A piezoelectric in-pipe micro robot actuated by impact drive mechanism

Abstract

A piezoelectric in-pipe micro robot with bimorph structure and actuated by the Impact Drive Mechanism(IDM)theory is presented in this paper.The basic structure of this actuator is composed of two piezoelectric bimorph sheets and an inertia mass connected in series.While operating,the deflection of the two piezoelectric bimorph sheets is translated into linear movement by the IDM to complete the system actuation.As the essence of the IDM theory,the relationship between the inertia impact force generated by the deflection of the bimorph sheets and the friction between moving body and pipe inwall is analyzed theoretically.Then,the dynamic performance of the system is simulated both by MATLAB and by ANSYS.The results show that the step displacement could be minified to 0.15 μm,and the proposed actuator is higher accurate and higher efficient for medical and industrial applications.