Vibration actuator
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorsTakatoshi Ashizawa, Isao Sugaya
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heterodegenerate type of vibration actuator, which during driving, when noise arises, does not suffer from a reduced driving efficiency nor is the driving force reduced. Such a vibration actuator includes a support member, an elastic body which generates a driving force at a driving surface D, which is an end surface located on an outer surface of the support member, a relative motion member that is in compressive contact with the elastic body located so as to rotate freely on the circumference of the mounting member, and a fixed member which fixes the support member and the elastic body. A mounting standard member regulates the positional relationship of the elastic body and the support member.
Claims17
A vibration actuator, comprising:
- a rod shaped support member having an exterior surface;
- an elastic body having an inner circumferential surface and being located on the exterior surface of the support member and which supports an electro-mechanical energy conversion element to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy and being excited by a drive signal, the electromechanical energy conversion element generating a drive force in a drive surface which is an end surface of the elastic body;
- a relative motion member, disposed to be freely rotatable around the support member and compressively contacting the elastic body at the drive surface;
- and
- a fixed member which penetrates the support member and the elastic body,
- wherein the support member has a first side edge that contacts an inner circumferential surface of said elastic body, and a second side edge opposite the first side edge that does not contact the inner circumferential surface of said elastic body, and
- wherein a portion of the inner circumferential surface of the elastic body includes a mounting standard unit disposed to regulate the positional relationship of the elastic body and the support member.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.