Single-phase driven ultrasonic motor using two orthogonal bending modes of sandwiching piezo-ceramic plates.

A compact ultrasonic motor using sandwiching piezo-ceramic plates was developed, having advantages of low manufacturing costs, simple driving circuit, and high scalability. The stator is composed of two piezoelectric plates attached to a T-shaped steel body. Two orthogonal bending modes can be excited by driving one piezoelectric plate and the reversed motion of the rotor can be obtained by driving the piezoelectric plate on the opposite side. The prototype stator with a size of 15 mm × 2.44 mm × 2 mm, operated at 44.8 kHz, was experimentally characterized, and a maximum torque of 2 mN m was obtained. Maximum power of 2.3 mW and efficiency of 9% were produced with a load of 0.8 mN m at a rotation speed of 27 rpm.