Patent ID: 11885428
Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC.
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  A | IPC A  F

Claim 0:
1. A valve, comprising:
a substrate defining an opening therethrough and comprising at least one flap selectively extendable across the opening;
a shape-memory wire coupled to the at least one flap;
a conductive polymer coupled to the at least one flap and transitionable between a flexible state and rigid state; and
a current source coupled to the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer, such that electrical current from the current source selectively energizes the shape-memory wire and the conductive polymer thereby transitioning the conductive polymer to the flexible state and moving the at least one flap between a closed position and an open position, wherein transitioning the conductive polymer to the flexible state allows the at least one flap to move between the closed position and the open position.