Mechanical amplification mechanism combined with piezoelectric elements

Abstract

A mechanical amplification structure has a pair of L-shaped lever arms mounted for rotational motion about individually associated pivot points on a frame. An elongated transducer (e.g. piezoelectric or electrostrictive) expands or contracts responsive to electrical signals, the transducer being coupled to swing the lever arms about the pivot points. Thus an excursion distance between the swinging ends of the lever arms is equal to the expansion or contraction of the transducer multiplied by an effective length of the lever arms. An elastic support is coupled between the swinging ends of the arms to experience controlled mechanical excursions responsive to the electrical signals. A mechanical actuator is mounted on the elastic support for giving a mechanical action in response to an operation of the actuator means. As shown, the actuator is a printing needle in one embodiment and a relay contact in another embodiment.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.