A Comprehensive Survey on Microgrippers Design: Operational Strategy
01 Jul 2017-Journal of Mechanical Design (American Society of Mechanical Engineers Digital Collection)-Vol. 139, Iss: 7, pp 070801
About: This article is published in Journal of Mechanical Design.The article was published on 2017-07-01. It has received 66 citations till now.
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76 citations
TL;DR: A review of electrothermal micro-actuators and applications is presented in this paper, where the three main configurations of electro-thermal actuators are discussed: hot-and-cold-arm, chevron, and bimorph.
Abstract: This paper presents a review of electrothermal micro-actuators and applications. Electrothermal micro-actuators have been a significant research interest over the last two decades, and many different designs and applications have been investigated. The electrothermal actuation method offers several advantages when compared with the other types of actuation approaches based on electrostatic and piezoelectric principles. The electrothermal method offers flexibility in the choice of materials, low-cost fabrication, and large displacement capabilities. The three main configurations of electrothermal actuators are discussed: hot-and-cold-arm, chevron, and bimorph types as well as a few other unconventional actuation approaches. Within each type, trends are outlined from the basic concept and design modifications to applications which have been investigated in order to enhance the performance or to overcome the limitations of the previous designs. It provides a grasp of the actuation methodology, design, and fabrication, and the related performance and applications in cell manipulation, micro assembly, and mechanical testing of nanomaterials, Radio Frequency (RF) switches, and optical Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS).
66 citations
TL;DR: This paper is concentrated on reviewing the state-of-the-art research on complaint micro-/nano-positioning stage design in recent years and involves the major processes and components for designing a compliant positioning stage, e.g., actuator selection, stroke amplifier design, connecting scheme of the multi-DOF stage and structure optimization.
Abstract: Micromanipulation is a hot topic due to its enabling role in various research fields. In order to perform a high precision operation at a small scale, compliant mechanisms have been proposed and applied for decades. In microscale manipulation, micro-/nano-positioning is the most fundamental operation because a precision positioning is the premise of subsequent operations. This paper is concentrated on reviewing the state-of-the-art research on complaint micro-/nano-positioning stage design in recent years. It involves the major processes and components for designing a compliant positioning stage, e.g., actuator selection, stroke amplifier design, connecting scheme of the multi-DOF stage and structure optimization. The review provides a reference to design a compliant micro-/nano-positioning stage for pertinent applications.
59 citations
TL;DR: A CSFH has been analyzed with both theoretical and finite element methods, in order to obtain the relation between voltage and generated torque, and showed that CSFH performs better than linear flexure hinges in terms of larger rotations and less stress for given applied voltage.
Abstract: Progress in MEMS technology continuously stimulates new developments in the mechanical structure of micro systems, such as, for example, the concept of so-called CSFH (conjugate surfaces flexural hinge), which makes it possible, simultaneously, to minimize the internal stresses and to increase motion range and robustness. Such a hinge may be actuated by means of a rotary comb-drive, provided that a proper set of simulations and tests are capable to assess its feasibility. In this paper, a CSFH has been analyzed with both theoretical and finite element (FEM) methods, in order to obtain the relation between voltage and generated torque. The FEM model considers also the fringe effect on the comb drive finger. Electromechanical couple–field analysis is performed by means of both direct and load transfer methods. Experimental tests have been also performed on a CSFH embedded in a MEMS prototype, which has been fabricated starting from a SOI wafer and using D–RIE (deep reactive ion etching). Results showed that CSFH performs better than linear flexure hinges in terms of larger rotations and less stress for given applied voltage.
32 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reviewed the recent advances on performance indices, classification, structural composition, optimization and modeling method, and control of PEACM and provided a guideline on further development of the micro gripper.
Abstract: The piezoelectric-actuated compliant microgripper (PEACM) plays an essential role in the application fields such as biomedical engineering, microelectronics, and optical engineering. As compared with other categories of grippers, PEACM exhibits the advantages of high accuracy of displacement, large power to weight ratio, low energy consumption, and fast response speed. This paper reviews the recent advances on performance indices, classification, structural composition, optimization and modeling method, and control of PEACM. First, the gripper's performance indices and classifications are elaborated, which is beneficial to determine the design goal. Then, the compliant mechanisms adopted in the microgripper design are discussed, including the flexible hinge, displacement amplifier, and guiding mechanism. In addition, the optimization and modeling methods of the microgripper are presented. Popular types of position/force sensors and different displacement/force control strategies employed in the microgripper are surveyed. Moreover, the prospect on future development trend of the PEACM is discussed. The paper provides the reader with an overview of the recent advances on PEACM design and also a guideline on further development of the microgripper.
32 citations
References
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TL;DR: In this paper, a compliant based micro gripper is developed and the performance of the microgripper is studied through numerical simulation and experiential techniques, and the effect of flexure hinges at the node-to-node contact regions need to be analyzed for its critical geometric parameter.
Abstract: In this research work, the compliant based microgripper is developed and the performance of the microgripper is studied through numerical simulation and experiential techniques Conceptual design of microgripper is developed through topology optimization which is logical, authenticate and effortless among other mechanism design methods such as Mechanism synthesis, Pseudo Rigid Body Model (PRBM) and inverse method In conceptual design of microgripper, node to node connections were developed and show the hinge locations of the mechanism These locations were replaced by introducing suitable flexure hinges The effect of flexure hinges at the node-to-node contact regions need to be analyzed for its critical geometric parameter The important critical geometric parameter of flexure hinges are varied and analyzed through Finite Element Method (FEM) and experimental studies In experimental technique, Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) wire is employed to actuate the microgripper Equivalent rigid body model of the mechanism using Graphical Position Analysis (GPA) to the compliant mechanism is developed for comparing the output displacement
31 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a force sensor with capacitive readout is designed and realized for the measurement of mechanical power transfer, which is integrated in a glove that will determine the complete mechanical interaction between the human hand and its environment.
Abstract: A force sensor with capacitive readout is designed and realized for the measurement of mechanical power transfer. The ultimate aim is to integrate such sensors in a glove that will determine the complete mechanical interaction between the human hand and its environment. The sensor measures the normal force and two perpendicular moments by dividing the read-out into four quadrants. The fabrication process is based on silicon fusion bonding allowing the realization of extremely small gaps (250 nm). This, in combination with mechanical amplification due to the sensor structure, results in a large sensitivity of 16 pF/N and a full-scale range of 50 N.
31 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a new micro-gripper fabrication process using MEMS technology was developed for a robotic micro-manipulation system, and an actual gripping test was conducted to evaluate the robotic manipulation system.
Abstract: The micro-gripper is an essential device in micro-manipulation. A new micro-gripper fabrication process using MEMS technology is developed for a robotic micro-manipulation system. The mechanical stiffness of this gripper is analyzed with the Pseudo-Rigid Body Model to estimate the grip force of these micro-grippers of various scales and materials. The validity of the proposed model is verified by simulations and experiments. An experimental robotic micro-manipulation system consisting of this micro-gripper and a precision manipulator is implemented, and an actual gripping test is conducted to evaluate the robotic manipulation system.
30 citations
17 Oct 1999
TL;DR: Experimental results show that micro/nano contact force feedback can be held for flat surfaces with the proposed system, for the first time upon the authors' knowledge, with nano scale experimental results.
Abstract: In this paper, a teleoperated micro/nano scale touching system is proposed, and micro/nano contact mechanics models are introduced. Using a 1-DOF haptic device, force-reflecting servo type scaled teleoperation controller, and atomic force microscopy cantilever tip, touching experiments and virtual reality simulator for micro/nano-touch are realized. Scaling issue of the micro/nano forces and positions is discussed and possible solutions are proposed. For the first time upon our knowledge, such issue is discussed with nano scale experimental results. Experimental results show that micro/nano contact force feedback can be held for flat surfaces with the proposed system.
29 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the design and testing results of an electrothermally driven MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) actuator is presented. But, unlike conventional uni-directional U-beam thermal actuators, this in-plane IBET actuator can produce displacements in two directions as a single device.
Abstract: This paper presents the design and testing results of an electrothermally driven MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) actuator. Different from conventional uni-directional U-beam thermal actuators, this in-plane bi-directional electrothermal (IBET) actuator is capable of producing displacements in two directions as a single device. It is important to note that merely coupling two conventional uni-directional U-beam electrothermal actuators is insufficient to achieve bi-directional motion, as the resistance from the oppositely configured actuator severely limits net motion and leads to poor performance. An optimized IBET design was obtained through numerical simulation using finite element modeling. The devices were fabricated using the standard polyMUMPs surface micromachining process. Experimental results demonstrate that the IBET microactuators have a displacement range of 12 µm (6 µm in either direction).
29 citations