Electrostatic levitation: an elegant method to control MEMS switching operation

Mousavi, Mohammad; Alzgool, Mohammad; Towfighian, Shahrzad

doi:10.1007/s11071-021-06499-9

Cited by 14 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The bi-stable mechanism model contains the mid-plane stretching effect because of the large beam deflection compared to its thickness. In contrast, in the micro-switch cantilever model, there is no midplane stretching effect and a Euler-Bernoulli beam theory can predict the beam statics and dynamics [41].…”

Section: Mathematical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…As the input side voltage vanishes, the attractive force of the middle electrode causes pull-in again. The characterization of the switch was reported in our prior work [41]. Electrostatic levitation means levitating charged objects in an electrostatic field.…”

Section: Mechanism Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The generator is a bi-stable mechanism with triboelectric layers that harvest the mechanical shock energy. Compared with a prior work that merged a triboelectric generator with an electrostatic levitation switch [41], we provide tunability by adding a bi-stable system and bias voltage on the middle electrode. This tunability is essential in designing an autonomous shock system that is sensitive to specific shock thresholds.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autonomous shock sensing using bi-stable triboelectric generators and MEMS electrostatic levitation actuators

Mousavi¹,

Alzgool²,

Towfighian³

2021

Smart Mater. Struct.

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This work presents an automatic threshold shock-sensing trigger system that consists of a bi-stable triboelectric transducer and a levitation-based electrostatic mechanism. The bi-stable mechanism is sensitive to mechanical shocks and releases impact energy when the shock is strong enough. A triboelectric generator produces voltage when it receives a mechanical shock. The voltage is proportional to the mechanical shock. When the voltage exceed a certain level, the initially pulled-in microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switch is opened and can disconnect the current in a safety electronic system. The MEMS switch combines two mechanisms of gap-closing (parallel-plate electrodes) with electrostatic levitation (side electrodes) to provide bi-directional motions. The switch is initially closed from a small bias voltage on the gap-closing electrodes. The voltage from the bi-stable generator is connected to the side electrodes. When the shock goes beyond a threshold, the upward force caused by the side electrodes on the switch becomes strong enough to peel off the switch from the closed position. The threshold shock the system can detect is tunable using two control parameters. These two tuning parameters are the axial force on the bi-stable system (clamped-clamped beam) and the bias voltage on the MEMS switch (gap-closing electrodes). The actuation in macro-scale is thus directly connected to a sensor-switch mechanism in micro-scale. This chain makes an autonomous actuation and sensing stand-alone system that has potential application on air bag deployment devices and powerline protection systems. We provide a theoretical frame work of the entire system validated by experimental results.

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Section: Mathematical Modelingmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Mechanism Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Autonomous shock sensing using bi-stable triboelectric generators and MEMS electrostatic levitation actuators

Mousavi¹,

Alzgool²,

Towfighian³

2021

Smart Mater. Struct.

Self Cite

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“…Electrostatic levitation is non-contact technique which can be used in the analysis of high temperature and/or undercooled materials because it is carried out in a vacuum or high-pressure gas [55]. One of the applications of electrostatic levitation method is to control the Micro-Electro-Mechanical system (MEMS) switches as provided by [56]. Metals, ceramics, glasses, and semiconductors have all been subjected to electrostatic levitation from room temperature to more than 3800 k. The advancement of electrostatic levitators helped in using on beamlines, such as synchrotron sources as well as used in the investigation of nucleation and glass formation [57].…”

Section: Electrostatic Levitationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Non-Contact Manipulation for Robotic Applications: A Review on Acoustic Levitation

2022

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Robots play an important role all over the world in the industrial field in terms of dealing with various materials, performing duties quickly and high accuracy as well as in the pharmaceutical/chemical field since robots can handle some issues better than human. Robotic manipulation is the term used to describe how robots deal with many objects. This article reviews the contact and non-contact manipulation with their most common robotic applications and focusing on the non-contact manipulation since it can do specific tasks which contact manipulation cannot do. Reviewing of the robotic non-contact manipulation which include the metal-based robotic manipulation such as magnetic and electrostatic levitation and the non-metal-based robotic manipulation method such as aerodynamic and acoustic levitation have been made in this article. The main core of this article is acoustic levitation which considered one of the most important levitation and manipulation method due to the recent advancements that made it proper to deal with any kind of materials. Here, we review the renowned three methods of acoustic levitation that already using in robotic non-contact manipulation which are standing wave, near-field and single-beam acoustic levitation. Then, we present a performance characteristic of the reviewed methods and the summary of controlling strategies, followed by conclusion and future recommendations for acoustic levitation methods as a non-contact manipulation.

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“…As well, external disturbances and unmodeled dynamics play crucial roles in the performance of a CMUT system. Nonlinear closed-loop control strategies for the characterization of MEMS devices have been demonstrated to be successful in reducing and even compensating the effects of uncertainty and disturbance [27][28][29]. The displacement of movable electrode of a CMUT can be controlled by a nonlinear controller so that it can deform closely to the lower fixed electrode of the CMUT which can enhance the tunability of system while preventing the pull-in instability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive under-actuated control for capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer based on an accurate nonlinear modeling

et al. 2022

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A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) due to many benefits is being considered as an imaging and therapeutic technology recently. The critical challenge here is to stabilize the system beyond the pull-in voltage considering imposed perturbations. The CMUT system, on the other hand, has a low range of travel and it is intrinsically unstable, which can result in a pull-in phenomenon. Consequently, in order to use the CMUT systems in a variety of medical applications that require high tuning ratio, a closedloop control technique has been designed for these systems aims at increasing the maximum capacitance and enhancing tunability as well. In this study, using the closed-loop control, the resistance of micro plate against the pull-in phenomenon has been examined. Also, in the description of the system a more accurate nonlinear modeling has been considered in the presence of an under-actuated sliding model control strategy with finite convergence time. Beside, adaptive protocols with unknown upper bounds have been designed to compensate the effects of uncertainty, unmodeled dynamics and external disturbances. The performance of controller in terms of improving output pressure, stabilizing the CMUT and its robustness to imposed perturbations have been investigated. Finally, numerical simulations

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Electrostatic levitation: an elegant method to control MEMS switching operation

Cited by 14 publications

References 38 publications

Autonomous shock sensing using bi-stable triboelectric generators and MEMS electrostatic levitation actuators

Autonomous shock sensing using bi-stable triboelectric generators and MEMS electrostatic levitation actuators

A Non-Contact Manipulation for Robotic Applications: A Review on Acoustic Levitation

Adaptive under-actuated control for capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer based on an accurate nonlinear modeling

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