Linear Displacement of a Miniature Robot Using On/Off Controlled Piezoelectric Elements

摘要

A linear displacement miniature robot, which is driven by on/off controlled piezoelectric elements (piezos), is described. Since the piezos are controlled by on/off signals, the control circuit can be simple. The robot consists of three piezos, which are glued in an equilateral triangle shape. The dimension of the robot is about 3cm and the weight is about 40 g. Two of the three piezos are extended or contracted simultaneously. The step displacement is measured by an optical displacement sensor. Measured displacements in different directions differ from one another. The step displacements vary under experimental conditions. The linear displacements obtained by one control sequence are less than 3 μm.