Parametric system-level models for position-control of novel electromagnetic free flight microactuator

Abstract

This work investigates a new type of microactuator for optical applications and a new type of assembly that incorporates free flight phases to overcome the lack of ball bearings in microsystems. Presented design employs electromagnets to manipulate the flying object, conceived as a freely moving micromirror without any limitation of the maximum deflection angle. A fast and precise system-level model enables the micromirror's vertical position-control, thus achieving the desired accuracy for optical applications. This paper evaluates the performance of three system-level models based on magnetostatic finite element simulations. These are a lookup table, a semi-analytical compact model and a parametric reduced order model constructed by matrix interpolation method. All system-level models compete in computational time and accuracy, achieving an excellent match to the reference solution. Finally, an application within a control loop demonstrates their feasibility.