WO2017150370A1 - Actuator unit, cartridge provided with polymer actuator, and method of manufacturing polymer actuator - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is an actuator unit in which a cartridge can be exchanged easily, and with which a driven portion can be driven accurately. The actuator unit is provided with a unit main body and a cartridge including a polymer actuator, wherein: the unit main body includes a casing which has an accommodating portion for accommodating the cartridge, and a driven portion which is driven by means of the operation of the polymer actuator; the cartridge includes a frame portion which supports the polymer actuator; and the cartridge is provided detachably with respect to the unit main body.

Description

Actuator unit, cartridge provided with polymer actuator, and method for producing polymer actuator

The present invention relates to an actuator unit, a cartridge provided with a polymer actuator, and a method for manufacturing the polymer actuator.

Patent Document 1 discloses a device that employs a transducer using a dielectric elastomer material called electroactive polymer (EAP). The transducer is removably provided on the housing. The electroactive polymer comprises at least one electroactive polymer cartridge. The electroactive polymer cartridge also includes an electroactive polymer film including a dielectric elastomer layer. The housing includes at least one media device connector adapted to be separably coupled to an output port of the electronic media device.

Special table 2013-519153 gazette

However, the conventional cartridge is removable and can obtain different characteristics (feeling such as vibration) depending on the device, but is not configured so that the cartridge can be easily replaced. In particular, in a device used by a visually impaired person, the ease of cartridge replacement is essential. Further, the conventional cartridge has a problem that the driven part cannot be driven with high accuracy.

An object of the present invention is to provide an actuator unit capable of easily exchanging a cartridge and driving a driven part with high accuracy, a cartridge provided with a polymer actuator, and a method for manufacturing the polymer actuator.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides an actuator unit including a unit main body and a cartridge having a polymer actuator, wherein the unit main body includes a housing having a storage portion for storing the cartridge, and a polymer. And a driven part driven by the operation of the actuator, the cartridge has a frame part for supporting the polymer actuator, and the cartridge is detachably attached to the unit main body.

According to such a configuration, the cartridge can be easily attached / detached by inserting / removing the frame portion supporting the polymer actuator to / from the casing of the unit main body.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the housing may have an opening communicating with the storage portion, and the cartridge may be provided so as to be detachable from the unit main body through the opening. Accordingly, the cartridge can be placed in the storage portion in the housing by being inserted through the opening of the housing.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the housing may have a pressing mechanism that presses the polymer actuator to the driven part in conjunction with the storing operation of the cartridge in the storing part. Thus, when the cartridge is stored in the storage portion, the driven portion does not get in the way, and after being stored, the polymer actuator and the driven portion can be reliably brought into contact with each other by the pressing mechanism.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the housing may have a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the storage. The housing may have a biasing mechanism that biases the polymer actuator toward the driven portion when the lid is closed with the cartridge stored in the storage portion. Thereby, the polymer actuator and the driven part can be reliably brought into contact with each other simply by opening the lid and storing the cartridge in the housing portion of the housing, and then closing the lid.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the polymer actuator has a movable region having a plurality of movable pieces, and the driven portion has a plurality of driven bodies driven by each of the plurality of movable pieces in the movable region. May be. In addition, a plurality of movable regions may be arranged in the frame portion. Thereby, a plurality of movable pieces can be driven within one movable region.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the plurality of movable pieces may be provided obliquely with respect to the surface of the frame part in a state where the cartridge is housed in the housing part of the housing. Moreover, braille may be comprised by the combination of the protrusion of a several to-be-driven body. By providing a plurality of movable pieces so as to be inclined with respect to the surface of the frame portion, each movable piece and the driven portion can be reliably brought into contact so that the driven portion can be driven with high accuracy. Become. Also, braille can be configured by driving a plurality of driving bodies by a plurality of movable pieces.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the frame portion has a wiring pattern for energizing the polymer actuator, and a first connection terminal electrically connected to the wiring pattern, the housing is provided in the storage portion, and the cartridge is You may have the 2nd connection terminal which contacts a 1st connection terminal in the state accommodated in the accommodating part. Thereby, by storing the cartridge in the storage portion, reliable conduction can be obtained by contact between the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the polymer actuator may be an ion conductive polymer actuator that is displaced by the polarization of ions. Thereby, the driven part can be driven systematically by the displacement due to the polarization of ions.

In the actuator unit of the present invention, the frame portion includes a first frame member and a second frame member, and the polymer actuator is sandwiched between the first frame member and the second frame member. It may be. Moreover, the positioning part which positions both may be provided between the 1st frame member and the 2nd frame member. Thereby, a thin plate-like cartridge can be constituted.

The cartridge provided with the polymer actuator of the present invention comprises a polymer actuator and a frame portion that supports the polymer actuator, and is detachably provided on the unit body. According to such a configuration, a cartridge that is detachable from the unit main body can be configured, and the polymer actuator can be easily replaced.

In the cartridge provided with the polymer actuator of the present invention, the polymer actuator may have a movable region having a plurality of movable pieces, and the frame portion may support the plurality of movable pieces in a cantilevered manner. Good.

The method for producing a polymer actuator of the present invention includes a step of forming a polymer actuator film on a first frame member having an opening, a part of the polymer actuator film straddling the opening, and a polymer actuator film from the opening. Forming a movable piece in which the remaining part of the first frame extends in a cantilever manner, and disposing a second frame member having an opening on the first frame member, the first frame member and the second frame member And a step of supporting the movable piece between them. According to such a configuration, a polymer actuator having a cantilevered movable piece can be easily manufactured.

The polymer actuator manufacturing method of the present invention may further include a step of forming a wiring pattern electrically connected to the movable piece on at least one of the first frame member and the second frame member. Moreover, you may further provide the process of forming the connection terminal connected with a wiring pattern in at least one of a 1st frame member and a 2nd frame member.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to replace | exchange cartridge easily, it is possible to provide the actuator unit which can drive a to-be-driven part with high precision, the cartridge provided with the polymer actuator, and the manufacturing method of a polymer actuator. Become.

It is a model perspective view which illustrates the structure of the actuator unit which concerns on this embodiment. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which illustrates the structure of a cartridge. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which shows the other attachment structure of a movable piece. (A) And (b) is a schematic cross section which illustrates the drive state of the pin by a movable piece. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram illustrated about the angle of a movable piece. (A) And (b) is a schematic diagram which illustrates the connecting terminal of a cartridge. (A) And (b) is a schematic cross section which illustrates the conduction | electrical_connection structure of a cartridge and a housing | casing. (A) And (b) is a schematic cross section which illustrates a press mechanism. (A) And (b) is a model perspective view which illustrates a lid-type housing. (A) And (b) is a schematic cross section which illustrates an urging | biasing mechanism. (A) And (b) is a schematic cross section which illustrates the conduction | electrical_connection structure to a movable piece. (A)-(c) is a schematic plan view which illustrates the manufacturing method of a polymer actuator.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description of the members once described is omitted as appropriate.

(Actuator unit structure)
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the structure of the actuator unit according to this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the actuator unit 1 according to this embodiment includes a unit body 10 and a cartridge 20. The actuator unit 1 is used by housing the cartridge 20 having the polymer actuator 22 in the housing 11 of the unit main body 10, and has a structure in which the cartridge 20 can be easily replaced.

The unit body 10 includes a housing 11 and a driven unit 12. The housing 11 includes a storage unit 110 that stores the cartridge 20. The storage unit 110 has a space in which the frame unit 21 of the cartridge 20 can be stored. For example, the side surface of the housing 11 is provided with an opening 120 that communicates with the storage portion 110, and the cartridge 20 can be inserted into the storage portion 110 of the housing 11 through the opening 120.

The driven unit 12 is provided, for example, on the upper surface of the housing 11. The driven part 12 is driven by the operation of the polymer actuator 22 of the cartridge 20. Details of the cartridge 20 and the polymer actuator 22 will be described later.

In this embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to a device that generates braille as an example of the actuator unit 1 will be described. The driven part 12 has a plurality of pins (driven bodies) P for configuring Braille. A plurality of pins P are arranged in one driven region R, and each pin P protrudes according to the operation of the polymer actuator 22.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, four driven regions R are juxtaposed on the upper surface of the housing 11. One character is constituted by one driven region R. For example, six pins P in two horizontal rows and three vertical rows are arranged in one driven region R. Braille is constituted by the combination of the protrusions of the six pins P.

The protruding operation of each pin P is performed by the operation of the polymer actuator 22. That is, the polymer actuator 22 of the cartridge 20 is used as a drive source to move the pin P that is the driven unit 12 up and down.

For the polymer actuator 22 that is a driving source, an ion conductive polymer actuator that is displaced by the polarization of ions is used. The polymer actuator 22 is a laminated structure film in which an electrolyte layer is sandwiched between a pair of electrode layers. By applying a voltage to the pair of electrode layers, the laminated structure film can be bent in one direction by ionic polarization.

An ion conductive polymer actuator is an organic chemical actuator, and is said to have a shorter life than an inorganic actuator using electrostatic, piezoelectric, or electromagnetic action. For this reason, when the lifetime is reached after a predetermined usage time, the cartridge unit 20 is replaced so that the new polymer actuator 22 can be mounted and the actuator unit 1 can be used again.

In the present embodiment, the cartridge 20 including the polymer actuator 22 can be replaced with a simple operation by simply inserting and removing the cartridge 20 with respect to the housing 11 of the unit body 10. Therefore, the user can replace the cartridge 20 with a simple operation such as battery replacement. In particular, users who use Braille often have visual impairments. For this reason, it is very important for the braille device that the replacement operation of the cartridge 20 can be easily performed without complicated operations.

In the actuator unit 1 according to the present embodiment, the polymer actuator 22 is set below the driven unit 12 by storing the cartridge 20 in the storage unit 110 of the housing 11. The pin P of the driven unit 12 moves up and down by the operation of the polymer actuator 22 from below. In order to operate the polymer actuator 22, a predetermined voltage is applied to the polymer actuator 22. A control unit (not shown) for controlling the voltage applied to the polymer actuator 22 is provided in the unit body 10 or the cartridge 20.

(Cartridge structure)
2A and 2B are schematic views illustrating the structure of the cartridge.
FIG. 2A shows a plan view of the cartridge 20. FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of the cartridge 20.
As shown in FIG. 2A, the cartridge 20 includes a thin plate-shaped frame portion 21, a polymer actuator 22 supported by the frame portion 21, and a grip portion 23 provided at an end portion of the frame portion 21. Prepare.

The frame portion 21 is provided with an opening, and the movable piece 220 of the polymer actuator 22 is supported in a cantilever manner toward the opening. In the present embodiment, the frame portion 21 is provided with a plurality of openings. A plurality of movable pieces 220 are provided in each opening. The polymer actuator 22 has a movable region S constituted by a plurality of movable pieces 220 provided for one opening. In the present embodiment, four movable regions S are provided corresponding to the four driven regions R provided in the housing 11. One movable piece 220 serves as a drive source for driving one pin P.

As shown in FIG. 2 (b), the frame portion 21 includes an upper frame member 211 and a lower frame member 212. The upper frame member 211 is a first frame member, for example, and the lower frame member 212 is a second frame member, for example. For the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212, for example, polyimide or PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) is used. The plurality of movable pieces 220 of the polymer actuator 22 are sandwiched between the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212. Between the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212, a positioning part that positions both may be provided.

When six pins P are arranged in one driven region R provided in the housing 11, six movable pieces 220 corresponding to the arrangement of the six pins P are provided in one movable region S. For example, each of the two movable pieces 220 extends so as to face each other from two opposing short sides of the substantially rectangular opening, and each one movable piece 220 extends so as to face each other from two opposing long sides. The movable piece 220 extending from the long side is provided so as to extend obliquely with respect to the long side from the viewpoint of increasing the density.

The fixed end side of the movable piece 220 may be sandwiched between the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212, but may be attached to one frame member. 3A and 3B show another mounting structure of the movable piece 220. FIG. FIG. 3A shows a schematic plan view, and FIG. 3B shows a schematic cross-sectional view.

In the mounting structure of the movable piece 220 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the fixed end side of the movable piece 220 is arranged in the notch portion 210a provided in one frame member 210 and fixed by the adhesive 210b. Structure. When a wiring pattern is formed on the frame member 210, a conductive adhesive is used as the adhesive 210b to obtain electrical connection between the wiring pattern and the movable piece 220.

4A and 4B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the driving state of the pin by the movable piece.
When the cartridge 20 is housed in the housing portion 110 of the housing 11, as shown in FIG. 4A, the tip portion of the movable piece 220 is disposed below the pin P. The pin P is disposed in the hole of the housing 11 so as to be able to advance and retract. The pin P is provided with a flange so as not to fall downward from the hole of the housing 11. When the housing 11 is provided with a plurality of driven regions R and a plurality of pins P, each movable region S of the cartridge 20 is arranged corresponding to each driven region R, and each movable region S is arranged below each pin P. A piece 220 is arranged.

When a voltage is applied to the movable piece 220, the distal end side of the movable piece 220 is bent upward. As a result, as shown in FIG. 4B, the pin P is pushed up by the upward bending of the movable piece 220. On the other hand, when the tip of the movable piece 220 returns to the original position, the protruding pin P is lowered. The combination of protrusions of the six pins P in one driven region R is controlled by the six movable pieces 220 in one movable region S. Thereby, braille is comprised.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are schematic views illustrating the angle of the movable piece.
The movable piece 220 may be provided so as to be inclined with respect to the surface of the frame portion 21. In the example shown in FIG. 5A, the movable piece 220 is pushed up obliquely by the protrusion 118 provided on the housing 11 side in a state where the cartridge 20 is housed in the housing 11.

In the example shown in FIG. 5B, a reinforcing plate 215 is provided below the base portion of the movable piece 220 of the frame portion 21. The reinforcing plate 215 is angled so that the movable piece 220 is positioned obliquely with respect to the surface of the frame portion 21. In any example, the angle of the movable piece 220 with respect to the surface of the frame portion 21 is preferably about 15 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less. As a result, the distal end side of the movable piece 220 is surely in contact with the pin P, so that the operation of the movable piece 220 is easily transmitted to the pin P. As a result, the pin P can be driven with high accuracy.

6A and 6B are schematic views illustrating connection terminals of the cartridge.
FIG. 6A shows an example in which the connector 40 is provided as the first connection terminal at the end of the frame portion 21. A wiring pattern 45 is provided on the surface of the frame portion 21 of the cartridge 20, and a connector 40 is provided at the end of the frame portion 21 opposite to the grip portion 23. The wiring pattern 45 is drawn around the surface of the frame portion 21 in order to obtain conduction between the connector 40 and each movable piece 220.

FIG. 6B shows an example in which the contact portion 41 is provided as the first connection terminal on the surface of the frame portion 21. The contact portion 41 may be provided at a plurality of locations on the surface of the frame portion 21. The contact portion 41 is provided with a plurality of contact pads. Each contact pad of the contact portion 41 and each movable piece 220 are connected by a wiring pattern 45.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the conductive structure between the cartridge and the housing. This conduction structure is a conduction structure between the cartridge 20 provided with the connector 40 shown in FIG.
FIG. 7A shows a state before the cartridge 20 is inserted into the housing 11, and FIG. 7B shows a state where the cartridge 20 is inserted into the housing 11.

A receiving connector 50 is provided as a second connection terminal on the opposite side of the housing 110 of the housing 11 from the opening 120. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the cartridge 20 is inserted from the opening 120 of the housing 11 and pushed into the storage part 110, the connector 40 provided on the frame part 21 of the cartridge 20 is connected to the storage part 110. It is inserted into the receiving connector 50. Thereby, a voltage applied from a control unit (not shown) provided on the housing 11 side is transmitted to the movable piece 220 via the receiving side connector 50, the connector 40 and the wiring pattern 45.

8A and 8B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the pressing mechanism.
This pressing mechanism may be applied as a conductive structure between the cartridge 20 provided with the contact portion 41 shown in FIG.
FIG. 8A shows a state in the middle of inserting the cartridge 20 into the housing 11, and FIG. 8B shows a state in which the cartridge 20 has been inserted into the housing 11.

The casing 11 is provided with a pressing mechanism 60. The pressing mechanism 60 includes a pressing plate 61 biased upward by the spring B1, a pressing pin 51 provided on the pressing plate 61, a locking claw 62 biased by the spring B2, and a push mechanism 63. .

As shown in FIG. 8A, when the cartridge 20 is inserted into the housing 11, the pressing plate 61 is fixed by the locking claws 62 in a lowered state. Thereby, a wide space for inserting the cartridge 20 is secured, and the cartridge 20 can be easily inserted from the opening 120 of the housing 11.

As shown in FIG. 8B, when the cartridge 20 is inserted all the way into the housing 11, the grip portion 23 of the cartridge 20 comes into contact with the push mechanism 63, and the push mechanism 63 is pushed in. When the push mechanism 63 is pushed in, the urging force of the spring B2 is overcome and the locking claw 62 rotates, and the lock of the pressing plate 61 is released. When the locking claw 62 is released, the pressing plate 61 is lifted upward by the biasing force of the spring B1. As a result, the cartridge 20 is sandwiched between the pressing pin 51 of the pressing plate 61 and the contact pin 52 provided on the housing 11.

When the contact pin 52 comes into contact with the cartridge 20, the contact pin 52 comes into contact with, for example, the contact portion 41. Thus, for example, a voltage applied from a control unit (not shown) provided on the housing 11 side is transmitted to the movable piece 220 via the contact pin 52, the contact unit 41, and the wiring pattern 45.

On the other hand, when the cartridge 20 is extracted from the housing 11, the locking claw 62 is rotated by the urging force of the spring B2, and the pressing plate 61 is pushed down. Thereby, the space between the pressing pin 51 and the contact pin 52 expands, and the cartridge 20 can be easily taken out.

FIGS. 9A and 9B are schematic perspective views illustrating a lid-type housing.
FIG. 9A shows a state before the cartridge 20 is stored, and FIG. 9B shows a state where the cartridge 20 is stored. The lid-type casing 11 includes a base portion 115 and an openable / closable lid portion 116 that covers the storage portion 110 provided in the base portion 115. A positioning pin 115 a is provided in the storage portion 110 of the base portion 115.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the cartridge 20 is arranged in the storage portion 110 of the base portion 115 with the lid portion 116 opened. The cartridge 20 is provided with a hole 20a into which the positioning pin 115a is inserted. By inserting the positioning pin 115a into the hole 20a, the cartridge 20 is reliably set at a predetermined position of the storage unit 110. After the cartridge 20 is stored, the lid 116 is closed. By closing the lid 116, electrical conduction to each movable piece 220 of the cartridge 20 is performed.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the urging mechanism.
The urging mechanism 70 is provided on the base portion 115 of the lid-type casing 11. FIG. 10A shows a state before the cartridge 20 is stored and the lid 116 is closed, and FIG. 10B shows a state where the lid 116 is closed.

The urging mechanism 70 includes a pressing plate 71 urged upward by the spring B3 and a pressing pin 72 provided on the pressing plate 71. The pressing plate 71 is provided with positioning pins 115a. The lid 116 is provided with a pin P that is a driven body. A contact pin 73 is provided on the back surface of the lid 116.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the cartridge 20 is placed on the pressing plate 71. The positioning of the cartridge 20 is performed by inserting the positioning pin 115 a provided on the pressing plate 71 into the hole 20 a of the cartridge 20. The cartridge 20 is supported on the pressing pin 72.

As shown in FIG. 10B, when the lid portion 116 is closed, the contact pin 73 provided on the back surface of the lid portion 116 comes into contact with the cartridge 20 and presses the cartridge 20 from above. This overcomes the urging force of the spring B3 and lowers the pressing plate 71. In a state where the lid 116 is completely closed, the cartridge 20 is sandwiched between the pressing pin 72 of the pressing plate 71 and the contact pin 73 provided on the back surface of the lid 116. Further, the movable piece 220 of the polymer actuator 22 of the cartridge 20 is disposed immediately below the pin P that is a driven body.

When the contact pin 73 comes into contact with the cartridge 20, the contact pin 73 comes into contact with, for example, the contact portion 41. Thereby, for example, a voltage applied from a control unit (not shown) provided on the housing 11 side is transmitted to the movable piece 220 via the contact pin 73, the contact unit 41, and the wiring pattern 45. When the movable piece 220 is curved, the pin P is pushed up.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating a conductive structure to the movable piece.
FIG. 11A shows a conduction structure when the wiring pattern 45 is provided on the frame portion 21 of the cartridge 20. In this conductive structure, the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the contact pins 52 and 73 are formed of a conductive material (for example, metal or carbon). When the cartridge 20 is sandwiched between the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the contact pins 52 and 73, conduction between the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the wiring pattern 45 on the lower frame member 212 side is obtained. 73 is connected to the wiring pattern 45 on the upper frame member 211 side.

In the connection structure shown in FIG. 11A, the cartridge 20 can be reliably held from above and below the frame portion 21, and reliable conduction between the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the contact pins 52 and 73 and the wiring pattern 45 can be obtained. it can.

FIG. 11B shows a conduction structure when the wiring pattern 45 is provided on the housing 11 side. In this conductive structure, the wiring pattern 45 of the lower housing 11 and the pressing pins 51 and 72 are electrically connected, and the wiring pattern 45 of the upper housing 11 and the contact pins 52 and 73 are electrically connected. When the cartridge 20 is sandwiched between the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the contact pins 52 and 73, conduction between the pressing pins 51 and 72 and the lower electrode layer of the movable piece 220 is obtained, and the contact pins 52 and 73 are connected. And conduction with the upper electrode layer of the movable piece 220 is obtained.

In the conductive structure shown in FIG. 11B, it is not necessary to provide the wiring pattern 45 on the cartridge 20 side.

(Manufacturing method of polymer actuator)
Next, a method for manufacturing the polymer actuator according to this embodiment will be described.
12A to 12C are schematic plan views illustrating a method for manufacturing a polymer actuator. For convenience of explanation, FIG. 12 shows only a method for manufacturing a polymer actuator corresponding to one movable region S. In the polymer actuator manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, a configuration in which a plurality of movable pieces 220 extend in the opening of the frame portion 21 can be easily formed.

First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a polymer actuator film 22M is formed on a lower frame member 212 having an opening. The polymer actuator film 22M is a laminated structure film in which an electrolyte layer is sandwiched between upper and lower electrode layers. The polymer actuator film 22M is formed so as to straddle the opening of the lower frame member 212.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, a part of the polymer actuator film 22M straddling the opening of the lower frame member 212 is cut out, and the remaining part of the polymer actuator film 22M is cantilevered from the opening. The extending movable piece 220 is formed. Here, first, the polymer actuator film 22M is cut so as to leave a cantilevered portion that becomes the movable piece 220. The cutting is performed by laser processing, for example.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, a part of the polymer actuator film 22M outside the opening of the lower frame member 212 is cut. By this cutting, the electrically conductive state of each movable piece 220 is separated. Thereafter, the upper frame member 211 is overlaid. Thereby, the polymer actuator 22 in which the plurality of movable pieces 220 are cantilevered from the opening of the lower frame member 212 is completed.

In addition, in the manufacturing method of such a polymer actuator 22, the process of forming the wiring pattern 45 electrically connected to the movable piece 220 may be further provided on at least one of the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212. In addition, a step of forming a connection terminal (connector 40 or contact portion 41) that is electrically connected to the wiring pattern 45 may be further provided on at least one of the upper frame member 211 and the lower frame member 212.

According to such a manufacturing method, after the uniform polymer actuator film 22M is formed, a plurality of independent movable pieces 220 can be easily manufactured by a cutting process such as laser processing. Further, various shapes of the movable piece 220 can be handled by setting the cutting position.

As described above, according to the embodiment, the cartridge 20 can be easily replaced, and the actuator unit 1 that can drive the driven portion 12 with high precision, the cartridge 20 including the polymer actuator 22, and the polymer. A method for manufacturing the actuator 22 can be provided.

Although the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to these examples. For example, in the present embodiment, an example of a Braille device is shown as the actuator unit 1, but even a device other than the Braille device can be applied to various devices that move the driven unit 12 by the polymer actuator 22. Further, those in which those skilled in the art appropriately added, deleted, and changed the design of the above-described embodiments, and combinations of the characteristics of the configuration examples of each embodiment as appropriate, also include the gist of the present invention. As long as it is provided, it is included in the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Actuator unit 10 ... Unit main body 11 ... Housing | casing 12 ... Driven part 20 ... Cartridge 20a ... Hole 21 ... Frame part 22 ... Polymer actuator 22M ... Polymer actuator film | membrane 23 ... Holding part 40 ... Connector 41 ... Contact part 45 ... Wiring pattern 50 ... Receiving side connector 51 ... Pressing pin 52 ... Contact pin 60 ... Pressing mechanism 61 ... Pressing plate 62 ... Locking claw 63 ... Push mechanism 70 ... Biasing mechanism 71 ... Pressing plate 72 ... Pressing pin 73 ... Contact pin DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 110 ... Storage part 115 ... Base part 115a ... Positioning pin 116 ... Cover part 118 ... Projection part 120 ... Opening part 210 ... Frame member 210a ... Notch part 210b ... Adhesive 211 ... Upper frame member 212 ... Lower frame member 215 ... Reinforcing plate 220 ... movable piece B1 ... spring B2 ... spring B3 ... Ne P ... Pin R ... driven region S ... movable area

Claims (18)

An actuator unit comprising a unit body and a cartridge having a polymer actuator,
The unit body is
A housing having a storage portion for storing the cartridge;
A driven part that is driven by the operation of the polymer actuator;
The cartridge is
A frame portion for supporting the polymer actuator;
The actuator unit, wherein the cartridge is detachably attached to the unit main body. The housing has an opening communicating with the storage portion,
The actuator unit according to claim 1, wherein the cartridge is detachably provided in the unit main body through the opening. 3. The actuator unit according to claim 2, wherein the casing has a pressing mechanism that presses the polymer actuator to the driven portion in conjunction with the storing operation of the cartridge in the storing portion. 2. The actuator unit according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a lid that can be opened and closed to cover the storage. The said housing | casing has an urging mechanism which urges | biases the said polymer actuator toward the said to-be-driven part when the said cover part is closed in the state which accommodated the said cartridge in the said accommodating part. Actuator unit. The polymer actuator has a movable region having a plurality of movable pieces,
The actuator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the driven portion includes a plurality of driven bodies that are driven by the plurality of movable pieces of the movable region. The actuator unit according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the movable regions are arranged in the frame portion. The actuator unit according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the plurality of movable pieces are provided obliquely with respect to a surface of the frame portion in a state where the cartridge is stored in the storage portion of the housing. The actuator unit according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein Braille is configured by a combination of protrusions of the plurality of driven bodies. The frame part is
A wiring pattern for energizing the polymer actuator;
A first connection terminal electrically connected to the wiring pattern;
The housing according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the housing includes a second connection terminal that is provided in the storage unit and contacts the first connection terminal in a state where the cartridge is stored in the storage unit. The actuator unit described. The actuator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the polymer actuator is an ion conductive polymer actuator that is displaced by ion polarization. The frame part is
A first frame member;
A second frame member,
The actuator unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the polymer actuator is sandwiched between the first frame member and the second frame member. 13. The actuator unit according to claim 12, wherein a positioning portion for positioning both of the first frame member and the second frame member is provided. A polymer actuator;
A frame portion for supporting the polymer actuator,
A cartridge provided with a polymer actuator, wherein the cartridge is detachably attached to a unit body. The polymer actuator has a movable region having a plurality of movable pieces,
The cartridge including the polymer actuator according to claim 14, wherein the frame portion supports the plurality of movable pieces in a cantilever manner. Forming a polymer actuator film on the first frame member having an opening;
Cutting a part of the polymer actuator film across the opening, and forming a movable piece in which the remaining part of the polymer actuator film extends from the opening in a cantilever manner;
Disposing a second frame member having an opening on the first frame member and supporting the movable piece between the first frame member and the second frame member;
A method for producing a polymer actuator, comprising: The method for manufacturing a polymer actuator according to claim 16, further comprising a step of forming a wiring pattern electrically connected to the movable piece on at least one of the first frame member and the second frame member. The method of manufacturing a polymer actuator according to claim 17, further comprising a step of forming a connection terminal that is electrically connected to the wiring pattern on at least one of the first frame member and the second frame member.

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