A vibration wave motor includes an annular oscillator, and an annular moving member provided so as to be in press contact with the oscillator. The oscillator includes an annular vibrating plate, and an annular piezoelectric element provided on a first surface of the vibrating plate. The vibrating plate is in contact with the moving member via a second surface of the vibrating plate, which is opposite the first surface. The piezoelectric element has a plurality of drive phase electrodes. When a driving region represents a region of the oscillator in which the drive phase electrodes are provided, and a non-driving region represents a remaining region of the oscillator, a contact area ratio S1 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the non-driving region is less than a contact area ratio S2 between the vibrating plate and the moving member in the driving region.

Disclosed is a piezoelectric inertial drive stage including a piezoelectric inertial driver, a slider and a holder. The driver includes a mounting portion for the mounting on the holder, a friction portion coupling to the slider, a flexure portion between the mounting portion and friction portion, a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to a movement portion, the movement portion transferring the motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

A vibration actuator capable of reducing variations of pressure force and reaction force acting on a vibrator and a contact member has a specific construction. Vibrator devices respectively have vibrators, each of which includes an elastic member and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element. A contact member contacts the vibrators and is movable in a predetermined direction relatively to the vibrators. A restraint member fixes a first vibrator device among the vibrator devices to restrict a degree of freedom in the predetermined direction. A flexible member connects a second vibrator device among the vibrator devices to the first vibrator device. The flexible member has predetermined rigidity in the predetermined direction and has rigidity, which is lower than the predetermined rigidity, in directions other than the predetermined direction.

A vibration-wave motor includes a vibrator having two protruding parts, a holding member configured to hold the vibrator, a movable member configured to translationally move together with the holding member, a rotating unit configured to allow the holding member to rotate around each of three axes relative to the movable member and to restrict the holding member from translating in each of the three axes relative to the movable member, a urging member configured to urge the holding member and the movable member so that the holding member and the movable member translationally move together, and a restricting unit configured to restrict the holding member from rotating around the rotating unit as a center by the urging member.

Electrical connections are created between the actuator frame of a piezoelectric MEMS scanning mirror system and the substrate separate from the structural adhesive creating the mechanical bond between the actuator frame and the substrate. A structural bond (with no conducive properties) is formed between the actuator frame and the substrate. After the bond is fully formed, separate electric connections can be created by one or both of: 1) coating the actuator frame with a coating that enables a surface of the actuator frame to be wire bondable and creating a wire bond between the actuator frame and the substrate; or 2) depositing a trace of conductive material on the outside edge of the mechanical bond between the actuator frame and the substrate and a final protection layer may be applied over the conductive trace to protect the trace from mechanical or environmental damage.

A MEMS component is described herein, which according to one exemplary embodiment includes: a semiconductor body; an insulation layer arranged on the semiconductor body; a boundary structure arranged on the insulation layer, the semiconductor body including an opening below the boundary structure; first and second structured electrodes arranged on the insulation layer; and a piezoelectric layer comprising a thermoplastic, and at least partially bounded by the boundary structure and arranged on the insulation layer and on the first and second electrodes.

The present invention provides a driving apparatus of a flight object, the driving apparatus comprising: a support member rotatably installed inside a flight object body; a first rotation actuating part installed on the support member; a second rotation actuating part installed on the first rotation actuating part in a direction intersecting with the first rotation actuating part, and a magnetic body rotating vertically and horizontally by the first and the second rotation actuating part, wherein the magnetic body includes: a hemisphere rotation body installed on the second rotation actuating part; a current body installed inside the hemisphere rotation body and supplied electronic currents; a first pole magnetic body installed in one side of the current body; a second pole magnetic body installed in the other side, and a connection part connecting between the first and the second pole magnetic body.

A glass membrane deformation assembly configured to deform a glass membrane includes: a deformable glass membrane having a first surface and a second surface; a piezoelectric layer affixed to at least a portion of the first surface of the deformable glass membrane, wherein the piezoelectric layer is controllably deformable via a voltage potential; and a structural layer affixed to at least a portion of the second surface of the deformable glass membrane; wherein the controllably deformation of the piezoelectric layer is configured to controllably deform the deformable glass membrane.

A controller is capable of reducing time required to stop a control target at a target stop position as a final stop position. The controller drives a vibration element including a piezoelectric element by an AC signal to thereby move a contact body, in contact with the vibration element, relative to the vibration element. The controller controls a pulse duty cycle of a signal converted to the AC signal based on a difference between a target stop position, which is a final stop position of the contact body, and a current position of the contact body, and an actual speed of the contact body.

A method of making a MEMS actuator with a monolithic body of semiconductor material includes forming a supporting portion of semiconductor material, orientable with respect to first and second rotation axes, the first rotation axis being transverse with respect to the second rotation axis, and forming a first frame of semiconductor material. The method further includes forming first deformable elements, of semiconductor material, coupled to the first frame, and configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the first rotation axis. The method also includes forming a second frame of semiconductor material, and forming second deformable elements, of semiconductor material, coupled to the first frame and to the second frame, and configured to control a rotation of the supporting portion about the second rotation axis. The first and second deformable elements are formed to carry respective first and second piezoelectric actuation elements.