A stick-slip piezoelectric actuator with suppressed backward motion achieved using an active locking mechanism (ALM)

Backward motion commonly exists in the stick-slip linear piezoelectric actuator, resulting in deterioration of the output performance and limiting their applications. To solve the problem, a stick-slip linear piezoelectric actuator with suppressed backward motion, achieved using an active-locking mechanism (ALM) with two mechanisms, is proposed in this paper. One mechanism involves stick-slip driving, while the other actively suppresses backward motion by clamping the slider during the backward driving process through efficient control. A prototype actuator was designed and manufactured to verify the feasibility of this method, and an experimental system was established to obtain the detailed parameters. Also, to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the suppression effect on backward motion of the proposed actuator, the output performance of the traditional stick-slip actuator and the actuator with the ALM were compared. Based on the results, we demonstrate that the maximum output speed and maximum output force of the prototype are 2.26 mm s−1 and 1.6 N under a voltage of 100 V, respectively.