A drive control device 100, which controls driving of a vibration type actuator 200 including a vibrator 214 that includes a piezoelectric element 203, and a rotor 207, includes amplifier circuits 11 and 12 amplifying a power supply voltage to generate a drive voltage to be applied to the piezoelectric element 203, and a microcomputer unit 1. The microcomputer unit 1 performs a control to increase the amplitude of the drive voltage to perform acceleration from when the vibration type actuator 200 is started to when a target speed of the rotor 207 is reached, decrease the frequency of the drive voltage without changing the amplitude of the drive voltage when power supplied to the piezoelectric element 203 exceeds a first power limit P-Lim.sub.1, and increase the amplitude of the drive voltage when the power falls below a second power limit P-Lim.sub.2 during an operation of decreasing the frequency.

A vibration type actuator includes a vibrating body including an elastic body and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element, a contact body contacting the vibrating body, a flexible printed board provided with a concave portion on a surface opposite to a surface contacting the electro-mechanical energy conversion element and configured to supply electric power to the electro-mechanical energy conversion element, and a holding member provided with a projection portion engaging with the concave portion.

An optical element driving mechanism is provided. The optical element driving mechanism includes a fixed portion, a movable portion, a first driving assembly, and a positioning element. The movable portion is movably disposed on the fixed portion and comprises an optical element, wherein the optical element moves in the first direction. The first driving assembly is at least partially disposed on the fixed portion. The positioning element is rotatably disposed on the fixed portion or the movable portion, wherein when the first driving assembly is not activated, the positioning element is used to limit the position of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion to a limit position.

A vibration-type actuator includes a vibrator, a contact member, a ball, and a base table having a third guide. The vibrator has an elastic member and an energy conversion element. The contact member is fixed to the base table, contacts the elastic member, and extends in a predetermined direction. The vibrator and the contact member are driven along the predetermined direction due to a vibration generated by a voltage applied to the energy conversion element. A first guide provided on the contact member extends in the predetermined direction and a second guide that is connected with the vibrator faces the first guide and moves integrally with the vibrator. The ball is held between the first guide and the second guide rollably in the predetermined direction. The second guide extends in the predetermined direction and includes a fitting projection portion loosely fitted to a groove portion provided on the third guide.

A piezoelectric drive unit is configured for driving a passive element relative to an active element, wherein the active element includes a resonator with two arms, each extending in parallel to a reference plane and ending in a contact element, which is movable by oscillating movements of the arms and thereby drives the passive element. Each of the arms has, at the outer end of the arm, a protrusion extending inward, toward the other arm, and on at least one of the arms, the respective contact element, arranged at the arm's outer end, extends outward, away from the other arm.

A method of controlling a piezoelectric driving apparatus including a vibration section that has a piezoelectric element and a transmission section that transmits vibration of the vibration section to a driven body, and, by energization of the piezoelectric element, vibrates the vibration section in a combination of longitudinal vibration and bending vibration to cause the transmission section to perform an elliptical motion and to move the driven body by the elliptical motion, the method of controlling the piezoelectric driving apparatus including switching, according to an external force received by the driven body, a drive algorithm of the piezoelectric driving apparatus between a first drive mode in which a separation amplitude, which is an amplitude of the longitudinal vibration, is changed while a feed amplitude, which is an amplitude of the bending vibration, is constant and a second drive mode in which both the feed amplitude and the separation amplitude are changed.

A vibration type actuator includes a vibration body, having an annular elastic body and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element, and includes a contact body having an annular shape. The contact body contacts the vibration body and relatively moves with regard to the vibration body. The contact body includes a base portion, a supporting portion that extends in an annular shape from the base portion in a radial direction of the contact body, and a friction member that is provided to the supporting portion, is a member different from the supporting portion, and is in contact with the vibration body. The friction member is connected to the supporting portion by a first surface extending along a central axis direction of the contact body and an annular second surface extending in the radial direction. The first surface includes a portion inclined with respect to the direction of the contact body central axis.

Provided is a control apparatus of a vibration-type actuator for generating an elliptical motion of contact portions by a common alternating current including a frequency determining unit for setting a frequency of the alternating current. The frequency determining unit sets the frequency of the alternating current for changing an ellipticity of the elliptical motion, within a frequency range such that ellipticity changing frequency ranges set for the vibrators are overlapped, and the ellipticity changing frequency ranges are set for the vibrators as frequency ranges between an upper limit and a lower limit, such that the lower limit is a maximum resonant frequency at a time of changing the ellipticity, and the upper limit is larger than the lower limit and is a maximum frequency for the relative movement of the driving member.

Provided is a multi-flap standing wave type ultrasonic motor, including a rotor part, a stator part, a control circuit board, and a fixing attachment. The rotor part includes a flange, a rotor ring, and a shaft. The shaft and the flange are joined together by using a first screw and the flange and the rotor ring are joined together by using a second screw. The stator part includes a piezoelectric ceramics, an excitation ring, and flaps. The piezoelectric ceramics and the excitation ring are fixed with glue, the flaps and the excitation ring are connected through welding, and form an angle with the radial direction of the excitation ring. The stator part is sleeved on a support, is attached to a pressure plate and is connected, through an upright, to a locking plate, and to a substrate of the control circuit board to form a fixing attachment. The flaps are an elastomer and a preload provider. The inner diameter of the rotor ring is less than the outer diameter of the flaps. Adopted is a circular-distributed flap structure, an outer rotor design, an integrated design of motor and control, and a sensor, thereby simplifying the system structure. By adopting circular-distributed assembled flaps, the processing difficulty of the flaps is reduced.

There is provided a vibration wave motor that includes a plurality of pressing parts separated by slits and can prevent an intervention member from protruding from the slits. The vibration wave motor includes a vibrator, a driven body configured to be brought into pressure contact with the vibrator and to move relative to the vibrator, a pressing member configured to move together with the driven body and to bring the driven body into pressure contact with the vibrator, and an intervention member intervening between the driven body and the pressing member, and configured to be pressed together with the driven body when the pressing member brings the driven body into pressure contact with the vibrator. The pressing member includes a plurality of pressing parts that is separated by slits and presses the intervention member. The intervention member is firmly fixed to the driven body.