THERMAL ACTUATOR, AND THERMAL ACTUATOR UNIT

• US 20200132057A1
• Filed: 07/10/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Original Assignee: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
• Inventors: OKAZAKI, Shun, OGAWA, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 11,118,576 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/06 using expansion or contraction of bodies due to heating, cooling, moistening, drying or the like using thermal expansion of non-vaporising liquids F01K
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/0614 using shape memory elements
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 7/065 using a shape memory element

Abstract

A thermal actuator unit of the present invention includes a first member, a second member, an elastic part which is disposed between the first member and the second member, and a thermal deformation part which is disposed on a side of the first member opposite to a side with the second member and has a shape-memory alloy to be deformed to the side with the second member due to heat.

Claims

1. A thermal actuator unit comprising:

a first member;

a second member;

an elastic part which is disposed between the first member and the second member; and

a thermal deformation part which is disposed on a side of the first member opposite to a side with second member and has a shape-memory alloy to be deformed to the side with the second member due to heat.

2. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 1,

wherein the shape-memory alloy is extensionally defoiinable in a direction along a direction perpendicular to a surface of the second member due to heat,

the thermal actuator unit further comprises a strut which extends in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the second member and in which one end portion is fixed to the surface of the second member and a flange portion is provided in the other end portion, and

the first member has a penetration hole through which the strut passes and is slidable along the strut.

3. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 2,

wherein the thermal deformation part includes a plurality of columnar shape-memory alloy bodies, and the plurality of columnar bodies are individually disposed in a circumferential direction of the strut.

4. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 3,

wherein the plurality of columnar bodies are covered with a thermally conductive part.

5. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 2,

wherein the strut is a bolt having a male screw, and the second member has a female screw on the surface and has a tightening torque adjusting part used when the male screw of the bolt and the female screw of the second member are screwed to each other.

6. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 2,

wherein the elastic part is a disk spring, and the strut is inserted into a hole of the disk spring.

7. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 1,

wherein the shape-memory alloy is a single-crystalline shape-memory alloy.

8. The thermal actuator unit according to claim 1,

wherein an elastic part accommodation hole is formed on at least one of a surface of the first member on the side with the second member and a surface of the second member on a side with the first member.

9. A thermal actuator comprising:

an elastic part which is disposed between a first member and a second member; and

a thermal deformation part which is disposed on a side of the first member opposite to a side with the second member and has a shape-memory alloy to be deformed to the side with the second member due to heat.

10. The thermal actuator according to claim 9, further comprising:

a strut, one end portion of which is fixable to a surface of the second member, and a flange portion is provided in an other end portion of the strut,

wherein the elastic part and the thermal deformation part have a penetration hole through which the strut passes, and the shape-memory alloy is extensionally deformable in a direction along a longitudinal direction of the strut due to heat.