Self-floating and self-rotating non-contact ultrasonic motor with single active vibrator

The traditional ultrasonic motor will produce friction and wear, form a larger amount of heat, and limit the continuous operation time and working life. To ease these issues, a novel non-contact ultrasonic motor is proposed in this paper, which can generate levitation force and acoustic driving torque. A theoretical model based on gas film lubrication theory is built to reveal the operating mechanism of the proposed motor. Finite element method is used to search the modal shape and working frequency of the stator. A prototype motor is designed and fabricated to verify the feasibility of the idea and the validity of theoretical model. This study can aid in the design the devices for automatic industries and precision positioning system.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a novel non-contact ultrasonic motor that can generate levitation force and acoustic driving torque, reducing friction, wear, and heat generation. A theoretical model based on gas film lubrication theory is built to understand the operating mechanism. Finite element method is employed to determine the modal shape and working frequency of the stator. A prototype motor is designed and fabricated to validate the feasibility of the concept and the theoretical model. This study can assist in the design of devices for automated industries and precision positioning systems.