A system to control slip-stick stages that includes a slip-stick stage including an actuator and a processor coupled to the actuator to obtain a frequency, a number of measurement samples, and a voltage; determine a time period based on the number of measurement samples and the frequency; sample a displacement of the actuator during the time period. The system functions to calculate an error value based on the displacement and a reference position; determine a step value based on the error value and a modulation protocol. The modulation protocol includes a proportional modulation protocol or a proportional-integral modulation protocol to generate a control signal based on the step value, the frequency and the voltage based on an integral of a function of voltage and a Heaviside function according to a direction specified by a sign of the step value; and transmit the control signal to the actuator.

An apparatus and a method of fabricating an apparatus for piercing an object, the apparatus comprises: a substrate; one or more needles; one or more anchors and one or more piezoelectric actuators. The method comprises the steps of deposit sacrificial layer over the substrate; deposit conducting layer over the sacrificial layer; deposit piezoelectric layer over the conducting layer; etch a geometry of the one or more piezoelectric actuators using a first mask created by lithography process; deposit the one or more needle and one or more anchors using a second mask created by lithography process and a lift-off process; etch the sacrificial layer under the needle and the one or more piezoelectric actuators, wherein the anchors are configured to connect the substrate to the piezoelectric actuators and the one or more piezoelectric actuators are configured to expand, contract or bend, and form holding arms that are configured to move the one or more needles.

A driving control apparatus that controls driving of a vibration actuator having a plurality of electromechanical energy conversion elements. The driving control apparatus includes a controller configured to generate a plurality of driving signals each of which has a same waveform and has a different phase, and to respectively apply the plurality of driving signals to different elements of the plurality of electromechanical energy conversion elements. The controller changes the waveform according to the phase. A shape of a first waveform according to a first phase is closer to a square wave shape than a shape of a second waveform according to a second phase that is larger than the first phase.

Provided is an injector in which adhesion between a stator and a rotor of an ultrasonic motor can be released efficiently. An injector (1) which injects a chemical liquid includes: an ultrasonic motor unit (3) including an ultrasonic motor (31); a drive mechanism (4) to be driven by the ultrasonic motor unit (3) so as to feed the chemical liquid when the ultrasonic motor (31) rotates forwardly; and a control device (5) which controls the ultrasonic motor (31) of the ultrasonic motor unit (3). The ultrasonic motor (31) includes a stator (32) and a rotor (33), and the control device (5) controls the ultrasonic motor (31) to alternately repeat forward rotation and reverse rotation so that adhesion between the stator (32) and the rotor (33) is released.

Provided is an injector in which adhesion between a stator and a rotor of an ultrasonic motor can be released efficiently. An injector (1) which injects a chemical liquid includes: an ultrasonic motor unit (3) including an ultrasonic motor (31); a drive mechanism (4) to be driven by the ultrasonic motor unit (3) so as to feed the chemical liquid when the ultrasonic motor (31) rotates forwardly; and a control device (5) which controls the ultrasonic motor (31) of the ultrasonic motor unit (3). The ultrasonic motor (31) includes a stator (32) and a rotor (33), and the control device (5) controls the ultrasonic motor (31) to alternately repeat forward rotation and reverse rotation so that adhesion between the stator (32) and the rotor (33) is released.

The invention relates to a method for activating at least one portion, to be specific a change portion, of an electromechanical element (3), comprising the following steps: providing an electromechanical element, wherein at least the change portion has at least two electrodes, which are spaced apart from one another, and arranged between the electrodes a polycrystalline and ferroelectric or ferroelectric-piezoelectric material with a multiplicity of domains, wherein, in an initial state, at least some of the domains have directions of polarization that are different from one another; generating an electrical field between the electrodes of the change portion by applying an electrical voltage in the form of at least one voltage pulse with a defined amplitude and a defined duration; transforming some of the domains with directions of polarization that are different from one another into a state of the same direction of polarization as a result of the at least one voltage pulse, and thereby producing an increase in the extent of the electromechanical element along a direction of extent V that is defined and persists without the presence of an electrical voltage, or transforming some of the domains with the same direction of polarization into a state with directions of polarization that differ from one another as a result of the at least one voltage pulse, and thereby producing a decrease in the extent of the electromechanical element along the direction of extent V that is defined and persists without the presence of an electrical voltage. The invention also relates to the use of an electromechanical element activated by this method as an adjusting element and to the arrangement of an electromechanical element activated by this method between two elements (1, 2) that are to be moved with respect to one another.

The disclosure relates to a drive means for non-resonant linear and/or rotary positioning of an object, comprising at least two piezoelectric or electrostrictive actuator groups, where-in a first actuator group moves a first runner portion relative to a stationary base of the drive means according to the principle of an inertia drive, and by means of the second actuator group a second runner portion is moved relative to the first runner portion with a limited range of movement in the high-resolution scan mode, wherein a common electrical control signal is applied to the first and second actuator groups.

A camera module includes a substrate, a sensing chip, a lens module and a piezoelectric plate. The sensing chip is electrically connected with the substrate. The sensing chip includes a sensing region. The sensing chip is covered by the lens module. The sensing chip is arranged between the substrate and the lens module. When an external light beam passes through the lens module and projected on the sensing region, the sensing chip generates an image. The piezoelectric plate is arranged between the substrate and the lens module. When an electric power is provided to the piezoelectric plate, the piezoelectric plate is subjected to deformation, so that the lens group focuses on the sensing region. The present invention also provides a calibration method for the camera module.

A vibration actuator control device includes a control unit and a driving unit. The control unit outputs a first control signal for controlling driving of a first vibration actuator including a first vibrating body and a first contact body, and outputs a second control signal for controlling driving of a second vibration actuator and including a second vibrating body. The driving unit (i) outputs a first alternating-current voltage in a first plurality of phases set based on the first control signal, and (ii) outputs a second alternating-current voltage in a second plurality of phases set based on the second control signal. The control unit individually sets a phase difference of the first alternating-current voltage based on the first control signal and sets a phase difference of the second alternating-current voltage based on the second control signal, and commonly sets a first alternating-current voltage frequency and a second alternating-current voltage frequency.

The invention relates to a method and an actuator system for determining and applying a voltage to a piezoelectric actuator (PEA) to achieve a given setpoint displacement. The method involves determining a relation d.sub.cal(V) between a PEA displacement measure (d) and voltage (V) and a relation tt.sub.cal(V) between transition time (tt) and voltage and combining the determined relations to calculate a relation d(tt) between the displacement measure and transition time during an initial calibration procedure. This relation is characteristic for the PEA, and by determining a new relation tt.sub.new(V) after repeated biasing of the PEA, a compensated relation d.sub.c(V) can be calculated by substituting tt.sub.new(V) in the calculated d(tt). The compensated relation d.sub.c(V) compensates for piezo creep effects due to the wear and can be used to determine the voltage to be applied directly, or be used in other compensation algorithms.