Position and force sensing using strain gauges integrated into piezoelectric bender electrodes

This article derives design guidelines for integrating strain gauges into the electrodes of piezoelectric bending actuators. The proposed sensor can estimate the actuator tip displacement in response to an applied voltage and an external applied tip force. The actuator load force is also estimated with an accuracy of 8% full scale by approximating the actuator response with a linear model. The applications of this work include micro-grippers and pneumatic valves, which both require the measurement of deflection and load force. At present, this is achieved by external sensors. However, this work shows that these functions can be integrated into the actuator electrodes. Crown Copyright ? 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This article proposes design guidelines for integrating strain gauges into the electrodes of piezoelectric bending actuators, aiming to accurately estimate the tip displacement and load force. The sensor presented in this work offers a convenient measurement solution for applications like micro-grippers and pneumatic valves.