DISTRIBUTED ACTIVATOR FOR A TWO-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY

摘要

A distributed activation means including a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) sheet which has a sufficiently small section to limit the lateral flow of heat. The distributed actuator array includes one or more heating elements disposed on the sheet and for locally heating an adjacent portion of the sheet so that the adjacent portion assumes a predetermined shape when activated to its threshold temperature. An electrical insulator is positioned between the sheet and one or more heating elements to electrically insulate each of the heating elements from the sheet. And a control means for selectively passing an electrical current through one or more heating elements so that the local heating causes the sheet to assume a desired shape.