Abstract
A thin and miniature piezoelectric panel speaker has been developed in this paper. The system is modeled using the energy method in conjunction with the finite element method. The electrical system, mechanical system and acoustic loading are considered in combined fashion. The genetic algorithm (GA) and the Taguchi method are employed to achieve optimal designs with low fundamental frequency and high acoustic output. The designs resulting from the optimization are then implemented and evaluated by experiments. These experiments were carried out on the basis of quantitative and subjective performance measures. The experimental results indicate that the piezoelectric panel speakers are capable of producing comparable acoustic output with significantly less electrical power than the conventional voice-coil panel speakers. © 2004 by ASME.