A Study on High-Output Resonance-Driven Piezoelectric Micropumps Using Active Check Valves

A novel high-output resonance-driven piezoelectric micropump using two active check valves in place of conventional passive check valves used in inlet and outlet is proposed. It actively controls opening/closing of check valves using piezoelectric actuator synchronizing with expansion/contraction of pump chamber. A prototype micropump is fabricated with an effective size of 17×8×1mm 3 . When tap water is used as the working fluid, pumping characteristics of the fabricated pump are experimentally investigated using an adequate timing control for valve opening/closing. From experimental results, it is ascertained that optimal values of the phase shift for the voltage to drive the pump chamber to realize a miniaturized but powerful micropump are 15° in inlet check valve and 195° in outlet. Based on obtained results, a sheet active shuttle valve that has a unified valve body for inlet and outlet check valves is newly proposed. A micropump with an effective size of 10×10×10mm 3 is fabricated and the basic characteristics are experimentally investigated.