Hydrophobic coating for reducing humidity effect in electrostatic actuators
US5822170A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 9, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 13, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 9, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH02N13/00
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A touch mode electrostatic actuator and method of making the same, having first and second electrode driven surfaces positioned to move between a spaced apart relationship and a contact relationship when dielectric layer on each of the first and second electrode surfaces is subjected to a source of electrical potential to selectively actuate and discharge the dielectric layers to cause the movement between the relationships. The electrostatic actuators of this invention includes a hydrophobic layer for preventing absorption of water thereon, the hydrophobic layers being adapted to cause condensed water to form drops and prevent formation of a continuous water layer. The hydrophobic layer may be a coating on a hydrophilic actuator or, alternatively, may be made entirely from a hydrophobic material. The preferred hydrophobic material is selected from a group consisting of organic materials such as octadecyltrichlorosilane, perfluoro-decyltrichlorosilane, tetrafluoroethylene, and inorganic materials such as a diamond type carbon layer. The hydrophobic layer is electrically isolating and chemically stable in its intended environment. In the preferred embodiments, the hydrophobic materi…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.