Olympus Corporation

Heiji Ogino

Yasuo Sasaki

Toshihiro Nakao

Tomoki Funakubo

Takashi Kawashima

Kiyoshi Tosaka

In a vibration wave linear motor, a vibrator stably operates with a simple and small configuration. Both ends of a movable guide member are held by shaft bearing long holes to freely oscillate, and an angle of an inclination &#x3c6; occurs according to the move of the vibrator. An inner wall of an erecting part of a supporting part also serves as a stopper, and regulates the move of the vibrator in a position where the inclination of the movable guide member becomes &#x3b8;&#x3e;&#x3c6; at the maximum. As a result, the inclination of the movable guide member is always kept to be within the range of &#x3b8;&#x3e;&#x3c6;. A problem that the inclining movable guide member contacts a portion other than a driving contacting part is prevented.

Vibration wave linear motor

In an ultrasonic vibrator in which ultrasonic elliptical vibration is caused at a friction-projection by the simultaneous generation of a first vibration mode and a second vibration mode in a piezoelectric element, the friction-projection is formed by burning so as to be integrated with the piezoelectric element.

Ultrasonic vibrator and ultrasonic motor using the ultrasonic vibrator

A vibration wave linear motor comprises a vibrator unit having two driving contacting parts which are respectively formed on top and bottom surfaces of the vibrator unit, two guide members guiding the running of the vibrator unit by sandwiching the vibrator unit in parallel with the running direction. The upper guide member is fixed to the supporting member. The lower guide member is held in shaft bearing long holes, pressed upward by coil springs within hollow convex parts. The vibrator unit self-runs and moves forward and backward between the two guide members with an ultrasonic vibration. A linking pin fixed on the side surface of the vibrator unit engages with the member to be driven, so that moving force is transmitted.

Vibration wave linear motor and lens implement using vibration wave linear motor

An ultrasonic linear motor according to the present invention has a configuration wherein driving elements are glued at portions on faces of an ultrasonic transducer, facing one another, where rotational directions of elliptic vibrations generated on the faces are reverse one to another, a pair of guides are provided for being pressed into against the driving elements so as to hold the ultrasonic transducer therebetween, and leaf springs serving as pressing part are provided so as to narrow a spacing between the one pair of guides, whereby the ultrasonic transducer is configured as an self-moving ultrasonic linear motor which can drive by itself. Thus, driving properties of the ultrasonic transducer itself is improved, and also the size of the ultrasonic linear motor can be reduced.

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Tokyo, Japan

Heiji Ogino