Self-Sensing Pressure-Driven Extending Actuator
AssigneeLudlum Measurements, Inc.
InventorsWyatt Marshall Felt, Jacob Ryan Greenwood
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems, devices, and methods for a self-sensing fluid-driven extending actuation device and associated methods where a fluid controller adds fluid into or removes fluid from a coiled device made from sealed flat layers of material; the pressurized fluid expands the internal volume of the layers causing the device to partially un-coil and extend; a resistance measurement circuit measures the length of the extended section and uses it to control the fluid added or removed from the device to achieve a desired length.
Claims20
A device comprising a:
- a coiled section configured to be expanded into an expanded section via addition of a pressurized fluid through a fluid inlet, wherein the coiled section comprises a sealed end, and wherein the expanded section and the coiled section comprise sealed edges to contain the pressurized fluid;
- and
- one or more conductive layers configured to form an internal electrical junction at a point of transition between the coiled section and expanded section, wherein a length of the expanded section is configured to be determined by measuring a resistance of a circuit formed by the one or more conductive layers.
A method comprising:
- measuring, by electrical wires, a resistance of a circuit formed by conductive layers;
- and
- controlling, by a fluid controller, a fluid added via a fluid inlet to achieve a desired length of an expanded section based on the measurement of the resistance of the circuit.
A method of fabrication of a self-sensing fluid-driven actuator:
- shifting a first backing layer relative to a second backing layer in a longitudinal direction, wherein the first backing layer is coupled to a first conductive layer and the second backing layer is coupled to a second conductive layer;
- and
- bonding the first backing layer to the second backing layer at a sealed edge in a coiled configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.