Ultrasonic linear actuator using coupled vibration.

Abstract

Recently many researches and developments have been intensively made on ultrasonic actuators, because of their merits such as compactness, simple structure, and high responsewith controllability. For the realization of ultrasonic actuator, the edge of actuator with elliptic or oblique locus is needed. Recently, the authors have devised a new driving principle of ultrasonic actuator. By this principle, the coupled vibration of longitudinal vibration and flexural vibration excited by non-linear joint of the bars. According to the devised principle, a vibrator was manufactured using multi-layered piezoelectric actuators and aluminum bars. By the LDV method, the vibration locus of the vibrator edge was confirmed to be elliptic. The operation characteristics of the ultrasonic linear actuator was measured as ca. 30 cm/s at the driving voltage of 15 V.