Piezo-electric actuator operable in an electrolytic fluid
AssigneeDEKA Products Limited Partnership
InventorsWilliam Ormerod, Robert R. Tipton
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A piezo-electric actuator operable in a fluid. The actuator has a piezo-electric element having one or more layers of piezo-electric material and electrodes adjacent to the piezo-electric material, the electrodes being coupled to electrical leads. A conductive layer surrounds the piezo-electric element, serving as a Faraday cage for shielding the fluid from effects due to electric fields within the conductive layer. A seal substantially impermeable to the fluid surrounds the piezo-electric element.
Claims12
A piezo-electric actuator operable in a fluid, the actuator comprising:
- a piezoelectric element having first and second electrical leads;
- an electrically grounded conductive layer surrounding the piezo-electric element;
- and
- a seal surrounding the piezo-electric element, the seal being substantially impermeable to the fluid.
A piezo-electric actuator operable in a fluid, the actuator comprising:
- a piezo-electric element;
- an electrically grounded shield means for providing electrical shielding around the piezo-electric element;
- and
- sealant means for sealing the piezo-electric element from fluid surrounding the piezo-electric element.
A piezo-electric actuator operable in a fluid, the actuator comprising:
- a piezo-electric element having exterior and interior electrodes, the exterior electrodes being electrically grounded;
- and
- a seal surrounding the piezo-electric element, the seal being substantially impermeable to the fluid.
A method for activating a piezo-electric actuator for operation in a fluid, the piezo-electric actuator having first and second electrodes, the method comprising:
- (a) providing an electrically grounded conductive coating at the exterior of the piezo-electric actuator;
- (b) sealing the electrically conductive coating from the fluid by means of a seal substantially impermeable to the fluid;
- and
- (c) applying an electrical potential across the first and second electrodes.
A piezo-electric actuator operable in a fluid, the actuator comprising:
- a. a top piezo-electric layer having an outward-facing conducting side;
- b. a bottom piezo-electric layer having an outward-facing conducting side;
- c. a plurality of intermediate piezo-electric layers disposed between the top piezoelectric layer and the bottom piezo-electric layer, each intermediate piezo-electric layer having a piezo-electric side and a conductor side, the top, bottom, and intermediate piezo-electric layers comprising a piezo-electric stack;
- and
- d. a seal surrounding the piezo-electric stack, the seal being substantially impermeable to the fluid,
- wherein the outward-facing conducting side of the top piezo-electric layer is maintained at a first constant voltage during operation of the actuator and the outward-facing conducting side of the bottom piezo-electric layer is maintained at a second constant voltage during operation of the actuator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.