Electroactive polymer transducers biased for increased output
AssigneeArtificial Muscle, Inc.
InventorsJonathan R. HEIM, Ilya POLYAKOV, Alireza ZARRABI, Otto HUI
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Abstract
Electroactive polymer transducers are disclosed. They are biased in a manner that provides for increased force and/or stroke output, thereby offering improved work potential and power output capacity. The biasing may offer additional or alternate functional advantage in terms of matching transducer performance with a given application such as a normally-closed valve. The improved biasing (including increased output biasing) may utilize negative spring rate biasing and/or a combination of negative or zero-rate biasing with positive rate biasing to achieve the desired ends.
Claims14
A transducer assembly comprising:
- an electroactive polymer;
- and
- at least one biasing element set to provide a negative spring rate within the transducer assembly.
A transducer assembly comprising electroactive polymer and a positive rate biasing element, the improvement consisting of at least one biasing element set to provide a negative or substantially zero spring rate.
A diaphragm transducer assembly comprising:
- an electroactive polymer;
- and
- at least one biasing element having a bistable configuration to allow the diaphragm transducer to actuate in opposite directions without further biasing.
A negative spring rate assembly comprising:
- a compressible member configured to be in a compressed condition when the assembly is in a neutral position and in a less compressed condition when the assembly is in an extended position;
- and
- an output member associated with the compressible member, wherein the output member is leveraged when the assembly is in the neutral position and is less leveraged when the assembly is in the extended position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.