The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 18, 2000
Filed:
Dec. 23, 1997
Satoshi Shinke, Sakai, JP;
Yasuhiro Okamoto, Tondabayashi, JP;
Ryuichi Yoshida, Sagamihara, JP;
Haruyuki Nakano, Sakai, JP;
Junji Fujita, Sakai, JP;
Yoshitaka Sugimoto, Izumi, JP;
Minolta Co., Ltd., Osaka, JP;
Abstract
A drive device using an electromechanical transducer having inconsiderable loss of drive energy and excellent drive efficiency even with variation in load in which an elastic member is arranged between a driven member frictionally coupled to a drive member and a frictional member fitted to an opening of the driven member whereby drive force is transmitted from the drive member to the driven member with no loss of energy, a frictional force between the drive member and the driven member is periodically changed, an average frictional force is increased when a shift between a phase of variation in a drive velocity and a phase of variation in the frictional force is null, when the shift between the phases is 180.degree., the average frictional force is adjusted to decrease whereby the drive efficiency can be promoted, and when the device is stopped, the drive device can be protected against unintentional external force bringing the drive member and the driven member into fixing contact with each other by an electromechanical transducer.