New Scale Technologies has received its fifth U.S. patent for miniature piezoelectric motor technology. Trade-named the UTAF™ motor (for Ultra-Thin Auto Focus, its target application), the tiny new device integrates all ultrasonic motor functions into a single piezoelectric ceramic beam measuring only 4.5 X 0.82 X 0.7 mm.
Precision motorized lens motion drives smaller, higher-performance machine vision systems for industrial inspection, biometric security and more. The M3-F will also be shown in use in several machine vision systems at Vision 2010, including Imaging Diagnostics Ltd., Matrix Vision GmbH and Sunex.
Article published in Design World – by David Henderson and Lisa Schaertl – Here’s what happened in a multi-year collaboration among engineers and scientists at New Scale Technologies, austriamicrosystems (now ams) and TDK-EPC to simultaneously develop the motor, mechanics, electronics and control systems for the M3 micro-mechatronics module.
Easy-to-integrate modules enable precision motorized lens motion in miniature OEM cameras for biometric security, machine vision, medical diagnostics and more
Technical paper presented at Actuator 2010 by David Henderson, Qin Xu and Daniele Piazza, New Scale Technologies
Module assembles directly to board-mounted camera, accepts a standard threaded lens, operates on 3.3V and accepts high-level digital motion commands
Article in Design News – Dramatic reductions in voltage and power requirements are making tiny piezo motors and drive systems an interesting option for portable, low-power medical devices. By eliminating the need for the high voltage normally associated with piezo systems, a new piezo motor design from New Scale Technologies enables miniature motion systems that operate on a single 3-V battery without using voltage boost circuits.
The closed-loop actuator module incorporates piezoelectric micro motors and control electronics (drive ICs, position sensor and microprocessor) in a one-inch-cubed volume. The actuator system generates no magnetic fields, and can therefore be located in close proximity to navigation systems that use the earth’s magnetic field to measure orientation and roll rate.
