443 results about "Electrostriction" patented technology

The present invention relates to medical devices for implantation or insertion into body lumens, for example, catheters, guidewires, stents and aneurysm coils. The devices of the present invention comprise electrically actuated materials, such as electroactive polymers and piezoelectric and electrostrictive materials, which enhance or expand their functionality.

A sonic actuator including a multi-layer membrane having a non-metallic elastomeric dielectric polymer layer with a first surface and a second surface, a first compliant electrode layer contacting the first surface of the polymer layer, and a second compliant electrode layer contacting the second surface of the polymer layer. The actuator further includes a support structure in contact with the sonic actuator film. Preferably, the non-metallic dielectric polymer is selected from the group consisting essentially of silicone, fluorosilicone, fluoroelastomer, natural rubber, polybutadiene, nitrile rubber, isoprene, and ethylene propylene diene. Also preferably, the compliant electrode layer is made from the group consisting essentially of graphite, carbon, and conductive polymers. The support structure can take the form of grid having a number of circular apertures. When a voltage is applied to the electrodes, portions of the film held at the aperture of the support structure can bulge due to the electrostriction phenomenon. The resultant “bubbles” can be modulated to generate sonic vibrations, or can be used to create a variable surface for airflow control.

Disclosed is a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element composed of an actuator section of a uni-morph type comprising a main actuator element including a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer and a pair of electrodes formed on a first principal surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer; a vibrating section which contacts with a second principal surface of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer for supporting the main actuator element; and a fixed section for supporting the vibrating section in a vibrative manner; wherein a relationship of y=ax is satisfied, and an expression of +E,fra 1/10+EE </=a</=100 is satisfied provided that x represents a distance between the pair of electrodes (1 mu m</=x</=200 mu m), and y represents a thickness of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer (1 mu m</=y</=100 mu m). Accordingly, it is possible to greatly increase the relative displacement amount between the no-voltage-loaded state and the voltage-applied state and the relative displacement amount between the states in which mutually opposite electric fields are applied, making it possible to realize easy control when the element is utilized for actuators and improvement in sensitivity when the element is utilized for sensors.

A device for providing an electromechanical response includes two polymeric webs bonded to each other along their lengths. At least one polymeric web is activated upon application thereto of an electric field and exhibits electrostriction by rotation of polar graft moieties within the polymeric web. In one embodiment, one of the two polymeric webs in an active web upon application thereto of the electric field, and the other polymeric web is a non-active web upon application thereto of the electric field. In another embodiment, both of the two polymeric webs are capable of being active webs upon application thereto of the electric field. However, these two polymeric webs are alternately activated and non-activated by the electric field.

A multilayer capacitor that can suppress electrostrictive vibration without material constraint and with applicability to various structures, including general-purpose structures. A multilayer capacitor has: an element body formed of dielectric ceramic; and a plurality of internal electrodes disposed inside the element body such that the internal electrodes are stacked with ceramic layers sandwiched therebetween. The multilayer capacitor is provided with a capacitor area which includes the plurality of internal electrodes and a first suppression area and a second suppression area for reducing electrostriction caused by the plurality of internal electrodes so as to suppress noise. The first suppression area is adjacent to the capacitor area and the thickness of the second suppression area is determined according to the arrangement of the plurality of internal electrodes.

An electrical power generator has one or more serpentine elements that are made of a poled piezoelectric or electrostrictive ceramic, one or more electrically conductive shims or foils and at least two electrically conductive electrode coatings on the serpentine element. The conductive electrodes are further electrically connected to an electrical load or energy storage device or both, and the serpentine element is mechanically affixed to a source of compression or vibration or both.

Provided is a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a driving portion to be driven by a displacement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion to be operated based on a drive of the driving portion, and a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion, the fixing portion and the movable portions being coupled via the driving portion, and a hole being formed by an inner wall of the driving portion, inner wall of the movable portion, and inner walls of the fixing portion.

A matrix type piezoelectric/electrostrictive (PIE) actuator includes a plurality of piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements, each including a piezoelectric/electrostrictive body and at least one pair of electrodes formed on a ceramic substrate. The matrix type P/E actuator is activated by displacement of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive bodies. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements are joined to the ceramic substrate as respective unified bodies, and are two-dimensionally arranged independently from each other. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive actuator provides a greater displacement with a lower voltage, a high responsive speed, and a greater generating force, as well as enhancing the mounting ability and the integration. A method for manufacturing such a matrix type P/E actuator is also disclosed.

An apparatus and method directed to a solid-state capacitance sensor for measuring a strain force on a dielectric including at least one pair of electrostriction sensors each sensor having at least two electrodes and each having a central axis. The central axes are disposed in a common plane and are oriented substantially mutually perpendicularly to one another. Preferably, at least two pairs of sensors, forming a rosette, are provided to facilitate multi-component analysis of a sample having dielectric properties under stress/strain.

A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device includes: a driving portion which is driven by displacement of a piezo-electric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion which operates on the basis of a drive of the driving portion, and a fixed portion for supporting the above driving portion and movable portion. It has a driving portion including thin plates facing each other and a thin film piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on the surface of at least one of the thin plates, and the above fixed portion and the above movable portion are joined by the driving portion. In this piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, the movable portion can largely be displaced, and it is not easily affected by a harmful vibration in operation, and it is excellent in mechanical strength, handling efficiency, impact resistance, and moisture resistance.

A piezoelectric/elecrostrictive device comprising a driving portion to be driven by a displacement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion to be operated based on a drive of the driving portion, and a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion. The driving portion comprises a pair of thin plate portions facing each other, and a film-like piezoelectric/electrostrictive element including at least a pair of electrode films and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive film formed at least on the outer surface of at least one thin plate portion of the thin plate portions. The fixing portion is coupled with the movable portion via the driving portion, a hole is defined by an inner wall of the driving portion, an inner wall of the movable portion, and an inner wall of the fixing portion, and at least one side of a piezoelectric operating portion of said piezoelectric/electrostrictive element in a direction in which said thin plate portion connects with said fixing portion with the movable portion is structured to exist on the fixing portion or the movable portion. A ratio a/b of the thickness a of said hole and the width b of said thin plate portion is 0.5 to 20. Since the movable portion can be largely operated, the device can be used as a displacement element which is hardly affected by a harmful vibration in operation, and superior in mechanical strength, handling property, impact resistance, and humidity resistance, and a sensor element capable of detecting a vibration of the movable portion with fine precision.

A laminated ceramic capacitor has a high breakdown voltage and excellent withstand-voltage performance, and prevents cracks generated during firing even when the number of lamination layers constituted by ceramic layers and inner electrode layers is increased. The laminated ceramic capacitor includes capacitance forming layers in which ceramic dielectric layers and capacitance-forming inner electrode layers are laminated, and a stress relieving layer. The stress relieving layer is disposed between the capacitance forming layers. In the stress relieving layer, ceramic dielectric layers, dummy inner electrode layers (split electrodes) that do not contribute to the formation of electrostatic capacitance, and capacitance-formation-preventing inner electrode layers that prevent capacitance from being formed between the capacitance-forming inner electrode layers and the dummy inner electrode layers are laminated. The thickness of the stress relieving layer is in the range of about 100 μm to about 300 μm inclusive. The plane area of the dummy inner electrode layers is about 60% or more of that of the capacitance-forming inner electrode layers. The dummy inner electrode layers are undivided or are divided into two or three parts in a single layer. With this structure, stress caused by electrostriction is relieved.

A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device is disclosed comprising a driving portion to be driven by a displacement of a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion to be operated by a drive of the driving portion, a fixing portion for holding the driving portion and the movable portion, the movable portion being coupled with the fixing portion via the driving portion, and a hole formed by inner walls of the driving portion, an inner wall of the movable portion, and an inner wall of the fixing portion. The driving portion comprises a pair of mutually opposing thin plate portions, and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element including a piezoelectric/electrostrictive operating portion comprising at least a pair or more of electrodes and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer formed on at least a part of the outer surface of at least one thin plate portion out of the thin plate portions, one end of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive operating portion in a direction in which the fixing portion is connected with the movable portion exists on the fixing portion or the movable portion, and the other end of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive operating portion is arranged on the thin plate portion, and at least a piezoelectric/electrostrictive layer of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive element exists extending over the movable portion and the fixing portion. The device of the present invention, having high rigidity in the width direction of the thin plate portions, namely in the Y-axis direction, enables rigid joining when functional parts such as sensors, magnetic heads, or the like are fixed to the present device, and further when the present device per se is fixed to another structure.

The invention discloses an optical path structure for a stimulated Brillouin optical fiber gyroscope. A light source emitted by an Erbium-doped narrow-linewidth optical fiber laser is split into two beams to transmit in different paths after passing through a coupler A. One beam of light enters a photonic crystal optical fiber resonant cavity after passing through an all-optical fiber acousto-optic frequency shifter, an optical fiber circulator A, a polarization controller A and a coupler B; and the other beam of light enters the photonic crystal optical fiber resonant cavity after passing through a variable attenuator, an optical fiber circulator B, a polarization controller B and the coupler B. The two beams of light are pump light transmitting anticlockwise and pump light transmitting clockwise respectively. As the wave field of the pump light in a photonic crystal optical fiber and an elastic sound wave field interact to generate stimulated Brillouin scattering, the stimulated Brillouin scattering can be described as periodical modulation of the refractive index of a medium which is caused by the nonlinear interaction performed between pump light waves and Stokes light waves through sound waves that are generated by the electrostriction of the pump light waves.