Electroactive polymer actuated lighting

• US 7,915,789 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2006
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Original Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Inventors: Smith, Jonathan A.
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSENAU, DEREK JOHN
• Application Number:
  US11/361,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,859 Days
• Field of Search: 310/311, 310/320, 310/324, 310/328, 310/800, 310367-369
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: F21V 14/04 by movement of reflectors in vehicle head lamps F21S41/675
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 310/80 Piezoelectric polymers, e.g. PVDF

Abstract

Devices employing electroactive polymer actuators are disclosed. Acrylic dielectric material based actuators are optionally provided in which architectures are presented that allow for improved power output as compared with other known acrylic dielectric material based transducers. Such technology may be applied in motor-driven applications, lightweight flight applications and lighting applications among others.

Claims

1. A lighting system comprising:

a light source;

a reflector; and

an electroactive polymer transducer positioned to displace one of the light source and the reflector relative to the other at a selected frequency, wherein the transducer comprises a frustum configuration where the frustum configuration includes a first electroactive polymer being stretched from a planar film shape to form a frustum shape where application of a voltage to the first electroactive polymer activates the electroactive polymer to alter the frustum shape to displace one of the light source and the reflector relative to the other.

2. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the transducer is configured for multiphase directionality.

3. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the selected frequency is greater than about 25 Hz.

4. The lighting system of claim 3, wherein the selected frequency is about 120 Hz.

5. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer is weighted to tune the transducer to the selected frequency.

6. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light source is coupled to a 120V/60 Hz power source.

7. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light source is coupled to a battery.

8. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer is pre-biased.

9. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the light source is an LED or an incandescent light.

10. The light system of claim 1, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer comprises a diaphragm wherein displacement of the diaphragm is driven by an applied voltage.

11. The lighting system of claim 1, wherein the frustum configuration comprises a double frustum configuration further comprising at least a second electroactive polymer being deformed into a stretched state.

12. A lighting system comprising:

a light source;

a reflector assembly comprising at least a first reflector and a second reflector; and

an electroactive polymer transducer positioned to move the light source and the second reflector relative to the first reflector at a selected frequency, wherein the transducer comprises a frustum configuration, where the frustum configuration includes a first electroactive polymer being stretched from a planar film shape to form a frustum shape where application of a voltage to the first electroactive polymer activates the electroactive polymer to alter the frustum shape to move the light source and the second reflector relative to the first reflector.

13. The lighting system of claim 12, wherein the transducer is configured for multi-phase directionality.

14. The lighting system of claim 12, wherein the selected frequency is greater than about 25 Hz.

15. The lighting system of claim 14, wherein the selected frequency is about 120 Hz.

16. The lighting system of claim 12, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer is weighted to tune tile transducer to the selected frequency.

17. The lighting system of claim 12, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer is mechanically coupled to the light source and the second reflector.

18. The lighting system of claim 17, wherein the electroactive polymer transducer is configured to move the light source and the second reflector between at least two positions along the same axis.

19. The lighting system of claim 12, wherein the frustum configuration comprises a double frustum configuration further comprising at least a second electroactive polymer being deformed into a stretched state.