Abstract:

The principles of power supplies for ER flexible micro actuators and an electrical model of the ER flexible micro actuator are established. The response of ER flexible micro actuators both to a direct and to an alternating electric field was analyzed based on R C model. A prototype of high voltage power supplies is designed based on the principles of switching power supplies. The stability of the high voltage supplies was analyzed theoretically. Both the static and dynamic experiments were carried out for the supplies. It was observed that the distributed capacity of the ER flexible micro actuator is the main cause that limits the response of the supplies.

Key words: ER flexible micro-actuators, power supplies, micro-electro-mechanical system, electro-rheological fluid