Stator and Carriage for a Piezoelectric Liner Motor

Abstract

A piezoelectric linear motor apparatus and method is provided. The apparatus comprises a carriage configured to be actuated and a stator configured to actuate the carriage. The stator comprises a meander line structure and a gear teeth structure, coupled to the top of the meander line structure and a contact layer underneath the carriage. Furthermore, the meander line structure comprises a series of bimorph actuators laid linearly in the meander line structure. Each pair of neighboring bimorph actuators being linked with a corresponding connector on both sides of top and bottom. The meander line structure also comprises an odd series of connectors and an even series of connectors, interleaved with each individual connector, applied with phase-splitter's alternating current (AC) power to deform the bimorph actuators for generating traveling wave. The gear teeth structure is configured to transport traveling wave from the meander line structure to the carriage.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of the present invention, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1A illustrates the configuration of a linear motor of one embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 1B illustrates the configuration of a stator of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates the configuration of a series of bimorph actuators laid linearly in the meander line structure;

FIG. 3 illustrates the bimorph as a cantilever beam of another embodiment in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates the equal bent-up and bent-down effect; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the wave transmission to the carriage.

Claims

1. A piezoelectric linear motor apparatus, comprising: a carriage configured to be actuated; anda stator configured to actuate the carriage, comprising: a meander line structure comprising: a series of bimorph actuators laid linearly in the meander line structure, wherein each pair of neighboring bimorph actuators being linked with a corresponding connector on both sides of top and bottom; andan odd series of connectors and an even series of connectors, composed of all of said corresponding connectors and interleaved with each individual connector, applied with phase-splitter's alternating current (AC) power to deform the bimorph actuators for generating traveling wave; anda gear teeth structure, coupled to the top of the meander line structure and a contact layer underneath the carriage, for transporting traveling wave from the meander line structure to the carriage.

2. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the gear teeth structure is made of elastic metal.

3. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the bimorph actuator further comprising a piece of metal attached by two pieces of piezoelectric ceramics on either side of the piece of metal.

4. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 1, wherein the twist angles generated by the odd and even bimorph actuators are approximately equivalent but opposite.

5. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plane in connection with the above gear teeth structure keeps flat approximately since the equal bent-up and bent-down effect for the neighboring bimorph actuators and connector underneath the plane.

6. A piezoelectric linear motor apparatus, comprising: a stator, comprising: a meander line structure comprising: a series of bimorph actuators laid linearly in the meander line structure, wherein each pair of neighboring bimorph actuators being linked with a corresponding connector on both sides of top and bottom; andan odd series of connectors and an even series of connectors, composed of all of said corresponding connectors and interleaved with each individual connector.

7. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, wherein said odd series of connectors and said even series of connectors are applied with phase-splitter's alternating current (AC) power to deform the bimorph actuators for generating traveling wave.

8. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, further comprising: a carriage configured to be actuated by said stator; wherein said stator configured further comprises a gear teeth structure, coupled to the top of the meander line structure and a contact layer underneath the carriage, for transporting traveling wave from the meander line structure to the carriage.

9. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the gear teeth structure is made of elastic metal.

10. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the bimorph actuator further comprising a piece of metal attached by two pieces of piezoelectric ceramics on either side of the piece of metal.

11. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, wherein the twist angles generated by the odd and even bimorph actuators are approximately equivalent but opposite.

12. The piezoelectric linear motor apparatus of claim 6, wherein a plane in connection with the above gear teeth structure keeps flat approximately since the equal bent-up and bent-down effect for the neighboring bimorph actuators and connector underneath the plane.

13. A method for actuating a carriage, comprising: providing a meander line structure coupled to a gear teeth structure underneath the carriage, wherein the meander line structure further comprising a series of bimorph actuators laid linearly in the meander line structure, wherein each pair of neighboring bimorph actuators being linked with a corresponding connector on both sides of top and bottom; and an odd series of connectors and an even series of connectors, composed of all of said corresponding connectors and interleaved with each individual connector;deforming the bimorph actuators by applying phase-splitter's alternating current (AC) power to the odd and the even series of connectors;transporting traveling waves, generated by the deforming, to the carriage via the gear teeth structure.

14. The method for actuating a carriage of claim 13, wherein the gear teeth structure is made of elastic metal.

15. The method for actuating a carriage of claim 13, wherein the bimorph actuator further comprising a piece of metal attached by two pieces of piezoelectric ceramics on either side of the piece of metal.

16. The method for actuating a carriage of claim 13, wherein the twist angles generated by the odd and even bimorph actuators are approximately equivalent but opposite.