Cedrat Technologies, innovation in mechatronics

Stepping Piezoelectric Actuators (SPA) are new long-stroke linear piezoelectric motors for micro/nano positioning applications benefiting of the advantages and the heritage of the APA. SPA are formed of only 4 parts: the well-established Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators (APA), a front mass, a clamp and a rod.

Miniature Brushless DC motors (less than 5gr) offer some challenges both in the design and the manufacturing. They are used in several mass volume applications, such as hard disk drive, gyroscopes, and more recently in some unnamed aircraft vehicles (UAVs), where Cedrat is involved. For this last application, the efficiency is of upmost importance. Cedrat has used its Flux software solution to optimize the Brushless motor design: Some materials and dimensions have been changed in the motor to improve its efficiency.

Abstract: Stepping Piezoelectric Actuators (SPA) are new small long-stroke linear piezoelectric motors for micro/nano positioning applications benefiting of the advantages and the heritage of the APA. SPA is formed of only 4 parts: the well-established Amplified Piezoelectric Actuators (APA), a front mass, a clamp and a rod. SPA operates by accumulation of small steps, using inertial mode, impact forces and stick-slip effects, allowing performing long strokes (> 10mm). Main advantages induced by the choice of the APA above a usual inertial drive mechanism (IDM) are high reliability, low peak current (<0.1A), relatively high speed (> 20mm/s), useful forces (from 1N for XS to 30N for SM type) and nano positioning mode.

As part of the Lisa Technology Package (LTP) on board the LISA-PATHFINDER spacecraft, the LISAPATHFINDER interferometer is of the heterodyne Mach-Zehnder type. It requires as input two light beams derived from the same source but with a small frequency difference (a few kHz). These two optical beams are produced in the Laser Assembly (LA) via the "Laser Modulation Unit" (LMU). The LMU includes an optical bench, two Acousto-Optic Modulators and two Optical Delay Lines [1].

His fifteen years of research in electronics have enabled Frank Claeyssen to take his piezoelectric actuators to a promising industrial stage.

Novel actuation systems are driver of product innovation in aerospace industry. In aircraft industry EHA technology has been recently introduced illustrating the stream of innovation directed on improving performance, reliability as well as economy. On the far side there is the radical concept of a morphing wing which offers optimizing the aerodynamics of an aircraft considerably by shape control. Rotor Active Control utilizing piezo actuation has been proofed to be very successful for vibration and noise reduction in helicopter flight test inspiring confidence in smart structure technology.

In the aicrft vehicle, a part of the produced energy is transformed into mechanical vibration energy losses. This rue is more than ever true when the need for electrucal energy is a crucial problem. So, systems which are able to transform the mechanical energy in a scavenged electrical energy are very interesting.