A Dielectric Elastomer-Based Multimodal Capacitive Sensor

Zhu, Yuting; Giffney, Tim; Aw, Kean C.

doi:10.3390/s22020622

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Both effects can be used to make work against external loads, with surface expansion better suited to realize large strokes with scalable force by stacking several layers. Since DEAs are variable capacitors, by measuring the capacitance changes associated with their deformations, information about their current configuration can be derived and used to develop sensing devices [13]. By monitoring the capacitance during actuation, conclusions can be drawn about the actual material strain and thus the position of the DEA.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance-Optimized Dielectric Elastomer Actuator System with Scalable Scissor Linkage Transmission

Bruch

Willian

Schäfer³

et al. 2022

Actuators

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Thanks to their outstanding properties, in the last few years Dielectric Elastomer Actuators (DEAs) have increasingly attracted the interest of the scientific community and generated a surge in the effort devoted to their industrialization. Compared to conventional actuator systems, DEAs are based on inexpensive and widely available polymeric materials, which make them potentially attractive from a market perspective. However, DEA systems with a given layout and dimensions have a fixed force-stroke response that is only suitable for a specific load profile. This leads to a wide variety of designs combined with small production volumes and high costs, limiting the competitive advantage. This work addresses this issue by proposing a combination of DEA systems with compliant scissor linkage transmission mechanisms, which provide linear stroke and force scaling and simultaneously maintain performance optimization by leaving the convertible energy density of the DEA unaffected. For this purpose, three systems are designed, based on a same strip-shaped DEA combined with inclined buckled beam biasing mechanisms. Two of the systems are coupled with scissor linkages that offer transmission ratios of 3:1 and 1:3, respectively, to adapt the system to different load profiles. The system design is explained in detail, and the functional principle is validated through experiments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance-Optimized Dielectric Elastomer Actuator System with Scalable Scissor Linkage Transmission

Bruch

Willian

Schäfer³

et al. 2022

Actuators

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“…This method of detecting resonant frequencies has several advantages. The new method does not require any galvanic connection of a transducer (

) to evaluate electronics, and apart from the other similar measurement methods proposed in [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ], this method does not need expensive and large equipment to evaluate the information about applied force.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This sensor type also offers the possibility of detecting the location of an applied force. Authors in [ 1 ], with the use of a thin pressure sensor layered upon multi-location capacitance sensors, managed to measure force between 0 N to 10 N and they also managed to locate the area subjected to pressure. Their model needs to be connected via wires, which suffers from various disadvantages.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Towards a MEMS Force Sensor via the Electromagnetic Principle

Hartansky

Mierka

Jančárik

et al. 2023

Sensors

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Force measurement is a science discipline that experiences significant progress with the introduction of new materials and evaluation methods. Many different sensor types, working on different principles, have been developed and reviewed and have found use in medicine as well as many other industries. New trends and demands require a size reduction and simple applicability, with the use of, for example, micro electromechanical systems (MEMS). For purposes of this study, the initial MEMS body is supplemented by its scaled version. Force measurement in this study works on the force to time-delay conversion principle. A compact compliant mechanical body (CCMB) with an embedded parallel resonant circuit (PRC) acting as a transducer realizes the conversion. Depending on the resonant frequency of the transducer (CCMB or MEMS), we have measured the applied force based on the reverse influence of the transducer on the surrounding EM field. The analysis shows that the transducer’s resonant frequency has a detectable reverse influence on the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) DC supply current. The force influencing the transducer is determined by the DC supply current ripple position during the VCO frequency sweep. The study presents the method proposal and mathematical analysis, as well as its function verification by simulation and prototype measurements. The proposed principle was validated on a CCMB prototype capable of measuring forces up to ∼2.5 N at a sampling frequency of ∼23 kHz, while the measured time-delay ranges from 14.5 µs to 27.4 µs.

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“…To ensure thermodynamic consistency, any material model must be chosen in such a way that inequality (11) holds true for any admissible trajectory of our system. To this end, we propose the following set of constitutive laws:…”

Section: Model Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…DEs are attractive due to their large deformation, high compliance, high energy density and efficiency, lightweightness, and intrinsic self-sensing capabilities [1]. Examples of application fields that can benefit from the features of DE technology include soft actuators [2,3], soft robotics [4,5], wearables [6,7], acoustics [8,9], sensing [10,11], and energy harvesting devices [12,13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy-based modeling of rate-independent hysteresis and viscoelastic effects in dielectric elastomer actuators

Rizzello

2024

Smart Mater. Struct.

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Dielectric elastomer (DE) transducers are known to exhibit a rate-dependent hysteresis in their force-displacement response, which is commonly attributed to the viscoelastic behavior of the elastomer material as well as the compliant electrodes. In case of DE materials characterized by low mechanical losses, such as silicone, the mechanical hysteresis often turns out to be practically rate-independent in the low frequency range (sub-Hz), while rate-dependent hysteretic effects only become relevant at higher deformation rates. Most of existing literature focuses on describing DE hysteretic losses through viscoelasticity theory. Even though this approach results in relatively simple dynamic models, those are not capable to describe rate-independent hysteretic behaviors. In this work, we propose a control-oriented modeling framework for both rate-dependent and rate-dependent hysteresis occurring in uniaxially-loaded DE actuators. The model combines classic thermodinamically-consistent modeling approaches for DEs with a new energy-based Maxwell-Lion formalization of the hysteretic losses. The resulting dynamic model consists of a set of nonlinear ordinary differential equations, and is capable of simultaneously describing geometry dependencies, large deformation nonlinearities, electro-mechanical coupling, as well as rate-independent and rate-dependent hysteretic effects. To deal with the large number of involved parameters, a new systematic identification algorithm based on quadratic programming is also proposed. After presenting the theory, the model is validated based on experiments conducted on a silicone-based rolled DE actuator, and its superiority compared to classic DE viscoelstic models is quantitatively assessed.

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A Dielectric Elastomer-Based Multimodal Capacitive Sensor

Cited by 12 publications

References 17 publications

Performance-Optimized Dielectric Elastomer Actuator System with Scalable Scissor Linkage Transmission

Performance-Optimized Dielectric Elastomer Actuator System with Scalable Scissor Linkage Transmission

Towards a MEMS Force Sensor via the Electromagnetic Principle

Energy-based modeling of rate-independent hysteresis and viscoelastic effects in dielectric elastomer actuators

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