An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

A vending machine interface includes a front panel, a product selection panel, and a piezoelectric element. The front panel bends in a normal direction when being pushed by a user. The product selection panel is disposed facing the front panel. A detection element is attached to the product selection panel and configured to detect bending of the front panel.

A tactile sensation providing apparatus includes an actuator and an object of vibration configured to provide a tactile sensation to a user by vibration of the vibration plate being transmitted to the object of vibration. The actuator includes a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate, and supports. The vibration plate has the piezoelectric element joined thereto and vibrates in accordance with displacement of the piezoelectric element. The supports support the vibration plate. The angles, when the actuator is not being driven, between the vibration plate and the supports are acute.

An actuator includes a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate, and a holder. The vibration plate has the piezoelectric element joined thereto and vibrates an object of vibration in accordance with expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element. The holder is joined to the vibration plate and holds the object of vibration. The height of the holder is less than the maximum bending displacement at which the piezoelectric element is not damaged by an external force.

The invention comprises a piezo motor with a U-shaped housing lower part and a mounted cover. The piezo actuator is mounted between two clamping jaws. Planar guide tracks are formed in the housing lower part to both sides of the piezo actuator. Bearing elements of circular cross-section are arranged between the clamping jaws and the guide tracks. Thrust pieces are braced between the housing cover and the bearing elements, which thrust pieces press the bearing elements against the clamping jaws. Here, the thrust pieces together with the guide tracks of the housing lower part form V-shaped guides.

An oscillating drive unit for driving a passive element relative to an active element includes a resonator with at least two arms extending in parallel to a reference plane, one of the arms including a contact element, movable by way of oscillating movements, for driving the passive element relative to the active element. Two of the arms extend in a substantially symmetric manner, and an other one of the arms is arranged not to come into contact with the passive element.

The disclosure relates to an ultrasonic actuator formed of a plate having a base, a cover surface which is geometrically similar to the base, and a lateral surface which interconnects the base and the cover surface, wherein the plate includes an electromagnetic material. Electrodes for inciting periodic deformations of the plate are arranged on the base of the plate and on the cover surface of the plate opposite the base. The base includes at least two faces which are arranged in parallel with one another and form contact portions of the lateral surface, and the two faces of the base arranged in parallel with one another, together with connecting lines which interconnect the respective end points of the faces arranged in parallel, form a parallelogram inscribed in the base, in which parallelogram an angle different from 90° is enclosed between adjacent faces. A motor having such an ultrasonic actuator is also disclosed.

Provided is a vibration wave motor, including: a vibrator including a piezoelectric element and a vibrating plate; a friction member, which includes a friction-contact surface to be brought into contact with the vibrator, and is configured to perform relative movement with respect to the vibrator by vibration generated by the vibrator; and a guide mechanism, which includes a first guide member, a second guide member, and a rolling member arranged between the first guide member and the second guide member, and is configured to guide the relative movement, wherein the first guide member includes a groove portion formed of a first surface and a second surface to be brought into contact with the rolling member, and wherein the first surface is longer than the second surface in a direction of the relative movement.

A vibration energy harvester includes: a fixed electrode unit having a plurality of comb-tooth electrodes; a movable electrode unit having a plurality of comb-tooth electrodes; a weight fixed to the movable electrode unit; and an adjusting weight mounting structure capable of mounting an adjusting weight for additionally adjusting a mass of the weight.

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a photovoltaic component. A light transmission module of the photovoltaic component covers an upper surface of a solar panel module, and a circuit board module is disposed on a lower surface of the solar panel module, wherein the upper surface and the lower surface are two opposite surfaces of the solar panel module. The light transmission module comprises a transparent substrate and a piezoelectric film layer, wherein the transparent substrate is disposed oblique to the ground, and the piezoelectric film layer is attached to a backlight surface of the transparent substrate. The circuit board module is electrically connected with the piezoelectric film layer, and when the piezoelectric film layer is electrified, the piezoelectric film layer vibrates at different frequencies.