Self Configuration of a Novel Miniature Ultrasonic Linear Motor

Rotary ultrasonic motors have found broad industrial application in camera lens drives and other systems. Linear ultrasonic motors in contrast have only found limited applications. The main reason for the limited range of application of these very attractive devices seems to be their small force and power range. Attempts to build linear ultrasonic motors for high forces and high power applications have not been truly successful yet. To achieve drives, larger force and higher power, and multiple miniaturized motors can be combined. This approach, however, is not as simple as it appears at first glance. The electromechanical behavior of individual motors differs slightly due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances. Individual motor characteristics are strongly dependent on the driving parameters (frequency, voltage, temperature, pre-stress, etc.) and the driven load and the collective behavior of the swarm of motors is not just the linear superposition of the individual drive’s forces.