Power Electronics Design Choice for Piezoelectric Microrobots

Steltz, E.; Seeman, Michael D.; Avadhanula, S.; Fearing, Ronald S.

doi:10.1109/iros.2006.281897

Cited by 87 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…Efficiency numbers are in agreement with previous results for hybrid converters [3], and about 10-15% lower than previous results for autotransformer boost converters for a comparable output power range [24]. This reduction is attributed to increased losses in the transformer due to miniaturization, and can be mitigated through better core design and winding technique.…”

Section: ) Experimental Realizationsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…7, has been considered previously for piezoelectric microrobots [3] and electrostatic MEMS devices [23]. Operating in a regime of high efficiency, the boost converter stage provides a moderate boost to the input voltage, while its pulsed output naturally charges up the capacitor ladder through the diodes.…”

Section: ) Hybrid Voltage Multipliermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A simple push-pull driver, such as the one described in [3], can produce a unipolar square wave voltage across the load. High-voltage MOSFETs and bipolar transistors are available in SOT-363 and SOT-23 packages in dual configurations, suggesting that a two-channel driver could be implemented using components weighing as little as 20mg, not including the board.…”

Section: ) Driving Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

“…When the characteristic dimension of the robot falls below 1mm, conventional actuators, such as electromagnetic motors, begin to see a considerable reduction in efficiency and power density due to an increased dominance of surface effects [3]. A number of alternative methods, such as piezoelectric [1] or thermal [4] actuators, have been suggested for small-scale flying robots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A review of actuation and power electronics options for flapping-wing robotic insects

Karpelson

Wei

Wood

2008

2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

133

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Abstract-Flapping-wing robotic insects require actuators with high power densities at centimeter to micrometer scales. Due to the low weight budget, the selection and design of the actuation mechanism needs to be considered in parallel with the design of the power electronics required to drive it. This paper explores the design space of flapping-wing microrobots weighing 1g and under by determining mechanical requirements for the actuation mechanism, analyzing potential actuation technologies, and discussing the design and realization of the required power electronics. Promising combinations of actuators and power circuits are identified and used to estimate microrobot performance.

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Section: ) Experimental Realizationsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: ) Hybrid Voltage Multipliermentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: ) Driving Stagementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

A review of actuation and power electronics options for flapping-wing robotic insects

Karpelson

Wei

Wood

2008

2008 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation

133

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“…In order for piezoelectric actuators to run in a reasonably efficient way, we must run the DUT as if it was driving a load at resonance [12]. In order to do so, the Driver actuator in the dynamometer must simulate various stiffnesses and masses, in addition to acting as a desired damping value.…”

Section: Dynamometer Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamometer power output measurements of piezoelectric actuators

Steltz

Fearing

2007

2007 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems

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Abstract-Piezoelectric bending actuators are an attractive option for driving microrobots due to their light weight, scalability, ease of integration and high bandwidth. However, the only existing energy or power output measurements for piezoelectric bending actuators have been extrapolated from DC values or unloaded AC values and are most likely overestimates. For microrobot applications such as flapping flight, accurate measures of power density are critical. In this work, to properly measure the energy output of a 10mg piezoelectric actuator, a custom dynamometer is designed and constructed to directly measure the power output at various frequencies and conditions. The dynamometer can simulate a pure resistive load at resonant frequencies from 1 to 100Hz. Due to low internal damping and fracture limits, actuators cannot be run in the matched condition at high fields (> 1 V/µm). Using the device, energy output per cycle at 1.6 V/µm was measured to be a maximum of 19.1 µJ/cycle (232 µm amplitude, 30Hz), giving a delivered energy density per cycle of 1.89J/kg. Internal actuator damping was measured at 1 V/µm to account for an energy loss of only 0.21µJ per cycle (232 µm amplitude, 30Hz).

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Untethered Flight of a 270 mg Microrobot Powered by Onboard Energy

Yun

Zhang

Zhu

et al. 2023

Advanced Intelligent Systems

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It is challenging for microrobots to fly using onboard energy due to the relatively heavy power supplies and inefficient actuators that are limited to a small size (mass less than 1000 mg and wingspan less than 100 mm). Inspired by the movement of jellyfish in nature (Physophora hydrostatica), herein, a microscale aerial vehicle FlyJelly is introduced, powered by onboard energy to achieve untethered flight. FlyJelly uses a balloon filled with helium to overcome self‐gravity and an actuator powered by electrostatic power to generate thrust. The balloon, heat sealed with two gold‐covered Mylar films, weighs 95.56 mg, provides 257.9 mg of buoyancy when filled with helium, and stores 19.457 × 10−3 J of energy when powered by 2400 V of direct current. The electrostatic actuator is composed of multiflapping units arranged radially and symmetrically, consuming only 0.3370 mW of power but generating a thrust of 0.2271 mN to drive the vehicle for flight. Benefiting from a design of distributed propulsion, FlyJelly is highly reliable and continues to work well even after the actuator is damaged. The milligram‐level weight, untethered flight with onboard energy, and high reliability make the prototype suitable for development as a long‐term remote exploration and search‐and‐rescue mission.

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Power Electronics Design Choice for Piezoelectric Microrobots

Cited by 87 publications

References 15 publications

A review of actuation and power electronics options for flapping-wing robotic insects

A review of actuation and power electronics options for flapping-wing robotic insects

Dynamometer power output measurements of piezoelectric actuators

Untethered Flight of a 270 mg Microrobot Powered by Onboard Energy

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