Abstract
Micro underwater vehicles (MUVs) have been highlighted recently for underwater explorations because of their high maneuverability, low price, great flexibility, etc. The thrusters of most conventional MUVs are driven by electromagnetic motors, which need big mechanical transmission parts and are prone to being interrupted by the variance of ambient electromagnetic fields. In this paper, a novel dual-rotor ultrasonic motor with double output shafts, compact size, and no electromagnetic interference is presented, characterized, and applied for actuating underwater robots. This motor was composed of a spindle-shaped stator, pre-pressure modulation unit, and dual rotors, which can output two simultaneous rotations to increase the propulsion force of the MUV. The pre-pressure modulation unit utilized a torsion spring to adjust the preload at the contact faces between the stator and rotor. The working principle of the ultrasonic motor was developed and the vibration mode of the stator was analyzed by the finite element method. Experimental results show that the no-load rotary speed and stalling torque of the prototype ultrasonic motor were 110 r/min and 3 mN·m, respectively, with 150 V peak-to-peak driving voltage at resonance. One underwater robot model equipped with the proposed ultrasonic motor-powered thruster could move at 33 mm/s immersed in water. The dual-rotor ultrasonic motor proposed here provides another alternative for driving MUVs and is appropriate for developing specific MUVs when the electromagnetic interference issue needs to be considered.
Highlights
Underwater vehicles have developed rapidly in the last two decades and intelligent micro underwater vehicles (MUVs) have been emerging as an effective platform for scientists and engineers to explore oceans for environmental monitoring, animal protection, resources exploration, etc. [1,2].Concerning the propulsion force of MUVs, electromagnetic motors integrated with big mechanical transmission parts are normally selected to power the propellers
Twin propeller engines were developed to increase the power of MUVs [3,4]
Based on this dual-rotor design, one pair of propellers with opposite turning directions could be for the underwater robot
Summary
Xiaolong Lu 1, * , Zhiwen Wang 1 , Hui Shen 1 , Kangdong Zhao 1 , Tianyue Pan 1 , Dexu Kong 1 and Jens Twiefel 2. State Key Lab of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics &. Received: 24 November 2019; Accepted: 16 December 2019; Published: 19 December 2019
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.