Design and Analysis of Five-Degree-of-Freedom Oscillatory Actuator

Abstract

Oscillatory actuators (OAs) are used in various fields, such as industrial equipment and home appliances. For example, they are applied in active vibration isolation tables, vibration test devices, and haptic interfaces. They have a multiple-degree-of-freedom (DOF) mechanism with short-stroke. Such conventional mechanisms consist of some actuators and links, therefore, the vibration center is shifted and the size and weight increase. To solve these problems, various types of multiple-DOF OAs have been developed. However, a five-DOF OA has been not proposed. To further realize the functionality by increasing the DOF, we propose a five-DOF OA. Its basic structure and operating principle are described. The thrust and torque characteristics are investigated by a magnetic field analysis using a three-dimensional finite element method. The analysis results indicate that the proposed actuator can drive five-DOF without interference between other axes.