurs at 4, 35 and 36. For example, the pipeline 34
Take for example. When an air pressure adjusting valve (not shown) is connected to one end of the pipe line 34 and pressured air is sent periodically, the actuators 2a to 2e operate periodically with a phase difference, and the operations of the actuators 2a to 2e can be realized. it can.

Next, a method of manufacturing such an actuator device will be described with reference to FIG. First, FIGS.
A plurality of actuators 2a to 2o, which are formed by alternately stacking the photo-curable resin layers 30 and 31, can be manufactured by the same process as the first embodiment shown in FIG. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
6 (FIG. 1), a mounting type support base 41 is provided, and this support base 41 is driven by a Z-direction motor 40 and X
The Y table 23 is moved to move the actuators 2a to 2o.
On the support base 41. In this case, XY table 2
Ultraviolet rays are radiated from above the first container 10 and the second container 12 (see FIG. 1) placed on the top surface of the plurality of actuators 2a to 2o and the first container 10 or the second container 12 being manufactured. The photocurable resin liquid between the liquid surface of the photocurable resin liquid contained in the inside is cured.

Regarding the irradiation of ultraviolet rays, it is also possible to perform scanning for irradiation of ultraviolet rays as in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG.
Insert the actuator mask 43a shown in (a),
The lens 47 collects the ultraviolet rays emitted from the ultraviolet source 44. Then, from above, the actuator mask 43a
Irradiate ultraviolet rays toward.

In this way, the plurality of actuators 2
Create a to 2o. After that, the XY table 23 is moved in the horizontal direction and the support base 41 is moved in the vertical direction, so that the support base 41 is placed on the XY table 23 in the third direction.
Enter the container 42. A photocurable resin liquid 46 for the base is stored in the third container 42, and the mask guide 45
In place of the actuator mask 43a, a base mask 43b is fitted into the.

Next, ultraviolet rays are emitted from the ultraviolet source 44,
The emitted ultraviolet rays are collected by the lens 47 and are irradiated onto the base mask 43b from above. in this case,
The ultraviolet light is blocked by the shaded portion 48 of the base mask 43b, and the ultraviolet light passes through the white portion 49. In this way, the base photocurable resin liquid between the actuators 2a to 2o and the liquid surface of the base photocurable resin liquid 46 is cured, and the flat base 33 having the conduits 34, 35, 36 therein is formed. Is formed. The base mask 43b shown in FIG.
Is a mask for forming the section T-T of FIG. 5 of the base 33, and another base mask (not shown) is used for the other part of the base 33.

According to this embodiment, an actuator device having a pipe line in the base can be easily and easily obtained without performing a complicated pipe mounting work.

The irradiation direction of the ultraviolet rays is not limited to the upper direction, and it may be irradiated from the lower side or the side.

Next, a third embodiment of the method of manufacturing an actuator device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the outline of the actuator device 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11. In FIG. 9, the actuator device 50 includes a cylindrical base portion 53 and a plurality of actuators 52 provided on the outer periphery of the base portion 53, and the actuator device 50 is arranged in the pipe 70. Further, a pipe line is formed in the base portion 53 as described later, and this pipe line communicates with a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction in each actuator 52. Further, the actuator 52 is configured by alternately stacking a plurality of material layers having different elastic coefficients as described later, and supplies compressed air into a plurality of pressure chambers formed in each actuator 52 to bend and expand and contract. Can be done freely.

As shown in FIG. 9, the actuator device 5
0 has a branch portion 73 at one end thereof, and six pressure control valves 60a, 60b, ... 60f and an electronic circuit 61 are mounted on the branch portion 73. Further, an electric wire (or an optical fiber) 62 is connected to the electronic circuit 61 of the branch portion 73, and a motion command of the actuator device 50 is input from the outside via the electric wire (or the optical fiber) 62. ) 62 connected to the electronic circuit 61 drives the pressure control valves 60a-60f. Further, a pipe 63 is connected to the branch portion 73, and pressurized air is sent from an external compressor (not shown) through the pipe 63. Further, this pressure air is supplied to the pressure control valve 60.
It is supplied into the pressure chamber in each actuator 52 via a, ...

Next, the operation of the actuator device 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 10, the actuator device 50 arranged in the pipe 70.
Are bent or expanded / contracted by the plurality of actuators 52, 52, ... Provided on the outer periphery of the base 53, respectively, so that the inside of the pipe 70 is moved to the right according to the three patterns shown in FIGS. You can drive towards.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (c), the actuator device 50 has a structure in which the plurality of actuators 52a to 52h provided along the circumferential direction are respectively bent or expanded and contracted. It rotates in the circumferential direction (direction of arrow Q) in the pipe 70 along the three patterns 11 (a) to 11 (c).

Next, a method of manufacturing such an actuator device will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 12, the actuator device 5
0 is a flat base portion 53 having a plurality of ducts 54 therein.
And a plurality of actuators 5 provided on the base portion 53
2, 52, ..., and a branch portion 7 provided at one end of the base portion 53.
3, and the base portion 53 and the branch portion 73 are rounded so that the actuators 52, 52, ...

Of these steps, the steps of forming the actuators 52, 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b). As shown in FIG. 13A, in the plurality of actuators 52, the photo-curable resin layer 58 and the photo-curable resin layer 59 are alternated by the same process as in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 4. It is created by stacking on. The ultraviolet irradiation method for forming the photocurable resin layers 58 and 59 may be a method of scanning a light source or a method using a mask. In this case, the photo-curable resin layer 58 has a large elastic coefficient, and the photo-curable resin layer 59 has a small elastic coefficient. Further, since the photocurable resin layer 59 functions as a reinforcing fiber, the actuators 52, 52, ... Have a characteristic that they easily expand and contract in the longitudinal direction (Z direction in FIG. 13) but do not easily expand in the circumferential direction. Hold. Further, inside the created actuators 52, 52, ..., Three pressure chambers 74a, 74b, 74c extending in the longitudinal direction are formed by the partition wall 75 (FIG. 13B).

As described above, the plurality of actuators 52, 5
2, and the like, and then, below the actuators 52, 52, ..., create a base portion 53 and a branch portion 73 in which pipe lines 54a, 54b, 54c respectively communicating with the pressure chambers 74a, 74b, 74c are built. To do.

Next, a method of forming the base portion 53 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. As shown in FIG. 14, from the upper ends of the actuators 52, 52 to the cross section A is a step of forming the actuators 52, 52 as described above, and a step of alternately laminating the photo-curable resin layers 58 and 59. . In FIG. 14, the portion below the cross section A is a step of forming the base portion 53 and the branch portion 73. That is, from the cross section A to the cross section I of FIG. 14, the base photo-curable resin is used, and the position of the cross section B to the cross section I with respect to the photo curable resin for the base is used.
The base portion 53 and the branch portion 73 are formed of the same material by performing ultraviolet irradiation eight times in order. At this time, each time the cross-sectional shape is changed by the conduits 54a, 54b, 54c, the scanning pattern or mask pattern for ultraviolet irradiation is changed to perform ultraviolet irradiation. In this way, the pipelines 54a, 54
The base portion 53 and the branch portion 73 are deposited and formed so that the insides of b and 54c are not cured.

As the base photo-curing resin, the same resin as the photo-curing resin 59 for forming the actuator, which has a large elastic coefficient, may be used.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 15, the flat base portion 53 having a plurality of conduits 54 therein and the flat base portion 5 are provided.
A plurality of actuators 52, 52, ...
And a branch portion 73 provided at one end of the base portion 53 is formed.

Next, the branch portion and the conduit will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 15, each actuator 52 can be operated independently by connecting three pipe lines to each actuator 52 and using a pressure control valve of the number of actuators × 3. However, when the actuator device 50 travels in the pipe 70, it is not necessary to operate each actuator 52 independently.

For example, as shown in FIG. 15, in the actuator 52, the groups marked with X and the groups not marked may have the same operation as each group. In this case, the actuators 52 belonging to the two groups,
Since the same pipeline 54 may be connected to 52, the pipeline 54
For this, 2 groups × 3 pressure chambers = 6 conduits may be provided. Therefore, six pressure pipes 57a to 57f are connected to the branch portion 73, and the pressure pipes 57a
By performing the pressure adjustment using .about.57f, it is possible to cause the actuators 52, 52, ...

Next, as shown in FIG. 15, the base portion 53 is rounded so that the actuators 52, 52 face outward, and the base portion 5 is formed.
3, one end 53a and the other end 53b are bonded. Next, the pressure control valves 60a to 60f are attached to the pressure pipes 57a to 57f provided in the branch portion 73, and the electronic circuit 61 is mounted in the branch portion 73. Next, the power source 62 and the pipe 63 are connected to the branch portion 73, and thus the actuator device 50 as shown in FIG. 9 is obtained.

If a small compressor is mounted on the branching portion 73, the pipe 63 is unnecessary. Solenoid valves can be used as the pressure control valves 60a-60f. Further, the electronic circuit generates a predetermined pipe drive pattern based on a command signal given from the outside.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14, a base portion 53 having conduits 54a, 54b and 54c.
An example was shown in which the above was deposited and formed using a photocurable resin for the base. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, from the upper end of the actuator 52 to the cross section B is formed in the same manner as in the above-described step, and then the conduit 5 is formed by a resin pipe or a metal pipe.
4a, 54b, 54c may be formed, and this may be submerged in the photocurable resin liquid for the base portion, and the cross section B to the cross section I may be constituted by one-time ultraviolet irradiation.

According to this embodiment, the cylindrical actuator device 50 can be easily and easily obtained by rolling the flat base portion 53 and adhering the one end 53a and the other end 53b to each other.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the method of manufacturing an actuator device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the actuator 80 will be described. The actuator 80 includes a bellows 81 in which three pressure chambers 83a, 83b, 83c extending in the longitudinal direction are formed inside by a partition wall 82, and one end of the bellows 81 is connected to the pressure chambers 83a, 83b, 83c by a pipe. 85a, 85b, 85c are connected.

Next, a method of manufacturing the actuator 80 will be described. The bellows 81 and the partition 82 are formed of the same photo-curable resin. For example, referring to the first embodiment using the optical fiber shown in FIG.
The support 26 is dipped in the photo-curable resin liquid 13 stored in the container 0, and ultraviolet rays are emitted from the bottom of the bottom of the first container 10 by the optical fiber 25. In this case, ultraviolet irradiation scanning is performed according to the cross-sectional shapes of the bellows 81 and the partition wall 82.

Next, the support base 26 is moved slightly upward,
Ultraviolet irradiation is performed by the optical fiber 25 in the same manner as described above. By repeating such steps, the bellows 81 and the partition wall 82 can be formed.

Subsequently, the three pressure chambers 83a, 83b, 8
By connecting the pipes 85a, 85b, 85c to each of 3c, the actuator 8 shown in FIG. 16 and FIG.
0 is obtained.

In the above embodiment, the bellows 81
Although the example in which the partition wall 82 and the partition wall 82 are formed according to the first embodiment using an optical fiber is shown, the invention is not limited to this, and the partition wall 82 may be formed according to the second embodiment using a mask as shown in FIG. You can also

[0066]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By irradiating the photo-curable material with light, an actuator and an actuator device including the actuator and the base can be manufactured. Therefore, when manufacturing the actuator, it is not necessary to wind the reinforcing fiber or to bond materials having different elastic coefficients one by one, and it is possible to easily and easily manufacture the actuator and the actuator device in the same process.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a manufacturing apparatus for carrying out a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing the inside of the actuator obtained according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing irradiation of light on the photocurable resin liquid in the first container.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing irradiation of light on a photocurable resin liquid in a second container.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view showing the inside of the actuator device obtained according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view of the actuator device shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the manufacturing apparatus for performing the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a mask used when performing a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view of an actuator device obtained according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a traveling operation of the actuator device obtained according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a traveling operation of the actuator device obtained according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an actuator and a base obtained according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a process of forming an actuator portion according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a side sectional view showing a step of forming a base portion according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an actuator and a base obtained according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a side sectional view of an actuator obtained according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

17 is a sectional view showing the inside of the actuator shown in FIG.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a conventional actuator device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Actuator device 2 Actuators 3a, 3b, 3c Pressure chambers 4a, 4b, 4c Pressure chambers 10 First container 11 Cleaning container 12 Second container 13 Light curable resin liquid 14 Cleaning liquid 15 Light curable resin liquid 23 XY table 25 Optical fiber 26 Support Base 33 Base 34 Pipe 41 Support Base 50 Actuator Device 52 Actuator 53 Base 54 Pipe 80 Actuator 81 Bellows

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A method of manufacturing an actuator, wherein a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient are appropriately mixed and laminated, and a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction is formed inside the method. The support base is immersed in the first layer of the photocurable resin liquid for the first layer, and the light is irradiated from the first direction or the second direction to form the support base and the photocurable resin liquid surface or the support base. And the first
The photocurable resin between the wall surface of the container is cured, and the support base is moved to the photocurable resin liquid side for the second layer housed in the second container, from the first direction or the second direction. By irradiating light, the second layer of the photo-curable resin is cured and formed on the cured first layer of the photo-curable resin, and the above steps are sequentially repeated to form a laminated actuator. A method for manufacturing a characteristic actuator. 2. A method of manufacturing an actuator, comprising a pressure chamber extending in a longitudinal direction by a wall member in a bellows, wherein a support base is dipped in a photocurable resin liquid contained in a container,
A method for manufacturing an actuator, comprising irradiating light from a first direction or a second direction while sequentially moving the support base in a vertical direction to cure and stack a photocurable resin. 3. A plurality of actuators in which a pressure chamber extending in the longitudinal direction is formed by laminating a material layer having a large elastic coefficient and a material layer having a small elastic coefficient in an appropriate mixture and laminating the actuator. With a base that supports in terms of
In a method of manufacturing an actuator device having a conduit arranged in the base and communicating with the pressure chamber, the support base is dipped in the first layer photocurable resin liquid housed in the first container. , Irradiating light from the first direction or the second direction, and the support and the photocurable resin liquid surface or the support and the first
The photocurable resin between the wall surface of the container is cured, and the support is moved to the photocurable resin liquid side for the second layer housed in the second container, in the first direction or the second direction. Of irradiating light from the first layer to cure and form the second layer of photocurable resin on the cured first layer of photocurable resin, and repeating the above steps to form a plurality of actuators. And moving the support table to a container containing the photocurable resin solution for the base part, irradiating light from the first direction or the second direction, and connecting the plurality of actuators to the inside of the tube. A method of manufacturing an actuator, comprising: a step of forming a flat base portion having a path by curing a photocurable resin liquid for a base portion.