Sensors and Actuators Based on Microcoils

Inhalt:
Based on new developments on flat solenoid microcoils we aim to build microactuators and microsensors for aeronautic applications. Various device concepts based on flat microcoils are compared in terms of actuation and sensing capabilities using static finite element calculations. First the coenergy of the system is determined from which the force on a magnetic anchor body is derived as a measure for the actuation potential. The time-integral of the electromotive force (EMF) induced by the movement of the anchor body is chosen to evaluate the sensing capability of the micro device. It directly yields the change in the magnetic flux corresponding to the limits of integration and depends on the anchor position but is independent of its velocity. The device geometries are chosen with respect to the limits of the manufacturing technology. We start with the simplest model to compare our methods before proceeding with more complex devices. The coenergy concept allows us to include at a later stage the mechanical energy of the membrane to which the anchor body needs to be attached in order to build a real device.