Vibration actuator and drive unit including the same
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorHideaki MUKAE
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic actuator includes an actuator body, a case and a support rubber. The support rubber is made of conductive rubber having alternately stacked insulating layers and conductive layers and arranged between the case and the actuator body such that an external electrode and an electrode is brought into conduction and applies in advance a compressive force in the direction of longitudinal vibration to the actuator body at a non-node part of the vibration of the actuator body. The support rubber is arranged such that the stacking direction of the conductive rubber intersects with a plane including the direction of longitudinal vibration and the direction of bending vibration of the actuator body.
Claims10
A vibration actuator comprising:
- an actuator body having a piezoelectric element and an on-actuator body feeding electrode for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element, the actuator body delivering a driving force by generating a plurality of vibrations in different directions;
- a base containing the actuator body and having an on-base feeding electrode for feeding the actuator body;
- and
- a pressurizing element made of conductive rubber including stacked insulators and conductors and arranged between the base and the actuator body such that the pressurizing element brings the on-actuator body feeding electrode and the on-base feeding electrode into conduction and applies in advance a compressive force in the direction of at least one of the vibrations to the actuator body at a non-node part of the at least one of the vibrations of the actuator body,
- wherein the pressurizing element is arranged such that the stacking direction of the conductive rubber intersects with a plane including the directions of the plurality of vibrations of the actuator body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.