Useful Articles and Papers
Want to learn more about piezoelectric motors, nanopositioning and
micropositioning? Here are some articles and papers that we think you'll find useful.
Have a look, and then give us a call with your questions
about the technology and its applications. We love this stuff!
Technical Paper
Autonomous Positioning System for
Implantable Hearing Aids Using Piezo Motors
Presented at Actuator 2008, Bremen, Germany, June 2008
by D. Kaltenbacher and A. Schäfer, Fraunhofer Institut für
Produktionstechnik und Automatisierung (IPA) and J. Rodriguez Jorge,
Universitätsklinikum Tübingen,
Researchers in Germany are investigating improved implantable
hearing aids using a SQUIGGLE motor.
Implantable hearing aids transmit sound waves mechanically to the
ossicular chain using an electromechancial transducer, resulting in
superior amplification and sound quality compared to classical
hearing aids.
A key performance parameter is the applied initial load of the
transducer towards the ossicular chain. Currently this load is
adjusted by the surgeon during implantation using a micrometer
screw, with limited accuracy due to the screw's relatively large
linear motion. Furthermore, no readjustment after the surgery is
possible. Therefore hearing aid performance decreases as the bone
tissue grows, causing the initial load between transducer and
ossicular chain to change.
The researchers describe an active positioning system that would
allow the adjustment of the transducer in situ at any given time,
preserving optimal performance. The system technical requirements
were investigated and summarized in this paper.
Visit the Actuator conference
website to purchase the 2008 proceedings.
Technical Paper
Piezo Motor for Ultra-Thin Auto Focus Cameras
Presented at Actuator 2008, Bremen, Germany, June 2008
By David Henderson, Qin Xu and Danielle Piazza
New Scale Technologies
In 2008, approximately 1.2 billion mobile phone handsets will be manufactured.
Of these, more than 200 million will include cameras with a micro actuator for automatic
focus (AF). More than 10 million will also incorporate optical zoom (OZ) combined with
AF. To keep pace with shrinking camera dimensions and increasing mega pixels, the motors
must become smaller and yet still achieve micrometer precision.
In 2003 New Scale developed the SQUIGGLE® motor, which meets the longer stroke
requirements for AF and OZ cameras.
This motor is 50 percent smaller than comparable piezo motors while achieving 10 times
higher force and resolution.
In 2007-2008 New Scale developed a new patent-pending ultrasonic piezo motor that
meets the challenges of Ultra-Thin Auto Focus (UTAF) cameras. The UTAF motor saves
space and height by combining the motor with the linear guide mechanism and enables
overall camera thickness less than 5 mm.
This paper describes the use of the SQUIGGLE motor in AFOZ modules, and presents
the company's newer UTAF motor for ultra-thin autofocus cameras.
Contact us to request a copy.
Article
Design
miniaturisierter Produkte mit piezoelektrischen Motoren
(Design smaller products with piezoelectric
motors)
By Lisa Schaertl and Michael Dreher
Elektronik Magazine - November 2007
The combination of small size, low power use and high precision
makes the SQUIGGLE motor interesting for applications including
mobile phone cameras, electronic locks and latches, medical devices
such as endoscope optics and drug pumps, and microfluidic devices
including fuel cells and lab-on-a-chip devices.
This article describes the operating principle, electrical
integration, and applications of SQUIGGLE motors.
Contact us to request a copy (in
German).
Article: product review
Evaluation Kits Jump Start Motor Applications
By Jon Titus, Contributing Editor
Design News Magazine - August 13, 2007
Read Jon Titus' review of the SQUIGGLE motor demonstration kit
"If you have an application that could benefit from a small
actuator, take a close look at the tiny piezoelectric SQUIGGLE
motors," writes Design News editor Jon Titus. "Of course, you
may need a magnifying glass to actually see how these interesting
devices operate... The demonstration device lets
engineers see how they might apply the tiny SQUIGGLE motors in a
real mechatronics device."
Read more... and then contact us if
you'd like to see the demo yourself.
Technical Paper
Novel Piezo Motor Enables Positive Displacement Microfluidic Pump
Presented at NSTI Nanotech, Santa Clara, CA, May 2007
By David Henderson
New Scale Technologies
Download
the paper "Positive Displacement Microfluidic Pump" (830KB PDF)
We present the world’s smallest linear motor and its use in tiny
syringe and reciprocating piston pumps for microfluidic applications.
SQUIGGLE® motors create direct displacement pumps that achieve nanoliter
precision in a pump assembly the size of a pen cap.
In this design, linear motion directly moves a piston or bellows. The output
pressure and flow are easily scaled by adjusting the piston diameter.
A reference pump design is presented that achieves output pressure of 255 kPa,
flow of 0.24 ml per minute at an oscillation frequency of 0.8 Hz and flow
precision of 0.8 nl. In contrast, commercial oscillating membrane pumps are
much larger, generate a 20 Hz or higher pulse frequency and produce much
lower output pressure and accuracy.
SQUIGGLE motor pumps can miniaturize a variety of instruments including
lab-on-a-chip systems, drug delivery devices, micro fuel cells, cooled
computer chips, lubrication systems, spacecraft thrusters and liquid optics.
Technical Paper
SQUIGGLE motor applications for whole body
small animal MRI
By Steven G. Turowski, Michael Loecher, Mukund Seshadri and
Richard Mazurchuk
Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY
Read the Roswell
Park paper about SQUIGGLE motors and MRI
Traditional electromagnetic motors contain ferrous metal and
represent a safety hazard in areas containing strong magnetic
fields. They also generate magnetic and RF fields during operation
that can damage hardware damage and cause undesirable image
artifacts. In addition, motor operation may be influenced by static
and gradient magnetic fields used during MRI data acquisition,
causing the motor to function unpredictably or to be permanently
damaged.
To overcome these problems, our laboratory investigated the
potential utility of the piezoelectric SQUIGGLE motor in small
animal imaging-related applications, including remote administration
of contrast agents to animals and dynamic repositioning of the
animals within the MR scanner.
The SQUIGGLE motor allowed precise delivery of low doses of the
MRI contrast media in real time during data acquisition. Based
on our work to date, piezoelectric motors such as the SQUIGGLE motor
hold great promise for use in MRI environments and to improve the
efficiency and quality of preclinical MRI data acquisitions.
Article
Piezoelectric motors move miniaturization forward
Electronic Products Magazine
October 2006
By David Henderson and Lisa Schaertl, New Scale Technologies
Read online at
Electronic Products Magazine
or
download the article "Piezo Motors Move Miniaturization Forward"
(332Kb PDF)
Ultrasonic piezoelectric motors have been around for more than 30 years. Recent innovations have improved the motors’
robustness and manufacturability, in ever smaller sizes. Now these tiny ceramic motors have caught the attention of
consumer product designers, as a way to pack more features into tinier products.
This article
compares piezo motors to other motor technologies for phone cameras, including miniature electromagnetic motors, voice
coil actuators, liquid lenses, and piezo bimorph actuators. It then compares two types of piezo motors that have been
commercialized for phone camera applications
Technical Paper
Design considerations for a time-resolved tomographic
diagnostic at DARHT
from
Proceedings of SPIE -- Volume 6289
Sep. 5, 2006
By Morris I. Kaufman, Daniel Frayer, Wendi Dreesen, Douglas Johnson, Alfred Meidinger; NSTec, Los Alamos Operations (Bechtel Nevada)
A SQUIGGLE motor is used to remotely control the aperture of an instrument that has been developed to acquire time-resolved tomographic data from the electron beam at the DARHT [Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test] facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Installation of this instrument into the facility requires automation of both the optomechanical adjustments and calibration of the instrument in a constrained space.
The instrument will be located inside a sealed (non-ventilated) steel shed without cooling or heating controls. Consequently, the temperature may vary between –10º to 140ºF. Water may be present during certain experiments, so the system may operate near the dew point. During experiments the shed has high levels of radiation and electro-magnetic interference (EMI). The SQUIGGLE motor has proven to operate successfully under these harsh conditions.
Technical Paper
Simple ceramic motors ... inspiring smaller products
Presented at Actuator 2006, Bremen, Germany, June 2006
By David Henderson
Download
the paper: "Simple Ceramic Motors ... Inspiring Smaller Products"
(148 KB PDF)
A new linear piezoelectric motor is presented called the SQUIGGLE® motor. Ultrasonic vibrations in a threaded nut
directly rotate and translate a threaded screw. The newest model is only 1.55 X 1.55 mm square and 6 mm long and uses
less than 0.1 Watt to produce 20 grams of force at 5 mm per second. High linear force, power, precision and low cost
make SQUIGGLE motors ideal for emerging micro motion applications including: mobile phone cameras, micro fluidic
devices, implantable drug pumps, deformable mirrors for adaptive optics, and basic laboratory research including MRI,
vacuum and cryogenics.
Technical Paper
Use of a piezoelectric SQUIGGLE motor for positioning at 6 Kelvins in a
cryostat
from the Journal of
Cryogenics
Volume 46, issue 9, September 2006,
pages 694-696
$30 for non-subscribers or
email us to request a copy for personal use
by B.T.H. Varcoe and B. Sanguinetti, Quantum Optics Group, Department of Physics, University of Sussex
The piezoelectric SQUIGGLE motor model SQ-110C from New Scale Technologies, Inc. has been used in a cryostat as part
of a mechanism to accurately deform a cylindrical superconducting microwave resonator in order to change its resonant
frequency.
This paper describes the practical setup for testing and using the
cryogenic motor in a cryostat, and comments on the
performance of the motor at temperatures from room temperature to 6 Kelvins.
Cryogenics is the international journal of low temperature engineering including applied superconductivity, cryoelectronics and cryophysics.
Article
Micro moves
from
Machine Design Magazine
January 12, 2006
By David A. Henderson, New Scale Technologies
Motors that can precisely position loads with micrometer-scale accuracy are now inexpensive enough for consumer
electronics. Applications include auto focus and optical zoom modules for mobile phone cameras, and implantable
and wearable medical devices that are compatible with MRI systems.
This article
describes the motor operation in detail.
Article
Piezo ceramic motors improve phone cameras
By David A. Henderson, New Scale Technologies
Download article: Piezo ceramic motors improve phone cameras
(250 KB PDF)
The market for mobile phone cameras has exploded in the past few years.
More than 300 million mobile phone cameras will be produced in 2005,
according to Future Image’s 2005 Mobile Imaging Report. By
the year 2007, that number is expected to grow to more than 500
million.
Today, nearly all mobile phone cameras have fixed optics, and produce mediocre
pictures. But the industry is racing to improve image quality.
Motorized auto focus (AF) and optical zoom (OZ) are proven solutions
for making better pictures. It is projected that by the year 2007,
20% of phone cameras will include AF and OZ features.
New miniature motor technology is needed to achieve this ambitious growth.
Piezoelectric ultrasonic motors offer a novel alternative to
electromechanical motors for mobile phone cameras and other
miniature product applications.
Recommended Reading on Piezoelectric Ultrasonic Motors
Micromechatronics
By Kenji Uchino (Pennsylvania State University.) and Jayne R. Giniewicz (Indiana University of Pennsylvania)
From Book News: A reference or text for graduate students and industrial engineers working in electronic materials, control system engineering, optical communications, precision machinery, and robotics. Topics include recent developments in micropositioning technology; displacement transducer, motor, and ultrasonic motor applications; piezoelectric and electrorestrictive phenomena; and technological and economic impact of
micromechatronics.
Published by Marcel Dekker, Inc. 2003.
Buy the book online at
Dekker.com or at
Amazon.com
Kenji Uchino is director of the
International Center for Actuators and Transducers
(ICAT) at the Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.
An Introduction to Ultrasonic Motors
By Toshiiku Sashida (Shinsei Industries, Japan) and Takashi Kenjo (University of Industrial
Technology, Kanagawa, Japan.
Published by Oxford University Press 1994.
Buy the book online from the
Oxford University Press
