An Out-of-Plane Operated Soft Engine Driving Stretchable Zone Plate for Adjusting Focal Point of an Ultrasonic Beam

This paper presents a soft engine which performs up-and-down motion with four planar film-structured ionic polymer—metal composites (IPMC) actuators. This soft engine assembled with a stretchable Fresnel zone plate is capable of tuning the focus of ultrasonic beam. Instead of conventional clamps, we employ 3D printed frame pairs with magnets and a conductive gold cloth to provide an alternative solution for securing the IPMC actuators during assembly. The design and analysis of the zone plate are carefully performed. The zone plate allows the plane ultrasonic wave to be effectively focused. The motion of IPMC actuators stretch the metal-foil-made zone plate to tune the focal range of the ultrasonic beam. The zone plate, 3D frames and IPMC actuators were fabricated, assembled and tested. The stiffness normal to the stretchable zone plate with varied designs was investigated and the seven-zone design was selected for our experimental study. The force responsible for clamping the IPMC actuators, controlled by the magnetic attraction between the fabricated frames, was also examined. The driving voltage, current and resulting displacement of IPMC actuation were characterized. The developed soft engine stretching the zone plate to tune the focal point of the ultrasonic beam up to 10% was successfully demonstrated.