Dynamical analysis and improvement of velocity for a 3 DOF precise inchworm mechanism

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the dynamical analysis and improvement of velocity for a precise inchworm mechanism with 3 DOF. This mechanism is composed of 4 piezoelectric actuators and pair of electromagnets and moves like an inchworm with less than a 10 nm resolution. We calculate the dynamical relationship between 3 DOF motion and 4 piezoelectric displacements. We also calculate the maximum velocity with no slip of electromagnets because the no slip condition is very important for motion repeatability. In several experiments, we have checked the theoretical validity and we confirm that the analysis procedure works well as an initial design of the inchworm mechanism. The design procedure, basic performance, and chip-mounting applications are also discussed as an advance in the new field of micro-robotics used in precision regions.