Active Bearings in Mechatronics: Design and Application

This paper presents a concept for active bearings, consisting on fixed and moving pieces, transmitting forces from one to another, in which motion of one of these elements relative to the other is being generated. This is achieved by transforming high frequency mechanical oscillations of one or both elements into continuous or step motion of the travelling element. The torque or forces are generated in the contact zone between both elements, which excludes the errors, common to applications requiring external drives. It is shown that active bearings, supports and guides are characterized by a set of common features which is used to extend the range of applications in Mechatronics systems. Such features include adaptivity, torque or force control, self-diagnostic mode and multi-functionality.