Piezoelectric Actuator Positioning Between Guide Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional piezoelectric driving devices experience tilting issues due to the placement of piezoelectric actuators outside the guide rails, leading to instability in the movement of driven members.
Innovation Solution
A piezoelectric driving device design where the piezoelectric actuator is positioned between the guide rails or their extended lines, allowing for efficient force transmission and reducing tilting by centering the pressing force within the region between sliders, thereby stabilizing the relative movement of members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the piezoelectric actuator is disposed outside the region between the two guide rails, then the actuator can be installed without interfering with the guide mechanism, but a moment about the guide rail is applied to the mobile body causing it to tilt
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the actuator outside the guide rails as in conventional designs, the patent inverts this arrangement by positioning the piezoelectric actuator between the guide rails. This inversion eliminates the moment arm that causes tilting while maintaining effective force transmission for moving the mobile body along the guide rails.
2Power
If the piezoelectric actuator is pressed toward the mobile body, then the driving force is transmitted to the mobile body, but the mobile body tilts due to the moment about the guide rail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by positioning the actuator at a specific location between the guide rails where the pressing force is applied. This localized positioning ensures that the force transmission path is optimized while eliminating the harmful moment that causes tilting, achieving both effective power transmission and attitude stability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enhances the stability and accuracy of member movement, allowing for precise operation in devices like electronic-component-transporting systems, robots, projectors, and printers by minimizing tilting and increasing the degree of freedom in actuator installation.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric actuator that vibrates a vibration body with a piezoelectric element
Data Source
AI summary
A piezoelectric device includes a first member, a second member, a guide mechanism that guides the second member relative to the first member in a first direction, and a piezoelectric actuator that moves the second member relative to the first member in the first direction, the guide mechanism including a first rail and a second rail spaced apart from the first rail in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the piezoelectric actuator, when viewed from a third direction orthogonal to both the first direction and the second direction, being disposed between the first rail or an extended line obtained by extending the first rail in the first direction and the second rail or an extended line obtained by extending the second rail in the first direction.