Electroactive polymer devices for controlling fluid flow
First Claim
1. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
- one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field;
at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface,wherein the electroactive polymer has an elastic modulus below about 100 MPa.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The invention describes devices for controlling fluid flow, such as valves. The devices may include one or more electroactive polymer transducers with an electroactive polymer that deflects in response to an application of an electric field. The electroactive polymer may be in contact with a fluid where the deflection of the electroactive polymer may be used to change a characteristic of the fluid. Some of the characteristic of the fluid that may be changed include but are not limited to 1) a flow rate, 2) a flow direction, 3) a flow vorticity, 4) a flow momentum, 5) a flow mixing rate, 6) a flow turbulence rate, 7) a flow energy, 8) a flow thermodynamic property. The electroactive polymer may be a portion of a surface of a structure that is immersed in an external fluid flow, such as the surface of an airplane wing or the electroactive polymer may be a portion of a surface of a structure used in an internal flow, such as a bounding surface of a fluid conduit.
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Citations
97 Claims
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1. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface, wherein the electroactive polymer has an elastic modulus below about 100 MPa. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a shape of the bounding surface of the fluid conduit. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein one or more transducers are arranged to deflect in a manner that pinches a section of the fluid conduit to block the fluid flow in the conduit. - View Dependent Claims (44, 45)
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46. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducer wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein a portion of the fluid conduit is a nozzle body for expanding the fluid from a throat are in the fluid conduit to an exit of the nozzle body; and wherein the deflection in the portion of the electroactive polymer causes the nozzle body to expand or contact to change an expansion rate of the fluid in the nozzle body and a velocity profile of the fluid at the exit of the nozzle body.
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47. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electric communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein a portion of the fluid conduit is a nozzle body for expanding the fluid from a throat area in the fluid conduit to an exit of the nozzle body, and wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a cross sectional shape of the nozzle body to change from a first shape to a second shape.
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48. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein a portion of the fluid conduit is a nozzle body for expanding the fluid from a throat area in the fluid conduit to an exit of the nozzle body, and wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a cross sectional shape of the throat area to change from a first shape to a second shape.
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49. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein a portion of the fluid conduit is a nozzle body for expanding the fluid from a throat area in the fluid conduit to an exit of the nozzle body, and wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive plymer causes the nozzle body to bend to change a direction of the fluid exiting the nozzle.
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50. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising;
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein shapes of two or more portions the bounding surface of the fluid conduit are changed independently in response to the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer.
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51. A device for controlling fluid flow, the device comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducers comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; and at least one surface in contact with a fluid and operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a change in a characteristic of the fluid that is transmitted to the fluid via the one surface; and a fluid conduit configured to allow fluid to flow from an inlet of the fluid conduit to an exit of the fluid conduit and pass over the one surface between the inlet and the exit and wherein a bounding surface of the fluid conduit separates the fluid from an outer environment; wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes a bounding surface of the polymer to rotate torsionally.
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52. A valve comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; an inlet and an exit for allowing a fluid to enter the valve and exit the valve; a flow path between the inlet and the exit that allows the fluid to pass through the valve; a structure operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes an operating position of the structure to change and wherein a change in the operating position of the structure changes the flow path, wherein the electroactive polymer has an elastic modules below about 100 MPa. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96)
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97. A valve comprising:
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one or more transducers, each transducer comprising at least two electrodes and an electroactive polymer in electrical communication with the at least two electrodes wherein a portion of the electroactive polymer is arranged to deflect from a first position to a second position in response to a change in electric field; an inlet and an exit for allowing a fluid to enter the valve and exit the valve; a flow path between the inlet and the exit that allows the fluid to pass through the valve; a structure operatively coupled to the one or more transducers wherein the deflection of the portion of the electroactive polymer causes an operating position of the structure to change and wherein a change in the operating position of the structure changes the flow path; and a fluid conduit that is a section of the flow path, wherein the valve is a ball valve and the structure is spherical in shape.
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Specification