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KR-20260064703-A - electrostatic actuator for providing relative translational motion between components

KR20260064703AKR 20260064703 AKR20260064703 AKR 20260064703AKR-20260064703-A

Abstract

An electrostatic actuator for translational motion between a stator and a slider in a longitudinal direction (X), comprising stator driving electrodes and slider driving electrodes arranged at respective pitches along the direction (X) above, wherein the actuator is driven by n power supply outputs and the stator and/or slider driving electrodes are interconnected by n stator and/or slider power buses, wherein the slider buses and stator buses are configured such that the connections of the n stator buses are configured in a predetermined order, whereas the connections of the n slider buses are configured in a different predetermined order, and each of the n power supply outputs is configured to provide time-varying power of different phases so as to generate a first potential distribution and a second potential distribution moving in opposite directions on the pitch of the stator or slider driving electrodes.

Inventors

  • 샬러, 실베인
  • 셰아, 허버트

Assignees

  • 에꼴 뽈리떼끄닉 뻬데랄 드 로잔느 (으뻬에프엘)

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20240621
Priority Date
20230901

Claims (19)

  1. An electrostatic actuator (10) for generating a translational motion relative to the longitudinal direction (X) between a stator (30) of an actuator and a slider of said actuator—the electrostatic actuator generally comprises a plurality of mutually electrically isolated stator driving electrodes (35) arranged in a stator pitch along the stator in said direction (X), and a plurality of mutually electrically isolated slider driving electrodes (25) arranged in a driver pitch along the slider in said direction (X), wherein the stator driving electrodes (35) are electrically isolated from the slider driving electrodes (25), and the actuator is driven by n power supply outputs, wherein the stator driving electrodes (35) form a grouping interconnected by n stator power buses, and the slider driving electrodes (25) form a grouping interconnected by n slider power buses—in which - The above slider and stator bus grouping is configured such that the connections of the n stator buses are arranged in a predetermined order, whereas the connections of the n slider buses are arranged in a different predetermined order; - The three-dimensional configuration of the stator winding and the slider winding enables the connection between the n power supply outputs, the n stator buses, and the n slider buses to be essentially achievable at any point along each winding; - Each of the n power supply outputs can be configured to provide different phases of time-varying power, and through the connection, generate a first potential distribution moving along the pitch of the stator driving electrode and a second potential distribution moving in the opposite direction to the first potential distribution along the pitch of the slider driving electrode, thereby generating an electrostatic force between the stator and the slider to generate the relative translational motion.
  2. In claim 1, the connection configuration is such that both the stator and the driver bus are connected to the power supply output, or one of the stator or the driver bus is connected to the other and the power supply output, an electrostatic actuator.
  3. An electrostatic actuator according to claim 1 or 2, comprising at least one additional slider (21, 204, 205, 206) including at least n additional slider wires (a, b, c) for each of the n power buses, and having an additional slider wire having a three-dimensional configuration of electrically insulated slider windings extending longitudinally around an adjacent portion of the stator winding (30) formed by the first stator wire or around at least a portion of the slider winding formed by the first slider wire, forming an additional plurality of slider driving electrodes.
  4. In paragraph 3, at least one additional slider is mounted in series with the first slider on the same stator, and the n power buses include one of n first slider wires connected to one of n power supply outputs, and the additional sliders are connected to each other by connecting one of the n additional or first slider wires in one slider to a corresponding one of the n additional slider wires in another slider.
  5. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of stator driving electrodes (35) are each formed along a corresponding one of at least n first stator wires (1, 2, 3) connected to one of n power buses, and each first stator wire has a three-dimensional configuration of electrically insulated stator windings extending longitudinally around an electrically insulated core including a dielectric; and the plurality of slider driving electrodes from each of the n buses are formed along a corresponding one of at least n first slider wires (I, II, III), and each first slider wire for each bus has a three-dimensional configuration of electrically insulated slider windings extending longitudinally around at least a portion of the first stator winding, concentric with the first stator winding.
  6. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a plurality of parallel sliders (201, 202, 203) and a plurality of corresponding parallel stators (301, 302, 303).
  7. In claim 6, the above-mentioned plurality of sliders are physically coupled together and configured to move together, forming an electrostatic actuator.
  8. In claim 5 or 6, where the actuator comprises a plurality of sliders and a stator mounted in parallel, the n power buses are, - While the first slider is connected to one of n power supply outputs, at least one of n first slider wires or additional slider wires within one slider is connected to a corresponding one of n additional slider wires within another slider, and - An electrostatic actuator that interconnects one of a first slider or an additional slider with another additional slider by connecting one of at least n first stator wires or additional stator wires in one stator to a corresponding one of at least n additional stator wires in another stator while the first stator is connected to one of n power supply outputs.
  9. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the stator is of a toroidal shape.
  10. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the stator wire and slider wire have a substantially circular cross section or a generally flat cross section.
  11. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the winding substantially has a spiral shape.
  12. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein all windings have substantially the same winding pitch.
  13. An electrostatic actuator, wherein in any one of claims 1 to 12, n has a value of at least 3, and accordingly, the actuator is a bidirectional actuator.
  14. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the dielectric included in the electrical insulation core comprises a gas such as air, a liquid, or a polymer.
  15. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising lubricating oil between any one of the stator winding and the slider winding.
  16. In any one of claims 1 to 15, the stator and the slider are flexible electrostatic actuators such that the actuator can be bent without plastic deformation.
  17. An electrostatic actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the stator is substantially longer than the slider.
  18. An electrostatic linear motor comprising an actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 16.
  19. In claim 17, the electrostatic linear motor further comprises a power supply configured to drive n buses by generating n phases of time-varying power to generate a first moving potential distribution on the stator driving electrode (35) and a second moving potential distribution on the slider driving electrode, thereby generating an electrostatic force between the stator and the slider to generate the relative translational motion.

Description

electrostatic actuator for providing relative translational motion between components The present invention generally relates to the field of electrostatic motors. In particular, the present invention relates to electrostatic linear actuators. Electrostatic motors are well known in the technical field and operate based on the principles of attraction and repulsion of electric charges. Early electrostatic motors were generally rotary motors and were used in specific applications such as electrostatic generators. Advancements in materials science and electronics have led to the development of new types of electrostatic rotary motors with planar shapes. Electrostatic micromotors comprise a planar rotor and stator manufactured from thin metal films, wherein the stator includes both a metal film and an insulating layer, which may be, for example, an oxide or a polymer. Other types of micromotors are known in which the rotor has an insulator thereon. Such micromotors are capable of high-speed rotation and are widely used in precision instruments and control systems. When two electrodes separated by a dielectric material are misaligned and possess different potentials, electrostatic attraction occurs, which tends to cause the electrodes to realign and minimize the distance between them. When using a series of electrodes, continuous sliding motion can be obtained when driven by an appropriate time-varying voltage set. This is the basic principle of an electrostatic linear motor. Powering a known linear motor requires the use of a three-phase AC power supply (or, in some cases, more than three phases), which allows for the generation of two moving potential distributions, through which their electric field interactions drive the motor's slider. Known electrostatic linear motors have the problem that designing suitable means to provide three-phase AC power to appropriate locations within a group of electrodes is sometimes complex. For example, Japanese Patent Publication JP 404222471 discloses a system featuring a three-phase bipolar motor, but it has several disadvantages such as cost, efficiency, speed, and dimensions. The problem in designing suitable means to deliver power where it is needed is exacerbated when the AC power supply is more than three phases. The electrodes are usually parallel plates extending over two dimensions in a planar manner, and the method for bringing precise electrostatic stimulation to each electrode is somewhat complex and usually involves via and/or bridge systems. Furthermore, in known electrostatic linear motors, which are generally ribbon-type motors, ensuring that proper alignment between the electrodes is maintained and that a proper gap between the electrodes is maintained during operation is also complex. In fact, to ensure that the electrodes remain parallel to each other and that they are maintained in optimal relative positions during motor operation, complex alignment systems must generally be adopted in state-of-the-art electrostatic linear motors. Electrostatic motors are highly suitable for applications requiring low energy and high electrical energy density, and allow for the fabrication of small and lightweight devices. Other applications where electrostatic linear motors can be utilized include exoskeletons, artificial muscles, soft robotics, and wearable devices. Therefore, it is desirable to provide an elongate electrostatic actuator to provide relative translational motion between its components, which overcomes some of the known disadvantages of electrostatic linear motors. The object of the present invention is to provide an electrostatic linear motor having a fiber-shaped form factor. Accordingly, the present invention discloses an electrostatic linear actuator comprising a first slender and preferably flexible member and a second slender and preferably flexible member, wherein the first member and the second member are concentric inner fibers and outer fibers designed to slide into each other under electrostatic stimulation. The first member may be referred to as a stator, and the second member may be referred to as a slider or translator. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, an electrostatic actuator is disclosed that converts electrical energy into mechanical force to generate relative translational motion, preferably in the longitudinal direction, between the stator of the actuator and the slider of the actuator. According to one embodiment, the actuator generally comprises a plurality of mutually electrically insulated stator drive electrodes arranged along the stator in the longitudinal direction of the actuator and a plurality of mutually electrically insulated slider drive electrodes arranged along the slider in the longitudinal direction of the actuator, wherein the stator drive electrodes are electrically insulated from the slider drive electrodes. In the electrostatic actuator, the stator drive electrodes are grouped and interconn