Actuator
AssigneeNew Transducers Limited
InventorNeil John Harris
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Abstract
The invention relates to a method of making an actuator comprising a plurality of force elements and an actuator made according to the method. The method comprises providing a coupler for coupling force from the force elements to a load; calculating a transfer function for each force element wherein the transfer functions allow the force provided to the load to be predicted; determining an error functional which is indicative of any undesired dips in the predicted force; calculating the parameters of the force elements which minimise the error functional, and coupling force elements having the calculated parameters to the coupler to make the actuator.
Claims29
A method of making an actuator comprising a plurality of force elements, the method comprising:
- providing a coupler for coupling force from the force elements to a load;
- calculating a transfer function for each force element wherein the transfer functions allow the force provided to the load to be predicted;
- determining an error functional which is indicative of dips in the predicted force;
- calculating the parameters of the force elements which minimise the error functional, and
- coupling force elements having the calculated parameters to the coupler to make the actuator.
(canceled)
An actuator according to claim 27, wherein the actuator comprises a layer of piezoelectric material.
An actuator according to claim 26, wherein the coupler is in the form of a beam, a disc or an annular plate.
An actuator according to claim 26, wherein the coupler is in the form of a beam and is clamped at one edge and clamped to a load at the opposed edge.
An actuator according to claim 26, comprising damping to reduce any peaks in the frequency response.
An actuator comprising:
- a plurality of force elements;
- and
- a coupler for coupling force from the force elements to a load,
- wherein each of the force elements is located on the coupler at a particular location and has a transfer function and other calculated parameters such that the variation of force with frequency delivered to the load is reduced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.