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US 5,142,172 AGranted
Rectilinear-motion driving device for voice coil motor
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsMichio Horikoshi, Kazuo Watanabe, Tadayuki Kubo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A linear-motion driving device includes a movable shaft, a gas bearing for supporting the movable shaft, a housing for supporting the gas bearing, and a motor having a voice coil for displacing the movable shaft. The bearing housing is disposed inside the voice coil.
Claims9
A linear-motion driving device, comprising:
- a movable member;
- a gas bearing having a pad for supporting said movable member;
- a motor having a voice coil for displacing said movable member along a predetermined axial direction, wherein said voice coil is formed as a unit with said movable member and wherein said pad and said movable member are disposed inside said voice coil;
- and
- a mechanism for limiting rotational motion of said movable member about said axial direction, wherein said limiting mechanism includes a guide plate formed as a unit with said movable member and disposed outside said voice coil, and wherein said limiting mechanism limits the rotational motion of said movable member by using said guide plate and static gas pressure.
2 more elements
A linear-motion driving device, comprising:
- a movable shaft;
- a bearing housing having a longitudinal bore through which said movable shaft extends;
- first and second gas bearing means provided at opposite ends of said bearing housing, respectively, for supporting said movable shaft relative to said bearing housing with use of static gas pressure;
- a motor for moving said movable shaft relative to said bearing housing along an axial direction, said motor having a motor housing for covering said bearing housing, a magnet attached to said motor housing and a voice coil fixed to an end portion of said movable shaft by a fixed plate, wherein said voice coil is disposed inside said motor housing and extends in a direction covering said movable shaft;
- and
- a mechanism for limiting rotational motion of said movable shaft, said limiting means having a guide plate attached to said end portion of said movable shaft to which said voice coil is fixed.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.