An identification device according to an embodiment includes: a sensor that measures a grasping state of a grasped object as an identification target; a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a sensor wearer who is wearing the sensor; and an identification unit that identifies the grasped object that is grasped by the sensor wearer based on the grasping state measured by the sensor and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit.

An input apparatus includes an operating unit on which an input operation is performed by an operator, a detecting unit configured to detect the input operation performed on the operating unit, an actuator configured to impart vibration to the operating unit, and a control unit configured to supply a drive signal to the actuator according to a result of detection performed by the detecting unit. The control unit supplies, as the drive signal, a single pulse signal including a triangular wave or a sine wave and having a signal waveform in which a rising interval and a falling interval are asymmetric about a peak position to the actuator.

A piezoelectric micromachined ultrasound transducer (PMUT) device may include a plurality of layers including a structural layer, a piezoelectric layer, and electrode layers located on opposite sides of the piezoelectric layer. Conductive barrier layers may be located between the piezoelectric layer and the electrodes to the prevent diffusion of the piezoelectric layer into the electrode layers.

High-resolution intravascular ultrasound (H-IVUS) operates under a large acoustic bandwidth, provides high resolution while maintaining good depth penetration, and exhibits other favorable characteristics like focused imaging. A H-IVUS transducer assembly can be manufactured at a low cost using conventional methods commonly utilized in the microelectronics industry. The H-IVUS transducer assembly can include a printed circuit having one or more electrical signal conditioners. One or more convertors made of a polymer and configured to convert electrical energy to acoustic energy and acoustic energy to electrical energy can be formed in place away from the printed circuit. After construction, the one or more formed in place convertors are interfaced to the printed circuit with at least a conductive material.

A vibration actuator capable of reducing variations of pressure force and reaction force acting on a vibrator and a contact member has a specific construction. Vibrator devices respectively have vibrators, each of which includes an elastic member and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element. A contact member contacts the vibrators and is movable in a predetermined direction relatively to the vibrators. A restraint member fixes a first vibrator device among the vibrator devices to restrict a degree of freedom in the predetermined direction. A flexible member connects a second vibrator device among the vibrator devices to the first vibrator device. The flexible member has predetermined rigidity in the predetermined direction and has rigidity, which is lower than the predetermined rigidity, in directions other than the predetermined direction.

A mask, according to an embodiment, comprises: a first wiring disposed on a first base layer; a piezoelectric element disposed on the first wiring; a second wiring disposed on the piezoelectric element; a second base layer disposed on the second wiring; a protective layer disposed between the first and second base layers and surrounding the first wire, the second wire, and the piezoelectric element; and a control unit which controls a driving frequency of the piezoelectric element. The control unit controls the driving frequency of the piezoelectric element in a frequency band defined as a first range, and the temperature of the piezoelectric element changes by means of the control of the driving frequency of the control unit.

An actuator and a tactile sensation providing apparatus that can reduce the number of elements are provided. The actuator includes a piezoelectric element and a diaphragm that has the piezoelectric element attached thereto and vibrates according to an expanding and contracting displacement of the piezoelectric element. The diaphragm converts the expanding and contracting displacement of the piezoelectric element into a vibration in a predetermined direction. The diaphragm supports a vibration object for providing a tactile sensation, in a displaceable manner.

Disclosed is a vibration actuator device. The vibration actuator device includes a substrate, lower supports disposed on the substrate and spaced apart from each other in a first direction, an actuator disposed on the lower supports to generate a vibration having a first resonant frequency by an external power, a vibration plate disposed on the actuator to vibrate in accordance with the actuator, and a mass portion disposed on the vibration plate to vibrate in accordance with the actuator and the vibration plate. Here, each of the vibration plate and the mass portion has a second resonant frequency that is less than the first resonant frequency.

An ultrasonic transducer is disclosed. The ultrasonic transducer includes a stainless steel backing comprising a piezoelectric element mounted on a front face of the backing, wherein the stainless steel backing enables operation in high temperature and radiation applications. The ultrasonic transducer further includes a first enclosure comprising a threaded through hole and a second enclosure comprising an opening, wherein the first and second enclosure encapsulates the stainless steel backing, wherein the first enclosure and the second enclosure are joined together using a plurality of enclosure screws, wherein the first enclosure is configured to receive a set screw through the threaded through hole, and wherein the set screw upon being received is configured to make contact with a ceramic ball, and wherein tightening of the set screw pushes the piezoelectric element out of the opening in the second enclosure to make a contact with a work structure.

Transducer elements have one or more asymmetric features that give rise to multiple natural resonance frequencies. The feature(s) can be discrete (e.g., steps, bars, or gemstone-like facets) or continuous across one or more dimensions of the transducer element (e.g., a triangular prism). A transducer element can be driven at more than one resonance frequency; multiple frequencies will excite more than one feature in parallel, each producing an output emission with a characteristic frequency and phase. An optimal frequency—i.e., one that maximizes the peak acoustic intensity or acoustic power at the target—within a certain frequency range may be determined, and a plurality of asymmetric transducer elements may be driven at a center frequency that coincides with or is close to this optimal frequency.