Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Kenjiro Takemura

Takashi Maeno

Nobuyuki Kojima

Ichiro Okumura

Shinji Yamamoto

Tatsuya Koyama

Kaishi Ohashi

Yuuji Ohno

A mechanism for mechanically coupling a driving source and a driven member. The mechanism includes a first member coupled to the driving source and a second member coupled to the driven member. A resilient member exerts a force to bring the first and second members into pressure contact at a contact surface. A vibration is excited in the contact surface of the first member to produce a levitation force, based on an ultrasonic levitation, acting upon the second member. Frictional force between the first member and the second member is changed depending on the levitation force, thereby changing power transmitted between the first member and the second member.

Power transmitting mechanism and power transmitting method

A control apparatus for a vibration type actuator is disclosed, with which at least three kinds of vibrations are excited, and a desired motion can be carried out with high efficiency. The vibration type actuator includes a rotatable moving member, an elastic member contacting the moving member, and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element exciting at least three different kinds of vibrations in the elastic member by supplying at least three periodic signals having different phases. The control apparatus includes a rotation axis determining unit, a parameter determining unit and a control circuit. The rotation axis determining unit determines a rotation axis for rotating the moving member. The parameter determining unit determines, by using an inverse model, phase and amplitude of the periodical signals.

Control apparatus for vibration type actuator, vibration type actuator system, and method for controlling vibration type actuator

A vibration wave driving apparatus for obtaining driving force in 3D directions comprises a vibration member having a shape that is line-symmetrical with respect to two orthogonal axes, electro-mechanical energy conversion elements which can selectively excite in the vibration member three different types of bending vibrations, which each displace in a direction perpendicular to the two axes, and a driven member which is brought into contact with driving portions of the vibration member and driven by vibration excited in the vibration member.

Vibration wave driving apparatus

A vibration type actuator comprises a vibration member for generating vibration displacements in at least three different directions and a contact member in contact with the vibration member. In the actuator the vibration displacements in at least three different directions are excited in the vibration member to generate synthetic vibrations that cause relative movement between the vibration member and contact member in a desired direction.

Vibration type actuator and vibration type driving apparatus

The present invention relates to a vibration type actuator or a vibration type driving apparatus that includes a vibration member that generates therein respective vibration displacements in at least three different directions, and a plurality of contact members contacting the vibration member, wherein the respective vibration displacements in the three different directions generate a composite vibration that simultaneously moves selected contact members of the plurality of contact members relative to the vibration member.

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Tokyo, Japan

Kenjiro Takemura