A compact two-dimensional laser scanner based on piezoelectric actuators

A compact two-dimensional (2D) single-mirror laser scanner has been designed and prototyped that is structurally small and has high accuracy. The mirror of the scanner is driven by three piezoelectric actuators aligned in parallel and staggered to form a triangular base to provide structural compactness and close drive axes. The mechanical structure and 2D tilt principle of the scanner were analyzed and the architecture was tested. With an asymmetric structure, the scanner has an optical angle of 2.558 degrees and a principle resonance frequency at 1036.8 Hz in the x-axis and 4.495 degrees at 654.0 Hz in the y-axis. Experimental results suggest that, with hysteresis compensation, the nonlinearity of the scanner is reduced to +/- 0.25% for the x-axis and +/- 0.3% for the y-axis. With an open-loop controller, the laser scanner can realize linear scanning at several hundred hertz. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.