Abstract: An active electroadhesive cleaning device or system includes electrode(s) that produce electroadhesive forces from an input voltage to adhere dust or other foreign objects against an interactive surface, from which the foreign objects are removed when the forces are controllably altered. User inputs control the input voltage and/or designate the size of foreign objects to be cleaned. An active power source provides the input voltage, and the interactive surface can be a continuous track across one or more rollers to move the device across a dirty foreign surface. Electrodes can be arranged in an interdigitated pattern having differing pitches that can be actuated selectively to clean foreign objects of different sizes. Sensors can detect the amount of foreign particles adhered to the interactive surface, and reversed polarity pulses can help repel items away from the interactive surface in a timely and controlled manner.

Abstract: An active electroadhesive cleaning device or system includes electrode(s) that produce electroadhesive forces from an input voltage to adhere dust or other foreign objects against an interactive surface, from which the foreign objects are removed when the forces are controllably altered. User inputs control the input voltage and/or designate the size of foreign objects to be cleaned. An active power source provides the input voltage, and the interactive surface can be a continuous track across one or more rollers to move the device across a dirty foreign surface. Electrodes can be arranged in an interdigitated pattern having differing pitches that can be actuated selectively to clean foreign objects of different sizes. Sensors can detect the amount of foreign particles adhered to the interactive surface, and reversed polarity pulses can help repel items away from the interactive surface in a timely and controlled manner.

Abstract: An active electroadhesive cleaning device or system includes electrode(s) that produce electroadhesive forces from an input voltage to adhere dust or other foreign objects against an interactive surface, from which the foreign objects are removed when the forces are controllably altered. User inputs control the input voltage and/or designate the size of foreign objects to be cleaned. An active power source provides the input voltage, and the interactive surface can be a continuous track across one or more rollers to move the device across a dirty foreign surface. Electrodes can be arranged in an interdigitated pattern having differing pitches that can be actuated selectively to clean foreign objects of different sizes. Sensors can detect the amount of foreign particles adhered to the interactive surface, and reversed polarity pulses can help repel items away from the interactive surface in a timely and controlled manner.

Abstract: An electrostatic device or system includes electrode(s) adapted to produce an electrostatic attraction force and a base surface adapted to facilitate the application of the electrostatic attraction force and also a physical attraction force separate therefrom. The electrostatic and physical attraction forces can maintain a position of the electrostatic device relative to a foreign object via electroadhesion and/or via an additional manner that is separate from the electroadhesion. The physical attraction force can be a vacuum, van der Waals, and/or adhesive force, can be applied at less than all locations across the base surface, and may involve a one-time permanent attachment. The base surface can include a deformable surface portion that moves closer to the foreign object when the electrostatic or physical attraction force is applied. The physical attraction force can be sufficient to adhere the device to the object when the electrostatic attraction force is removed.

Abstract: A wall-crawling robot or other electroadhesive device can include a battery or other low voltage power source driving a motor that provides a primary device function, a voltage convertor adapted to convert the low voltage to a high voltage using the motor output, and electrodes configured to apply the high voltage to produce an electrostatic force between the electroadhesive device and a foreign substrate. The electrostatic force maintains a current position of the electroadhesive device relative to the foreign substrate, and the voltage convertor is separate from the primary function of the electroadhesive device. The primary function can be a mechanism for locomotion, and the voltage convertor can be a Van de Graff generator, a piezoelectric generator, or an inductive switch generator, any of which are driven in a secondary manner as a result of the motor output.

Abstract: An active electroadhesive cleaning device or system includes electrode(s) that produce electroadhesive forces from an input voltage to adhere dust or other foreign objects against an interactive surface, from which the foreign objects are removed when the forces are controllably altered. User inputs control the input voltage and/or designate the size of foreign objects to be cleaned. An active power source provides the input voltage, and the interactive surface can be a continuous track across one or more rollers to move the device across a dirty foreign surface. Electrodes can be arranged in an interdigitated pattern having differing pitches that can be actuated selectively to clean foreign objects of different sizes. Sensors can detect the amount of foreign particles adhered to the interactive surface, and reversed polarity pulses can help repel items away from the interactive surface in a timely and controlled manner.

Abstract: A wall-crawling robot or other electroadhesive device can include a battery or other low voltage power source driving a motor that provides a primary device function, a voltage convertor adapted to convert the low voltage to a high voltage using the motor output, and electrodes configured to apply the high voltage to produce an electrostatic force between the electroadhesive device and a foreign substrate. The electrostatic force maintains a current position of the electroadhesive device relative to the foreign substrate, and the voltage convertor is separate from the primary function of the electroadhesive device. The primary function can be a mechanism for locomotion, and the voltage convertor can be a Van de Graff generator, a piezoelectric generator, or an inductive switch generator, any of which are driven in a secondary manner as a result of the motor output.

Abstract: A group of bushings receives voltage in parallel to produce a current output from each bushing. Cumulatively combining the current outputs from the bushings vectorially furnishes a vector sum bushing current. Reference voltage devices also produce reference current outputs. Cumulatively combining the reference current outputs vectorially provides a vector sum reference current, and differentially vectorially combining the vector sum reference current with the vector sum bushing current delayed by 90° provides a difference signal representative of a bushing condition. As an alternative to the reference voltage devices, a second group of bushings may be used. In this case, a delay of 90° is not required. The invention may also be used to monitor the condition of other capacitive devices, for example, high voltage current transformers.