Design of a hybrid transducer type ultrasonic motor

The authors present a design method for a hybrid transducer-type ultrasonic motor (HTUSM) for practical use. They introduce a simple equivalent circuit that expresses the unique operation mechanism of the hybrid transducer-type motor. A numerical simulation based on the model enables them to predict the motor characteristics such as the maximum torque and the no-load revolution speed. In addition, for the purpose of efficient design and physical interpretation of the phenomena, they discuss analytically the maximum torque of a special case and develop two design charts for the prediction of the no-load speed of the motor.     

Force transfer model and characteristics of hybrid transducer type ultrasonic motors

The characteristics of longitudinal-torsional hybrid transducer-type ultrasonic motors (HTUSM) are low speed and high torque. The discontinuous-surface-contact mode between the stator and the rotor is different from the many-point-contact mode of traveling wave motors, which is also an essential cause for high torque. Therefore, it is important to analyze its force transfer model between the rotor and the stator. In this paper, issues of using the method of equivalent circuit model are addressed. The relationships between the contact angle, preload, and physical parameters of frictional materials are given, according to the impulse conservation law axially. The equations describing output torque, amplitudes of longitudinal and torsional vibration, and parameters of the rotor are derived according to the principle that the work done by the load is equal to that by the driving force in one vibrating cycle. All factors that influence the mechanical characteristics are analyzed, and accuracy and suitability of the force transfer model are verified by comparison with the prototype motor. The formula for transfer efficiency on the stator/rotor interface is given, and the low-efficiency of this type motor is explained. The wide-working frequency range property of this type motor is shown with experimental results. Based on this study, the parameters of the rotor and preload are determined. The maximum torque of the prototype motor is up to 13.2 nm, and no-load speed of this type of motor is 12.5 rpm.     

An estimation of load characteristics of an ultrasonic motor by measuring transient responses

To measure the characteristics of ultrasonic motors, such as the maximum torque, torque-speed relationship and the frictional coefficient at the contact surface, a method in which the torque is calculated from the transient responses is proposed. The rise curve that is the transitional change in the rotor speed soon after turning on the motor gives the load characteristics, while the fall curve that is the decay of the rotor speed after turning off the motor yields the frictional coefficient of the contact surface. This method requires only a short time (the transient time of the motor) to complete the measurement. The relations between the transient responses, the load characteristics and the frictional force are analyzed, and the method is applied to a hybrid transducer type rotary motor and a traveling wave type linear motor.     

Piezoelectric ultrasonic motor using longitudinal-torsional composite resonance vibration

A piezoelectric ultrasonic motor, which uses longitudinal and torsional composite vibration, is examined in order to obtain high torque characteristics with small diameter. Piezoelectric ceramic elements, oscillating in both longitudinal and torsional modes, respectively, are used as piezoelectric stiffened modes having high electromechanical coupling factors k(33) and k(15), respectively. It is found that the resonant frequencies for longitudinal mode and torsional mode could coincide with each other in the ultrasonic motor, according to finite element method analysis and experimental measurement. The motor operating in both resonant vibrations indicated good performance. The 20-mm diameter motor exhibited 4 kgfcm maximum torque, 450 r/min maximum rotational speed, 40% maximum efficiency, and quick responsiveness, within 2.5 ms.     

New type of piezoelectric ultrasonic motor

The authors describe a newly developed motor concept which allows a bidirectional piezoelectric ultrasonic motor to be operated with only a single voltage feed and thus only one power amplifier. The motor concept is based on the superposition of a longitudinal and a flexural oscillation of a rod-shaped resonator. In a way analogous to the generation of a Lissajous figure, this superposition produces a rotary movement of the resonator end by means of which a rotor is directly driven. By selecting the relative phase of the electrical stimulations of both modes, the speed can be continuously varied in both directions. The motor can be driven in both right and left directions with speeds of 0 to 300 r/min, and a freewheeling state can be set up by means of a suitable phase between the oscillation modes. In the off state, the motor blocks the motion.     

A cylindrical micro ultrasonic motor using PZT thin film deposited by single process hydrothermal method (phi2.4 mm, L=10 mm stator transducer)

A micro ultrasonic motor using PZT (lead zirconate titanate) thin film has been improved by a single process hydrothermal method. The hydrothermal method is a unique method for depositing PZT thin film in a solution. An earlier reported hydrothermal method consisted of two linked processes. Our new method, however, has only a single process. Hence, less distribution of chemical components of the PZT film contributes to a higher efficiency of the stator transducer. The piezoelectric factor d(31) was -30 pC/N for this new method, which is six times larger than that of the previous method. The output torque of the micro ultrasonic motor fabricated by the single process hydrothermal method was measured. The output torque was 7.0 muNm, and the maximum revolution speed was 880 rpm at 15 Vp-p driving voltage.     

Improvement of the longitudinal vibration system for the hybrid transducer ultrasonic motor

This paper presents a symmetric hybrid transducer ultrasonic motor designed to produce large longitudinal vibration stress in the rotor/stator contact interface for high-torque operation. The nodal plane of the longitudinal vibration mode was adjusted to match the rotor/stator contact interface, and the piezoelectric ceramic disks for the longitudinal vibration were installed at the nodal plane of the longitudinal vibration mode for effective excitation. An experimental motor, 20 mm in diameter, using the first torsional vibration mode and the second longitudinal vibration mode was manufactured. A maximum torque of 0.8 N.m was achieved in the prototype, an improvement over previous versions.     

Hybrid transducer type ultrasonic motor

A type of ultrasonic motor whose stator is composed of a torsional vibrator and multilayered piezoelectric actuators is proposed and has been fabricated for trial. The stator is operated at the resonance frequency of the torsional vibration. The vibrator generates the mechanical output force and the actuators control the frictional force. The construction provides for arbitrary Lissajous's figures at the contacting surface and contributes to large mechanical output power with high efficiency and bidirectional motion. It also gives greater freedom of design. The prototype motor produced a maximum torque of 7 kg-cm and a maximum efficiency of 33%     

Longitudinal-bending mode micromotor using multilayer piezoelectric actuator

Longitudinal-bending mode ultrasonic motors with a diameter of 3 mm were fabricated using stacked multilayer piezoelectric actuators, which were self-developed from hard lead zirconate titanate (PZT) ceramic. A bending vibration was converted from a longitudinal vibration with a longitudinal-bending coupler. The motors could be bidirectionally operated by changing driving frequency. Their starting and braking torque were analyzed based on the transient velocity response. With a load of moment of inertia 2.5 x 10(-7) kgm2, the motor showed a maximum starting torque of 127.5 microNm. The braking torque proved to be a constant independent on the motor's driving conditions and was roughly equivalent to the maximum starting torque achievable with our micromotors.     

二自由度行波型超声波电机定子的数学模型与实验研究

二自由度行波型超声波电机是一种新型多自由度超声波电机。本文从二自由度行波型超声波电机的驱动机理和基本结构出发,就电机的结构实现、驱动球转子的最佳定子结构进行了分析,利用所建立的有限元模型进行定子振动的模态分析和共振频率计算,提出了外缘大倾角内缘线接触的行波定子。然后建立定子的接触模型,对其机械性能进行分析。测试结果表明,修正的数学模型更加符合电机的实际运行特性。所研制样机的球转子直径为45mm,定子直径为30mm,实现的堵转力矩为120mNm,空转转速12r/min。本文工作为多自由度行波型超声波电机的优化设计、性能提高奠定了基础。     

Development of a radial-torsional vibration hybrid type ultrasonic motor with a hollow and short cylindrical structure

A longitudinal-torsional hybrid-type ultrasonic motor has larger torque and lower revolution speed compared with other kinds of ultrasonic motors. It drives devices directly and precisely, so it is adaptable to many fields, especially aeronautics and astronautics, as a servo actuator. Due to the different sound propagation speeds of longitudinal and torsional vibrations in the stator, it is difficult to match resonant frequencies of longitudinal and torsional vibrations. In this paper, a new radial-torsional vibration hybrid-type ultrasonic motor is put forward, which utilizes longitudinal vibration derived from radial vibration by the Poisson effect. The short, hollow cylindrical structure easily makes resonant frequencies of first-order radial and torsional vibrations into degeneracy. First, the new structure of the motor is presented. Second, the principle of matching the resonant frequencies is developed, and the motor geometry is optimized by ANSYS software. Finally, a 60-mm diameter prototype is fabricated, which performs well. The no-load velocity and maximum torque are 25 r/min and 5 N·m, respectively. This kind of motor is small, light, and noiseless.     

A rotary ultrasonic motor using bending vibration transducers

A rotary ultrasonic motor using bending vibration transducers is proposed. In each transducer, two orthogonal bending vibrations are superimposed and an elliptical trajectory is generated at the driving foot. Typical output of the prototype is a no-load speed of 58 rpm and maximum torque of 9·5 Nm under an exciting voltage of 200 V(rms).     

Same phase drive-type ultrasonic motors using two degenerate bending vibration modes of a disk

Same-phase drive-type ultrasonic motors, using two degenerate bending vibration modes of a disk, are presented. The distinctive feature of the motor is in using the standing wave modes. The motor is not driven by two input signals with different phases, but by input signals with the same phase. Therefore, only one amplifier is sufficient to drive the motor. The experimental results have proved that the motor can yield stable operational characteristics at low speed and high torque.     

Novel method for driving the ultrasonic motor

This paper reports a novel driving method for an annular plate-type ultrasonic motor. Instead of the direct current/alternating current (DC/AC) converter type driver using a conventional electromagnetic transformer, a compact disc-type piezoelectric transformer is used to obtain a high voltage output for driving the ultrasonic motor. The piezoelectric transformer is operated in the radial vibration mode at resonance frequency close to the resonance frequency of the ultrasonic motor. Later, it was found that the piezoelectric transformer could drive the ultrasonic motor, even if their resonance frequencies are not exactly the same by incorporating a matching network in the circuit. The maximum speed of the ultrasonic motor obtained by using this driving method is over 300 rpm. It is believed that the results of this study will have impact on the integration and miniaturization of the ultrasonic motor and its driving circuit.     

A high-power traveling wave ultrasonic motor

In the present work, a traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUSM) is proposed. It is composed of an annular-shaped stator and two cone-shaped rotors that are pressed in contact to the borders of the inner surface of the stator. A rotating traveling wave has been generated in the stator by using as vibration generators two bolted Langevin transducers (BLT) opportunely shifted in space and in time. The vibrational behavior of the stator as well as the traveling wave generation has been simulated with the finite-element method (FEM) software. A prototype of the motor has been manufactured and experimentally characterized. It exhibits a static torque of about 0.8 N x m and a maximum angular speed of about 300 rpm. Possible variations of the present design aimed to increase output torque or minimize encumbrance are described and discussed.     

大力矩径向驻波型超声波电机有限元分析与实验研究

提出了一种大力矩径向驻波型超声波电机,在实现电机大力矩输出的同时保持结构紧凑的特点。首先设计并分析了电机的结构和工作原理,采用有限元法分析了电机定子的振动特性。接着制作了超声波电机样机,样机直径为32 mm。采用激光测振仪测量了定子的共振频率及径向振动的振幅,测量结果与理论分析结果相吻合。最后,搭建了电机输出特性测试平台,测量了电机在不同电压下的转矩-转速特性。实验测试结果显示,定子工作模态的共振频率为73.3 kHz,当施加的电压幅值为100 V、频率为74 kHz时,电机的空载转速为45 r/min,堵转力矩达到0.41 N·m。与其他同尺寸的超声波电机相比,所提出的径向驻波型超声波电机具有更大的堵转力矩。     

A torque estimator for a traveling wave ultrasonic motor--application to an active claw

Depending on its electrical-to-mechanical energy conversion process, the torque on a traveling wave ultrasonic motor (TWUM)'s shaft is not directly proportional to a measurable electrical variable, such as current or voltage. But it is derived from a complicated process at the stator/rotor interface. The load torque is thus quite unknown, and this can be a disadvantage in applications in which a torque limitation is required or a torque measurement is needed. The aim of this article is to come up with a straightforward torque estimator on a TWUM. For that purpose, the motor is modeled; this modeling leads to different estimator strategies. More specifically, we chose a strategy for which a speed sensor is useless, relying only on the stator's resonant behavior. The parameters of the motor needed for the estimator are measured afterward, and some nonlinearities are identified and taken into account. Several experimental trials then are carried out to check the performance of the estimator. A claw actuated by a TWUM is presented because this is a typical application in which the knowledge of the torque helps guarantee the safety of the device.     

多自由度超声波电机的研究进展和展望

超声波电机具有低速大力矩、响应快、分辨率高和抗电磁干扰等优点,能直接驱动,使其在机器人、工业仪器仪表、安防等领域有着广阔的应用前景。多自由度是超声波电机研究领域的前沿课题。本文分类探讨了近年来出现的几种多自由度超声电机的结构、机理、性能及其特点,给出了一些具有代表性的实例,总结了多自由度超声波电机的主要研究成果和应用状况,对多自由度超声波电机的今后研究重点和发展方向提出了建议。     

Modeling of a mode conversion ultrasonic motor in the regime of slip

A simple mechanical model of a mode conversion ultrasonic motor is suggested. It is revealed that the vibrational motion of the beam's tip is transformed into a unidirectional rotation of a rotor, owing to the dependence of the magnitude of the frictional force on the direction of slip. The model developed enables one to investigate the behavior of the motor in transient, periodic and steady-state modes of operation and to study the influence of the motor's parameters on the maximum torque, velocity of revolution, efficiency etc.     

Design and implementation of spherical ultrasonic motor

We present a mechanical design and implementation of spherical ultrasonic motor (SUSM) that is an actuator with multiple rotational degrees of freedom (multi-DOF). The motor is constructed of 3 annular stators and a spherical rotor and is much smaller and simpler than conventional multi-DOF mechanisms such as gimbals using servomotors. We designed a novel SUSM using experimental data from a single annular stator and a finite element method. The SUSM using a spherical rotor of diameter 20 mm without any reduction gear has demonstrated advantages of high responsiveness, good accuracy, and high torque at low speed. The dynamic implementation of SUSM was consistent with the driving model of SUSM based on a friction drive.