A dynamic linearization concept for piezoelectric actuators

We present a linearization circuit based on a capacitive Wheatstone bridge that is able to set a desired polarization in a piezoactuator. The system is meant to be used for dynamic actuation in a broad frequency range. A general nonlinear model for piezoactuators is presented in which two nonlinear sub-systems are cascaded: the electric-field-to-polarization (E-P) and the polarization-to-strain (P-x) blocks. The inversion of the latter sub-system in combination with the linearization bridge results in a reduction of up to 19 dB of the harmonic distortion of the actuator's mechanical displacement.