Transducer device

Abstract

A transducer device, including an electroactive polymer transducer, which has at least two electrode layers which are situated in parallel to one another and which are connected to one another by inserting an elastic intermediate layer in each case, and including a circuit having electronic components for the purpose of generating an electrical voltage applied to the electrode layers of the polymer transducer, the circuit increasing an input voltage to a voltage which is increased with regard to the input voltage.

Claims

1. A transducer device, comprising: an electroactive polymer transducer, which has electrode layers which are situated in parallel to one another and which are connected to one another by inserting an elastic intermediate layer between the electrode layers; a carrier element to which edge areas of the electroactive polymer transducer are fastened, the carrier element including a plurality of electrically insulating layers; and a circuit having electronic components configured to generate an electrical voltage and to apply the electrical voltage to connection areas of the electrode layers of the electroactive polymer transducer, the circuit increasing an input voltage of the circuit to an increased voltage which is increased with regard to the input voltage, the electrical voltage which the circuit applies to the connection areas of the electrode layers being the increased voltage; wherein the circuit is situated at least partially between at least two of the plurality of electrically insulating layers of the carrier element, and the circuit forms, together with the electroactive polymer transducer, a combined unit in which the connection areas of the electrode layers to which the electrical voltage of the circuit is applied are electrically insulated; and wherein the electrode layers and the elastic intermediate layer have an annular configuration, and in a central area of the electroactive polymer transducer circumferentially surrounded by the electrode layers and the elastic intermediate layer, a weight element is situated which orients the central area to be parallel to and at a distance from the carrier element.

2. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the carrier element has a flexible configuration.

3. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the electronic components of the circuit are accommodated at least partially in at least one recess of one of the electrically insulating layers, the one of the plurality of electrically insulating layers being covered on both sides by other layers of the plurality of electrically insulating layers.

4. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the electronic components of the circuit is situated on and connected to an outer side of an outer one of the plurality of electrically insulating layers, and the at least one of the electronic components is enclosed at least partially by an element which has electrically insulating properties.

5. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the electronic components of the circuit are covered at least partially by a metallic layer.

6. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrically insulating layers: (i) include polyamide (PI), or polycarbonate (PC), or a polyester (PE)-based plastic, and/or (ii) are made of polyamide (PI), or polycarbonate (PC), or a polyester (PE)-based plastic.

7. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrically insulating layers connected to one another though a laminating process.

8. The transducer device of claim 1, wherein the increased voltage is more than 50 V.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a simplified bottom view of a transducer device including a carrier element having a rectangular base area.

(2) FIG. 2 shows a side view of the converter device according to FIG. 1.

(3) FIG. 3 shows a detail of FIG. 2 in an enlarged illustration.

(4) FIG. 4 shows a detail, which is modified with regard to FIG. 3, in which a component of an electronic circuit is situated on a top side of a layer.

(5) FIG. 5 shows a detail which is modified with regard to FIG. 3 using a metallic shielding layer.

(6) FIG. 6 shows a transducer device in the form of a stack actuator in a simplified longitudinal section.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(7) FIGS. 1 through 3 show a simplified illustration of transducer device 10. Transducer device 10 includes an electroactive polymer transducer 20 and an electronic circuit 50 which is used to supply voltage to and control polymer transducer 20 and which together form a combined unit 100.

(8) Polymer transducer 20 includes at least two flexible electrode layers 21, 22 which are connectable to the different poles of electronic circuit 50 and between which an elastic intermediate layer 23 is situated which is configured in the form of a dielectric. Polymer transducer 20 has a diaphragm configuration overall. The two electrode layers 21, 22 each have connection areas 24, 25 connected thereto, which are connected to the different poles of a voltage source configured through electronic circuit 50. From the top view, the two electrode layers 21, 22 each have an approximately circular configuration just as intermediate layer 23, the two electrode layers 21, 22 as well as intermediate layer 23 are situated flush to one another and run in parallel to one another. A central, planar area 26 of polymer transducer 20 is subjected to the force of a weight element 27, whose weight force F.sub.G acts perpendicularly to central area 26. On the side facing away from central area 26, the edge areas of polymer transducer 20 situated on the peripheral side are connected to a carrier element 30. Electrode layers 21, 22 and intermediate layer 23 run at an oblique angle to carrier element 30.

(9) Carrier element 30 includes, for example, as is apparent in particular based on FIG. 3, three (flexible) layers 31 to 33 made of plastic which are connected to one another, situated on top of one another in the form of a sandwich, and which may be connected to one another through a laminating process. (Central) layer 32 which is situated between the two layers 31, 33 moreover has indentations, recesses 34 or the like for accommodating electronic components 51 through 53 which are integral parts of electronic circuit 50 or form same.

(10) Components 51 through 53 may have different sizes and/or thicknesses or surface areas, it being essential, however, that components 51 through 53 are each situated within a recess 34. For example, the one component 51 is used to electrically connect to the one connection area 24; of course, it is also possible that instead of a component 51, an electrically conductive connection area is provided which is connected to circuit 50 For this purpose, corresponding through-holes (not illustrated) are configured for connection areas 24, 25 at least in the one layer 31. Output voltage U.sub.A, generated by circuit 50, for controlling polymer transducer 20 is applied at the two connection areas 24, 25 of polymer transducer 20, output voltage U.sub.A being in particular more than 50 V.

(11) At the corner areas, carrier element 30 furthermore includes by way of example two connection elements 55, 56 which are connected (not illustrated) to electronic circuit 50 and at which a voltage supply is applicable, in particular in the form of a system voltage U.sub.B of a motor vehicle. Here, the nominal voltage of system voltage U.sub.B is 12 V, for example. Electronic circuit 50 thus acts in the form of a transformer for increasing the voltage.

(12) When polymer transducer 20 is energized by electronic circuit 50, an attractional force is generated between the two electrode layers 21, 22, so that their distance to one another is reduced. This results in that electrode layers 21, 22 expand together with intermediate layer 23 due to the volume consistency in the direction which runs perpendicularly to their particular layer. This, in turn, results in that central area 26 of polymer transducer 20 is deflected correspondingly to the dashed illustration in FIG. 2 by an armature stroke H in a direction which runs perpendicularly to carrier element 30 in order to adjust an element or the like, for example.

(13) It is essential that connection areas 24, 25 of electrode layers 21, 22 as well as the elements of circuit 50 at which output voltage U.sub.A for electrode layers 21, 22 is applied, are situated in an electrically insulated manner with regard to the surroundings.

(14) FIG. 4 sectionally shows a carrier element 30a which is modified with regard to FIG. 3. At carrier element 30a, a component 54 of electronic circuit 50a is situated or fastened on the top side of layer 33 as a result of its thickness d which is greater than thickness D of (central) layer 32. Component 54 is encapsulated with the aid of a medium, for example an elastomer 57, elastomer 57 having electrically insulating properties.

(15) In FIG. 5, a once again modified carrier element 30b is sectionally illustrated which differs from carrier element 30 according to FIG. 3 in that a layer 58 which is made of metal and which covers electronic circuit 50 or its components 51 through 53 on the side facing away from layer 31, is situated between the two layers 32 and 33, layer 58 being used as a shielding foil for improving the electromagnetic properties of electronic circuit 50. Layer 58 or foil is in particular manufactured using copper, aluminum, or iron and laminated into carrier element 30b.

(16) Transducer device 10a illustrated in FIG. 6 includes a plurality of electrode layers 61 through 63 as well as 64 through 66 which are stacked on top of one another and connected to the different poles of output voltage U.sub.A of electronic circuit 50. Individual electrode layers 61 through 63 or 64 through 66 are each electrically conductively connected to a shared lateral contact 67, 68. Elastic intermediate layers 69 are moreover situated between individual electrode layers 61 through 66. The two outer electrode layers 61 and 66 are each connected to an end cap 71, 72, the one end cap 71 being connected by way of example to a carrier structure 73 and the other end cap 72 being connected to an element to be adjusted (not illustrated). Moreover, electronic circuit 50 is situated or accommodated in the area of the one end cap 71. For this purpose, end cap 71 includes similarly to carrier elements 30, 30a, 30b several layers 74 through 76 which are connected to one another, components 51 through 53 of electronic circuit 50 being situated or accommodated in central layer 75 by way of example, and electronic circuit 50 being connected to electrode layers 61 through 66 via lateral contacts 67, 68.

(17) During an activation of electrode layers 61 through 66, the one end cap 72, which is connected to the element to be adjusted, is moved from the position shown in FIG. 6 into the direction of arrow 77.

(18) Transducer devices 10, 10a described so far may be changed or modified in various ways, without departing from the inventive idea.