An Input-Current Shaping and Soft-Switching Drive Circuit Applied to a Piezoelectric Ceramic Actuator

Abstract

Piezoelectric ceramic actuators utilize an inverse piezoelectric effect to generate high-frequency vibration energy and are widely used in ultrasonic energy conversion circuits. This paper presents a novel drive circuit with input-current shaping (ICS) and soft-switching features which consists of a front AC-DC full-wave bridge rectifier and a rear DC-AC circuit combining a stacked boost converter and a half-bridge resonant inverter for driving a piezoelectric ceramic actuator. To enable ICS functionality in the proposed drive circuit, the inductor of the stacked boost converter sub-circuit is designed to operate in boundary-conduction mode (BCM). In order to allow the two power switches in the proposed drive circuit to achieve zero-voltage switching (ZVS) characteristics, the resonant circuit of the half-bridge resonant inverter sub-circuit is designed as an inductive load. In this paper, a prototype drive circuit for providing piezoelectric ceramic actuators was successfully implemented. Experimental results tested at 110 V input utility voltage show that high power factor (PF > 0.97), low input current total harmonic distortion (THD < 16%), and ZVS characteristics of the power switch were achieved in the prototype drive circuit.

1. Introduction

In 1880, two French physicists, Pierre Curie and Jacques Curie, were investigating the relationship between the phenomenon of thermo-electricity and crystals. They found that when an external force was applied to a crystal, electric polarization occurred inside the crystal. Subsequently, when they applied an electric field to the crystal, this caused a deformation on the outside of the crystal, a phenomenon known as the piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric effect is a phenomenon in which mechanical energy and electrical energy are mutually exchanged in dielectric materials. The piezoelectric effect is used in the generation and detection of sound, the generation of high voltages, the generation of electric frequencies, microbalances and the ultra-fine focusing of optical devices. There are two types of piezoelectric effect: positive piezoelectric effect and inverse piezoelectric effect. When physical pressure is applied to the piezoelectric material, the electric dipole moment in the material body will be shortened due to compression. At this time, the piezoelectric material will generate equal positive and negative charges on the opposite surfaces of the material to maintain the original state in order to resist this change. This phenomenon of electrical polarization due to deformation is called the “positive piezoelectric effect”. When an electric field is applied on the surface of the piezoelectric material, the electric dipole moment will be elongated due to the action of the electric field, and the piezoelectric material will elongate along the direction of the electric field in order to resist the change. This process of generating mechanical deformation through the action of an electric field is called the “inverse piezoelectric effect” [1,2,3,4,5,6].

Piezoelectric materials have a piezoelectric effect because of the special arrangement of atoms in the crystal lattice, which makes the material have the effect of stress field and electric field coupling. And piezoelectric ceramics are a kind of piezoelectric materials belonging to piezoelectric polycrystalline materials. The main function of piezoelectric ceramics is to convert mechanical and electrical energy into each other. When pressure is applied to a piezoelectric ceramic, a potential difference is generated. When a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric ceramic, a mechanical stress is generated. If a high-frequency vibration is applied to the piezoelectric ceramic, it will produce a high-frequency current. If a high-frequency electrical signal is applied to the piezoelectric ceramic, it will generate a high-frequency mechanical vibration. One application of piezoelectric ceramics is to use them as an actuator. A piezoelectric ceramic actuator is an electromechanical device that utilizes the piezoelectric effect to convert electrical energy into mechanical motion or displacement. The piezoelectric effect is a property exhibited by certain materials (especially piezoelectric ceramics) which generate an electric charge when they are subjected to mechanical stress and, conversely, deform when they are subjected to an electric field. Since piezoelectric ceramics deform and vibrate under the action of an electric field, resonance occurs when the frequency of the electric field is the same as one of the intrinsic frequencies of the piezoelectric ceramics. Since the amplitude of piezoelectric ceramics at resonance is hundreds of times greater than at normal frequencies, piezoelectric ceramics can be used as an actuator to convert into mechanical energy with maximum efficiency [7,8].

In a piezoelectric ceramic actuator, a piezoelectric ceramic material is typically sandwiched between electrodes. When a voltage is applied to an electrode, the piezoelectric material deforms, causing it to expand or contract. This deformation produces mechanical motion or displacement and can be used in a variety of applications. Piezoelectric ceramic actuators are known for their high precision, fast response time, and large force-to-size ratios, and are used in a wide range of applications, including: (1) Applications of precision positioning—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are used in fine positioning stages and nanometer-scale positioning systems, such as those found in microscopy, semiconductor manufacturing, and optical equipment. (2) Applications of valve and pump actuation—piezoelectric ceramic actuators can control valves and pumps in fluidic systems with high accuracy and rapid response times. (3) Applications of ultrasound and medical imaging—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are used in medical imaging devices like ultrasound transducers, where they emit and receive ultrasonic waves. (4) Applications in vibration and noise control—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are employed in active vibration damping and noise cancellation systems in various industries, including aerospace and automotive. (5) Applications of inkjet printing—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are used to control droplet ejection in inkjet printers. (6) Applications of precision machining—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are used in machining applications that require high precision and stability, such as in laser micromachining. (7) Applications of aerospace and defense—piezoelectric ceramic actuators are used in aerospace applications for mechanisms such as adaptive structures and morphing wing technology. (8) Applications in haptic feedback—piezoelectric ceramic actuators provide tactile feedback in electronic devices, such as touchscreens and gaming controllers. (9) Applications of energy harvesting—piezoelectric ceramic actuators can also be used to convert mechanical vibrations into electrical energy, a process known as energy harvesting [9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17].

Since piezoelectric ceramic actuators uses the inverse piezoelectric effect to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and generate high-frequency vibration energy, they can be widely used in low-power ultrasonic energy conversion circuits such as ultrasonic beauty instruments and tooth cleaners, as well as in ultrasonic cleaning machines, ultrasonic processing machines, and other high-power ultrasonic energy conversion circuits [18,19,20,21,22].

The general three-stage piezoelectric ceramic drive circuit is composed of a full-wave bridge rectifier in the front stage, a DC-DC converter with input-current shaping (ICS) function in the middle stage, and a DC-AC resonant converter in the rear stage. Reference [23] has presented a drive circuit for powering a piezoelectric ceramic actuator applied with a DC input voltage source, and it can be extended to a three-stage driver circuit using an AC input voltage source. Figure 1 shows the three-stage drive circuit for powering a piezoelectric ceramic actuator using an AC input voltage source v_AC and with ICS function, which is composed of a front-stage AC-DC full-wave bridge rectifier (including four diodes, D₁, D₂, D₃, and D₄ along with a capacitor, C_rec), a middle-stage DC-DC boost converter (including a capacitor, C_rec, an inductor, L_b, a power switch, S_b, a diode, D_b and a DC-linked capacitor, C_b), and a rear-stage DC-AC full-bridge resonant converter (including a DC-linked capacitor, C_b, four power switches, S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄, and a resonant inductor, L_r) that supply the piezoelectric ceramic actuator with rated power.

The conventional two-stage drive circuit for providing a piezoelectric ceramic actuator applied with an AC input voltage source v_AC is shown in Figure 2 [24,25], and consists of a front-stage AC-DC full-wave bridge rectifier (including four diodes, D_R1, D_R2, D_R3, and D_R4, along with a DC-linked capacitor, C_DC) and a rear-stage DC-AC full-bridge resonant converter (including four power switches, S₁, S₂, S₃, and S₄, four diodes, D₁, D₂, D₃, and D₄, and a resonant inductor, L_r) that supplies the piezoelectric ceramic actuator with rated power. In addition, this two-stage version, which powers piezo-ceramic actuators, does not have a power factor correction (PFC) function.

The above-mentioned three-stage drive circuit supplies power to the piezoelectric ceramic driver and uses an AC input voltage source with ICS function, which requires three-level power conversion. In addition, the number of power switches in the three-stage conversion circuit is relatively large, so the switching loss and conduction loss are relatively large, which affects the overall efficiency of the circuit. Typically, electrical equipment powered by an AC source requires power factor correction, which is important and necessary to increase the power factor to as close to unity as possible to save energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels at power stations in order to improve energy efficiency. The two-stage drive circuit described above uses an AC input voltage source to power the piezoelectric ceramic driver, but does not provide power factor correction. In response to these challenges, this paper proposes a novel two-stage drive circuit to provide piezoelectric ceramic actuators with ICS and soft-switching functions, which consists of a full-wave bridge rectifier in the front stage and a stacked boost-half-bridge resonant converter in the rear stage. By designing the series inductance of the stacked boost-half-bridge resonant converter to operate in the boundary-conduction mode (BCM), the drive circuit has ICS function. In addition, the resonant tank circuit of the stacked boost-half bridge resonant converter is designed to operate as an inductive load. Thus, two power switches of the driver circuit can realize zero-voltage switching (ZVS) characteristics [26]. This paper, which is an extended version of [26], is organized as follows. Section 2 not only describes and analyzes operational modes in the proposed two-stage drive circuit for supplying a piezoelectric ceramic actuator, but also presents a design guideline of the circuit parameter in the proposed drive circuit. In Section 3, experimental results of the prototype drive circuit for supplying a piezoelectric ceramic actuator are demonstrated. Finally, some conclusions are provided in Section 4.

2. The Proposed Two-Stage Drive Circuit for Supplying a Piezoelectric Ceramic Actuator

2.1. Introduction of the Proposed Two-Stage Drive Circuit

Figure 3 shows the proposed drive circuit for providing a piezoelectric ceramic actuator, which combines a front-stage AC-DC full-wave bridge rectifier and a rear-stage circuit that integrates a stacked boost converter with a half-bridge resonant inverter. The stacked boost converter sub-circuit is composed of two capacitors (C_in1 and C_in2), two diodes (D_B1 and D_B2), an inductor L_B, two power switches (S₁ and S₂), and two DC-linked capacitors (C_DC1 and C_DC2). The half-bridge resonant inverter sub-circuit is composed of two switches (S₁ and S₂), two DC-linked capacitors (C_DC1 and C_DC2), a resonant inductor (L_r), and the piezoelectric ceramic actuator. Moreover, the inductor L_B is designed to be operated in BCM in order to accomplish ICS function. And the resonant tank circuit design of the stacked dual boost-half-bridge resonant converter is operated under the inductive load, so that the two power switches can achieve the characteristics of zero-voltage switching (ZVS), thereby improving the conversion efficiency of the circuit and reducing the switching loss on the power switch.

2.2. Analysis of Operational Modes

Figure 4 is a simplified diagram for analyzing the operational mode of the presented drive circuit for powering the piezoelectric ceramic actuator. In analyzing the mode of operation of the novel drive circuit proposed in this paper for application to piezoelectric ceramic actuators, the following assumptions are made about some of the circuit components:

• The voltage source Vrec is defined as the voltage output from the input AC voltage to the capacitors C_in1 and C_in2 through the full-wave bridge rectifier of the previous stage.
• The gate-driving control signals of the power switches S₁ and S₂ are complementary, and the intrinsic diodes of the power switches are considered. The dead time of the two power switches S₁ and S₂ is ignored, and the duty ratio of the two power switches is assumed to be 0.5.
• The series inductor L_B is designed to operate in boundary-conduction mode (BCM).
• When analyzing how the circuit works, the flow direction of the series inductor current is defined as the right-to-left direction, and the flow direction of the resonant inductor current is defined as the left-to-right direction.
• During the circuit analysis, ignore the equivalent resistance of diodes D_B1 and D_B2 and their forward bias voltage drop.
• The rest of the circuit elements can be considered as ideal elements.

Figure 4. The equivalent driver circuit for providing a piezoelectric ceramic actuator during analysis of the operational modes.

Figure 4. The equivalent driver circuit for providing a piezoelectric ceramic actuator during analysis of the operational modes.

Figure 5, Figure 6, Figure 7 and Figure 8 are the analysis diagrams of operational mode 1 to operational mode 4 of the proposed driver circuit. Among them, operational mode 2 and operational mode 3 are the positive half cycle of the series inductor current i_LB, and operational mode 1 and operational mode 4 are the negative half cycle of the series inductor current i_LB. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the voltage and current waveforms on the essential components of the new drive circuit applied to piezoelectric ceramic actuators in each action mode.

2.2.1. Operational Mode 1 (t₀ ≤ t < t₁)

Figure 5 shows operational mode 1 of the proposed drive circuit applied to the piezoelectric ceramic actuator. In the previous operational mode, the capacitor C_in2 completed the provision of energy to the series inductor L_B through the switch S₂ and the diode D_B2, and then the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₁ was forward-biased at t₀. The series inductor L_B and the capacitor C_in2 provide energy to the DC-linked capacitors C_DC1 and C_DC2 through the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₁ and the diode D_B2. The current of the series inductor L_B decreases linearly during its negative half-cycle operation.

The resonant inductor L_r provides energy to the DC-linked capacitor C_DC1 and the piezoelectric ceramic actuator via the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₁. When the power switch S₁ is driven and has the ZVS feature, and the current of the series inductance L_B drops to zero, operational mode 1 ends at t₁.

Figure 5. Operational mode 1 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 5. Operational mode 1 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

2.2.2. Operational Mode 2 (t₁ ≤ t < t₂)

Figure 6 shows operational mode 2 of the proposed drive circuit applied to piezoelectric ceramic actuators. In the previous operation mode, the power switch S₁ was ZVS turn-on at t₁. The capacitor C_in1 supplies energy to the series inductor L_B through the diode D_B1 and the power switch S₁, and the series inductor current i_LB rises linearly at its positive half cycle. The DC-linked capacitor C_DC1 provides energy to the resonant inductor L_r and the piezoelectric ceramic actuator through the power switch S₁. When the power switch S₁ is turned off and the current of the series inductor L_B rises to the maximum value at its positive half cycle, operational mode 2 ends at t₂.

Figure 6. Operational mode 2 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 6. Operational mode 2 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

2.2.3. Operational Mode 3 (t₂ ≤ t < t₃)

Figure 7 shows operational mode 3 of the proposed drive circuit applied to piezoelectric ceramic actuators. In the previous operation mode, the energy storage in the series inductor L_B was completed, and the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₂ was forward-biased at t₂. The series inductor L_B and the capacitor C_in1 provide energy to the DC-linked capacitors C_DC1 and C_DC2 through the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₂ and diode D_B1. Thus, the series inductor current i_LB decreases linearly at its positive half-cycle.

In addition, the resonant inductor L_r provides energy to the DC-linked capacitor C_DC2 and the piezoelectric ceramic actuator through the intrinsic diode of the power switch S₂. When the series inductor current i_LB drops to zero at its positive half-cycle and the power switch S₂ is driven and has ZVS, operational mode 3 ends at t₃.

Figure 7. Operational mode 3 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 7. Operational mode 3 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

2.2.4. Operational Mode 4 (t₃ ≤ t < t₄)

Figure 8 shows operational mode 4 of the proposed drive circuit applied to the piezoelectric ceramic actuator. In the previous operation mode, the power switch S₂ was ZVS turn-on at t₃. The capacitor C_in2 supplies energy to the series inductor L_B through the diode D_B2 and the power switch S₂, and the series inductor current i_LB rises linearly at its negative half-cycle.

The DC-linked capacitor C_DC2 provides energy to the resonant inductor L_r and the piezoelectric ceramic actuator through the power switch S₂. When the power switch S₂ turns off and the series inductor current i_LB rises to the maximum value at its negative half-cycle, operational mode 4 ends at t₄ and the circuit operation returns to mode 1.

Figure 8. Operational mode 4 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 8. Operational mode 4 of the proposed drive circuit for the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 9. Theoretical waveforms of the proposed drive circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator during the positive half-cycle of the utility-line voltage.

Figure 9. Theoretical waveforms of the proposed drive circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator during the positive half-cycle of the utility-line voltage.

2.3. Design Guideline of the Series Inductor L_B

Figure 10 shows the theoretical current and voltage waveform i_LB and v_LB of the series inductor L_B. By using the volt-second theorem, the peak value of the inductor current, denoted as I_LB-peak, can be expressed by

$$I_{LB-peak}=\frac{V_{rec-rms}}{2L_B}{T}_{ON}=\frac{V_{DC}-\frac{1}{2}{V}_{rec-rms}}{L_B}\left(\frac{1}{2}{T}_S-T_{ON}\right)$$

(1)

where T_ON and T_S are the turn-on time and the switching period of the power switches, respectively. From Equation (1), the turn-on time T_ON of the power switch is given by

$$T_{ON}=\frac{1}{2}-\frac{V_{rec-rms}}{4V_{DC}}$$

(2)

By combining (1) with (2), the design formula of the series inductor L_B can be expressed as

$$L_B=\frac{V_{rec-rms}}{2I_{LB-peak}}\times \left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{V_{rec-rms}}{4V_{DC}}\right)T_S$$

(3)

With a V_rec-rms of 110 V, a V_DC of 400 V, a I_LB-peak of 2 A, and a switching period T_S of 1/(40 kHz), the inductances of the series inductor L_B is calculated as

$$L_B=\frac{110}{2\times 2}\times \left(\frac{1}{2}-\frac{110}{4\times 400}\right)\left(\frac{1}{40k}\right)=296.4\mathsf{\mu }\mathrm{H}$$

(4)

In addition, the series inductor L_B in the prototype drive circuit is 250 μH.

Figure 10. The theoretical current and voltage waveform i_LB and v_LB of the series inductor L_B.

Figure 10. The theoretical current and voltage waveform i_LB and v_LB of the series inductor L_B.

2.4. Design Equation of the Resonant Inductor L_r

In order to achieve zero-voltage switching on both power switches and thus reduce switching losses, a resonant tank combining the series inductor L_r with the equivalent circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator is expected to be designed as an inductive load when the resonant frequency f_r is equal to the switching frequency f_s. Therefore, the design equation of the resonant inductor L_r can be obtained as follows [25,27]:

$$L_r=\frac{1}{2\pi f_r}\times \left(X_1+\sqrt{{\left|Z_{in}\right|}^2-R_1{}^2}\right)$$

(5)

where Z_in, R₁, and X₁ are the input impedance, the equivalent resistance, and the reactance in the equivalent circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

3. Experimental Results of the Proposed Drive Circuit

In this paper, a prototype of the proposed drive circuit for supplying a 50 W-rated piezoelectric ceramic actuator has already been implemented and testified. The specifications of the experimental piezoelectric ceramic actuator are shown in

Table 1. Specifications of the experimental piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Parameter	Value
Rated Power PO	50 W
Resonant Resistance Rm	25 Ω
Static Capacitance Cp	4000 pF
Resonant Frequency fr	40 ± 0.5 kHz
Outer Diameter of Radiating Surface	45 mm
Outer Diameter of the Ceramic Ring	35 mm
Height	54 mm
Weight	244 g

. The resonant resistance R_m, the static capacitance C_p, and the resonant frequency f_r are 25 Ω, 4000 pF, and 40 ± 0.5 kHz, respectively. In addition,

Table 2. The components used in the prototype driver circuit for supplying a piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Parameter/Component	Value
Diode D1, D2, D3, D4	MUR460
Filter Inductor Lf	2.96 mH
Filter Capacitor Cf	1 μF
Capacitor Crec; Cin1, Cin2	1 μF; 0.33 μF
Diode DB1, DB2	MUR460
DC-linked Capacitor CDC1, CDC2	150 μF (Two capacitors in series connection)
Power Switches S1, S2	35N60CFD
Resonant Inductor Lr	4 mH
Series Inductor LB	250 μH

lists the components used in the drive circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic actuator prototype.

In this paper, a prototype driver circuit for powering a piezoelectric ceramic actuator with a rated power of 50 W and a resonant frequency of 40 kHz has been successfully implemented and tested. Table 2 shows the circuit components used in the prototype piezoelectric ceramic actuator driver circuit. Figure 11 shows the measured inductor voltage v_LB and current i_LB, and the current i_LB works in BCM, as can be seen from the figure. Figure 12 shows the measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS2 and the resonant inductor current i_Lr. It can be seen from the waveform diagram that the inductor current i_Lr lags behind the switch voltage v_DS2, so the series resonant circuit can be approximated as an inductive load.

Figure 13 shows the measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS1 and the switch current i_DS1. As can be seen from the waveform diagram, ZVS occurs on the power switch in order to reduce switching losses. Figure 14 shows the measured waveform of the DC-bus voltage V_DC, and the mean value of V_DC is 399.6 V. Figure 15 presents the measured waveforms of the output voltage v_O and the output current i_O, and the output voltage v_O leads the output current i_O, as can be seen from the figure.

Figure 11. Measured waveform of the inductor voltage (200 V/div) and current i_LB (2 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 11. Measured waveform of the inductor voltage (200 V/div) and current i_LB (2 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 12. Measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS2 (200 V/div) and the resonant inductor current i_Lr (1 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 12. Measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS2 (200 V/div) and the resonant inductor current i_Lr (1 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 13. Measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS1 (200 V/div) and the switch current i_DS1 (2 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 13. Measured waveforms of the switch voltage v_DS1 (200 V/div) and the switch current i_DS1 (2 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 14. Measured waveforms of the DC-bus voltage V_DC (200 V/div); time scale: 500 ns/div.

Figure 14. Measured waveforms of the DC-bus voltage V_DC (200 V/div); time scale: 500 ns/div.

Figure 15. Measured waveforms of the output voltage v_O (500 V/div) and the output current i_O (1 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 15. Measured waveforms of the output voltage v_O (500 V/div) and the output current i_O (1 A/div); time scale: 10 μs/div.

Figure 16 shows the measured input utility-line voltage v_AC and current i_AC. As can be seen from the waveform diagram, the ICS function was realized in the proposed driver circuit. Figure 17 shows the harmonic components of the AC input current measured with a power analyzer (Tektronix PA 4000) and compared to the IEC 61000-3-2 Class C standard [28]. As can be seen from the figure, all current harmonics met the requirements.

Furthermore, the measured total-harmonic distortion (THD) of the input utility-line current and the power factor in the proposed driver circuit were 15.432% and 0.9729, respectively. Additionally, a photograph of the prototype drive circuit for powering the piezoelectric ceramic actuator developed in this paper is shown in Figure 18.

Figure 16. Measured waveforms of the input utility-line voltage v_AC (50 V/div) and the input current i_AC (0.5 A/div); time scale: 5 ms/div.

Figure 16. Measured waveforms of the input utility-line voltage v_AC (50 V/div) and the input current i_AC (0.5 A/div); time scale: 5 ms/div.

Figure 17. Measured harmonics of the input utility-line current in comparison with the IEC 61000-3-2 class C standard.

Figure 17. Measured harmonics of the input utility-line current in comparison with the IEC 61000-3-2 class C standard.

Figure 18. The photograph of the prototype driver circuit proposed in this paper for a piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

Figure 18. The photograph of the prototype driver circuit proposed in this paper for a piezoelectric ceramic actuator.

4. Conclusions

This paper introduces the principle of piezoelectricity, the application of piezoelectric ceramic actuators, and the existing three-stage and two-stage piezoelectric ceramic actuator drive circuit architectures, and proposes a new two-stage drive circuit architecture for piezoelectric ceramic actuators. The drive circuit developed in this paper consists of a full-wave bridge rectifier in the front stage and a stacked boost DC-to-DC converter integrating with a half-bridge series resonant DC to AC converter as the rear stage to form a new two-stage circuit architecture to provide energy to the piezoelectric ceramic actuator with power factor correction. Experimental results obtained from a 50 W-rated prototype drive circuit at a 110 V input utility-line voltage have sufficiently demonstrated a high power factor (>0.97) and low total harmonic distortion (<16%) of the input utility-line current, and two power switches are provided with the ZVS feature in the proposed driver circuit.