Tao Qiannan, Wang Xinshuai, Gu Yang, Li Wei
College of Integrated Circuit Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China.
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405, USA.
Micromachines (Basel). 2025 Feb 27;16(3):277. doi: 10.3390/mi16030277.
Microrobots, characterized by their small size, flexibility, and portability, have a diverse range of potential applications. However, microrobots' actuation (piezoelectric ceramics, dielectric elastomers, ion winds, etc.) often requires a high voltage, typically hundreds of volts. The lithium niobate transformer (LNT), a piezoelectric voltage transformer, presents a promising solution for miniaturizing high-voltage power supplies due to its compact size, low weight, and high step-up ratio. This study explores the effects of structural parameters and external circuits on the resonant frequency and step-up ratio of the LNT through numerical simulations and experiments. The results indicate the following: (1) the second-order longitudinal vibration frequency of the lithium niobate (LN) plate inversely correlates with its length; (2) the thickness and width of the plate have minimal impact on the frequency; (3) the step-up ratio increases as the plate thickness decreases. The experimental results suggest that LN plates with a thickness of 1 mm are preferable due to the fragility of 0.5 mm plates, especially at the output end. Additionally, optimizing the input circuit enhances voltage amplification, allowing the LNT to generate sufficient output voltage for corona discharge. These findings highlight the potential of LNTs for efficiently and reliably powering small-scale devices.
微型机器人以其体积小、灵活性高和便携性强为特点，具有广泛的潜在应用。然而，微型机器人的驱动（压电陶瓷、介电弹性体、离子风等）通常需要高电压，一般为数百伏。铌酸锂变压器（LNT）作为一种压电电压变压器，因其尺寸紧凑、重量轻和升压比高，为高压电源的小型化提供了一种很有前景的解决方案。本研究通过数值模拟和实验，探讨了结构参数和外部电路对LNT谐振频率和升压比的影响。结果表明：（1）铌酸锂（LN）板的二阶纵向振动频率与其长度成反比；（2）板的厚度和宽度对频率影响最小；（3）升压比随着板厚度的减小而增大。实验结果表明，由于0.5mm厚的板比较易碎，尤其是在输出端，所以1mm厚的LN板更为可取。此外，优化输入电路可增强电压放大，使LNT能够产生足够的输出电压用于电晕放电。这些发现突出了LNT为小型设备高效可靠供电的潜力。
