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Professional Educational Seminars

Although piezoelectricity was discovered about 100 years ago, piezoelectric elements (PE) became only recently a practical alternative in some power conversion applications. In a number of applications, the piezoelectric approach was shown to have a clear advantage over alternative solutions. In other applications, piezoelectric elements will clearly be a preferred choice if and when their price is lowered. Notwithstanding the relative simple structure of piezoelectric elements, the design of the power electronics circuitry associated with them is far from being simple or trivial.

The objective of this seminar is to introduce the attendees to PE technology from the power electronics point of view. This will be accomplished by first reviewing the models of native PE devices and when loaded by rectifiers and mechanical loads. This overview will then be used in the presentation of drivers and rectifiers. Finally, the seminar will address some specific problems that haunt designers such as the issue of instability that may develop when a PE drives fluorescent lamps.

The seminar is of intermediate level intended for active workers in the field as well as for novices who wish to learn about PE and applications. Prof. Ben-Yaakov will present the seminar.

The seminar will cover, with many examples, the topics:

1. Introduction (20min)

• Piezoelectricity

• Brief overview of Piezoelectric devices

•Actuators

•Vibrating vans

•Motors

•Micro-Power Generators/Dampers

•Transformers

•Miscellaneous

2. Models of Piezoelectric devices (40 min)

•Mechanical-Electrical analogy