Flexible actuator and execution device

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention discloses a flexible actuator and an actuating device, which can form mechanical interlocking force on the surface of an adsorbed object by utilizing an effective molecular chain and a microstructure of a liquid crystal elastomer polymer, namely, generate Van der Waals force adsorption, can neglect whether the surface of the object is flat or not, and cannot break a vacuum environment. Array electrode design and manufacturing are adopted, according to the size of an electric field and the power-up range, programming is carried out to control the size of adsorption force and the working range, and the adsorption area can be adjusted. An alternating current electric field exerts oscillation stress on a polymer network main chain of the liquid crystal elastomer, molecular orderliness is reduced, unoccupied volume is generated, the surface of a polymer film of the liquid crystal elastomer is deformed, the more molecular microstructures on the surface of the film are, the larger micro deformation is, and when objects are adsorbed, the deeper penetration, the larger microgap contact area and the higher adsorption strength are achieved. During working, the adsorption acting force between liquid crystal elastomer molecules and object surfaces is increased, super-strong adhesion force is formed, and the liquid crystal elastomer can be attached to the surfaces of any type of objects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent control technology, and in particular to a flexible actuator and an actuator device. Background Art

[0002] Whether in daily life or industrial production, the application of suction cups can be seen everywhere, especially in the fields of wall-climbing robots and industrial grasping robots.

[0003] There are three main types of suction cups currently available: vacuum suction, magnetic suction and thrust suction. Ordinary suction cups made of flexible materials require external pressure to deform them to generate negative pressure, pneumatic suction cups require external air sources to evacuate air to generate negative pressure, and electromagnetic suction cups made of rigid materials that generate magnetism to work by powering on. The limitations are mainly the following: (1) Ordinary suction cups require external force to press and operate, and are not as convenient as pneumatic and electric drives. Therefore, they generally have a smaller suction force and a narrower range of applications; (2) Pneumatic suction cups require an external air pump when used, which makes them difficult to use in some areas, such as the outer surface of high-rise buildings; (3) Electromagnetic or vacuum suction cups are relatively rigid and can only adsorb flat objects with high precision or magnetic metals. They are also generally heavy and difficult to apply to the field of micro-manipulation.

[0004] In addition, in the field of special robots, negative pressure suction cups are often used to fix the robot. Ordinary suction cups that need to be pressed for adsorption and pneumatic suction cups with high rigidity and need to be connected to an air pump can no longer meet its requirements. At the same time, in order to enable soft robots to have greater adaptability in the fields of reconnaissance, search and rescue, etc., the adsorption device needs to have the ability to stably adsorb on rougher surfaces. Traditional suction cups use the principle of negative pressure adsorption. It is necessary to reduce the gas in the inner cavity of the suction cup to increase the internal negative pressure to achieve adsorption. This requires external force to act directly on the surface of the suction cup or an external air pump is required, which is very inconvenient. At the same time, the adaptability of this type of suction cup to rough surfaces mainly depends on the material selected for its lip. The characteristics of conventional materials usually make it difficult to achieve a close fit between the suction cup lip and the rough surface.

[0005] In summary, the current common suction cups have problems such as limited use environment, fixed and unadjustable adsorption area, and insufficient adsorption force. Summary of the invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present invention provide a flexible actuator and an actuator device, which can effectively improve the above problems.

[0007] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible actuator, comprising:

[0008] substrate;

[0009] an electrode layer, located at one side of the substrate, the electrode layer comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and the electrode layer is configured to form an alternating electric field when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode;

[0010] A liquid crystal elastomer polymer film is located on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film includes a plurality of protrusions, the protrusions include a first protrusion close to the substrate and a second protrusion located on a side of the first protrusion away from the substrate, the orthographic projection area of ​​the second protrusion on the substrate is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the first protrusion on the substrate, and the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film is configured to undergo a reversible shape change under the action of the electric field formed by the electrode layer.

[0011] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the first convex portion is columnar, and the cross-sectional width of the second convex portion gradually increases in a direction away from the substrate.

[0012] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the interior of the protrusion is wrapped with an inorganic support structure, and the outer contour shape of the inorganic support structure is the same as the outer contour shape of the protrusion.

[0013] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, a side of the second protrusion away from the substrate has a groove, and an inner wall of the groove is a curved surface.

[0014] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the groove is 30% to 80% of the surface diameter of the second protrusion away from the substrate, the depth of the groove is 20% to 70% of the protrusion height, and the ratio of the depth of the groove to the spacing between adjacent second protrusions is 1 / 2.

[0015] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, an angle between the protrusion and a center line perpendicular to the substrate and the substrate is 30° to 150°.

[0016] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, an orthographic projection of the first electrode on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the second electrode on the substrate do not overlap with each other.

[0017] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode and the second electrode constitute interdigital electrodes.

[0018] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the first electrode is a grid-shaped electrode, and the second electrode includes a plurality of block-shaped sub-electrodes, and each of the block-shaped sub-electrodes is respectively located in a mesh of the grid-shaped electrode.

[0019] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the mesh includes at least one of square, hexagon, circle, triangle, and star.

[0020] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the mesh is the same as the shape of the block sub-electrode.

[0021] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, an orthographic projection of the protrusion on the substrate overlaps with an orthographic projection of the corresponding first electrode and the second electrode on the substrate.

[0022] Optionally, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention, an orthographic projection of the protrusion on the substrate does not overlap with an orthographic projection of the first electrode and the second electrode on the substrate.

[0023] Optionally, the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided in an embodiment of the present invention further includes: an insulating layer located between the substrate and the electrode layer, and a first signal input terminal and a second signal input terminal; wherein the first signal input terminal is electrically connected to the first electrode through a via hole passing through the substrate and the insulating layer, and the second signal input terminal is electrically connected to the second electrode through a via hole passing through the substrate and the insulating layer.

[0024] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an actuator, comprising the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0026] A flexible actuator and actuator device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode to form an AC electric field, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film bends and deforms, thereby contacting the object to be adsorbed. When the normal molecular distance is <0.5nm, the two molecules will produce an adsorption effect, and the molecular distance will be further shortened to reach a distance that can be in a maximum stable state, and a good adsorption force can be maintained, thereby completing the adsorption effect. Therefore, the present invention utilizes the effective molecular chain and its own microstructure of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer to form a mechanical interlocking force on the surface of the adsorbed object, that is, to produce van der Waals force adsorption, and can ignore whether the surface of the object is flat, and ignore the broken vacuum environment. In addition, the present invention can adopt arrayed electrode design and production, and program the adsorption force and working range according to the electric field size and the power-on range to achieve adjustable adsorption area. In addition, the alternating electric field can exert oscillating stress on the main chain of the polymer network of the liquid crystal elastomer, reduce the molecular order, generate unoccupied volume, and deform the surface of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film. The more molecular microstructures on the film surface, the greater the micro deformation. When adsorbing objects, the deeper the penetration, the larger the micro-gap contact area, and the higher the adsorption strength. When working, the intermolecular adsorption force between the liquid crystal elastomer molecules and the surface of the object, namely the van der Waals force, is increased to form a super strong adhesion force, which can adhere to the surface of any type of object. When the voltage on the first electrode and the second electrode is removed, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film resume their orientation, causing the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film to return to its original state, thereby releasing the adsorbed object. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of another flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of another flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of another flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the reversible deformation of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film of the present invention under the action of an electric field;

[0032] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of surface ripples perpendicular to the helical axis formed by liquid crystal elastomer polymer molecules;

[0033] Figure 7 for Figure 1-Figure 4 A schematic three-dimensional cross-sectional view of the middle convexity;

[0034] Figure 8 for Figure 1-Figure 4 An enlarged schematic diagram of two adjacent protrusions;

[0035] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the grooves of two adjacent second convex portions when flattened;

[0036] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of another flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.11 for Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 A schematic plan view of a first electrode and a second electrode;

[0038] Fig.12 for Figure 3 A schematic plan view of a first electrode and a second electrode;

[0039] Fig.13 for Figure 3 Another schematic plan view of the first electrode and the second electrode;

[0040] Fig.14 For the electrode layer Fig.11 The array structure formed by the interdigitated electrodes shown;

[0041] Fig.15 It is a schematic diagram of the enlarged structure of the protrusion and its local surface;

[0042] Fig.16 Schematic diagram of the adsorption of the raised surface and the object surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiment of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiment of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiment is a part of the embodiment of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. And in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the described embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0044] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present invention shall have the usual meanings understood by persons with ordinary skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "include" or "comprise" and the like used in the present invention mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. The words "connect" or "connected" and the like are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Inside", "outside", "upper", "lower", etc. are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0045] It should be noted that the sizes and shapes of the figures in the accompanying drawings do not reflect the actual proportions, but are only intended to illustrate the content of the present invention. The same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements with the same or similar functions.

[0046] An embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible actuator, such as Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, including:

[0047] Substrate 1;

[0048] An electrode layer 2, located on one side of the substrate 1, the electrode layer 2 comprises a first electrode 21 and a second electrode 22, and the electrode layer 2 is configured to form an alternating electric field when a voltage is applied to the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22;

[0049] The liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 is located on the side of the electrode layer 2 away from the substrate 1. The liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 includes a plurality of protrusions 30. The protrusions 30 include a first protrusion 31 close to the substrate 1 and a second protrusion 32 located on the side of the first protrusion 31 away from the substrate 1. The orthographic projection area of ​​the second protrusion 32 on the substrate 1 is greater than the orthographic projection area of ​​the first protrusion 31 on the substrate 1. The liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 is configured to undergo a reversible shape change under the action of the electric field formed by the electrode layer 2.

[0050] Specifically, liquid crystal elastomeric polymers are polymer materials that combine the properties of a liquid crystal phase and an elastomeric phase. Liquid crystal elastomeric polymers can undergo reversible shape changes when subjected to external stimuli (such as an alternating electric field). Liquid crystal elastomeric polymers have the following properties: (1) Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , when a voltage is applied to the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 to form an AC electric field, the AC electric field exerts an oscillating stress on the polymer network main chain of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3, reduces the molecular order, generates an unoccupied volume, and deforms the surface of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3; (2) as Figure 6As shown, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer molecules are arranged periodically in a planar and vertical alternating manner, forming surface ripples perpendicular to the helical axis; the periodicity originates from the pitch of the molecular helix, and the molecules can rotate along the helical axis perpendicular to the electric field lines; the electric field drives the fingerprint-like texture to undergo a high degree of inversion.

[0051] In the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiment of the present invention, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode to form an AC electric field, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film bends and deforms, thereby contacting the object to be adsorbed. When the normal molecular distance is <0.5nm, the two molecules will produce an adsorption effect, and the molecular distance will be further shortened to reach a distance that can be in a maximum stable state, and a good adsorption force can be maintained, thereby completing the adsorption effect. Therefore, the present invention utilizes the effective molecular chain and its own microstructure of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer to form a mechanical interlocking force on the surface of the adsorbed object, that is, to produce van der Waals force adsorption, and whether the surface of the object is flat can be ignored, and the vacuum environment can be ignored. In addition, the present invention can adopt arrayed electrode design and production, and program the adsorption force and working range according to the electric field size and the power-on range to achieve adjustable adsorption area. In addition, the alternating electric field can exert oscillating stress on the main chain of the polymer network of the liquid crystal elastomer, reduce the molecular order, generate unoccupied volume, and deform the surface of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film. The more molecular microstructures on the film surface, the greater the micro deformation. When adsorbing objects, the deeper the penetration, the larger the micro-gap contact area, and the higher the adsorption strength. When working, the intermolecular adsorption force between the liquid crystal elastomer molecules and the surface of the object, namely the van der Waals force, is increased to form a super strong adhesion force, which can adhere to the surface of any type of object. When the voltage on the first electrode and the second electrode is removed, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film resume their orientation, causing the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film to return to its original state, thereby releasing the adsorbed object.

[0052] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, the first convex portion 31 is cylindrical in shape, and the cross-sectional width of the second convex portion 32 gradually increases in the direction away from the substrate 1. In this way, the shape of the protrusion 30 is similar to a mushroom shape. When adsorbing the surface of an object, the second convex portion 32 has a larger contact area with the object and can generate a greater adhesion force.

[0053] Optionally, the shape of the first protrusion may be a cylinder or a prism, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0054] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 for Figure 1-Figure 4The three-dimensional cross-sectional schematic diagram of the protrusion 30 in the figure shows that the interior of the protrusion 30 is wrapped with an inorganic support structure 4, and the outer contour shape of the inorganic support structure 4 is the same as the outer contour shape of the protrusion 30. In this way, by adopting an inorganic + liquid crystal elastomer composite structure in the protrusion 30 of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3, the bearing capacity of the flexible actuator (such as a suction cup) can be increased, and the mechanical properties of a single liquid crystal elastomer polymer can be improved. Moreover, compared with the mushroom-shaped soft structure and hard structure of homogeneous materials, the mushroom-shaped soft shell / hard core structure form disclosed in the present invention has an outstanding "increasing interface contact and inhibiting interface separation" functional characteristic. In the interface contact stage, the soft contact of the adhesion structure is conducive to reducing the difference in interface contact stress, thereby increasing the effective contact area between the adhesion structure and the target surface; in the interface separation stage, the hard material separation of the adhesion structure tends to separate the structure as a whole from the target surface, which is conducive to inhibiting the occurrence of peeling behavior, while the soft structure separation is prone to first generate cracks from the stress concentration point and rapidly expand. Therefore, the core-shell structure protrusion 30 disclosed in the present invention combines the advantageous features of soft materials and hard materials in contact and separation structures, ensuring high-strength adhesion on multi-scale roughness surfaces from nanometers to micrometers.

[0055] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 for Figure 1-Figure 4 The enlarged schematic diagram of two adjacent protrusions 30 in FIG. 1 shows a second protrusion 32 having a groove U on the side away from the substrate 1, and the inner wall of the groove U is a curved surface. Optionally, the diameter d1 of the groove U is 30% to 80% of the diameter d2 of the surface of the second protrusion 31 away from the substrate 1, the depth H1 of the groove U is 20% to 70% of the height H2 of the protrusion 30, and the ratio of the depth H1 of the groove U to the spacing between adjacent second protrusions 32 is 1 / 2. In this way, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 is deformed under the action of the AC electric field, and when the groove U is flattened, as shown in FIG. Fig. 9 As shown, the adjacent edges of the two second protrusions 31 can form a tightly connected state without gaps, further improving the adsorption capacity.

[0056] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 8 As shown, the diameter d1 of the groove U can be 2 to 15 μm, the surface diameter d2 of the second protrusion 31 away from the substrate 1 can be 3 to 50 μm, the depth H1 of the groove U can be greater than 3 μm, the height H2 of the protrusion 30 can be 10 to 1000 μm, the width of the first protrusion 31 can be 5 to 50 μm, and the distance d3 between two adjacent first protrusions 31 can be 3 to 50 μm.

[0057] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.10As shown, the angle β between the protrusion 30 and the center line L of the substrate 1 can be 30° to 150°. That is, the protrusion 30 can be arranged vertically or obliquely relative to the substrate 1. Preferably, the protrusion 30 is arranged vertically relative to the substrate 1, which can improve the adsorption force with the surface of the object.

[0058] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, Fig.11 for Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4 A schematic plan view of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22, Fig.12 for Figure 3 1 is a plan view of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 , wherein the orthographic projection of the first electrode 21 on the substrate 1 and the orthographic projection of the second electrode 22 on the substrate 1 do not overlap each other.

[0059] Alternatively, if Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Fig.11 As shown, the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 constitute interdigitated electrodes, that is, the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 are respectively a main electrode and a branch electrode, the main electrodes of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 are parallel to each other, and the branch electrodes of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 alternately form a comb-like structure, and each branch electrode can be provided with a row of protrusions 30, and the orthographic projection of the protrusion 30 on the substrate 1 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the corresponding first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 on the substrate 1. In this way, when the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 are energized, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 is deformed and closer to the surface of the object, forming an intermolecular force to complete the adsorption effect.

[0060] Alternatively, if Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2 and Figure 1 The difference is that the orthographic projection of the protrusion 30 on the substrate 1 does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 on the substrate 1 .

[0061] Alternatively, if Figure 3 and Fig.12As shown, the first electrode 21 may be a grid electrode, and the second electrode 22 may include a plurality of block sub-electrodes 221, each of which is located in the mesh V of the grid electrode, and the orthographic projection of the protrusion 30 on the substrate 1 does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 on the substrate 1. In this way, when the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 are energized, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film 3 is deformed and is closer to the surface of the object, on the one hand, an intermolecular force (van der Waals force) is formed, and on the other hand, there is no protrusion 30 at the position of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22, so that the protrusion 30 on the periphery of the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 22 is equivalent to forming a bowl-shaped structure, which can form a closed space when adsorbed with the object, forming vacuum adsorption, so that the integration of vacuum adsorption and van der Waals adhesion can be realized, and a good adsorption force can be maintained, so the adaptability to the surfaces of various objects is good.

[0062] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.12 As shown, the shape of the mesh V can be square.

[0063] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 3 The first electrode 21 may be formed of Fig.12 The mesh V shape shown is a square grid electrode, which can also be used Fig.13 The mesh V-shape shown is a hexagonal grid electrode, so that the electrode layer 2 has a honeycomb structure with stronger adsorption force and more stability.

[0064] Of course, in some embodiments, Figure 3 The first electrode 21 may also be a grid-shaped electrode whose mesh V-shape is at least one of circular, triangular, and star-shaped, and the present invention is not limited to this.

[0065] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.12 and Fig.13 As shown, the shape of the mesh V is the same as the shape of the block sub-electrode 221.

[0066] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.14 As shown, Fig.14 For electrode layer 2, Fig.11 The array structure formed by the interdigitated electrodes shown in the figure can control the size of the electric field and the power-on range, program the size of the adsorption force and the working range, achieve adjustable adsorption area, and improve the design flexibility of the flexible actuator.

[0067] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, it also includes: an insulating layer 5 located between the substrate 1 and the electrode layer 2, and a first signal input terminal 61 and a second signal input terminal 62; wherein the first signal input terminal 61 is electrically connected to the first electrode 21 through a via hole penetrating the substrate 1 and the insulating layer 5, and the second signal input terminal 62 is electrically connected to the second electrode 22 through a via hole penetrating the substrate 1 and the insulating layer 5. Specifically, the insulating layer can protect the electrode layer 2 to prevent leakage, and the first signal input terminal 61 and the second signal input terminal 62 are connected to external electrical signals.

[0068] In some embodiments, the substrate 1 may be a flexible substrate, such as a PI substrate.

[0069] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Fig.15 As shown, Fig.15 The diagram shows the protrusion 30 and its local surface magnified structure. Due to the effective molecular chain and microstructural characteristics of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer, the surface structure of the protrusion 30 is similar to the cilia structure of the bristle surface of the spider sucker; Fig.16 As shown, Fig.16 Schematic diagram of the adsorption between the surface of the protrusion 30 and the surface of the object 100. The protrusion 30 is firmly adsorbed on the surface of the object 100 by means of electrostatic field force and van der Waals force.

[0070] In some embodiments, in the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1-Figure 3 The protrusion 30 can be formed by an etching process. Figure 4 The protrusions can be formed by nanoimprinting technology.

[0071] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides an execution device, including the above-mentioned flexible actuator provided by an embodiment of the present invention. The other essential components of the execution device should be understood by ordinary technicians in the field, and will not be repeated here, nor should they be used as limitations on the present invention. The principle of solving the problem by the execution device is similar to that of the above-mentioned flexible actuator, so the implementation of the execution device can refer to the implementation of the above-mentioned flexible actuator, and the repeated parts will not be repeated here.

[0072] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned execution device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can be a multi-legged adsorption robot suction cup, an adsorption cleaning robot suction cup structure, adsorption control climbing gloves, a tracked adsorption machine, and a robot grasping component surface adsorption structure, etc.

[0073] A flexible actuator and actuator device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode to form an AC electric field, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film bends and deforms, thereby contacting the object to be adsorbed. When the normal molecular distance is <0.5nm, the two molecules will produce an adsorption effect, and the molecular distance will be further shortened to reach a distance that can be in a maximum stable state, and a good adsorption force can be maintained, thereby completing the adsorption effect. Therefore, the present invention utilizes the effective molecular chain and its own microstructure of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer to form a mechanical interlocking force on the surface of the adsorbed object, that is, to produce van der Waals force adsorption, and can ignore whether the surface of the object is flat, and ignore the broken vacuum environment. In addition, the present invention can adopt arrayed electrode design and production, and program the adsorption force and working range according to the electric field size and the power-on range to achieve adjustable adsorption area. In addition, the alternating electric field can exert oscillating stress on the main chain of the polymer network of the liquid crystal elastomer, reduce the molecular order, generate unoccupied volume, and deform the surface of the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film. The more molecular microstructures on the film surface, the greater the micro deformation. When adsorbing objects, the deeper the penetration, the larger the micro-gap contact area, and the higher the adsorption strength. When working, the intermolecular adsorption force between the liquid crystal elastomer molecules and the surface of the object, namely the van der Waals force, is increased to form a super strong adhesion force, which can adhere to the surface of any type of object. When the voltage on the first electrode and the second electrode is removed, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film resume their orientation, causing the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film to return to its original state, thereby releasing the adsorbed object.

[0074] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, those skilled in the art may make other changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concept. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0075] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the embodiments of the present invention fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention and their equivalents, the present invention is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A flexible actuator, characterized in that: include: substrate; an electrode layer, located at one side of the substrate, the electrode layer comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and the electrode layer is configured to form an alternating electric field when a voltage is applied to the first electrode and the second electrode; A liquid crystal elastomer polymer film is located on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate, the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film includes a plurality of protrusions, the protrusions include a first protrusion close to the substrate and a second protrusion located on a side of the first protrusion away from the substrate, the orthographic projection area of ​​the second protrusion on the substrate is larger than the orthographic projection area of ​​the first protrusion on the substrate, and the liquid crystal elastomer polymer film is configured to undergo a reversible shape change under the action of the electric field formed by the electrode layer.

2. The flexible actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first convex portion is columnar in shape, and the cross-sectional width of the second convex portion gradually increases in a direction away from the substrate.

3. The flexible actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The interior of the protrusion is wrapped with an inorganic support structure, and the outer contour shape of the inorganic support structure is the same as the outer contour shape of the protrusion.

4. The flexible actuator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second protrusion has a groove on a side away from the substrate, and the inner wall of the groove is a curved surface.

5. The flexible actuator according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of the groove is 30% to 80% of the diameter of the surface of the second protrusion away from the substrate, the depth of the groove is 20% to 70% of the protrusion height, and the ratio of the depth of the groove to the spacing between adjacent second protrusions is 1 / 2.

6. The flexible actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The angle between the protrusion and the substrate and a center line perpendicular to the substrate is 30° to 150°.

7. The flexible actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: An orthographic projection of the first electrode on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the second electrode on the substrate do not overlap each other.

8. The flexible actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first electrode and the second electrode constitute interdigitated electrodes.

9. The flexible actuator according to claim 7, characterized in that: The first electrode is a grid-shaped electrode, and the second electrode includes a plurality of block-shaped sub-electrodes, each of which is located in a mesh of the grid-shaped electrode.

10. The flexible actuator according to claim 9, characterized in that: The shape of the mesh includes at least one of square, hexagon, circle, triangle and star.

11. The flexible actuator according to claim 10, characterized in that: The shape of the mesh is the same as that of the block sub-electrode.

12. The flexible actuator according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the protrusion on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projections of the corresponding first electrode and second electrode on the substrate.

13. The flexible actuator according to any one of claims 8 to 11, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the protrusion on the substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projections of the first electrode and the second electrode on the substrate.

14. The flexible actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and 8 to 11, characterized in that: Also includes: An insulating layer located between the substrate and the electrode layer, and a first signal input terminal and a second signal input terminal; wherein the first signal input terminal is electrically connected to the first electrode through a via hole penetrating the substrate and the insulating layer, and the second signal input terminal is electrically connected to the second electrode through a via hole penetrating the substrate and the insulating layer.

15. An execution device, characterized in that: Comprising the flexible actuator as described in any one of claims 1-14.

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