An actuator with a rectangular shape] is made of polarized electromechanical material having two large main surfaces and at least four side surfaces, two of which being longer than the other two side surfaces. At least one friction element is arranged on at least one of the shorter side surfaces. At least two active electrodes are arranged on one of the main surfaces, with one common electrode arranged on the other of the main surfaces The electromechanical material of the actuator is excitable to perform standing wave deformations due to an electric field generated therein for moving the friction element to drive an element. The actuator aspect ratio for its length to its thickness is between 3.9 and 4.1 and an aspect ratio for the length relative to width is between 2 and 5.

A vibration actuator unit includes: an electromechanical converting element that converts an electric vibration of an applied actuating voltage into a mechanical vibration; and a contact portion that contacts an actuated surface of an actuating subject and a transmits a mechanical vibration of the electromechanical converting element to the actuated surface as an actuating force, wherein the electromechanical converting element periodically bends within a first vibration plane crossing the actuated surface to vibrate the contact portion within the first vibration plane, and periodically bends within a second vibration plane crossing the first vibration plane to vibrate the contact portion within the second vibration plane.

A piezoelectric driving device includes a vibrating plate, and a piezoelectric vibrating body including a substrate, and piezoelectric elements provided on the substrate. The piezoelectric element includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body, and the first electrode, the piezoelectric body, and the second electrode are laminated in this order on the substrate. The piezoelectric vibrating body is installed on the vibrating plate so that the piezoelectric element is interposed between the substrate and the vibrating plate. A wiring pattern including a first wiring corresponding to the first electrode and a second wiring corresponding to the second electrode is formed on the vibrating plate, the first electrode and the first wiring are connected to each other through a first laminated conducting portion, and the second electrode and the second wiring are connected to each other through a second laminated conducting portion.

A piezoelectric driving device includes a substrate, a first insulating film disposed on the substrate, a piezoelectric element for driving disposed on the first insulating film and configured to vibrate the substrate, a piezoelectric element for detection configured to detect the vibration of the substrate, a wire for driving electrically connected to the piezoelectric element for driving, a wire for detection electrically connected to the piezoelectric element for detection, and a lower layer wire disposed between the first insulating film and the substrate and set to fixed potential. At least one of the wire for driving and the wire for detection overlaps at least a part of the lower layer wire.

Provided is a piezoelectric driving device for a motor including: a vibrating plate which includes a fixed portion and a vibrator portion in which a piezoelectric element is provided and which is supported by the fixed portion; and a contact portion which comes into contact with a driven body and transmits motion of the vibrating plate to the driven body, in which the fixed portion, the vibrator portion, and the contact portion are provided along an X direction in this order, when seen in a Y direction, when two directions parallel to a main surface of the vibrating plate and orthogonal to each other are set as the X direction and the Y direction and a direction orthogonal to the main surface of the vibrating plate is set as a Z direction.

A piezo actuator includes a piezo motor element having a top and a bottom surface, and a connection element having arms with flexure hinges for contacting the piezo motor element at different fixation positions located at node positions of a bending mode of the piezo motor element. The flexure hinges are such that the piezo motor element is allowed to move in the normal direction and the flexure hinges being stiff in the tangential direction, wherein the flexure arms are fixed to the piezo motor element with a fixation means.

An optical fiber scanner including: an optical fiber configured to emit, from a distal end thereof, illumination light guided from a light source; and at least three flat-plate-shaped piezoelectric elements that are disposed at positions spaced apart from the distal end that are closer to a proximal end of the optical fiber in the longitudinal axis direction and configured to vibrate the distal end of the optical fiber in a direction intersecting the longitudinal axis, wherein each of the piezoelectric elements has chamfered sections on both widthwise ends along at least a portion thereof in a longitudinal direction, and the piezoelectric elements adjacent in a circumferential direction are assembled into a tubular shape that surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber in a close contact manner in a state where the chamfered sections are brought into close contact with one another.

The piezoelectric actuator of the present invention has at least one ceramic component. The ceramic component has an output surface and two driving surfaces. The ceramic component has a height and the output surface is rectangular in shape, wherein the length of the short axis side of the output surface is shorter than the height. Therefore, when a pulse wave input voltage is applied on the driving surfaces, the output surface generates an elliptical motion.

A piezoelectric driving device includes a vibrating plate and a piezoelectric vibrator provided on the vibrating plate. The piezoelectric vibrator has a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body located between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a thickness of the piezoelectric body is within a range from 50 nm to 20 m.

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.