Micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9941818-B2
Application number	US-201514917012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 8, 2015
Priority date	Apr 26, 2014
Publication date	Apr 10, 2018
Grant date	Apr 10, 2018

Abstract

A micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism includes a U-shaped base, bearing pedestals, bearing brackets, bearing rings, piezoelectric ceramic plates, a rotating shaft, a rotating sleeve and end caps. Every bearing ring is divided into two half-rings which are coupled to the bearing pedestals via two bearing brackets. One end of every piezoelectric ceramic plate is fixed to one bearing pedestal, and the other end thereof is coupled to one bearing ring, so that every piezoelectric ceramic plate stretches and deforms under the driving of voltage for driving the bearing ring to achieve micro motions. Two bearing driving modules are respectively symmetrically mounted at two sides of the U-shaped base, and the rotating shaft is supported on the two bearing rings, so that the stepping motion of the rotating shaft is implemented by controlling the timing sequence of clamping, release and rotation of the two bearing driving modules.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, comprising: a U-shaped base having a U-shaped opening and a rotating sleeve horizontally clamped within the U-shaped opening of the U-shaped base, wherein a rotating shaft is rotatably mounted at a central axis of the rotating sleeve, two annular seats are respectively connected with two ends of the U-shaped base and are respectively coaxially connected with two sleeve mouths of the rotating sleeve, two annular bearing pedestals are respectively mounted within the two annular seats, two bearing brackets are respectively connected with an inner annular wall of the two annular bearing pedestals along a certain radial direction, a middle portion of the two bearing brackets is disconnected and is respectively connected with two integrally annular bearing rings, each of which is formed by two half-rings, the two integrally annular bearing rings are concentric with the two annular bearing pedestals, two piezoelectric ceramic plates are respectively symmetrically located at two sides of each of the bearing brackets which is connected with every half-ring of each of the two integrally annular bearing rings, every piezoelectric ceramic plate is parallel to the bearing brackets, one end of every piezoelectric ceramic plate is connected with an inner wall of every bearing pedestal, the other end of every piezoelectric ceramic plate is connected with an end of a half-ring of a bearing ring which is connected with a corresponding bearing bracket, electrodes are respectively deposited at an inner side face of every piezoelectric ceramic plate facing to a corresponding bearing bracket and an outer side face of every piezoelectric ceramic plate away from the corresponding bearing bracket; a bearing pedestal, a bearing bracket, and a bearing ring form a bearing unit; the bearing unit and four piezoelectric ceramic plates form a bearing driving module; two ends of the rotating shaft within the rotating sleeve respectively penetrate through the two bearing rings of two bearing units within the two annular seats; the two bearing rings apply a certain pre-clamping force to the rotating shaft.

2. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , wherein two end caps are respectively engaged with an end of the two annular seats away from the rotating sleeve.

3. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , wherein every piezoelectric ceramic plate has a single layer structure or a multilayer laminated structure.

4. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , wherein every bearing unit is wholly made of stainless steel, and a surface of an inner wall of every bearing ring makes a wear-resistant treatment or is sprayed with a wear-resistant material.

5. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , wherein two ends of every piezoelectric ceramic plate are adhesively bonded with both a corresponding bearing pedestal and a corresponding bearing ring via epoxy resin adhesive or AB glue.

6. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 1 , wherein the two bearing pedestals are respectively adhesively bonded within the two annular seats via epoxy resin adhesive or AB glue, or are respectively screwed into the two annular seats via a screwing method.

7. The micro inchworm-type piezoelectric-driven rotating joint mechanism, as recited in claim 2 , wherein the two end caps are respectively adhesively bonded with an end of the two annular seats via epoxy resin adhesive or AB glue, or are respectively screwed at an end of the two annular seats via a screwing method, or are respectively snapped at an end of the two annular seats via a snap ring method.

Assignees

• Univ Hefei Technology

Inventors

• Yu Liandong
• Pan Chengliang
• Han Liling
• Deng Huaxia
• Li Weishi
• Xia Haojie
• Zhang Wei
• Lu Siying

Classifications

• H02N2/12

  Constructional details · CPC title

• H02N2/103

  by pressing one or more vibrators against the rotor · CPC title

• H02N2/101 Primary

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

• H02N2/14

  Drive circuits; Control arrangements {or methods} · CPC title