In general, inchworm actuators are composed of two clamping piezoelectric elements and one expansion piezoelectric element (PZT). In this paper, two electromagnetic clampers are used for higher speed and high load capacitance of the actuator. Dynamic equation is derived to simulate and analyze the behavior of the inchworm actuator with electromagnets, and the driving voltage profile is analyzed by the impulse analysis to obtain higher speed. The result of simulation requires the modified structure of electromagnet for higher electromagnet force and low residual force. So, the new design of electromagnet is suggested to improve the performance of the inchworm actuator.
The new structure of electromagnet is composed of two permanent magnets and one traditional electromagnet. The permanent magnets play the role of the source of magnet field for clamping, and the electromagnet changes the mode between clamping and free.
Using these electromagnet clampers and the dynamic modeling, the driving voltage profile is analyzed and the linear velocity profile is proved the best for higher speed. The real system is made with the new electromagnetic clampers and the experiment is carried out. From the simulation and experiments, the performance of new inchworm actuator is verified.
