Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Takuo Okuno

Ichiro Okumura

Takayuki Tsukimoto

Kazuhiro Izukawa

Akira Hiramatsu

Hitoshi Mukohjima

Hiroyuki Seki

Naoya Kaneda

Susumu Itoh

There is disclosed vibration wave motor comprising: a movable member; a molded elastic member having a surface for urging the movable member; and a piezoelectric member arranged in contact with the elastic member to apply vibration to the elastic member and produce a travelling vibration wave in the surface of the elastic member.

Vibration wave motor

A vibration wave motor has a movable member; a molded elastic member having a surface with projections formed thereon for urging the movable member; and a piezoelectric member arranged in contact with the elastic member to apply vibration to the elastic member and produce a travelling vibration wave in the surface of the elastic member.

In a vibration wave motor, piezo-electric elements are provided in two orthogonal planes in the lengthwise direction of a bar-like vibration member and when a predetermined electric field is applied to these piezo-electric elements, rotational movement is generated in the surface of the vibration member in a plane perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the vibration member, whereby a rotational member bearing against the vibration member is rotated and mechanical energy corresponding to supplied electric energy is taken out of the rotational member.

This specification discloses a linear type vibration wave motor in which travelling vibration waves are generated by vibratory members of endless structure to frictionally drive a moving member and the moving member is disposed at a location wherein the directions of travel of the travelling waves generated on the vibratory members are the same, thereby improving the drive force.

A vibration wave motor including a vibration member having electro-mechanico-converting elements and generating a vibration wave in response to an electric field being applied to the electro-mechanico-converting elements. Also provided is a moving member contacting the vibration member and frictionally driven by the vibration wave generated in the vibratory member. The materials of the portions of the vibratory member and the moving member that contact each other are selected from combinations of hard alumite material and super-hard material.

Apparatus for transporting articles, the articles being positioned on bar-like members which in turn are caused to bend periodically in a wave pattern. The periodic bending is controlled to produce a driving force on the articles in a predetermined direction.

Method and apparatus for transporting an article

A vibration wave motor has a circular vibration member for generating a travelling vibration wave in response to application of a periodic voltage to phase-differentially arranged or polarized electro-mechanical energy transducers. A movable member is frictionally driven by the travelling vibration wave. A ring-shaped circular vibration absorption member is provided for absorbing vibration of the vibration member. The vibration absorption member has an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the vibration member so as not to absorb energy at the outer circumference of the vibration member.

A vibration wave motor for driving a moving member contacting a vibration member, to which an electro-mechanical energy transducer element is bonded, by a travelling vibration wave generated in the vibration member, wherein the moving and vibration members contact each other through a plurality of contact points.

A vibration wave motor is driven at a high efficiency by arranging a contact area of a movable member which contacts a vibration member such that a displacement locus in the contact area is essentially coincident with a vibration locus in the vibration member.

A vibration wave motor has a movable member divided into a plurality of sections in a direction of movement. Opposite ends of press-contact areas of the divided sections of the movable member to a vibration member are supported by a support member. The press-contact areas have a smaller rigidity than that of the support member.

A vibration wave motor in which frequency signals are applied to electro-mechanical energy converting elements generates a travelling vibration wave on a vibratory member by two standing waves. The electro-mechanical energy converting elements are joined to the vibrating member so as to maintain the balance between the two standing waves.

A vibration wave motor for driving a movable member by a travelling vibration wave generated in a vibration member having an electrostrictive element by applying a periodic voltage to the vibration member, intermittently applies the periodic voltage to the electrostrictive element to reduce a moving speed of the movable member without reducing an amplitude of the periodic voltage.

A vibration wave motor, in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electrostrictive element to generate a travelling vibration wave in the surface of a vibration member thereof, and in which a movable member having a friction member is driven on the vibration member by the vibration wave, includes a guide member for controlling the direction of displacement of the movable member, the guide member being disposed to prevent the movable member from being displaced in directions other than a predetermined direction of movement, and a flexible member connecting the movable member and the friction member.

Linear vibration wave motor

This specification discloses a light beam printer which is provided with a plurality of electrophotographic photosensitive medium scanned by light beams and in which toner images of different colors are transferred onto a transfer medium in superposed relationship with each other. Each of the light beams depicts a curved movement locus on each of the photosensitive mediums, and the directions of curvature of the movement locuses correspond to each other and the amounts of curvature of the movement locuses are substantially equal to each other.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takuo Okuno