High-performance electroactive polymer transducers

• US 7,521,847 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bayer Materialscience AG (Covestro AG)
• Original Assignee: Artificial Muscle, Inc. (Covestro AG)
• Inventors: Heim, Jonathan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty; Thomas M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gordon; Bryan P
• Application Number:
  US11/679,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 310/800, 310/311, 310/316.01, 310/316.02
• US Class Current: 310/313.00R
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/0054 particularities of the flexible members
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/04 Pumps having electric drive
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/14 having plate-like flexible members
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/046 for conversion into rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/025 using a piezoelectric polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/206 using only longitudinal or thickness displacement, e.g. d33 or d31 type devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 310/80 Piezoelectric polymers, e.g. PVDF

Abstract

Transducers employing electroactive polymer films are disclosed.

Claims

1. A transducer comprising:

an open frame and at least two diaphragm layers, each diaphragm layer comprising an electroactive polymer material having an elastic modulus below about 100 MPa and extending within the frame, wherein central portions of the diaphragm layers are coupled together and remaining portions of one diaphragm layer are spaced from remaining portions of the other diaphragm layer, and wherein the diaphragm layers are free to actuate in at least two component directions upon application of a voltage across the electroactive polymer material.

2. The transducer of claim 1 wherein the diaphragm layers form a double-frustum configuration.

3. The transducer of claim 1 wherein the coupled-together central portions define a cap structure.

4. The transducer of claim 3 wherein the cap structure has a disc configuration having a least one pass-through hole therethrough.

5. The transducer of claim 1 wherein the electroactive polymer material comprises silicone.

6. The transducer of claim 1 wherein the electroactive polymer material comprises acrylic.

7. The transducer of claim 1 wherein the electroactive polymer material comprises a dielectric elastomer.

8. The transducer of claim 1 wherein output motion of the diaphragm layers has a frequency with the range from about 0.1 Hz to about 1 kHz.

9. The transducer of claim 1 wherein actuation of the diaphragm is used to convert linear motion into rotary motion.

10. The transducer of claim 1 wherein actuation of the diaphragm is used to convert linear motion into rotary motion.

11. The transducer of claim 1 wherein actuation of the diaphragm is used to control linear or rotary movement.

12. The transducer of claim 1 wherein actuation of the diaphragm is used to control fluid movement.