Micro-hydraulic Actuation via Electroosmotic Pumping
- 详细技术说明
- A group of designs was developed for using arrays of electroosmotic pumps (EOP) to create actuators in various novel ways.
- *Abstract
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A group of designs was developed for using arrays of electroosmotic pumps (EOP) to create actuators in various novel ways. One version employs widely used micro-fabrication techniques to create micro-pistons in bulk silicon. This design yields high actuator force with low actuator power, and exploits the EOP to avoid complex seals at the pump/fluid boundaries. Another version of the device employs porous polyester sheets that are coated with conductive film. Two of these sheets are fused together at regular intervals, then placed in a compliant outer membrane containing the working fluid. The fluid is pumped across porous membrane and into the chambers, causing a swelling and sheet contraction motion which can serve as low-cost, batch-fabricated artificial muscles. Using a similar cellular structure, a third version uses pumps to separate the chambers and move fluid between chambers. This motion swells some chambers while shrinking others, creating actuators that are sealed, yet realize both linear and bending motion.
Potential Applications:
- Fluid flow control, i.e. actuators, valves
- Linear actuators, e.g. for artificial muscles
- MEMs devices, e.g. micro-pistons in bulk silicon
- Quasi-sealed actuators that expand and contract to realize both linear and bending motion
Advantages:
- High efficiency with very low energy requirement
- Simple design with very few moving parts
- Large force output
- Readily scaleable from micro- to macro-scale actuators
- *Licensing
- Carolyn A. Theodorecat42@cornell.edu (607) 254 4514
- 其他
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Patent application: WO2014031596
- 国家/地区
- 美国
