Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives

A special issue of Actuators (ISSN 2076-0825). This special issue belongs to the section "Actuator Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2021) | Viewed by 24604

Special Issue Editor

Academy Professor, Emeritus Academy Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
Interests: piezoelectric actuator; ultrasonic motor; piezo-transformer; high power piezoelectrics; loss mechanism; Pb-free piezoelectrics; piezoelectric composite; multilayer actuator; relaxor piezoelectric single crystal; piezoelectric energy harvesting; piezoelectric driver
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Regarding the industrial commercialization of “Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors”, we can point out at least the following million selling products in the past 15 years: Inkjet printer (piezoelectric) by Epson, Diesel injection valve (multilayer) by Siemens, Bosch, Denso (Peugeot, Toyota), Camera module for mobile phones (micro ultrasonic motor) by Samsung Electromechanics (Galaxy series), Piezoelectric energy harvesting device for Programable Air-Burst Munition by Micromechatronics Inc. (US Army). This Special Issue seeks contributions addressing:

  1. Novel actuator designs;
  2. Deeper modeling/simulation algorithms;
  3. Innovative piezo-actuator drive/control schemes; and
  4. Niche application areas of piezoelectric actuators

for the coming 10 year market expansion.

Prof. Dr. Kenji Uchino

Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • nobel piezoelectric actuator designs
  • ultrasonic motors
  • piezoelectric MEMS
  • piezoelectric energy harvesting
  • hybrid actuator systems based on piezoelectrics
  • deeper modeling/simulation algorithms
  • innovative piezo-actuator drive/control schemes
  • high power piezoelectrics for actuator applications
  • niche application areas of piezoelectric actuators

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 5470 KiB  
Article
Study on Multidegree-of-Freedom Ultrasonic Motor Using Vibration Mode Rotation of Metal Spherical Stator
by Ai Mizuno, Hidekazu Kajiwara, Hideki Tamura and Manabu Aoyagi
Actuators 2022, 11(1), 27; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act11010027 - 17 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2716
Abstract
Most of the multidegree-of-freedom ultrasonic motors (MDOF-USMs) use a spherical rotor, and the design of the stator is restricted due to the use of the resonance mode. (1) Therefore, there is almost impossible to freely design the overall shape, resulting in a complicated [...] Read more.
Most of the multidegree-of-freedom ultrasonic motors (MDOF-USMs) use a spherical rotor, and the design of the stator is restricted due to the use of the resonance mode. (1) Therefore, there is almost impossible to freely design the overall shape, resulting in a complicated structure. (2) To solve such an inconvenience, an MDOF-USM using a metal spherical stator was proposed. The vibration mode rotation on the stator was designed by theoretical analysis of spherical vibration and finite element method analysis. Multilayer piezoelectric actuators (MPAs) were embedded in the sphere to excite the vibration mode. Cylindrical projections were attached to the surface of the stator to magnify the vibration displacement and worked as the driving part. Their effects were evaluated using an electronic circuit simulator method of performance analysis. (3) As a result, two types of vibration mode rotation methods for the 3-DOF rotation were confirmed. It was also confirmed that the rotor covering the outside stator rotates around three axes. However, tiny torque, low power factor, and slow speed were obtained. (4) An MDOF-USM using a spherical stator was realized according to the operating principle. However, since the cause of such a low performance is the excitation method of the sphere and the rotor structure, research for improvement is required in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives)
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15 pages, 12437 KiB  
Article
Proposal of an Equal-Stiffness and Equal-Stroke 2D Micro-Positioning Platform Driven by Piezoelectric Actuators
by Feng Sun, Yansong Hao, Fangchao Xu, Junjie Jin, Qiang Li, Ling Tong, Ming Zhang and Xiaoyou Zhang
Actuators 2020, 9(3), 47; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act9030047 - 29 Jun 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3829
Abstract
Micro-positioning platform plays an important role in the field of precision positioning such as microelectronics, robotics and biomedicine. This paper proposes an equal-stiffness and equal-stroke 2D micro-positioning platform, which is driven by piezoelectric actuators. The overall structure of the 2D micro-positioning platform adopts [...] Read more.
Micro-positioning platform plays an important role in the field of precision positioning such as microelectronics, robotics and biomedicine. This paper proposes an equal-stiffness and equal-stroke 2D micro-positioning platform, which is driven by piezoelectric actuators. The overall structure of the 2D micro-positioning platform adopts a nested structure and the displacement magnification mechanism adopts two hourglass displacement magnification mechanisms. The displacement magnification ratio of the hourglass displacement magnification mechanism was studied, and its structural parameters were optimized. Static stiffness analysis and simulation analysis of the micro-positioning platform were carried out. The simulation stiffness of the micro-positioning platform in the XY direction is 46873 N/m and 46832 N/m respectively. The experimental prototype of the micro-positioning platform was built. Through the measurement experiment with the prototype, the maximum stroke of the micro-positioning platform in the XY direction is 489 μm and 493 μm respectively; the maximum coupling ratio in the XY direction is 2.38% and 2.70% respectively. The research indicates that the micro-positioning platform had the characteristics of small size, equal long stroke, equal stiffness and low coupling ratio in the XY direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives)
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Review

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29 pages, 13725 KiB  
Review
Piezoelectric Thick Film Deposition via Powder/Granule Spray in Vacuum: A Review
by Deepak Rajaram Patil, Venkateswarlu Annapureddy, J. Kaarthik, Atul Thakre, Jun Akedo and Jungho Ryu
Actuators 2020, 9(3), 59; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act9030059 - 23 Jul 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 6066
Abstract
Conventional thin-film processing techniques remain inadequate for obtaining superior dense ceramic thick films. The incompatibility of ceramic films prepared via other methods, such as screen printing, spin coating, and sputtering, is a major obstacle in the fabrication of thick film-based ceramic electronic components. [...] Read more.
Conventional thin-film processing techniques remain inadequate for obtaining superior dense ceramic thick films. The incompatibility of ceramic films prepared via other methods, such as screen printing, spin coating, and sputtering, is a major obstacle in the fabrication of thick film-based ceramic electronic components. The granule spray in vacuum (GSV) processes and aerosol deposition (AD) are important coating approaches for forming dense ceramic thick films featuring nanoscale crystallite structures at room temperature, which offer excellent material properties and facilitate cost-effective production. AD ceramic coatings require the acceleration of solid-state submicron ceramic particles via gas streams with a velocity of a few hundred meters per second, which are then wedged onto a substrate. This process is economical and particularly useful for the fabrication of piezoelectric thick film-based microactuators, energy harvesters, sensors, and optoelectronic devices. More recently, the GSV technique was improved to achieve more uniform and homogeneous film deposition after AD. This review article presents a detailed overview of the AD and GSV processes for piezoelectric thick films in terms of recent scientific and technological applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives)
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15 pages, 2852 KiB  
Review
Recent Structure Development of Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based Piezoelectric Nanogenerator for Self-Powered Sensor
by Cheoljae Lee, Hyosik Park and Ju-Hyuck Lee
Actuators 2020, 9(3), 57; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act9030057 - 22 Jul 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 6049
Abstract
As the internet of things (IoT) era approaches, various sensors, and wireless electronic devices such as smartphones, smart watches, and earphones are emerging. As the types and functions of electronics are diversified, the energy consumption of electronics increases, which causes battery charging and [...] Read more.
As the internet of things (IoT) era approaches, various sensors, and wireless electronic devices such as smartphones, smart watches, and earphones are emerging. As the types and functions of electronics are diversified, the energy consumption of electronics increases, which causes battery charging and maintenance issues. The piezoelectric nanogenerator (PENG) received great attention as an alternative to solving the energy issues of future small electronics. In particular, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) piezoelectric polymer-based PENGs are strong potential candidate with robust mechanical properties and a high piezoelectric coefficient. In this review, we summarize the recent significant advances of the development of PVDF-based PENGs for self-powered energy-harvesting systems. We discuss the piezoelectric properties of the various structures of PVDF-based PENGs such as thin film, microstructure, nanostructure, and nanocomposite. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives)
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Other

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42 pages, 8245 KiB  
Tutorial
Electrothermal Phenomena in Ferroelectrics
by Kenji Uchino
Actuators 2020, 9(4), 93; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/act9040093 - 23 Sep 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3479
Abstract
Physical properties of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) ceramics change according to the initial electric poling process and electrical boundary conditions. This paper reports the electrothermal, piezothermal, and piezoelectric coupling phenomena in ferroelectrics from thermodynamics viewpoints, in particular, thermal property differences between unpoled and poled PZT’s [...] Read more.
Physical properties of lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) ceramics change according to the initial electric poling process and electrical boundary conditions. This paper reports the electrothermal, piezothermal, and piezoelectric coupling phenomena in ferroelectrics from thermodynamics viewpoints, in particular, thermal property differences between unpoled and poled PZT’s in the poling direction for open circuit and short circuit conditions. We propose a new terminology, “secondary electrothermal” coupling factor kλ, which is analogous to the electromechanical coupling factor k, relating the elastic compliances under short- and open-circuit conditions, in order to explain the fact that the short-circuit condition exhibited the larger thermal diffusivity than the open-circuit condition. On the other hand, the unpoled specimen exhibits the lowest thermal diffusivity. This tutorial paper was authored for providing comprehensive knowledge on equilibrium and time-dependent thermodynamics in ferroelectrics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Piezoelectric Actuators and Ultrasonic Motors: Future Perspectives)
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