The Penn State Research Foundation

USA As Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Qortek, Inc.

Kenji Uchino

Shuxiang Dong

Michael T Strauss

Burhanettin Koc

Gareth J Knowles

Maureen L Mulvihill

Clive A Randall

Jose Agraz

Ahmed H Amin

Richard Eitel

Brian Shea

Yuan Zhuang

Seung-Ho Park

Seyit O Ural

Yongkang Gao

A piezoelectric transformer includes a single crystal relaxor ferroelectric element poled along a [01] direction and selected from the group consisting of PZN-PT, PMN-PZT, PZN-PT and PMN-PT. The element has two opposed surfaces substantially perpendicular to the [01] direction with an input electrode and an output electrode positioned on one surface. The output electrode is isolated from electrical communication with the input electrode. A ground electrode is positioned on the second, opposed surface. Input electrical energy results in piezoelectric change in the element that is mechanically coupled through the element to generate piezoelectric output energy.

High power single crystal piezoelectric transformer

A piezoelectric ultrasonic motor having 2-dimensional positioning movement includes a stator. The stator includes a piezoelectric ceramic bar and an electrode disposed on the bar. Each bar includes two wings that are separated by a predetermined angle to form a predetermined shape. A power source is used to apply a voltage to the stator to excite a bending mode vibration in the each of the wings, and the combined motion of the two wings produces an elliptical motion at a tip of the wing. A load is operatively connected to the stator, such that a portion of the load in contact with the stator is driven to move linearly through a frictional force between the load and the stator, due to the elliptical motion at the tip of the wing.

Piezoelectric ultrasonic motor for 2-dimensional positioning

A non-mechanical gimbal system is presented. The gimbal system includes a gimbal housing, including hemispherical and annular caps, rotatable sphere, and at least two curvilinear actuators. The hemispherical cap is attached to the annular cap in a removable fashion so as to surround the rotatable sphere. The curvilinear actuators are disposed between the rotatable sphere and gimbal housing. Curvilinear actuators rotate the rotatable sphere, via shear induced motion, with respect to the interior surface of the gimbal housing. The present invention has immediate applicability within security devices, games, toys, weapons (including guidance systems and aiming), and communication systems.

Solid state gimbal system

A rotary ultrasonic piezoelectric motor is provided and a method of exciting a flexure traveling wave to drive the motor. The motor includes a stator having a piezoelectric ceramic disc polarized in the radial direction and bounded by a top electrode and a segmented bottom electrode. The motor also includes a power source for applying two pairs of alternating voltages to the bottom electrode segments to excite a shear-shear mode vibration in the stator, resulting in a shear-shear mode flexure traveling wave in the stator. The motor further includes a rotor operatively connected to the stator, and the stator is driven to rotate through a frictional force between the rotor and the stator due to the traveling wave deformation of the stator. A linear ultrasonic piezoelectric motor and method of exciting a flexure traveling wave to linearly drive the motor is provided. The motor includes a stator having a rectangular piezoelectric ceramic plate that is polarized in the longitudinal direction. The motor also includes a power source for applying two pairs of alternating voltages to the bottom electrode segments to excite a shear-shear mode vibration in the stator, resulting in a shear-shear mode flexure traveling wave in the stator. The motor further includes a slider operatively connected to the stator, and the stator is driven to move linearly through a frictional force between the slider and the stator due to the traveling wave deformation of the stator.

Piezoelectric motor and method of exciting an ultrasonic traveling wave to drive the motor

The disclosed invention relates to piezoelectric rare earth doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O &mdash;Pb(Mn,Sb)O compounds including (zPb(Zr Ti )O &mdash;(1&minus;z)Pb(Mn Sb )O &plus;RE ) where z is &lE;0.95, 0.40<w<0.60, and where RE is a rare earth cation dopant, and 0<x<5.0%. The doped compounds have both improved Q and (k). The RE dopants employed advantageously generate both &ldquo;hardening&rdquo; and &ldquo;softening&rdquo; effects in doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O &mdash;Pb(Mn,Sb)O compounds. The RE doped Pb(Zr,Ti)O &mdash;Pb(Mn,Sb)O compounds have advantageously high vibrational velocity compared to pure Pb(Zr,Ti)O &mdash;Pb(Mn,Sb)O compounds and commercialized hard PZT. The disclosed invention also relates to piezoelectric devices which include the doped piezoelectric ceramic compounds.

High-power piezoelectric ceramics

An improved motor employs a stator which includes a piezoelectric wafer that is poled across its thickness dimension so that a signal applied thereacross results in either an inward or outward movement of the periphery of the wafer. A pair of end caps are placed on opposed surfaces of the wafer and are adhered thereto at their respective peripheries. Each end cap includes a centrally located driving segment, a series of peripheral segments adhered to periphery of the wafer and a plurality of arms connecting the peripheral segments to the driving segment. A rotor includes a driven portion which mates with the driving segment and is driven thereby. Application of a signal across the thickness of the piezoelectric wafer results in rotary motion being imparted to the driving segment via flexure of the arms (as a result of movement of the peripheral segments of the end caps). Further embodiments provide both rotary and linear motions.

Ultrasonic motor

A piezoelectric transformer using a piezoelectric annulus, divided into sections, includes at least one input and one output electrode configuration. The input electrodes are formed by covering top and bottom surfaces of the divided section of piezoelectric annulus. The low impedance portions, which are input regions, are poled parallel to the thickness direction and the high impedance portions, which are output regions, are poled tangentially. The transformer is operable at several radial mode resonance frequencies of piezoelectric ring. Two stepped up ac output voltages, in phase or 180 degree out of phase, can be obtained at several resonance frequencies of the piezoelectric annulus. The transformer is also operable as a step-down transformer by inverting the input and output ports.

Growing community of inventors

State College, PA, United States of America

Kenji Uchino