A Study on High-Output Resonance-Driven Piezoelectric Micropumps Using Active Check Valves

Jung-Ho Park^, Kazuhiro Yoshida^, Chikara Ishikawa^**,
Shinichi Yokota^, Takeshi Seto^, and Kunihiko Takagi^*

^*Precision and Intelligence Laboratory, Tokyo Institute of Technology

^**Graduate School, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8503, Japan

^***Communications Device R&D Department, Seiko Epson Corporation, 3-3-5 Owa, Suwa-shi, Nagano-ken 392-8502, Japan

Received:

October 24, 2003

Accepted:

December 24, 2003

Published:

April 20, 2004

Keywords:

micropump, piezoelectric actuator, check valve, shuttle valve, timing control, phase shift, bi-directional flow

Abstract

A novel high-output resonance-driven piezoelectric micropump using two active check valves in place of conventional passive check valves used in inlet and outlet is proposed. It actively controls opening/closing of check valves using piezoelectric actuator synchronizing with expansion/contraction of pump chamber. A prototype micropump is fabricated with an effective size of 17×8×1mm³. When tap water is used as the working fluid, pumping characteristics of the fabricated pump are experimentally investigated using an adequate timing control for valve opening/closing. From experimental results, it is ascertained that optimal values of the phase shift for the voltage to drive the pump chamber to realize a miniaturized but powerful micropump are 15° in inlet check valve and 195° in outlet. Based on obtained results, a sheet active shuttle valve that has a unified valve body for inlet and outlet check valves is newly proposed. A micropump with an effective size of 10×10×10mm³ is fabricated and the basic characteristics are experimentally investigated.

Cite this article as:

J. Park, K. Yoshida, C. Ishikawa, S. Yokota, T. Seto, and K. Takagi, “A Study on High-Output Resonance-Driven Piezoelectric Micropumps Using Active Check Valves,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.16 No.2, pp. 171-177, 2004.

Data files:

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This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internationa License.

A Study on High-Output Resonance-Driven Piezoelectric Micropumps Using Active Check Valves

Jung-Ho Park*, Kazuhiro Yoshida*, Chikara Ishikawa**, Shinichi Yokota*, Takeshi Seto***, and Kunihiko Takagi***

Jung-Ho Park^, Kazuhiro Yoshida^, Chikara Ishikawa^**,
Shinichi Yokota^, Takeshi Seto^, and Kunihiko Takagi^*