A piezoelectric drive device includes a piezoelectric vibration module including a vibration portion and a transmission portion which abuts a driven portion and transmits vibration of the vibration portion to the driven portion and a control unit, and the vibration portion includes a first vibration portion and a second vibration portion disposed to be stacked in a second direction intersecting a first direction which is a direction in which the vibration portion is aligned with the driven portion, and the control unit causes the first vibration portion to vibrate in a third direction intersecting the first direction and the second direction and causes the second vibration portion to vibrate in the first direction.

An ultrasonic motor comprising a rotor (18) having an at least partly spherical shape and two actuators (2, 2) each comprising an element of plate-shaped piezoelectric material comprising at least one contact edge (4, 4) in contact with the rotor (18), said actuators (2, 2) also comprising on one of their faces electrodes intended to bias piezoelectric materials in a bending mode and in a longitudinal mode. The contact edges (4, 4) are concave and are formed by an arc of circle the radius of which substantially corresponds to the radius of the surface of the rotor (18), said arcs of circle angularly extending at a determined angle such that the bending mode and the longitudinal mode in which the piezoelectric material is biased are at the same frequency.

An electric motor device includes a rotor, a stator, and electrical means for driving rotation of the rotor relative to the stator, the device being characterized in that the stator includes a substantially spherical cavity receiving the rotor, which is itself substantially spherical, and in that the electrical means are arranged to drive the rotor in rotation about at least two axes.

The driving apparatus comprises a vibrating body which includes an electro-mechanical energy conversion device, and drives a vibration-wave motor which moves the vibrating body and a driven body relatively to each other. The electro-mechanical energy conversion device has sensor electrodes that output detecting signals corresponding to vibrations of the vibrating body. Based on the detecting signals, the driving apparatus determines a direction in which the vibrating body and the driven body are to be moved relatively to each other.

Ultrasonic actuator device (100) includes actuator arm arrangement (10) including first and second actuator sections (11,12), wherein the first section is arranged for coupling with support structure (50) and the second section is movable relative to the first section, and ultrasonic driver device (20) including at least one ultrasonic driver unit (21-28) coupled with at least one of first and second sections for driving actuator arm arrangement (10) and for providing movement of the second section relative to the first section, and wherein actuator arm arrangement (10) is movable with at least two degrees of freedom and the at least one ultrasonic driver unit includes an array of oscillating elements being arranged for creating an acoustic stream in an adjacent medium in response to application of ultrasound. Furthermore, an operational instrument including at least one ultrasonic actuator device (100) and a method of using the device are described.

A two-degree-of-freedom rotation control device includes a rotary body having a friction spherical surface, wherein a load mounting platform is provided on a top of the rotating body or inside the rotating body; a fixing and supporting structure configured to hold the rotating body, to allow the rotating body to have only a rotational degree of freedom; and a driving motor, wherein, a driving end of the driving motor is in direct contact with the friction spherical surface of the rotating body, to form a friction transmission pair tangent to the friction spherical surface. An application system has the two-degree-of-freedom rotation control device and a working unit on the two-degree-of-freedom rotation control device.

A multi-axis MEMS assembly is configured to provide multi-axis movement and includes: a first in-plane MEMS actuator configured to enable movement along at least an X-axis; and a second in-plane MEMS actuator configured to enable movement along at least a Y-axis; wherein the first in-plane MEMS actuator is coupled to the second in-plane MEMS actuator.

A driving device includes a plurality of motive power generators that receive electric power supply and generate motive power, the plurality of motive power generators form a plurality of sets of motive power generators in which two or more of the motive power generators are electrically parallel-connected, and the plurality of sets of motive power generators are electrically series-connected. A driving device includes a plurality of vibrators that receive electric power supply and vibrate and provide drive power for driving a driven member to the driven member, the plurality of vibrators form a plurality of sets of vibrators in which two or more of the vibrators are electrically parallel-connected, and the plurality of sets of vibrators are electrically series-connected.

A gimbal mount for a sensor having an outer and inner gimbal mount to stabilize vibrations in a wide frequency band without having to statically balance the sensor. A direct drive is provided for at least one drive of an outer axis of rotation of the outer gimbal mount and an amplified piezo actuator is provided for at least one drive of an inner axis of rotation of the inner gimbal mount. The at least one outer axis of rotation is provided for vibration stabilization in a first range of the frequency band to be stabilized and the at least one inner axis of rotation stabilization is provided for vibration stabilization in a second range in the frequency band to be stabilized. The outer gimbal mount and the inner gimbal mount are embodied as mechanically rigid constructions which transmit vibrations in the frequency band to be stabilized essentially without damping.

A piezoelectric driving device includes: a substrate including a fixed portion, and a vibrating body portion which is provided with a piezoelectric element and is supported by the fixed portion; and a contact portion which comes into contact with a driven body, and transmits movement of the vibrating body portion to the driven body, the contact portion is provided at an end portion in the longitudinal direction of the vibrating body portion, and a difference between a distance between the end portion when the contact portion is not pressed against the driven body and a tip end of the contact portion, and a distance between the end portion when the contact portion is pressed against the driven body and the tip end, is smaller than a total amplitude in the longitudinal direction in a case where the vibrating body portion is driven.