Amplifying transmission and compact suspension for a low-profile, large-displacement piezoelectric actuator.

A low-profile, piezoelectrically-driven microactuator is presented that achieves very large stroke lengths within size constraints suitable for certain endoscopic microscopy applications. The actuator utilizes a transmission consisting of lever arm and chevron-beam structures to amplify high-force, low-displacement motion of a ceramic lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) brick into large displacement of a translational platform. For ±120 V input, a full range of 486 μm of motion is achieved, with natural frequency greater than 500 Hz. This corresponds to an anticipated In addition, the lateral translational platform is supported by a redesign of common folded silicon flexures to provide large transverse and vertical stiffness when the width of the actuator is limited.