A FLEXIBLE PIEZOELECTRIC MOTOR BASED ON AN ACOUSTIC FIBER FOR ECHOGRAPHIC ENDOSCOPIC PROBES

摘要

In this work, a flexible, long (500 mm) and thin (diameter 0.8 mm) steel wire capable to transfer mechanical power from the stator of a piezoelectric motor to the rotor is presented. We experimentally demonstrate that the steel wire, acting as a waveguide and here called "acoustic fiber" by optical analogy, can transfer a good mechanical power (max. torque 1.4X10~(-5) Nm, max. rotational velocity 3200 rpm) with unique property of high flexibility. The fiber is well suited for a variety of different applications in which the source of the mechanical power must be at a distance from the load. In particular, it is well suited to drive the transducer in endoscopic echographic probes for medical imaging purpose. The vibrational mechanical power can be transformed in torque very near to the application point, avoiding unwanted mechanical oscillations of the probe transducer.