Abstract
Different micromotors and other rotating microsystems
like gearboxes with dimensions of a few millimeters have
been developped during the last years. Applications of
such micromotors can be found in sensors and actuators
for example in medical equipment. These components offer
the possibility of extreme miniaturization of mechanical
systems with driven rotating parts. The characterization of
rotating microsystems is necessaly during the state of
development as well as for quality control in production.
The minimum requirement for the characterization of a
motor is the measurement of torque and of rotational
speed. The measurement of rotational speed is a relative
simple task, even for miniaturized systems, but the
measurement of torque is much more complicated. Most of
the well-known methods and sensors for measurement of
torque are not suitable for micromotors. A sensor unit
based on a spring-element using optoelectronic methods
for measuring the small deformation of the spring has
been developed to cover the requirements for torque
measurement of rotating microsystems. Within the
European project HAFAM (Handling and Assembly of
Functionally Adapted Microcomponents) a complete
testing stage for characterizing rotating microsystems
using this sensor has been developed. The objective of this
micro torque testing stage is to provide a flexible and
modular means for assessing the performance and the
quality of both active and passive microsystems, e.g.
micromotors or micro ball bearings.