초록 ▼

A piston (14) is slidably received in a chamber (10). The chamber is filled with an expandable medium (16), such as wax, that expands and contracts significantly as it undergoes a phase change from a solid to a liquid state. A Peltier effect chip (20) selectively adds and removes heat energy from th

A piston (14) is slidably received in a chamber (10). The chamber is filled with an expandable medium (16), such as wax, that expands and contracts significantly as it undergoes a phase change from a solid to a liquid state. A Peltier effect chip (20) selectively adds and removes heat energy from the chamber, hence the medium, to cause the medium to change phase. A temperature control (26) maintains the temperature of the medium substantially at the phase change temperature such that the addition of heat causes an isothermal melting (hence, expansion) and the removal of heat causes an isothermal solidification (hence, contraction). The chamber defines a plurality of thin branches (42) such that the heat is transferred more effectively.

대표청구항 ▼

A remotely controlled actuator comprising: a chamber filled with a medium that expands as it undergoes a phase change from a solid phase to a liquid phase and contracts as it changes phase from the liquid phase to the solid phase; a piston slidably received in the chamber for extending and retractin

A remotely controlled actuator comprising: a chamber filled with a medium that expands as it undergoes a phase change from a solid phase to a liquid phase and contracts as it changes phase from the liquid phase to the solid phase; a piston slidably received in the chamber for extending and retracting as the medium expands and contracts; a means for selectively heating and cooling the medium to cause the medium to change phase, extending and retracting the piston; a temperature control means for controlling the heating and cooling means to maintain the medium substantially at a melting point temperature at which the medium undergoes the phase change.