Minolta Company, Ltd.

Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.

Konica Minolta, Inc.

Ryuichi Yoshida

Yasuhiro Okamoto

Satoshi Shinke

Tomoyuki Yuasa

Haruyuki Nakano

Yoshitaka Sugimoto

Hirohisa Sueyoshi

Hiroyuki Okada

Minoru Kuwana

Takayuki Hoshino

Shuichi Fujii

Akira Hamamatsu

Kenji Ishibashi

Yoshiaki Hata

Junichi Tanii

Toshiro Higuchi

Akira Kosaka

Yasushi Tanijiri

Kazuhiro Shibatani

Yoshihito Souma

Hideaki Nakanishi

Takeshi Morita

Akira Yahashi

Kazumi Sugitani

Taizo Wakimura

Shinichi Yamamoto

Junji Fujita

Shota Ueki

A workpiece surface defect detection device or the like that is capable of stably detecting a small surface defect with high accuracy is provided. A plurality of images indicating a portion to be measured of a workpiece serving as a target of detection of a surface defect is obtained in a state where a bright-and-dark pattern of an illumination device is moved relative to the workpiece, and a tentative defect candidate is extracted. When among a plurality of images from which the tentative defect candidate has been extracted, the number of images including the tentative defect candidate is greater than or equal to a threshold that has been set in advance, the tentative defect candidate is determined as a defect candidate. A plurality of images including the determined defect candidate is combined to generate a composite image, and a defect is detected on the basis of the generated composite image.

Workpiece surface defect detection device and detection method, workpiece surface inspection system, and program

Disclosed is a drive devicewhich is adapted to move a driven member used on a speed difference between during extending and during contracting in a course of vibration of a vibrator. The vibrator, e.g., a piezoelectric element, is formed in a structure which has two resonance modes identical in terms of a vibration direction, and allows a ratio between resonance frequencies of the two resonance modes to become approximately 2. A drive signal to be given to the vibrator is configured to approximately conform to the two resonance modes. The drive devicehaving the above configuration makes it possible to generate pseudo-sawtooth displacement vibration multiplied by an amplitude amplification factor Q through resonance, thereby improving a movement speed, and allow a larger part of input energy to be used for mechanical vibration, thereby improving energy efficiency.

Drive device

Provided is a driving device having an electromechanical transducer, a driving member, a moving member and a driving circuit. The driving circuit outputs a driving voltage at a frequency lower than that where the driving speed of the moving member is at maximum, and changes the drive frequency of the driving voltage so that the drive frequency has a negative correlative relationship with the ambient temperature. The change rate of the drive frequency to a change of the ambient temperature in the negative correlative relationship is larger than a change rate of a frequency where the driving speed of the moving member is at maximum to an increase of the ambient temperature, and the change rate permits the driving speed of the moving member to increase when the ambient temperature increases.

Driving device

In order to provide a driving device that is capable of eliminating sticking of a movable member due to nonuse, the driving device includes a drive shaft that reciprocates in axial directions with expansion and contraction of an electromechanical transducer element, a movable member that frictionally engages with the drive shaft, and a drive circuit that inputs drive voltage into the electromechanical transducer element, the drive circuit outputting drive operation pattern voltage having a frequency (fd) lower than a resonance frequency (fr) of the electromechanical transducer element and lower than a frequency (fd) that maximizes moving velocity of the movable member and sticking elimination pattern voltage having a frequency lower than the frequency (fd) of the drive operation pattern voltage and in vicinity of a frequency (fd) that maximizes thrust acting on the movable member.

A driver, including: a piezoelectric element extending and contracting upon application of an electrical voltage; a driving member having one end secured to the piezoelectric element; a frictionally coupling member, frictionally coupling the driving member; and a drive circuit, connected with a power supply to activate the piezoelectric element at a predetermined period, including: a charge switching element for connecting an electrode of the piezoelectric element with the power supply, a discharge switching element, and a protective resistor arranged in an electric path between the power supply and the piezoelectric element or between the piezoelectric element and a ground point, wherein a resistance value of the protective resistor is set larger than an ON resistance of the switching element but smaller than a value obtained by dividing one half of the drive period of the switching element by a capacitance of the piezoelectric element, in a predetermined period.

Driver

Provided is a self-propelled drive apparatus that enables stable drive and low cost, the apparatus includes: a movable member which has an electromechanical transducer whose one end is fixed to the movable member and the other end is fixed to a drive friction member, which is movably supported by the movable member movably in the first direction, which represents a extension-contraction direction A-B of the electromechanical transducer, where the movable member is supported movably in the first direction; a pair of plate springs which extend in a belt shape in the first direction and sandwich the drive friction member; a base member holding the plate springs in a cantilever manner in the direction of the short sides of the plate springs; and auxiliary springs disposed on the outside of the plate springs to apply elastic force only to both ends of each of the plate springs.

Drive apparatus having auxiliary springs

It is provided a drive unitin which the displacement amount of the frictional engagement membercan be reduced without lowering the driving torque, having a drive circuitcomprised of a bridge circuit which includes charge switching elements Q, Qfor connecting the electrodesof the piezoelectric elementto the power supplyand discharge switching elements Q, Qfor connecting the electrodesto ground, and a switch circuitfor inserting a limiting resistor Rin at least either one of an current path between the power supplyand the piezoelectric elementand an current path between the piezoelectric elementand the ground.

Drive unit

A drive unit in accordance with the present invention is provided with a magnetic field generating member generating a magnetic field, a magnetic field detecting device constituted by first, second and third magnetic field detecting elements detecting the magnetic field, and a piezoelectric actuator moving the magnetic field generating member. When executing a relative positioning between the magnetic field generating member and the magnetic field detecting device on the basis of a detection result by the magnetic field detecting device, a first positioning is executed on the basis of the detection result of the first and second magnetic field detecting elements in a predetermined region, and a second positioning is executed on the basis of the detection result of the third magnetic field detecting element at a predetermined point apart from the predetermined region, within a movable range in which the magnetic field generating member moves. In accordance with the structure, it is possible to position the movable body at a high precision, even in the case that a plurality of position detecting points of the movable body of the drive unit exist at a wide interval.

Drive unit provided with position detecting device

A rod is sawtooth-like vibrated by cyclically applying, to a piezoelectric element, voltage values which are stepwise and sequentially increased or decreased, so that a moving unit is driven along the rod in one direction or the opposite direction. The sequentially increased or decreased voltage values are generated by controlling of turning 'on' or 'off' of a plurality of switching elements, which are disposed in a circuit arrangement, wherein the piezoelectric element, and 1st and 2nd capacitors are arranged between a positive power supply and a negative power supply. When the 1st capacitor has a parallel positional relationship with the piezoelectric element and the 2nd capacitor serially connected, a switching element serially connected to the 1st capacitor is opened. When the 2nd capacitor has a parallel positional relationship with the piezoelectric element and the 1st capacitor serially connected, a switching element serially connected to the 2nd capacitor is opened.

Driving device and driving method

An actuator using a piezoelectric element. The actuator includes: the piezoelectric element, which is capacitive; an inductor; and a resistor. The piezoelectric element, the inductor and the resistor are serially arranged so as to define a serial circuit. When a suitable voltage is supplied to the serial circuit, a saw-tooth waveform voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element so that the piezoelectric element extends at a speed and compresses at a different speed repeatedly.

Drive mechanism and drive method employing circuit for generating saw-tooth waveform voltage

An actuator using a piezoelectric element and an operating method thereof. The actuator includes: the piezoelectric element; a drive rod fixed to the piezoelectric element; a moving unit engaging with the drive rod by a frictional force; and a driver for applying a voltage to the piezoelectric element. The voltage repeats a cycle of a first value which is one of a maximum value and a minimum value, a second value which is intermediate between the maximum value and the minimum value, and a third value which is the other of the maximum value and the minimum value so as to drive the driving unit with respect to the drive rod.

Drive mechanism employing electromechanical transducer and drive method therefor

A smooth impact drive mechanism utilizing an electromechanical conversion element, in which a preheating voltage to preheat the electromechanical conversion element is impressed thereto before the impression of a drive voltage to the electromechanical conversion element, in order to realize stable drive characteristics by reducing fluctuation in the speed of the moving unit. In addition, drive parameters are changed in accordance with the temperature of the electromechanical conversion element. Furthermore, drive parameters are changed in accordance with the moving speed of the moving unit.

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 driving apparatus having a driving pulse generator including a high-speed electrifying circuit and a low-speed electrifying circuit connected to a transducer; and a controller which sets a low-speed electrification time to a first specified time, sets a time from a low-speed electrification start time to a high-speed electrification start time to a second specified time, makes the low-speed charging duration shorter than the first specified time during low-speed driving and makes a time period from a low-speed charging start time to a high-speed discharging start time shorter than the second specified time.

Driving control apparatus and driving control method

A driving apparatus enjoying improved performance through the prevention of fluctuations in the driving characteristic, wherein a driven member, which is frictionally engaged with a driving member fixed to an electromechanical conversion element, is driven based on driving that is not symmetrical as to the timing of extension and contraction of the electromechanical conversion element, and wherein the electromechanical conversion element is elastically held by the housing.

Growing community of inventors

Sakai, Japan

Ryuichi Yoshida