US 12,378,949 B2
Cannula TCP actuator
Pawandeep Singh Matharu, Dallas, TX (US); Yonas Tadesse, Garland, TX (US); Yuyang Song, Ann Arbor, MI (US); and Umesh Gandhi, Farmington Hills, MI (US)
Assigned to TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC., Plano, TX (US); BOARD OF REGENTS; UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM, Austin, TX (US); and TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc., Plano, TX (US)
Filed on Aug. 31, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/459,059.
Prior Publication US 2025/0075685 A1, Mar. 6, 2025
Int. Cl. F03G 7/06 (2006.01); F03G 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC F03G 7/0612 (2021.08) [F03G 7/008 (2021.08)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of fabricating a cannula TCP actuator, comprising:
inserting a resistive heating wire into a polymer microtube such that the resistive heating wire extends through the length of the polymer microtube;
forming a microtube assembly by:
applying a longitudinal force to a first end of the polymer microtube, said longitudinal force being applied in a direction parallel to a center axis of the polymer microtube and in an opposite direction relative to a second end of the polymer microtube; and
applying a rotational force to the second end of the polymer microtube during application of the longitudinal force and while the resistive heating wire remains inserted in the polymer microtube to cause the polymer microtube to twist and coil about the center axis; and
annealing the microtube assembly to form the cannula TCP actuator.