The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Mar. 29, 2011
Filed:
Nov. 12, 2008
Hiromitsu Takeuchi, Aichi-ken, JP;
Toru Kobayashi, Tokyo, JP;
Junko Suda, Tokyo, JP;
Christian Ruslim, Tokyo, JP;
Changming Zhao, Tokyo, JP;
Hiromitsu Takeuchi, Aichi-ken, JP;
Toru Kobayashi, Tokyo, JP;
Junko Suda, Tokyo, JP;
Christian Ruslim, Tokyo, JP;
Changming Zhao, Tokyo, JP;
Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., Aichi-pref., JP;
Abstract
An actuator includes a spirally rolled cylindrical sheet body. The sheet body is formed by attaching an electrode on each side of a dielectric elastomer layer. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes, the sheet body is contracted along the direction of its thickness, and expanded in directions perpendicular to its thickness. The actuator is actuated by applying a voltage to the electrodes and stopping the voltage application, so that the cylindrical sheet body is extended and contracted along the direction of the axis. The material forming the dielectric elastomer layer has a low strain region, where the value of a strain based on a stress acting on the dielectric elastomer layer varies from zero to a value that is greater than and close to zero, and a high strain region, where the value of the strain is greater than that in the low strain region. The Young's modulus in the low strain region is less than the Young's modulus in the high strain region.