Bi-directional Bending Actuator with Tunable Stiffness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing soft robots with deformability and stiffness tunable capacity rely on complex pneumatic systems, limiting their wide application due to structural complexity, slow response, and poor control accuracy, while there is a need for an electrically driven actuator that can maintain deformed shapes for mechanical operations.
Innovation Solution
An electric controlled bi-directional bending actuator composed of dielectric elastomer electro-deformable layers and electrorheological material electro-variable stiffness layers, with flexible electrodes, allowing for deformation and stiffness adjustment via electric fields, enabling simple structure, precise control, and quick response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If pneumatic control mode is used to achieve deformability and stiffness tuning, then the actuator can deform and adjust stiffness, but the structure becomes complex with pipes, valves and huge air pump load
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the pneumatic control system with an electric field-based control system. Dielectric elastomer layers respond to electric fields for deformation, and electrorheological material layers respond to electric fields for stiffness adjustment, eliminating the need for pipes, valves, and air pumps while achieving the same adaptability functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from pneumatic pressure to electric field strength. By adjusting the electric field parameters (voltage, frequency), the actuator achieves both deformation control and stiffness tuning, simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining versatility
2Stability of the object's composition
If pneumatic actuators are used for deformability and stiffness control, then the actuator can maintain deformed shape, but the response speed is slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes pneumatic actuation with electric field actuation. Dielectric elastomers and electrorheological materials respond almost instantaneously to electric field changes, enabling fast response speeds while maintaining the ability to hold deformed shapes through sustained electric field application
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the rapid response and relaxation characteristics of electrorheological materials under periodic electric field application, allowing quick transitions between different stiffness states and deformation levels, thereby achieving both fast response and stable shape maintenance
3Adaptability or versatility
If pneumatic systems are used for actuator control, then the actuator can achieve deformability, but the control accuracy is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from pneumatic pressure control to electric field parameter control. Electric fields can be precisely controlled in terms of strength, frequency, and waveform, enabling accurate control of both deformation magnitude and stiffness levels, thereby improving control accuracy while maintaining deformability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms to monitor and adjust electric field parameters in real-time, ensuring precise control of the actuator's deformation and stiffness. This feedback loop enables high control accuracy by continuously optimizing the electric field input based on the desired output state
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The actuator achieves bi-directional bending with dual functions of deformation and stiffness tuning, offering a simple, precise, and environmentally insensitive solution for maintaining deformed shapes, overcoming the limitations of pneumatic systems.
Implementation Method 1
By applying an electric field through the flexible electrodes on the dielectric elastomer, it shrinks along the direction of the voltage and stretches perpendicular to the direction
Implementation Method 2
Electrorheological materials are a type of smart materials whose viscosity or elastic modulus can be controlled by the electric field in real time, reversible and quickly, and have the characteristics of electric field tunable damping or stiffness
Data Source
AI summary
An electric controlled bi-directional bending actuator with deformability and stiffness tunable capacity is disclosed. The electric controlled bi-directional bending actuator with deformability and stiffness tunable capacity comprises three kinds of functional layers that are electro-deformable layers, electro-variable stiffness layers and flexible electrodes. From up to bottom, they are the first flexible electrodes layer, the first electro-deformable layer, the second flexible electrodes layer, the electro-variable stiffness layer, the third flexible electrode layer, the second electro-deformable layer and the fourth flexible electrode layer. The adjacent layers are glued together. The electro-deformable layer is made from dielectric elastomers. The electro-variable stiffness layer is made from electro-rheological materials, including electro-rheological fluids, electro-rheological gels or electro-rheological elastomers. Compared with the present pneumatic actuators with deformability and stiffness tunable capacity, the invention has such merits as simple structure, precise regulation, quick response, convenient control and insensitive to environmental.