Development of a 3-DOF inchworm mechanism organized by a pair of Y-shaped electromagnets and 6 piezoelectric actuators-design, principle, and experiments of translational motions-

In this paper, we describe the design and development of the newly developed 3-DOF inchworm mechanism with 6 contact points on a surface to improve a positioning repeatability. The mechanism consists of a pair of Y-shaped electromagnets and six piezoelectric actuators and moves like an inchworm. We calculate a 3-DOF simple harmonic vibration model to get input signals in any 3-DOF motions. In several experiments, we confirm that the mechanism has better positioning repeatability than in previous mechanisms with 4 contact points, especially when the mechanism carries a payload. The design details and basic performance are described to contribute to flexible precise positioning technology.