Overview of Position Servo Control Technology and Development of Voice Coil Motor

Voice coil motor(VCM) is a special direct drive linear motor, which can convert electric energy directly into mechanical energy without the use of transmission mechanism. VCM has the advantages of simple structure, good rigidity, fast response, silence, high linearity, no cogging force, no pulsation et al. It is widely used in the field of high-precision control. This paper reviews and summarizes the results of VCM research conducted by scholars from various countries, and summarizes the general situation of VCM servo control technology. Firstly, a basic description of VCM’s mathematical model and common control mechanisms is provided. The benefits, drawbacks, and application of control techniques in the field of VCM are all explored in detail;At the same time, the methods to improve control strategy are proposed;Then, combined with the analysis and research of scholars in various countries on VCM, the problems of difficult to establish accurate model, friction disturbance and mechanical vibration of VCM and the solutions to the corresponding problems are summarized;Finally, a summary of VCM’s application fields is provided.

Beam design for voice coil motors used for energy harvesting purpose with low frequency vibrations:A finite element analysis

In this study,a numerical approach is established to design a beam coupled to a Voice Coil Motor(VCM)with the aim to maximize the displacement in the inductive transducer.A finite element model is developed to simulate a VCM with different beams applying a harmonic analysis.The VCM is extracted from a recycled hard disk drive(HDD)and a parametric modal analysis is performed to identify the material parameters of the HDD and the beam.These parameters are obtained comparing the real vibration modes and natural frequencies(VCM-beam)with those determined from the finite element model.A numerical-experimental case study is carried out to demonstrate that if a beam is designed for a specific low frequency vibration between 0 and 10 Hz,the displacements are maximized in the VCM.For this purpose,real acceleration measurements taken from three individuals are used to provide the vibration signals in the numerical model.A beam is designed for one of the individuals using the natural frequency values determined from the measured signals.Results show that the displacements are maximized in the model which coincides with the natural frequency of the chosen individual.The main purpose of this research is to establish a design tool for energy harvesting purposes with VCM based on low frequency vibration sources as for example gait motions.

Research trends in methods for controlling macro-micro motion platforms

With ongoing economic,scientific,and technological developments,the electronic devices used in daily lives are developing toward precision and miniaturization,and so the demand for high-precision manufacturing machinery is expanding.The most important piece of equipment in modern high-precision manufacturing is the macro-micro motion platform(M3P),which offers high speed,precision,and efficiency and has macro-micro motion coupling characteristics due to its mechanical design and composition of its driving components.Therefore,the design of the control system is crucial for the overall precision of the platform;conventional proportional–integral–derivative control cannot meet the system requirements,and so M3Ps are the subject of a growing range of modern control strategies.This paper begins by describing the development history of M3Ps,followed by their platform structure and motion control system components,and then in-depth assessments of the macro,micro,and macro-micro control systems.In addition to examining the advantages and disadvantages of current macro-micro motion control,recent technological breakthroughs are noted.Finally,based on existing problems,future directions for M3P control systems are given,and the present conclusions offer guidelines for future work on M3Ps.

Development of Air Vehicle with Active Flapping and Twisting of Wing

This paper addresses mechanisms for active flapping and twisting of robotic wings and assesses flying effectiveness as a function of twist angle. Unlike the flapping motion of bird wings, insects generally make a twisting motion at the root of their wings while flapping, which makes it possible for them to hover in midair. This work includes the development of a Voice Coil Motor （VCM） because a flapping-wing air vehicle should be assembled with a compact actuator to decrease size and weight. A linkage mechanism is proposed to transform the linear motion of the VCM into the flapping and twisting motions of wings. The assembled flapping-wing air vehicle, whose weight is 2.86 g, produces an average positive vertical force proportional to the twist angle. The force saturates because the twist angle is mechanically limited. This work demonstrates the possibility of developing a flapping-wing air vehicle that can hover in midair using a mechanism that actively twists the roots of wings during flapping.

Electronically enhancing the long-range nanopositioning accuracy of a Lorentz force actuator

This paper presents a precision centimeter-range positioner based on a Lorentz force actuator using flexure guides.An additional digital-to-analog converter and an operational amplifier(op amp)circuit together with a suitable controller are used to enhance the positioning accuracy to the nanometer level.First,a suitable coil is designed for the actuator based on the stiffness of the flexure guide model.The flexure mechanism and actuator performance are then verified with finite element analysis.Based on these,a means to enhance the positioning performance electronically is presented together with the control scheme.Finally,a prototype is fabricated,and the performance is evaluated.This positioner features a range of 10 mm with a resolution of 10 nm.The proposed scheme can be extended to other systems.