Abstract: An intravascular Doppler ultrasonic device comprises a tip region forming a fraction of a catheter body at a distal end thereof and carrying an ultrasound probe. The tip region is bendable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction. An actuator is provided in the tip region, which is configured to receive actuation drive power provided through the catheter body and to exert to the tip region a bending moment of a controllable amount. An actuation controller is configured to control actuation drive power delivery to the actuator so as to control the amount of the bending moment. A Doppler spectrum analysis unit is configured to receive Doppler spectrum data and to determine from it a Doppler signal quality measure indicative of a signal quality of the Doppler spectrum. The actuation controller is configured to determine the actuation drive power in dependence on the determined Doppler signal quality measure.

Abstract: A flow control device comprises a laminate structure of an electroactive material layer and a non-actuatable layer. An array of orifices is formed in one of the layers wherein the orifices are open in one of the rest state and actuated state and the orifices are closed in the other of the rest state and actuated state. Actuation of the electroactive material layer causes orifices to open and close so that flow control function may be implemented.

Abstract: An ultrasound device is for treatment or imaging of material such as biological tissue, and comprises a transducer arrangement and an acoustic coupling component positioned between the transducer arrangement and the material. The acoustic coupling component comprises an electroactive material actuator which uses an electroactive material composite. It may for example be controlled to implement frequency tuning of the acoustic coupling component. In this way, the acoustic coupling can be optimized for different frequencies of operation.

Abstract: The invention provides a shape change device (20) utilising a plurality of particles (28) of electroactive polymer material embedded within a compliant material matrix (24) and adapted to deform in response to application of an electrical stimulus. A resultant shape-change of the compliant matrix enables realisation of a particular deformation profile across a surface of the compliant material. Particles are stimulated in plural groups by one or more arrangements of electrodes (34). Shapes, sizes, dimensionalities and locations of stimulated EAP particle regions may be selectively chosen to initiate a particular response in the material, and produce a particular desired deformation profile across the material surface.

Abstract: An electroactive polymer actuator comprises an electroactive polymer structure and a driver for providing an actuation drive signal. In one aspect a first drive level is used to charge the electroactive polymer structure from a non-actuated state to an actuated state. When or after the electroactive polymer structure reaches the actuated state, a lower second drive level is used to hold the electroactive polymer structure at the actuated state. This temporary overdrive scheme improves the speed response without damaging the electroactive polymer structure. In another aspect, a driving method makes use of several different level segments over time which compensate for the delayed actuation response of the EAP actuator.

Abstract: The invention involves providing a reset signal before and or after one or more actuation signals to an electroactive polymer structure of an actuator. The reset signal can cause relaxation of defects such as e.g. trapped charge, dipoles and/or others in the EAP or EAP structure so that upon a subsequent activation using a drive signal, the initial actuation state is defined to be more constant than without use of the reset signal. Hence the actuation 5 output of a device employing the invention is more reproducible. The invention is applicable to actuator devices that have an electroactive polymer structure including an EAP material, where the structure is capable of providing a mechanical actuation upon subjection of at least part of the EAP material to an electrical drive signal.

Abstract: The invention provides a surface analysis device for application to a receiving surface to enable analysis of at least one measure of an elasticity of said surface across multiple different linear stretches or sections of the surface. The device includes a two-dimensional arrangement of actuators and sensors, comprising at least one actuating element, at least one sensing element, and at least one further sensing or actuating element. Selected sets of two or more of these elements are activated together by a controller, each set including at least one actuator and one sensor, to thereby obtain a measure of elasticity between each actuator and sensor pair in the set. Elasticity measures are obtained based on stimulating a deformation in the receiving surface at the actuator site, and measuring a resultant pressure and/or force exerted by the receiving surface at a further displaced point. Sensors may monitor a change in the exerted pressure and/or force for example.

Abstract: An actuator device has an electroactive polymer actuator (35) and an integrated piezoelectric transformer (30). At least the secondary side (34) of the transformer shares a piezoelectric electroactive polymer layer (36) with the electroactive polymer actuator, so that lower external voltages can be applied to the device. A diode (46) is connected between the secondary side of the transformer and the electroactive polymer actuator.

Abstract: The invention relates to a shaving device for skin hairs. The device comprises a skin-contacting surface structure (14, 15), a cutter (6) for cutting hairs in a hair-cutting area (16), a shape-changing smart material (7), and a controller for controlling activation of the shape-changing smart material during use of the shaving device. The shape-changing smart material is configured, arranged and effective to adapt the relative position and/or relative orientation between at least part of the skin-contacting surface structure (14) and at least part of the hair-cutting area (16).

Abstract: A hand held domestic appliance comprises a handle part, a driven member, a motor for driving the driven member and a controller for controlling the motor. The handle part comprises a surface sensor for detecting a contact surface area and optionally also pressure and the controller is adapted to control the power supplied to the motor in dependence on the sensed contact surface area and optionally also pressure.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a gas supply system (10) for a patient interface (30) for supplying a flow of pressurized gas to a subject (50), an according patient interface (30) with such a gas supply system (10) and a therapy device with such a gas supply system. The gas supply systems according to the present invention comprise a pump device (55) that has at least one membrane (58) for pumping actuation. This membrane (58) is actuated via an electro-active polymer material (60).

Abstract: An internal probe device for insertion into the body of a patient, comprises an elongate body with a plurality of EAP actuators mounted at the surface of the body. The EAP actuators are made to vibrate so that their position becomes visible in a Doppler ultrasound image. The use of EAP actuators to provide vibrations enables individual locations to be identified. In particular, the movement of the EAP actuator may be largely isolated from the main body of the probe. Furthermore, EAP actuators can be thin, lightweight and have a small form factor suitable for application to or within the surface of a probe, such as a catheter, needle or endoscope.

Abstract: An actuator or sensor device comprises an electroactive polymer (EAP) arrangement which extends between fixed opposite ends. The electroactive polymer arrangement comprises a passive carrier layer and an active electroactive polymer layer, wherein at or adjacent the ends, the passive carrier layer and the active EAP layer are mounted with one over the other in a first order, and at a middle area between the ends, the carrier layer and the active EAP layer are mounted in an opposite order. This enables internal stresses and moments within the electroactive polymer arrangement to be used more effectively to contribute to displacement or actuation force.

Abstract: An actuator device comprises an electroactive or photoactive polymer arrangement having an effective length over which expansion or contraction is induced by actuation. The effective length is greater than the maximum linear physical dimension of the space occupied by the polymer arrangement. In this way, a compact design is provided which can support a large actuation displacement.

Abstract: A patient interface and a patient interface system comprise a responsive material and a method for preventing the formation of red marks due to wearing a patient interface that is pressing against the skin of a patient for a longer time and/or for reducing air leakages of the patient interface that may result from an unintended shift of the patient interface on the patient's face. The responsive material is configured for alternating the pressure exerted by the cushion element on the patient and/or the area on the patient where the pressure is exerted by the cushion element in response to a physical quantity acting on the responsive material. The formation of red marks and of air leakages can be reduced or even avoided by means of the responsive material.

Abstract: An oral cleaning device comprises a body which carries a set of projections. An actuator device is associated with one or more of the projections in the form of an electroactive polymer structure for adjusting a position of the associated one or more projections. This enables dynamic control of the cleaning function.

Abstract: A bending actuator device or sensor device for sensing bending comprises a stack of electroactive polymer units. The adjacent electroactive polymer units in the stack are slidable relatively to each other. This means that, for an actuator for example, an increased actuation force is enabled without requiring increased driving voltage, and it also avoids the problems of stress build up by allowing sliding between the units.

Abstract: An actuator device comprises an electroactive polymer (30) and a controller (34) for delivering a drive signal to the electroactive polymer to make it deform. The controller is adapted to generate a signal which comprises an AC component for introducing a vibration (40, 42) of the electroactive polymer. This vibration is used to reduce friction between the electroactive polymer and an adjacent component (32). The AC component may be superposed on a low frequency AC or DC drive level.

Abstract: A patient interface that provides a flow of gas to a user. The interface includes a face-contacting layer and a multi-layer structure covered by the face-contacting layer. The responsive structure includes a plurality of actuators for moving the face-contacting layer. The actuators include a first and second groups of actuators, each of which comprises electrodes arranged in one or more layers. The layers are arranged above each other. The electrodes in the first group of actuators are, with respect to a first axis, transverse to the one or more first and second layers, and are arranged spatially offset relative to the electrodes of the second group actuators such that the electrodes of the first group of actuators do not overlap the electrodes of the second group of actuators.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a moving equipment, such as in a medical examination system. In order to provide a facilitated way of moving equipment with high accuracy, a driving device (10) for moving equipment is provided, comprising a motor-driven positioning unit (12), a central processing unit (14), and a user interface (16) with at least one sensor unit (18). The motor-driven positioning unit is configured to carry out a movement (M) of movable equipment. Further, the central processing unit is configured to control the movement of the equipment provided by the motor-driven positioning unit. The at least one sensor unit comprises at least one touch sensitive area (20), and the at least one sensor unit is configured to provide control signals (22) to the central processing unit in dependency from a force (F) applied by a user to the at least one touch sensitive area. Still further, the at least one sensor unit is configured to be fixedly attached to the movable equipment.