WO2025152561A1 - Dielectric elastomer-based flexible haptic actuator and haptic feedback device - Google Patents

Abstract

A dielectric elastomer-based flexible haptic actuator and a haptic feedback device. The dielectric elastomer-based flexible haptic actuator comprises at least one actuating membrane; the actuating membrane comprises an elastic dielectric layer, multiple electrode layers, and a limiting layer; and two electrode layers for being respectively electrically connected to a positive electrode and a negative electrode of a power supply are respectively arranged on the inner and outer sides of the elastic dielectric layer. By providing the limiting layer on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer, when the elastic dielectric layer undergoes outward expansion, the actuating membrane generates bending stress under the action of the limiting layer, and lateral expansion and contraction of the elastic dielectric layer can be converted into a longitudinal protruding force under the bending stress, so that the actuating membrane undergoes longitudinal surface deformation and bends, thereby increasing the actuation deformation quantity and the actuation force; and upon removal of an electric field, the actuating membrane returns to a planar structure. The actuating membrane has a simple light and thin film-layer structure, so that when a high-frequency alternating electric field is applied to the actuating membrane, the actuating membrane can vibrate under the action of the alternating electric field, thereby generating a surface haptic actuation motion to form haptic feedback.

Description

Dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator and tactile feedback device Technical Field

The present application relates to the technical field of interactive electronic devices, and in particular to a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver and a tactile feedback device.

Background Art

At present, electronic devices interact with humans mainly through vision and hearing. During the interaction process, a large part of the human sense of touch is idle. In fact, the lack of touch will reduce the human-computer interaction experience. Through tactile feedback, humans can experience the real physical properties of objects in the network or virtual scenes during the interaction with electronic products, which improves the immersion of human interaction with electronic devices.

In order to achieve the generation of touch, some different tactile technologies have been studied. At present, tactile drivers mainly include rigid and flexible ones. Rigid tactile drivers are difficult to adapt to the flexible tissues of the human body due to their rigid structure, and they are bulky, which reduces the naturalness of the interaction; flexible tactile drivers can adapt well to the human body due to their softness. At present, flexible tactile drivers mainly include pneumatic tactile drivers, electromagnetic tactile drivers, piezoelectric tactile drivers, dielectric tactile drivers, etc. Pneumatic tactile drivers need to be equipped with an additional air pump as a pneumatic power source. The air pump is bulky and requires an independent air pipe to inflate the driver, which greatly restricts the flexibility of the tactile driver. Electromagnetic drive requires an electromagnetic field to drive. The external electromagnetic field is large in volume, and the current in the coil used to generate the magnetic field is large, which will generate a lot of heat, limiting the application of the tactile driver. Piezoelectric tactile drivers and dielectric tactile drivers have the advantage of being light and thin, but this also brings another problem, that is, the driving force is small and the bandwidth range of tactile feedback that can be generated is narrow.

Summary of the invention

The main purpose of this application is to propose a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver and a tactile feedback device, aiming to provide a tactile driver that is light, thin, has a large driving capability, and can generate a wide range of tactile feedback bandwidth.

To achieve the above objectives, the present application proposes a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver, wherein the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver comprises:

The invention comprises at least one driving film, wherein the driving film comprises:

an elastic dielectric layer having an inner side and an outer side disposed opposite to each other in thickness;

A plurality of electrode layers, one electrode layer is disposed on the inner side and the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer respectively, wherein one electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power source, and the other electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power source; and,

a restriction layer, which is disposed inside the elastic dielectric layer and on a side of the electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer, The limiting layer is used to limit the deformation of the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer when the two electrode layers are energized.

Optionally, the elastic dielectric layer is provided with multiple layers, an electrode layer is provided on the inner side and the outer side of each elastic dielectric layer, and the restriction layer is located on the side of the innermost electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer.

Optionally, one electrode layer is disposed between every two adjacent elastic dielectric layers.

Optionally, a plurality of the electrode layers for being electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power supply are arranged in parallel;

A plurality of electrode layers for being electrically connected to the negative electrode of a power source are arranged in parallel.

Optionally, the driving membrane further comprises a protective layer arranged on the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer, and the protective layer is located on a side of the electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer.

Optionally, two driving films are provided, and the two restriction layers are arranged opposite to each other;

The dielectric elastomer flexible haptic actuator further includes an adhesive layer, which securely connects the two restriction layer portions.

Optionally, the bonding layer includes a plurality of bonding segments, and the plurality of bonding segments are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the restriction layer.

Optionally, the elastic dielectric layer is made of silicone or polydimethylsiloxane.

Optionally, the driving membrane is configured to be circular or polygonal.

The present application also provides a tactile feedback device, the tactile feedback device comprising a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver, the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver comprising:

The invention comprises at least one driving film, wherein the driving film comprises:

an elastic dielectric layer having an inner side and an outer side disposed opposite to each other in thickness;

A plurality of electrode layers, one electrode layer is disposed on the inner side and the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer respectively, wherein one electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power source, and the other electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power source; and,

The restriction layer is arranged on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer and located on the side of the electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer. The restriction layer is used to restrict the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer from deforming when the two electrode layers are energized.

In the technical solution provided by the present application, two electrode layers are respectively arranged on both sides of the elastic dielectric layer, one of the electrode layers is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power supply, and the other is used to be electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power supply. When the power supply is connected to the electrode layers, a high-intensity electric field is generated between the two electrode layers, and the elastic dielectric layer will expand and swell under the action of the electric field, and its volume will increase in the direction perpendicular to the electric field. By arranging the restriction layer on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer, when the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer expands, the driving membrane generates bending stress under the action of the restriction layer, and under the action of the bending stress, the lateral expansion and contraction of the elastic dielectric layer can be converted into a longitudinal convex force, which will make the driving membrane The longitudinal surface deformation of the membrane will produce bending, increasing the driving deformation and driving force. When the electric field is removed, the driving membrane will return to a planar structure. The driving membrane has a simple thin film layer structure. When a high-frequency alternating electric field is passed through the driving membrane, the driving membrane will vibrate under the action of the alternating electric field, thereby generating surface tactile driving movement to form tactile feedback, thereby providing a tactile driver that is thin, has a large driving capacity, and can generate a wide range of tactile feedback bandwidth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

FIG1 is a perspective schematic diagram of an embodiment of a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator provided by the present application;

FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the electrical connection of the electrode layers on both sides of the elastic dielectric layer in FIG1 ;

FIG3 is a side schematic diagram of the driving film in FIG1 ;

FIG4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of point A in FIG3 ;

FIG5 is a side schematic diagram of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator in FIG1 ;

FIG6 is an enlarged schematic diagram of point B in FIG5;

FIG7 is a side view of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator in FIG1 when powered on;

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view of the restriction layer and the adhesive layer in FIG. 1 .

Description of Figure Numbers:

The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. All other works obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work based on the embodiments in the present application are not The embodiments all belong to the protection scope of this application.

It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present application involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back...), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components under a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present application, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, the meaning of "and/or" appearing in the full text includes three parallel schemes. Taking "A and/or B" as an example, it includes scheme A, or scheme B, or a scheme that satisfies both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in the field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by this application.

In order to achieve the generation of touch, some different tactile technologies have been studied. At present, tactile drivers mainly include rigid and flexible ones. Rigid tactile drivers are difficult to adapt to the flexible tissues of the human body due to their rigid structure, and they are bulky, which reduces the naturalness of the interaction; flexible tactile drivers can adapt well to the human body due to their softness. At present, flexible tactile drivers mainly include pneumatic tactile drivers, electromagnetic tactile drivers, piezoelectric tactile drivers, dielectric tactile drivers, etc. Pneumatic tactile drivers need to be equipped with an additional air pump as a pneumatic power source. The air pump is bulky and requires an independent air pipe to inflate the driver, which greatly restricts the flexibility of the tactile driver. Electromagnetic drive requires an electromagnetic field to drive. The external electromagnetic field is large in volume, and the current in the coil used to generate the magnetic field is large, which will generate a lot of heat, limiting the application of the tactile driver. Piezoelectric tactile drivers and dielectric tactile drivers have the advantage of being light and thin, but this also brings another problem, that is, the driving force is small and the bandwidth range of tactile feedback that can be generated is narrow.

In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver. FIG1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver provided by the present application; FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the electrical connection of electrode layers on both sides of the elastic dielectric layer in FIG1; FIG3 is a side schematic diagram of the driving film in FIG1; and FIG4 is an enlarged schematic diagram of point A in FIG3;

FIG5 is a side view of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator in FIG1 ; FIG6 is an enlarged view of point B in FIG5 ;

FIG. 7 is a side schematic diagram of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator in FIG. 1 when powered on; FIG. 8 is a plan schematic diagram of the restriction layer and the adhesive layer in FIG. 1 .

Please refer to Figures 1 to 4. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver 100 includes at least one driving film 10, and the driving film 10 includes an elastic dielectric layer 1, a plurality of electrode layers 2 and a restriction layer 3. The elastic dielectric layer 1 has an inner side and an outer side that are arranged opposite to each other in thickness; the inner side and the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer 1 are respectively provided with an electrode layer 2, wherein one electrode layer 2 is used to be electrically connected to the positive pole of the power supply, and the other is used to be electrically connected to the negative pole of the power supply; the restriction layer 3 The limiting layer 3 is arranged on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer 1 and is located on the side of the electrode layer 2 away from the elastic dielectric layer 1. The limiting layer 3 is used to limit the deformation of the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer 1 when the two electrode layers 2 are energized.

It should be noted that the elastic dielectric layer 1 is generally an elastic film layer prepared from a dielectric material, and the dielectric material generally has a polarization effect. Polarization of dielectric materials refers to the process of separation and rearrangement of positive and negative charges in the dielectric layer under the action of an electric field. Because the molecules or atoms in the dielectric material are displaced under the action of an electric field, the separation of positive and negative charges occurs. This separation can cause the generation of an electric dipole moment, i.e., the displacement of the centers of positive and negative charges inside the dielectric material. The generation of an electric dipole moment can cause changes in the stress distribution inside the dielectric layer, thereby generating the action of a force. It is understandable that the direction and magnitude of these forces depend on the direction and intensity of the electric field, as well as the characteristics of the dielectric layer. If the force of the electric field is large enough, the dielectric layer will be deformed.

The electrode layer 2 may be a separately arranged film layer, or may be a coating structure coated on the surface of the elastic dielectric layer 1 . The electrode layer 2 may change accordingly with the deformation of the elastic dielectric layer 1 .

It should also be noted that the restricting layer 3 refers to a film layer made of a flexible and non-stretchable material, which may be a PI tape, or of course, a film layer made of other possible materials. The specific material can be determined based on actual conditions, and the embodiments of this specification do not limit this.

In the technical solution provided in the present application, two electrode layers 2 are respectively arranged on both sides of the elastic dielectric layer 1, one of the electrode layers 2 is used to be electrically connected to the positive pole of the power supply, and the other is used to be electrically connected to the negative pole of the power supply. When the power supply is connected to the electrode layer 2, a high-intensity electric field will be generated between the two electrode layers 2, and the elastic dielectric layer 1 will expand and swell under the action of the electric field, and the volume will increase in the direction perpendicular to the electric field. By arranging the restriction layer 3 on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer 1, when the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer 1 expands, the driving film 10 generates bending stress under the action of the restriction layer 3, and under the action of the bending stress, the lateral expansion and contraction of the elastic dielectric layer 1 can be converted into a longitudinal convex force, which will cause the driving film 10 to produce longitudinal surface deformation and bend, thereby increasing the driving deformation and driving force. When the electric field is removed, the driving film 10 will return to a planar structure. The driving film 10 has a simple and thin film layer structure. When a high-frequency alternating electric field is passed through the driving film 10, the driving film 10 will vibrate under the action of the alternating electric field, thereby generating a surface tactile driving movement to form tactile feedback, thereby providing a dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver 100 that is thin, has a large driving capability, and can generate a wide range of tactile feedback bandwidth.

It is understandable that since the direction and magnitude of the force acting on the elastic dielectric layer 1 depend on the direction and strength of the electric field, as a tactile feedback element, the strength and direction of the electric field can be adjusted as needed to achieve different undulation intensities to create different surface morphologies of touch.

Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the elastic dielectric layer 1 is provided with multiple layers. Each of the elastic dielectric layers 1 is provided with an electrode layer 2 on the inner side and the outer side. The restriction layer 3 is located on the innermost electrode layer 2. A side away from the elastic dielectric layer 1. In this way, at the stacked connection of multiple elastic dielectric layers 1, when an electric field is applied to the stacked connection of multiple dielectric layers, each elastic dielectric layer 1 will undergo corresponding polarization effect and deformation when it is in the electric field. These deformation effects may be superimposed on each other between different elastic dielectric layers 1, resulting in greater deformation of the entire stacked connection. In addition, the stacked connection of multiple layers of elastic dielectric layers 1 may also introduce boundary effects, in which the interfaces between the elastic dielectric layers 1 will affect the deformation. These interfaces may cause stress concentration or uneven deformation, thereby further increasing the degree of deformation.

In this embodiment, an electrode layer 2 is disposed between each two adjacent elastic dielectric layers 1. In this way, each two adjacent elastic dielectric layers 1 can share one electrode layer 2, which simultaneously forms two electric fields with the two adjacent electrode layers 2 on both sides, thus simplifying the structure.

It is understandable that the plurality of electrode layers 2 sequentially form a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a negative electrode, a positive electrode, a negative electrode, ... in the thickness direction thereof, so that each electrode layer 2 is in the electric field formed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode on the adjacent two sides. It is understandable that each two adjacent electrode layers 2 can be electrically connected to a power source, so the plurality of adjacent electrode layers 2 need to be electrically connected to multiple power sources.

Preferably, in this embodiment, a plurality of electrode layers 2 for electrically connecting to the positive pole of the power supply are arranged in parallel; a plurality of electrode layers 2 for electrically connecting to the negative pole of the power supply are arranged in parallel. In this way, a plurality of electrode layers 2 that need to be electrically connected to the same-polarity power supply are connected in parallel by wires, and the positive wire and the negative wire are respectively led out from both sides of the structure, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of spark breakdown between the wires caused by high voltage.

In this embodiment, the driving film 10 further includes a protective layer 4 disposed on the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer 1, and the protective layer 4 is located on the side of the electrode layer 2 away from the elastic dielectric layer 1. The protective layer 4 can be set as a film layer made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, of course, it can also be a film layer made of other possible materials, which can be determined according to actual conditions, and this embodiment of the specification does not limit this. The protective layer 4 can protect the driving film 10 to prevent leakage when a person touches the driving film 10.

In another embodiment, please refer to Figures 5 to 7, the driving films 10 are provided with two, and the two limiting layers 3 are arranged opposite to each other; the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator 100 also includes an adhesive layer 5, and the adhesive layer 5 fixes and connects the two limiting layers 3. With such an arrangement, when an electric field acts, the middle parts of the two driving films 10 bend toward both sides in a direction away from each other to form an arch structure. In this way, under the action of the electric field, the two driving films 10 increase the deformation amount and driving force of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator 100 in the longitudinal direction, and the tactile feedback effect is more obvious.

In this embodiment, referring to FIG. 8 , the adhesive layer 5 includes a plurality of adhesive segments 51, and the plurality of adhesive segments 51 are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the restriction layer 3. In this way, each of the elastic dielectric layers 1 can drive other films. The layers have more free movement surfaces, which reduces the restrictions on the movement of the upper and lower parts of the structure, and improves the output capacity of the movement deformation and driving force of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver 100.

In order to make the elastic dielectric layer 1 have the characteristic of generating deformation under the electric field, in this embodiment, the material of the elastic dielectric layer 1 includes silicone and polydimethylsiloxane. Of course, it can also be a film layer made of other possible materials, such as polyurethane, nitrile rubber, polyethylene terephthalate, etc. The specific material can be determined according to the actual situation, and this embodiment of the specification does not limit this.

In this embodiment, the driving film 10 is set to be circular or polygonal. The polygon can be an equilateral triangle, a regular hexagon, etc. Of course, the shape of the driving film 10 is not limited to the above examples. Under the inspiration of the technical essence of the embodiments of this specification, technicians in the relevant field may also make other changes, but as long as the functions and effects achieved are the same or similar to the embodiments of this specification, they should be covered within the protection scope of the embodiments of this specification.

The present application also provides a tactile feedback device, which includes the above-mentioned dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver. The tactile feedback device also includes a control device and a power supply, etc. Since the tactile feedback device includes the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver, the specific structure of the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver refers to the above-mentioned embodiment. Since the dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver of the tactile feedback device adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be repeated here one by one.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present application specification and drawings under the inventive concept of the present application, or directly/indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims (10)

A dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator, characterized in that it comprises at least one driving film, wherein the driving film comprises: an elastic dielectric layer having an inner side and an outer side disposed opposite to each other in thickness; A plurality of electrode layers, one electrode layer is disposed on the inner side and the outer side of the elastic dielectric layer respectively, wherein one electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power source, and the other electrode layer is used to be electrically connected to the negative electrode of the power source; and, The restriction layer is arranged on the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer and located on the side of the electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer. The restriction layer is used to restrict the inner side of the elastic dielectric layer from deforming when the two electrode layers are energized. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver as described in claim 1 is characterized in that the elastic dielectric layer is provided with multiple layers, an electrode layer is provided on the inner and outer sides of each elastic dielectric layer, and the restriction layer is located on the side of the innermost electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator according to claim 2, characterized in that an electrode layer is provided between each two adjacent elastic dielectric layers. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that a plurality of the electrode layers electrically connected to the positive electrode of the power supply are arranged in parallel; A plurality of electrode layers for being electrically connected to the negative electrode of a power source are arranged in parallel. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile driver according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving film further comprises a protective layer arranged on the outside of the elastic dielectric layer, and the protective layer is located on a side of the electrode layer away from the elastic dielectric layer. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that two driving films are provided, and the two restriction layers are arranged opposite to each other; The dielectric elastomer flexible haptic actuator further includes an adhesive layer, which securely connects the two restriction layer portions. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator according to claim 6, characterized in that the bonding layer comprises a plurality of bonding segments, and the plurality of bonding segments are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the restriction layer. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that the material of the elastic dielectric layer comprises silicone or polydimethylsiloxane. The dielectric elastomer flexible tactile actuator according to claim 1, characterized in that the driving membrane is configured to be circular or polygonal. A tactile feedback device, characterized in that it comprises the dielectric elastic device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 Sexually flexible tactile actuator.