Compact piezoelectric inertial drive stage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11218090-B2
Application number	US-201916252276-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Jan 19, 2018
Publication date	Jan 4, 2022
Grant date	Jan 4, 2022

Abstract

Disclosed is a piezoelectric inertial drive stage including a piezoelectric inertial driver, a slider and a holder. The driver includes a mounting portion for the mounting on the holder, a friction portion coupling to the slider, a flexure portion between the mounting portion and friction portion, a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to a movement portion, the movement portion transferring the motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A piezoelectric inertial drive stage, comprising:
a holder;
a slider supported by the holder, the slider traveling on a smooth track with a travel range with respect to the holder;
a piezoelectric inertial driver coupled to the holder and operable to move the slider;
the piezoelectric inertial driver comprising:
a mounting portion to connect the piezoelectric inertial driver to the holder;
a friction portion configured to engage with the slider;
a movement portion with a first end connected to a piezoelectric element and a second end connected to the friction portion;
a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to the movement portion; and
a flexure portion with a first end connected to the mounting portion and a second end connected to the friction portion;
wherein the flexure portion further comprises a plurality of connection rods with substantially parallel connections and separated by slots;
wherein the movement portion transferring a motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

2. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , wherein an angle tolerance between any of the two rods or slots is in the range from −20 degrees to +20 degrees.

3. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , wherein a ratio between a width of a rod and a width of a slot is in the range from 0.4 to 2.5.

4. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , wherein a ratio between an individual rod's length and width is in the range from 10 to 16.

5. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , further comprising a friction portion made from wear-resistant materials or covered by wear resistant coating.

6. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , further comprising a slider partly or fully made from wear-resistant materials or covered by wear resistant coating.

7. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , further comprising:
two or more piezoelectric elements, respective first and second ends of each bonded with its own mounting and movement portions; and
one or more friction portions;
wherein the number of friction portions is independent of the number of piezoelectric elements.

8. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 6 , wherein the two or more piezoelectric elements are configured to operate cooperatively according to a predefined sequence.

9. The piezoelectric inertial drive stage of claim 1 , wherein the motion of the piezoelectric element comprises a cycle of contraction and expansion, a speed of contraction being different from a speed of expansion.

10. A piezoelectric inertial driver comprising:
a mounting portion to connect the piezoelectric inertial driver to a holder;
a friction portion configured to engage with a slider;
a movement portion with a first end connected to a piezoelectric element and a second end connected to the friction portion;
a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to the movement portion; and
a flexure portion with a first end connected to the mounting portion and a second end connected to the friction portion;
wherein the flexure portion further comprises a plurality of connection rods with substantially parallel connections and separated by slots;
wherein the movement portion transferring a motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

11. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , wherein an angle tolerance between any of the two rods or slots is in the range from −20 degrees to +20 degrees.

12. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , wherein a ratio between a width of a rod and a width of a slot is in the range from 0.4 to 2.5.

13. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , wherein a ratio between an individual rod's length and width is in the range from 10 to 16.

14. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , further comprising a friction portion made from wear-resistant materials or covered by wear resistant coating.

15. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , further comprising a slider partly or fully made from wear-resistant materials or covered by wear resistant coating.

16. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , further comprising:
two or more piezoelectric elements, respective first and second ends of each bonded with its own mounting and movement portions; and
one or more friction portions;
wherein the number of friction portions is independent of the number of piezoelectric elements.

17. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 14 , wherein the two or more piezoelectric elements are configured to operate cooperatively according to a predefined sequence.

18. The piezoelectric inertial driver of claim 10 , wherein the motion of the piezoelectric element comprises a cycle of contraction and expansion, a speed of contraction being different from a speed of expansion.

Assignees

• Thorlabs Inc

Inventors

• Gao Renlong
• Xu Guocheng
• Wu Guobiao

Classifications

• H02N2/025 Primary

  Inertial sliding motors · CPC title

• H02N2/006

  Elastic elements, e.g. springs (in general F16F1/00) · CPC title

• H02N2/101

  using intermittent driving, e.g. step motors · CPC title