A Piezoelectric-Driven Linear Actuator by Means of Coupling Motion

A piezoelectric-driven actuator based on coupling motion has been proposed and tested to achieve a large linear working stroke with high resolution. “Z-shaped” flexure hinges are exploited for the symmetric flexure hinge mechanism to reduce the structural stress. Coupling motion is obtained by placing this symmetric flexure hinge mechanism with an angle of $\theta =20^\circ $ to the slider. Experimental results indicate that linear motion with a large working stroke is effectively obtained by this coupling motion; the maximum motion speed is $V_{s}=$ 6057 μm/s and the maximum output force is $F_{g}=$ 350 g. Additionally, the influences of input frequency $f$ and input voltage $U_{e}$ are investigated, and the system kinetic model is established to better analyze the performance of this designed piezoelectric-driven linear actuator.