Design of a flexible drive circuit for piezoelectric actuators

Abstract

Piezoelectric actuators have a broader prospect than conventional actuators (such as DC motors) in the field of micro robot drive due to its high efficiency and high power density. However, considering the electric design, there are two main challenges of the piezoelectric actuators for the microrobot applications: generating high voltage from low-voltage power supplies and recovering unused energy from piezoelectric actuators. It is difficult for traditional drive circuits to solve these problems under the premise of miniaturization. In this paper, a highly efficient piezoelectric actuator drive circuit topology is proposed to satisfy the mass and power requirements. Meanwhile, we present the electrical characteristics and drive requirements of piezoelectric actuators, the design and optimization of the drive circuit topology, the appropriate control methods of the drive circuit, and the manufacturing method of the flexible circuit.