A cantilever fan including a blade and a blade permanent magnet. The blade is clamped at one end to a base and has a distal end which is free to oscillate with distal end having the largest swept displacement of any portion of the blade. The blade extends from the clamped end to the distal end. The blade permanent magnet is attached only to the blade at a point along the blade's length and is free to move with the blade. The fan includes a stationary permanent magnet attached only to the base. The respective locations and relative orientation of the blade permanent magnet and stationary magnet result in a repulsive magnetic force between the blade permanent magnet and stationary magnet. The fan is configured so that the repulsive force increases as the blade's deflection brings the blade permanent magnet closer to the stationary magnet.

An aerial robot system may include an aerial robot having an airframe, a piezo actuator, a wing connected to the piezo actuator, and a photovoltaic cell. The system may further include a laser source configured to emit a laser beam oriented toward the photovoltaic cell for conversion by the photovoltaic cell into electrical energy. The aerial robot may further include a boost converter connected to the photovoltaic cell and configured to raise a voltage level of the electrical energy, and a signal generator connected to the boost converter and configured to generate an alternating signal. The piezo actuator is connected to the signal generator to move according to the alternating signal to cause the wing to move in a flapping motion to generate aerodynamic force that moves the robot. Methods for manufacturing aerial robots and corresponding electronics are also disclosed herein.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an acoustic output device comprising: a vibration element having a beam structure extending along a length direction of the vibration element; a piezoelectric element configured to deform in response to an electrical signal, the deformation of the piezoelectric element driving the vibration element to vibrate, wherein the piezoelectric element is attached to a first position of the beam structure, and a size of an attachment area along the length direction does not exceed 80% of a size of the beam structure along the length direction; and a mass element connected to a second position of the beam structure, wherein the first position and the second position are spaced apart along the length direction, and the vibration of the vibration element drives the mass element to vibrate in a direction perpendicular to the length direction.

A linear or rotary step motor for moving an object comprising: one or more beam actuators; and one or more auxiliary actuators. Each beam actuator comprises: (a) a flexible beam; (b) two holders holding the flexible beam from the beam edges; and (c) an actuator for moving the said at least one holder in order to bent the beam toward the object or to pull the beam away from the object. The axillary actuators are connected to the one or more beam actuators. The beam actuators configured to grip or release the object, and the one or more beam actuators perform a movement step to the object by first grip the object by the one or more beam actuators then push the object by activating the auxiliary actuator.

A linear or rotary step motor for moving an object comprising: one or more beam actuators; and one or more auxiliary actuators. Each beam actuator comprises: (a) a flexible beam; (b) two holders holding the flexible beam from the beam edges; and (c) an actuator for moving the said at least one holder in order to bent the beam toward the object or to pull the beam away from the object. The axillary actuators are connected to the one or more beam actuators. The beam actuators configured to grip or release the object, and the one or more beam actuators perform a movement step to the object by first grip the object by the one or more beam actuators then push the object by activating the auxiliary actuator.

A safety valve is provided with an electronic control unit for generating a control voltage. An electro-fluidic preliminary stage has a piezo bending actuator which can be actuated between a working position and a safety position by the control voltage and influences the flow of a secondary control fluid flow depending on its position. A fluid-mechanical main stage has an influencing device for influencing the flow of a primary working fluid flow. The influencing device can be actuated by means of the secondary control fluid flow which flows into a control chamber of the main stage. The control unit caries out a test of the preliminary stage repeatedly in an iterative manner after the expiration of a specified time interval. As part of the functionality test, the position of the piezo bending actuator is changed slightly by varying the control voltage.

Single bulk unimorph piezoelectric elements, with interdigitated electrodes aligned obliquely relative to the direction perpendicular to the axis of the element, such that a torsional response is induced into the element. When such elements are used as a beam structure, with angularly oriented electrodes on both opposite surfaces of the beam, and with their orientations at mutually opposite angles, motion ranging from pure torsional rotation to pure bending can be obtained, depending on the comparative level and polarity of the voltages applied to each of the two electrode sets. If such elements are used as the spiral support arms of a central platform, a large displacement of the stage can be achieved. Due to the oblique orientation of the IDE's, the piezoelectric transduction induces torsional deformation in the spirals, and this torsion is converted by the spiral arms to a parallel out-of-plane platform motion.

The present invention discloses an electromagnetic-piezoelectric composite vibration control device based on a synchronized switch damping technology, and relates to the technical field of vibration abatement. An upper rigid frame is arranged at the upper part of a lower rigid frame, an upper guiding component is installed inside the upper rigid frame, a lower guiding component is installed inside a lower rigid component, a guide rod is nested inside the upper guiding component and the lower guiding component, a load platform is fixed to the upper end of the guide rod, an upper idler wheel mechanism and a lower idler wheel mechanism are fixedly sleeved on the guide rod and are positioned between the upper guiding component and the lower guiding component respectively, an electromagnetic mechanism is fixedly sleeved outside the guide rod, an elastic component is sleeved outside the lower idler wheel mechanism, one end of each piezoelectric cantilever beam is fixed between the upper rigid frame and the lower rigid frame, the other end of each piezoelectric cantilever beam is arranged between the upper idler wheel mechanism and the lower idler wheel mechanism, and the piezoelectric cantilever beams and the electromagnetic mechanism are connected with a circuit system respectively. The device is simple in structure and reliable in performance, a voltage source does not need to be provided externally, and the device is of an adaptive characteristic.

An aerial robot system may include an aerial robot having an airframe, a piezo actuator, a wing connected to the piezo actuator, and a photovoltaic cell. The system may further include a laser source configured to emit a laser beam oriented toward the photovoltaic cell for conversion by the photovoltaic cell into electrical energy. The aerial robot may further include a boost converter connected to the photovoltaic cell and configured to raise a voltage level of the electrical energy, and a signal generator connected to the boost converter and configured to generate an alternating signal. The piezo actuator is connected to the signal generator to move according to the alternating signal to cause the wing to move in a flapping motion to generate aerodynamic force that moves the robot. Methods for manufacturing aerial robots and corresponding electronics are also disclosed herein.

The present invention is a novel electroactive actuator device provides high active and passive performances for electromechanical and smart systems. The electroactive actuator device is capable of operating in a manner that achieve good passive isolation characteristics, amplifies the stroke displacement per applied voltage, and also enhances the active forces of the electroactive mechanism without weight or size penalties. The electromechanical responses can be transferred to the objective systems using lightweight electrical-mechanical connectors fastened at the center of the piezoelectric actuator elements. When an alternating voltage potential is across the upper and lower electrodes of a piezoelectric actuator element, the center portions of all the piezoelectric actuator elements, as well as the electrical-mechanical connectors attached thereto, reciprocate harmoniously in one direction generating high electroactive forces and dynamic responses.