Minolta Company, Ltd.

Minolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha

Konica-minolta Holdings, Inc.

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Konica Minolta Photo Imaging, Inc.

Minolta Camera Co., Ltd.

Junichi Tanii

Yoshiharu Tanaka

Akira Kosaka

Shigeru Wada

Yoshihiro Hara

Takahisa Shimada

Sadafusa Tsuji

Akira Funahashi

Hiroshi Ootsuka

Shoichi Minato

Ikushi Nakamura

Yoshito Konishi

Masaaki Chikasaki

Hiroshi Ueda

Nobuharu Murashima

Minoru Kuwana

Toshihiko Taniguchi

Takamasa Sakamoto

Masaaki Nakai

Yoshinobu Kudo

Kohtaro Hayashi

Hiroyuki Okada

Toshihiko Ishimura

Reiji Seki

Yoshiyuki Inoue

Yukio Maekawa

Kiyoshi Seigenji

Yasuo Hawai

Kouji Hamaguchi

Katsuhiro Ono

Nobuyuki Taniguchi

Yasuhiro Okamoto

Kenji Ishibashi

Takeo Hoda

Junji Sato

Masayuki Ueyama

Takanobu Omaki

Shigeto Ohmori

Ryuichi Yoshida

Akira Yamanaka

Toshiaki Matsumoto

Toshio Yamaki

Hideo Kajita

Kenji Mizumoto

Masayuki Miyazawa

Hidehiko Fujii

Yoshie Shimizu

Ken Tanino

Tomoyuki Yuasa

Maki Yamashita

Shigeru Oyokota

Tatsuya Suzuki

Akira Okuno

Nobuya Miki

Yoshio Nakagawa

Kazuhiko Kojima

Shigeaki Tochimoto

Akio Kimba

Masayoshi Horikawa

Naoki Kubo

Hironori Kamishita

Sadafusa Tsui

An image capturing device, including an rectangular image capturing element having long sides and short sides; an image capturing optical system forming an image of a subject on the rectangular image capturing element; a first driving device which moves the rectangular image capturing element in a first direction slanted by a predetermined angle from the long side and the short side of an outer shape of the rectangular image capturing element in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the image capturing optical system; and a second driving device which moves the rectangular image capturing element in a second direction slanted by a predetermine angle from the long side and the short side of the outer shape of the rectangular image capturing element in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the image capturing optical system, but the second direction differs from the first direction.

Image capturing device

A driving device is adapted to drive a driven member, and includes a driving member, and a linear shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator. The driving member has a displacement output portion which is movable in a first axis direction, and a displacement input portion for moving the displacement output portion in the first axis direction in response to an application of a moving force in a second axis direction orthogonal to the first axis direction. The driving member is engaged with the driven member at the displacement output portion. The SMA actuator is disposed in contact with the driving member at least at the displacement input portion to apply the moving force to the displacement input portion.

Driving device, driving mechanism, and image sensing apparatus

An art of a driving device for appropriately improving a response of an SMA actuator will be provided. A portable telephonehas an image stabilization systemfor driving an image pickup unitby a pair of driving membersandfunctioning as actuators, thereby performing image stabilization. Driving membersandare formed as a wire of shape memory alloy (SMA) and when a voltage is applied to both ends and a current is supplied, driving force is generated in the contraction direction. With respect to the wire diameter of the SMAs, the wire diameter of the SMAs is set between 10 &#x3bc;m and 80 &#x3bc;m, thus the mountability and response are improved appropriately.

Driving device and image stabilizing system

An assembling apparatus (manufacturing apparatus) can assemble an actuator (product) in which a shape memory alloy (SMA) is stretched. In the assembly, the SMA is locked by a first holder, a guide is moved along predetermined movement directions while sending the SMA and, after that, the SMA is locked by a second holder. A switch is turned on to pass current from a current source to the SMA via an electrode. The SMA is fixed to two electrodes by caulking members and, after that, an unnecessary portion of the SMA is cut. In such a manner, the actuator is manufactured. Since the SMA is tensioned while current is passed to the SMA as described above, the stretch can be stably performed while suppressing elongation of the SMA. As a result, a product can be manufactured with high quality.

Manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method

First, a position control mechanism having a fixed part and a movable part, and a driver that changes position of the movable part relative to the fixed part is prepared. Next, a manufacturing unit having first and second holders and a coupler that couples the first and second holders is prepared. A conductive actuator is held in tension between the first and second holders. Further, the first holder is attached to the movable part and the second holder is attached to the fixed part. After that, the coupler is cut from the manufacturing unit, the first and second holders are separated from each other.

Manufacturing unit of position controller

An arrangement of the invention includes a base block, a cylindrical cam, as a rotary member, which is rotatably supported on the base block, and includes a contact portion on an outer periphery thereof for outputting a rotating force, a drive gear, as an oscillatory ring, which includes a contact portion on an inner periphery thereof, and is oscillated on a plane perpendicular to a rotation axis of the cylindrical camin contact with the contact portion of the cylindrical cam, parallel springsthrough, as a position retainer, for retaining the position of the drive gear, and three or more shape metal alloy actuators (SMA) wiresthrough, as expandable and contractible actuators, with both ends of the each SMA wire being fixed to the base blockfor contact with the drive gear

Motor, motor device, and lens drive mechanism using the same

An image capturing device, including an rectangular image capturing element having long sides and short sides; an image capturing optical system forming an image of a subject on the rectangular image capturing element; a first driving device which moves the rectangular image capturing element in a first direction slanted by a predetermined angle from the long side and the short side of an outer shape of the rectangular image capturing element in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of the image capturing optical system; and a second driving device which moves the rectangular image capturing element in a second direction slanted by a predetermined angle from the long side and the short side of the outer shape of the rectangular image capturing element in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the image capturing optical system, but the second direction differs from the first direction.

A shake correction mechanismhas an elastic support memberfor elastically and oscillatingly supporting a lens barrelat one point, and first and second actuatorsandfor applying oscillating forces to the lens barrel. When a moment is applied to the lens barrelby the first and second actuatorsand, the elastic support memberis subjected to elastic deformation. Thereby, the lens barrelis oscillated to tilt the optical axis thereof in a desires direction. Thus, the lens barrelis oscillatingly driven without use of a rotary joint or the like as employed in the conventional gimbal mechanism. This arrangement enables to miniaturize the shake correction mechanism.

Shake correction mechanism and image sensing apparatus using the same

A system of manufacturing an actuator for driving a to-be-driven object by extension/contraction of a shape memory alloy, the system comprising: a mounting unit configured to mount the shape memory alloy between an actuator body and the to-be-driven object; and a heater configured to heat the shape memory alloy mounted by the mounting unit on a mounting path between the actuator body and the to-be-driven object to a predetermined temperature range.

System and method of manufacturing actuator

Drive technology is provided which makes suitable low velocity driving and smooth changing of driving velocity possible and achieves reduced power consumption. In the driving device, the drive unit is driven which engages with drive shaft which moves back and forth in tandem with extension and contraction of the piezoelectric element. In this driving device, when the output cycle for cycle Te is repeated such that the voltages applied to the piezoelectric elementare the maximum value (+Vp), the minimum value (&#x2212;Vp), and the middle value (0V), the movement velocity of the drive unitcan be changed by thinning the output cycle at cycle Tf. As a result, suitable low velocity driving can be carried out and power consumption can be reduced in the drive unit.

Driving device and driving system

Two shape memory alloy members dand dare connected to a movable member. Continuously, one and then the other of the shape memory alloy members dis heated alternately by application of a voltage or current thereto so that, by the generated force exerted by one shape memory alloy member ddeformed by being heated, the other shape memory alloy member dis deformed and the movable member is moved. The shape memory alloy members dand dare made of a Ti&#x2014;Ni&#x2014;Cu alloy subjected to heat treatment at 300&#xb0; C. or higher, and has an operating temperature of 70&#xb0; C. or higher.

Driving apparatus

An ultrasonic drive apparatus for preventing a slip between an object to be driven and a driving part of the apparatus to drive the object. The driving part includes an elastic member through which vibrations from electrical-mechanical converters are transmitted to the object. The elastic member can deform in a direction in which the object is driven. The driving part makes a predetermined locus to drive the object while the elastic member deforms in the direction so as to absorb the slip between the object and the driving part. The elastic member and the converters are mounted symmetrically relative to an axis which is generally perpendicular to the direction in which the object is driven, so that the object can be driven forward and backward.

Ultrasonic driving mechanism

An actuator using vibration caused by a piezoelectric element. The actuator includes: an driving rod bonded to one of the piezoelectric element; a engaging member for engaging frictionally with the driving rod; and a control circuit for applying the piezoelectric element with a driving voltage. The control circuit is provided with a drive circuit which generates a first set of the driving voltage for driving the engaging member, and with a friction reducing circuit which generates a second set of the driving voltage for reducing a frictional force exerting between the driving rod and the engaging member.

Drive mechanism employing electromechanical transducer and method for controlling the drive mechanism

A lens-driver for driving a lens for compensating image blur caused by camera shaking has two driving-levers. In each driving-lever, one end is rotatably connected to a lens frame via a holding shaft and the other end is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft. Two driving levers are arranged generally on one straight line, and there is formed a generally perpendicular angle by a line connecting the holding shaft of one driving-lever and an optical center of the lens, and a line connecting the holding shaft of the other driving-lever and the optical center. Another lens-driver has two driving mechanisms. One driving mechanism drives the lens, and the other driving mechanism drives a shutter mechanism or an aperture mechanism. In the lens barrel, one mechanism occupies one half area and the other mechanism occupies the other half area.

Lens barrel with built-in blur correction mechanism

A control device for control an actuator comprises a 'shape-memory alloy that recovers to prescribed memory dimensions' and 'a force application means that applies an external force to the shape-memory alloy and changes its dimensions' has a pre-heating means that, prior to the control of a driven member by the actuator, pre-heats the shape-memory alloy to a temperature at which the shape-memory alloy begins to change its shape or to a slightly lower temperature relative thereto.

Actuator control method and control device

Growing community of inventors

Izumi, Japan

Junichi Tanii