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US 5,225,941 AGranted
Driving device
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsSchuichiro Saito, Masatoshi Nagano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A driving device includes a driving member which is frictionally engaged with a driven member or a member coupled to the driven member and which is movably supported on a fixed member, a piezoelectric element disposed in contact with the driving member, and a driving circuit for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element so as to make the speed of expansion of the piezoelectric element different from the speed of contraction thereof.
Claims26
A driving device comprising:
- a driving member frictionally engaged with a driven member or a member coupled to said driven member;
- a fixed member movably supporting said driving member;
- a piezoelectric element disposed in contact with said driving member;
- and
- driving means for applying a voltage to said piezoelectric element so as to make a speed of expansion of said piezoelectric element different from a speed of contraction thereof.
2 more elements
A driving device comprising:
- a driven member frictionally engaged with a fixed member;
- a guide bar movably supporting said driven member;
- a piezoelectric element secured at one end to said driven member and at the other end to a weight;
- and
- driving means for applying a voltage to said piezoelectric element so as to make a speed of expansion of said piezoelectric element different from a speed of contraction thereof.
2 more elements
An apparatus having a driving mechanism, comprising:
- first and second guide members;
- first and second piezoelectric elements secured at one ends to said first and second guide members, respectively, and at the other ends to individual fixed members;
- first and second driven members supported for movement relative to said first and second guide members, said first driven member being in first frictional engagement with said first guide member and in non-frictional engagement with said second guide member or in frictional engagement with said second guide member which frictional engagement is weaker than said first frictional engagement, said second driven member being in second frictional engagement with said second guide member and in non-frictional engagement with said first guide member or in frictional engagement with said first guide member which frictional engagement is weaker than said second frictional engagement;
- and
- driving means for causing said first and second piezoelectric elements to operate independently, said driving means causing said first and second piezoelectric elements to operate so a to make speeds of expansion and contraction of said first piezoelectric element different from speeds of expansion and contraction of said second piezoelectric element.
2 more elements
A driving device comprising:
- a piezoelectric element having expansion and contraction directions;
- a fixed object in contact with a first end of said piezoelectric element relative to the directions of expansion and contraction;
- a vibration shaft in contact with a second end of said piezoelectric element relative to the direction of expansion and contraction;
- a movable object supported for movement in the direction of expansion and contraction of said piezoelectric element;
- first friction means for producing a first frictional force between said fixed object and said movable object;
- second friction means for producing a second frictional force between said movable object and said vibration shaft, with the second frictional force being greater than the first frictional force produced by said first friction means;
- and
- controlling means for controlling the expansion and contraction of said piezoelectric element.
5 more elements
A driving device comprising:
- a fixed object;
- a vibration shaft supported for movement relative to said fixed object in an axial direction thereof;
- first and second piezoelectric elements disposed on opposite ends of said vibration shaft, each of said first and second piezoelectric elements being arranged to expand and contract in directions of expansion and contraction substantially parallel to an axial direction of said vibration shaft and to cause said vibration shaft to move in the axial direction by the expansion and contraction of each of said first and second piezoelectric elements;
- a movable object supported for movement in the directions of expansion and contraction of said first and second piezoelectric elements;
- friction means for producing a frictional force between said vibration shaft and said movable object;
- and
- controlling means for controlling the expansion and contraction of each of said first and second piezoelectric elements.
4 more elements
A driving device comprising:
- a fixed object;
- a vibration shaft supported for movement relative to said fixed object in an axial direction thereof;
- first and second piezoelectric elements disposed on opposite ends of said vibration shaft, each of said first and second piezoelectric elements being arranged to expand and contract in directions of expansion and contraction substantially parallel to an axial direction of said vibration shaft and and to cause said vibration shaft to move in the axial direction by the expansion and contraction of each of said first and second piezoelectric elements;
- a movable object supported for movement in the direction of expansion and contraction of said first and second piezoelectric elements;
- first friction means for producing a frictional force between said vibration shaft and said movable object;
- second friction means for producing a second frictional force smaller than said first frictional force between said movable object and said fixed object, a resultant of said first and second frictional forces being greater than gravitational force applied to said movable object;
- and
- controlling means for controlling the expansion and contraction of each of said first and second piezoelectric elements.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.