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 piezoelectric drive device includes a vibrating part, and a control unit that controls vibration of the vibrating part, wherein the vibrating part includes a piezoelectric material having a first surface and a second surface in a front-back relation, a drive electrode having a first electrode arranged at the first surface and a second electrode arranged at the second surface, and vibrating the piezoelectric material when a drive signal from the control unit is input to the second electrode, and a detection electrode having a third electrode arranged at the first surface and a fourth electrode arranged at the second surface, and outputting a detection signal according to the vibration of the piezoelectric material to the control unit via the fourth electrode, and the first electrode and the third electrode are separated on the first surface, and the second electrode and the fourth electrode are separated on the second surface.

A piezoelectric drive device for vibrating a vibrating body to make a tip of a protruding part make a rotational motion of drawing an elliptic orbit to thereby drive a driven member, wherein the vibrating body includes a substrate, a driving piezoelectric element configured to vibrate the substrate, and a detecting piezoelectric element configured to detect a vibration of the substrate, the driving piezoelectric element includes a first driving piezoelectric element for making the vibrating body perform a stretching vibration in a first direction, and a second driving piezoelectric element for making the vibrating body perform a flexural vibration in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the detecting piezoelectric element is arranged with the first driving piezoelectric element in the first direction, and there is provided a voltage control section for controlling a magnitude of a voltage to be applied to the first driving piezoelectric element.

A posture adjustment device for an optical sensor includes: a controller, a posture detector, and a posture adjustment structure. An optical sensor to be detected is fixed on the posture adjustment structure. The posture detector receives an emitted beam of the optical sensor to be detected, detects a posture of the optical sensor to be detected according to the emitted beam, and sends posture information to the controller. The controller controls, according to the posture information, the posture adjustment structure to adjust the posture of the optical sensor to be detected.

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.

A vibration wave motor comprises: an electromechanical conversion element; an elastic body which has a drive surface on which a vibration wave is generated due to vibration of the electromechanical conversion element; and a relative motion member which makes contact with the drive surface of the elastic body and is configured to rotationally drive by the vibration wave, the electromechanical conversion element having a density of from 4.2 to 6.010.sup.3 kg/m.sup.3, a plurality of grooves being provided on the drive surface side of the elastic body, and a value of T/(B+C) being within a range of from 1.3 to 2.8 when: depth of at least one groove of the plurality of grooves is defined as T; thickness from a base unit of the groove to a first surface is defined as B; and thickness of the electromechanical conversion element is defined as C.

A vibration drive device giving an appropriate click feeling when an operation member driven by a vibration actuator is manually operated. A controller applies, to a piezoelectric element, a drive signal for exciting, in an elastic body joined to the piezoelectric element, only a first vibration perpendicular to a contact surface between the elastic body and a driven element, or the first vibration and a second vibration parallel to the contact surface. When the position of the operation member is outside a driving section, only the first vibration is excited, whereas when within the driving section, the first vibration and the second vibration are excited so as to make the position closer to a target position set within the driving section. Application of the drive signal is stopped when the position is in a section in the driving section for a predetermined time period.

The invention relates to a method for controlling a piezoelectric drive unit (81). For this purpose, a first control signal is applied to a first electrode (90a) of the first piezo element (95) of the piezoelectric drive unit (81). Additionally, a second control signal is applied to a second electrode (90b) of the first piezo element (95) of the piezoelectric drive unit (81). The first control signal is configured as a continuous positive first voltage signal. The second control signal is configured as a constant second voltage signal. The first control signal is always greater than the second control signal.

A method for controlling an ultrasonic motor. From a starting velocity or starting position of the driven element, the method includes adjusting the frequency of the electrical excitation voltage such that it is equal to or close to the mechanical resonance frequency of the ultrasonic actuator; changing the frequency of the electrical excitation voltage using the signal of the velocity sensor or the position sensor towards the anti-resonance frequency of the ultrasonic actuator until an end velocity or an end position of the driven element is reached; and controlling the end velocity or position of the driven element with a predetermined accuracy by means of antiphase frequency change. Also disclosed is a corresponding control arrangement for an ultrasonic motor having an ultrasonic actuator with at least two acoustic wave generators, a driven element and a generator via a frequency adjustment.

A piezoelectric driving device includes a first substrate having cleavability, and a piezoelectric element placed above the first substrate, wherein a cleavage direction of the first substrate and a direction in which a shear force is applied do not coincide in a plan view of the first substrate. Further, an angle formed by the cleavage direction of the first substrate and the direction in which the shear force is applied is equal to or larger than 20? in the plan view of the first substrate. Furthermore, the first substrate contains silicon single crystal.