Actuator manufacturing method
First Claim
1. A method for manufacturing an actuator formed by rolling a single sheet in which dielectric elastomer layers and conductive rubber layers are stacked along a direction of thickness, wherein, when a voltage is applied to the conductive rubber layers, the actuator expands the rolled sheet along an axial direction of the rolled sheet, and when the application of the voltage is stopped, the actuator contracts the rolled sheet along the axial direction, the method comprising;
- alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along a direction of thickness, thereby forming the single sheet; and
wrapping the single sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking about a core, thereby obtaining the rolled sheet, whereinsome of the conductive rubber layers are connected to a positive terminal of a power source, and the other conductive rubber layers are connected to a negative terminal of the power source, andthe step of alternately stacking includes;
supplying the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the positive terminal of the power source that are stacked onto each other while being displaced in the same direction relative to the dielectric elastomer layers; and
supplying the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the negative terminal of the power source that are stacked onto each other while being displaced in the opposite direction to the direction in which the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the positive terminal of the power source are displaced relative to the dielectric elastomer layers.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An actuator manufacturing method includes alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along the direction of thickness to form a sheet, and wrapping the sheet formed about a core to form a rolled sheet. When the sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking is wrapped about the core, the sheet is formed by the dielectric elastomer layers and the conductive rubber layers. Therefore, even if the dielectric elastomer layers in the sheet are made to be thin, the thickness of the entire sheet is prevented from being excessively thin.
-
Citations
9 Claims
-
1. A method for manufacturing an actuator formed by rolling a single sheet in which dielectric elastomer layers and conductive rubber layers are stacked along a direction of thickness, wherein, when a voltage is applied to the conductive rubber layers, the actuator expands the rolled sheet along an axial direction of the rolled sheet, and when the application of the voltage is stopped, the actuator contracts the rolled sheet along the axial direction, the method comprising;
-
alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along a direction of thickness, thereby forming the single sheet; and wrapping the single sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking about a core, thereby obtaining the rolled sheet, wherein some of the conductive rubber layers are connected to a positive terminal of a power source, and the other conductive rubber layers are connected to a negative terminal of the power source, and the step of alternately stacking includes; supplying the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the positive terminal of the power source that are stacked onto each other while being displaced in the same direction relative to the dielectric elastomer layers; and supplying the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the negative terminal of the power source that are stacked onto each other while being displaced in the opposite direction to the direction in which the conductive rubber layers for being connected to the positive terminal of the power source are displaced relative to the dielectric elastomer layers. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
-
-
4. A method for manufacturing an actuator formed by rolling a single sheet in which dielectric elastomer layers and conductive rubber layers are stacked along a direction of thickness, wherein, when a voltage is applied to the conductive rubber layers, the actuator expands the rolled sheet along an axial direction of the rolled sheet, and when the application of the voltage is stopped, the actuator contracts the rolled sheet along the axial direction, the method comprising;
-
alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along a direction of thickness, thereby forming the single sheet; and wrapping the single sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking about a core, thereby obtaining the rolled sheet, wherein the step of alternately stacking includes supplying one of the conductive rubber layers for being connected to a positive terminal of a power source that is formed on a front face of one of the dielectric elastomer layers, and one of the conductive rubber layers for being connected to a negative terminal of the power source that is formed on a back face of the dielectric elastomer layer, and in this state, the dielectric elastomer layers and the conductive rubber layers are formed in a bellows-like manner, so that the plurality of the dielectric elastomer layers and the plurality of the conductive rubber layers are stacked onto each other in the direction of thickness to form the single sheet. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6)
-
-
7. A method for manufacturing an actuator formed by rolling a single sheet in which dielectric elastomer layers and conductive rubber layers are stacked along a direction of thickness, wherein, when a voltage is applied to the conductive rubber layers, the actuator expands the rolled sheet along an axial direction of the rolled sheet, and when the application of the voltage is stopped, the actuator contracts the rolled sheet along the axial direction, the method comprising;
-
alternately stacking a plurality of dielectric elastomer layers and a plurality of conductive rubber layers along a direction of thickness, thereby forming the single sheet; and wrapping the single sheet formed in the step of alternately stacking about a core, thereby obtaining the rolled sheet, wherein the step of wrapping the single sheet includes; prior to wrapping of the single sheet about the core, providing a coil spring on an outer circumferential surface of the core, and providing a pair of pipes on the outer circumferential surface of the core, each pipe being at one of both ends along the direction of expansion and contraction of the spring; and removing the core from the rolled sheet after wrapping the single sheet about the core, which has, on the outer circumferential surface thereof, the coil spring and the pipes. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9)
-
Specification