| Title | Closed loop control of dielectric elastomer actuators |
| Publication Type | Conference Paper |
| Year of Publication | 2011 |
| Authors | Gisby, T.A., O'Brien B.M., Xie S.Q., Calius E.P., and Anderson I.A. |
| Conference Name | Proceedings of SPIE - The International Society for Optical Engineering |
| Date Published | 2011 |
| Keywords | Actuation voltages, Actuators, Capacitance, Closed loop control systems, Closed loops, Closed-loop control, Conducting polymers, DEA, Dielectric elastomer actuator, Dielectric elastomer actuators, Dielectric membranes, Elastomers, Electrical characteristic, Equivalent series resistance, Low Power, Parallel resistance, Periodic oscillation, Plastics, Portable device, Pulse width modulation, Self-sensing, Sensors, System use |
| Abstract | Sensing the electrical characteristics of a Dielectric Elastomer Actuator(s) (DEA) during actuation is critical to improving their accuracy and reliability. We have created a self-sensing system for measuring the equivalent series resistance of the electrodes, leakage current through the equivalent parallel resistance of the dielectric membrane, and the capacitance of the DEA whilst it is being actuated. This system uses Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) to simultaneously generate an actuation voltage and a periodic oscillation that enables the electrical characteristics of the DEA to be sensed. This system has been specifically targeted towards low-power, portable devices. In this paper we experimentally validate the self-sensing approach, and present a simple demonstration of closed loop control of the area of an expanding dot DEA using capacitance feedback. © 2011 SPIE. |
| URL | http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-79955922920&partnerID=40&md5=51cd89982c6f9083f83f2bb4171adc54 |
| DOI | 10.1117/12.880711 |
