Piezoelectric Stack Grooves for Precise Multi-Directional Bending
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piezoelectric actuators face limitations in achieving high precision and efficient deformation due to inactive areas that obstruct bending, leading to reduced deformation capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A piezoelectric element design with internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers stacked alternately, featuring grooves on the upper or lower surfaces to reduce inactive areas, along with chamfered corners and arched electrode ends to enhance deformation, allowing controlled bending in multiple directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a rectangular prism stack structure is used with internal electrodes and piezoelectric layers, then the device achieves multi-directional bending capability, but inactive areas on the surfaces obstruct bending and reduce deformation precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes material from the stack surfaces to create grooves and chamfered corners, eliminating the inactive areas that obstruct bending. By extracting material from these specific locations, the design allows the bending action to extend fully to the edges of the stack, thereby improving deformation precision while maintaining multi-directional capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces grooves that extend in the longitudinal direction and chamfered corners that create inclined surfaces, adding dimensional complexity to the otherwise simple rectangular prism. These dimensional modifications create active bending zones that enable precise control of deformation in multiple directions without the obstruction of inactive surface areas
2Manufacturing precision
If grooves are added to the stack surfaces to reduce inactive areas, then deformation precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stack surface is segmented into active and inactive regions through the introduction of grooves and chamfered corners. The grooves divide the surface along the longitudinal direction, creating distinct zones that guide the bending action. This segmentation allows precise control of deformation while keeping the overall structure relatively simple through systematic division of the surface geometry
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
The design increases the degree of deformation and precision by minimizing inactive areas, enabling controlled bending in both width and stacking directions with improved efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a piezoelectric element includes a stack including a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of piezoelectric layers alternately stacked on one another... a first electrode that applies a voltage to the plurality of piezoelectric layers to cause the stack to bend
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A piezoelectric element includes a stack including a plurality of internal electrodes and a plurality of piezoelectric layers stacked on one another, and a surface electrode located on a side surface of the stack and electrically connected to the plurality of internal electrodes. The stack includes the piezoelectric layers being stacked and the internal electrodes each between adjacent piezoelectric layers. The internal electrodes include a first electrode that applies a voltage to the piezoelectric layers to cause the stack to bend in a first direction (X-direction) orthogonal to a longitudinal direction (Z-direction) of the stack, and a second electrode that applies a voltage to the piezoelectric layers to cause the stack to bend in a second direction (Y-direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction and to the first direction. The stack includes a groove extending in the longitudinal direction on an upper surface of the stack.