Piezoelectric actuators, which are primarily used to produce deformation (for instance, displacement) and do not have a built-in mass of their own, function quite differently than other haptic components such as off-axis moment of inertia (ERM) actuator assemblies or linear resonant actuators (LRAs) to provide haptic feedback. However, in recent years, with the wide application of actuators, it has been developed to combine piezoelectric actuators with a mass material and install them onto the device, and the actuator provides a vibration source, and the acceleration (a) is generated by vibration on the mass (m) material to form a unique motion force (F), the principle of which comes from Newton’s second law of motion F=ma.
Owing to the above laws, a piezoelectric tactile actuator consists of two parts, namely the mass and the vibrating component that generates the acceleration. Vibrations generated by piezoelectric haptic actuators are mechanical deformations caused by the application of a voltage to a piezoelectric material, and this force touches a surface, which in turn transmits the force to a device with mass.
Characteristics
Piezoelectric tactile actuators enable people to experience revolutionary tactile perception, which increases the communication of human-computer interaction mode, not limited to listening and seeing. It is believed that haptic feedback technology will become a necessary value-added application for handheld and wearable devices in the future. Its differentiated product features are as follows:
- Higher acceleration
- Faster response times
- More accurate vibration performance
- Faster and abundant vibration experience
- Small formfactor, which is suitable and convenient for portable device applications
- Lower energy consumption
Applications
Piezoelectric haptic actuators can be applied widely to many applications including:
- Smartphones
- Laptops
- Physical training devices
- Automotive dashboards and steering wheels
- Gaming keyboards
- Medical
- Home appliances