A displacement magnifying mechanism includes a base portion serving as a substrate; a first attachment portion and a second attachment portion which are provided on a surface on one side of the base portion; a first piezoelectric element and a second piezoelectric element of which one ends are attached to the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion; an operating portion which is connected to the other ends of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element and generates a displacement due to expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric element; and a link portion which is disposed at the center between the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element, links the operating portion and the base portion, and is made of a material having a higher Young's modulus than that of the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element.

A piezoelectric device includes a connecting section connecting a pair of beam sections adjacent to each other. The connecting section is connected to one of the pair of beam sections at a first end portion. The connecting section is connected to another of the pair of beam sections at a second end portion. The second end portion faces the first end portion in a direction in which the pair of beam sections are aligned. A second coupling portion is located along a first coupling portion. The connecting section includes only one first end portion. The connecting section includes only one second end portion. Each of the first end portion and the second end portion is closer to a tip end portion than to a fixed end portion of each of the pair of beam sections.

A piezoelectric actuator part which generates a driving force to rotate a mirror part about a rotation axis includes a first actuator part and a second actuator part having a both-end supported beam structure in which base end parts on both sides in an axial direction of the rotation axis are fixed. Upper electrodes and lower electrodes of the first actuator part and the second actuator part are divided to correspond to a stress distribution of principal stresses in a piezoelectric body during resonance mode vibration, a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of a first piezoelectric conversion part and third piezoelectric conversion parts and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of second piezoelectric conversion parts and a fourth piezoelectric conversion part generate stresses in opposite directions.

A MEMS includes a diaphragm, a stroke structure coupled to the diaphragm, and at least two piezoelectric actuators coupled to a plurality of mutually spaced-apart contact points of the stroke structure via a plurality of mutually spaced-apart connecting elements, the at least two piezoelectric actuators being configured to cause a stroke movement of the stroke structure so as to deflect the diaphragm.

Disclosed is a scalable piezoelectric linear actuator. The linear actuator includes a central rod and one or more bending modules connected to the central rod. Each of the one or more bending modules includes one or more bending actuators. Each of the one or more bending actuators includes at least two layers of bending elements. Further, each of the one or more bending actuators incudes a metallic layer disposed between each of the at least two layers of bending elements. Further, each of the one or more bending actuators includes an insulating layer disposed on at least one of the at least two layers of bending elements. Further, each of the one or more bending actuators includes a sensing element disposed on the insulating layer.

A thermally and electrically controllable miniaturised actuator comprises a bi-layer structure formed of a shape-memory alloy layer coupled with an electro-active polymer layer. A heating means is provided for thermal stimulation of the shape-memory alloy layer, this layer transitioning from an initial shape at a first temperature to a second, pre-determined, shape at a second temperature. Application of an electric field to the electro-active polymer layer stimulates this layer to deform in response, with a stress which may exceed that of the alloy layer, when the latter layer is in a low-temperature phase. Actuation methods are further provided, which include stimulating the polymer layer to deform in an opposite direction to the deformation of the alloy layer, thus allowing the actuator to be reset in between strokes. Methods of producing an actuator are also provided.

A MEMS device includes a fixed portion fixed to a pedestal, a movable portion arranged inside the fixed portion and configured to be displaceable with respect to the fixed portion, a connecting portion that connects the fixed portion and the movable portion, a piezoelectric element disposed on at least one of the fixed portion or the connecting portion, and a detection portion that output a signal corresponding to a distortion of the movable portion. A voltage is applied to the piezoelectric element on the basis of the output signal of the detection portion thereby reducing the distortion transmitted from the fixed portion to the movable portion.

A multi-axis transducer is provided. The transducer includes: a stationary member; at least two connecting members and two or more energy-conversion elements disposed on each connecting member. Each connecting member is attached at one location thereof to one of the stationary member or a second connecting member and, in response to a stimuli, is free to move along any of three geometric axes that are perpendicular to each other. Each energy-conversion element operates to convert motion of the connecting member to electrical energy or vice versa. A common geometric plane passes through each of the at least two connecting members and the stationary member, and the two largest dimensions of each connecting member defines a geometric plane that is parallel with the common geometric plane.

This disclosure reveals a resonator where at least one suspended inertial mass is driven into rotational oscillation by a piezoelectric drive transducer, or where the rotational motion of at least one suspended inertial mass is sensed by a piezoelectric sense transducer. The disclosure is based on the idea of attaching suspenders to the inertial mass with at least one flexure, which allows the end of the suspender which is attached to the inertial mass to rotate in relation to the inertial mass at this attachment point when the inertial mass is in motion. The resonator may be employed in a resonator system, a clock oscillator or a gyroscope.

A thermally and electrically controllable miniaturised actuator comprises a bi-layer structure formed of a shape-memory alloy layer coupled with an electro-active polymer layer. A heating means is provided for thermal stimulation of the shape-memory alloy layer, this layer transitioning from an initial shape at a first temperature to a second, pre-determined, shape at a second temperature. Application of an electric field to the electro-active polymer layer stimulates this layer to deform in response, with a stress which may exceed that of the alloy layer, when the latter layer is in a low-temperature phase. Actuation methods are further provided, which include stimulating the polymer layer to deform in an opposite direction to the deformation of the alloy layer, thus allowing the actuator to be reset in between strokes. Methods of producing an actuator are also provided.