The Inertially Stabilized Rifle is a new stabilized rifle system that can eliminate the disturbances induced by the shooter. Recurve actuator is used in this system to provide the precise movement of the rifle barrel. In such a portable device, only low voltage electrical sources are available yet the piezoelectric actuator needs high voltage to drive the actuator. The actuators consume little real power but a large amount of reactive power. Furthermore, the piezoelectric actuators are present an almost purely capacitive load. In this paper, we describe the development of a low input voltage amplifier for a high voltage piezoelectric actuator. This amplifier is based on switching technology so it efficiently handles the regenerative energy from the piezoelectric actuator. This amplifier consists of two stages. The first stage is a flyback converter which boosts the (low) input voltage to the maximum voltage required by the piezoelectric actuator. The second stage is a half-bridge amplifier which delivers the output voltage to the actuator as commanded by the reference signal. The basic structure of the amplifier is described, and its performance is characterized in terms of bandwidth, distortion, and efficiency.
The integrated modeling and combined optimization of a Recurve actuator and its drive circuit is considered. A finite element model for Euler-Bernoulli beams is developed with appropriate coupling interface to the drive circuit. The finite element model considers appropriate charge variation over the actuator and leads to an energy conservative formulation. The actuator model is coupled to the electric circuit model via a charge-voltage transfer function. The drive circuit is based on a half-bridge switching amplifier topology. Both actuator and circuit physical design variables are considered in the optimization formulation. The objective is to minimize the weight of the system while satisfying performance and stability constraints. The interactions and trade offs between the actuator and the drive circuit are investigated. Optimization results show clear interrelations between the design of the electric circuit and the actuator.
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