Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Hiroji Katsuragi

Satoshi Shinke

Naoki Matsui

There is provided optical devices capable of performing aberration corrections with high accuracy for light rays having plural wavelengths with a simple structure without involving a cost increase. An optical deviceincludes an actuatorfor driving an optical memberin the direction of an optical axis and a guide memberfor guiding the optical memberbeing driven. The optical memberincludes plural functional portionsandhaving different functions, and the optical axes of the respective functional portionsandof the optical memberare brought into coincidence with a light ray through the guiding of the guide member

Multifunctional optical device

A tube-shaped piezoelectric conversion element and a method of fabricating a tube-shaped piezoelectric conversion element are provided. The piezoelectric conversion element is formed either with two electroded piezoelectric sheet elements (two-layer type) rolled up in a tube-shaped member or with a single piezoelectric sheet element (single-layer type) electroded on two opposing surfaces and folded near its center and rolled up in a tube shaped member. A non-electrode surface portion without electrode material disposed thereon is provided on at least one electroded surface of at least one piezoelectric sheet element at an end of the piezoelectric sheet element in a direction intersecting a tube-axis direction. At lease one non-electrode surface portion may also be provided on a piezoelectric sheet element in a region encompassing the fold of single-layer type device. Short circuiting between electrode layers is thereby substantially avoided at ends of the piezoelectric sheet elements or in the fold region.

Piezoelectric conversion element having an electroded surface with a non-electrode surface portion at an end thereof

There is provided an actuator utilizing a piezoelectric transducer that is structured in small size by feeding the electrical power to the internal surface to the piezoelectric transducer formed in the cylindrical shape. The electrodes are formed to both front and rear surfaces of a sheet type piezoelectric element and this element is wound in the cylindrical shape. The cylindrical material is normalized under the predetermined temperature and a voltage is applied across the electrodes for the polarization purpose. An electrode terminal having the contactors is inserted to the internal surface of the piezoelectric transducer formed in the cylindrical shape and the contactors are placed in contact with the electrodes exposed at the internal surface of the cylindrical shape for the purpose of power feeding.

Actuator utilizing piezoelectric transducer

A piezoelectric element comprising a thin sheet piezoelectric element formed of a piezoelectric ceramic having PZT (PbZrO3.PbTiO3) as a main component with electrodes formed on the surfaces thereof, said thin sheet piezoelectric element being wrapped around a shaft to form a cylinder.

Piezoelectric element, piezoelectric element manufacturing method and actuator using piezoelectric element

A lens driving actuator comprises a lens barrel formed of piezoelectric material, an electrode pair comprising a pair of venetian blind-like electrodes opposed to the interior surface of the lens barrel in the axial direction, and a high frequency wave power source for exciting the electrodes of the electrode pair which are arranged so as to form a waveguide between the electrode pair on the interior surface of the lens barrel such that elastic surface waves travel this waveguide in the axial direction via the excitation of the electrodes of the electrode pair and a lens pressing against the waveguide.

Growing community of inventors

Izumi, Japan

Hiroji Katsuragi