Abstract
The number of studies on microgrippers has increased consistently in the past decade, among them the numeric simulations and material characterization are quite common, while the metrological issues related to their performance testing are not well investigated yet. To add some contribution in this field, an image analysis-based method for microgrippers displacement measurement and testing is proposed here: images of a microgripper prototype supplied with different voltages are acquired by an optical system (i.e., a 3D optical profilometer) and processed through in-house software. With the aim to assess the quality of the results a systematic approach is proposed for determining and quantifying the main error sources and applied to the uncertainty estimation in angular displacement measurements of the microgripper comb-drives. A preliminary uncertainty evaluation of the in-house software is provided by a Monte Carlo Simulation and its contribution added to that of the other error sources, giving an estimation of the relative uncertainty up to 3.6% at 95% confidence level for voltages from 10 V to 28 V. Moreover, the measurements on the prototype device highlighted a stable behavior in the voltage range from 0 V to 28 V with a maximum rotation of 1.3° at 28 V, which is lower than in previous studies, likely due to differences in system configuration, model, and material. Anyway, the proposed approach is suitable also for different optical systems (i.e., trinocular microscopes).
Highlights
Microgrippers are MEMS technology-based devices, able to manipulate objects with dimensions of the order of 10−6 m
An experimental setup has been developed and the main sources of error have been evaluated to estimate the measurement uncertainty in angular displacements of the microgripper Comb-Drive depending on the applied voltage
The results showed a stable behavior of the Comb-Drive with angular displacement lower than in other works, that was likely due to the different MEMS configuration and model, as the different materials and configuration could imply a different elastic resistance in the hinges evolving in different angular displacement
Summary
Microgrippers are MEMS technology-based devices, able to manipulate objects with dimensions of the order of 10−6 m. The microgrippers under study in this article are made up of flexible beams, and the mechanism that allows the movement of these devices is based on a particular and innovative hinge, called a conjugate surface flexure hinge (CSFH), which can be built as a monolithic body and integrated into any mechanical structure of a MEMS. These devices are actuated by innovative capacitive rotary comb-drives that can generate a torque when driven by an applied voltage (Figure 1). To validate the Actuators 2018, 7, 64; doi:10.3390/act7040064 www.mdpi.com/journal/actuators
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