Piezoelectric micropumps are often used in applications where accurate pressure and / or flow control is needed. They can also be used for dosing applications. For maximizing the performance of a micropump, the optimization of driving signal is needed. Appropriate signal shape, amplitude and frequency for operation need to be determined.
In presented thesis, the development of a computer controlled piezoelectric micropump driver module and the test procedures for it are described. The developed driver module is based on DRV2667 integrated circuit and STM32F103 microcontroller.
Hardware development as well as development of the module and host computer software are emphasized. During the development, several functional tests were already done, for example measurement of the current consumption and measurement of output signal under different load conditions. In addition to the driver module, a DRV2667 support circuit was developed, which allows a microcontroller to drive a piezoelectric micropump by the means of a low voltage control interface. Finally, the use of the developed controller in a system for automatic calibration of piezoelectric micropumps is demonstrated.
Microcontroller software for synthesis of arbitrary shape and frequency signals was developed. The microcontroller sends the signal to DRV2667 integrated circuit while it also supports communication and signal parameter programming using the USB interface. Software libraries were developed for a host computer as well as a Windows program for module control.
A miniature piezoelectric micropump driver module was developed and implemented. The module is able to generate a high-voltage arbitrary waveform signal which is suitable for piezoelectric micropump control. The module may be computer controlled or may operate independently as a standalone unit. Module dimensions are 25 mm x 50 mm. It allows for generation of signals with sampling frequency of 8 kHz and amplitudes of up to 200 Vpp. With inbulit battery management section the module may also be used as an autonomous unit.
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