A Micropump Sucker Using a Piezo-Driven Flexible Mechanism

Abstract

A micropump sucker employs a gas film micropump to produce a negative pressure adhesion in a suction cup. In this study, a piezo-driven flexible actuator was developed based on a bridge-type mechanism as a vibrator for such a micropump film. The model of the flexible actuator under an external load is built based on an elastic model, and the displacement, driving force, and work efficiency are formulated in terms of the external loads, materials, and geometric parameters. The finite element method was used to verify this analytical model. An increase in the compliance of flexure hinges was found to improve the performances of the flexible actuator. The Young’s modulus of materials decides force performances and the effects of external loads. Based on the elastic analysis, the proposed flexible mechanism, made of silicon, was optimized to realize optimal output displacement in a compact size and employed in the prototype of a micropump sucker with a weight of 1.3 g that produced a maximum negative pressure of 2.45 kPa. It can hold on a weight of 1.4 g. When the inlet of the proposed sucker is open, it has the maximum flow rate of 4 ml/min.