A driving apparatus (101) is provided with: a first base part (110); a second base part (120); an elastic part (210) configured to couple the first base part with the second base part; a coil (300) disposed on the first base part; a first magnet (710) disposed on one side of the coil; a second magnet (720) disposed on an opposite side of the first magnet as viewed from the coil; a first middle yoke (810) provided on a surface of the first magnet opposed to the coil; and a second middle yoke (820) provided on a surface of the second magnet opposed to the coil. In particular, the first magnet is smaller than the second magnet. The first middle yoke is located closer to the coil than the second middle yoke is.

In a mirror drive device, a first and second actuator sections are arranged on both sides of a mirror supporting section that supports a mirror section so as to sandwich the mirror supporting section. Division of an upper and lower electrodes of each of the first and second actuator sections is performed correspondingly to stress distribution of principal stresses in a piezoelectric body in resonant mode vibration, and a piezoelectric body portion corresponding to positions of a first and third upper electrode sections, and a piezoelectric body portion corresponding to positions of a second and fourth upper electrode sections have stresses in opposite directions to each other. Division of the lower electrodes is performed similar to the upper electrodes, and drive voltages having the same phase can be respectively applied to the upper and lower electrode sections of the piezoelectric body portions that are different due to a division arrangement.

Techniques to be described herein are based upon the combination of a digital lock-in amplifier approach with a numerical method to yield accurate estimations of the amplitude and phase of a sense signal obtained from a movement sensor associated with a resonant MEMS device such as a MEMS mirror. The techniques described herein are efficient from a computational point of view, in a manner which is suitable for applications in which the implementing hardware is to follow size and power consumption constraints.

A mechanical device includes a long, narrow element made of a rigid, elastic material. A rigid frame is configured to anchor at least one end of the element, which is attached to the frame, and to define a gap running longitudinally along the element between the beam and the frame, so that the element is free to move within the gap. A solid filler material, different from the rigid, elastic material, fills at least a part of the gap between the element and the frame so as to permit a first mode of movement of the element within the gap while inhibiting a different, second mode of movement.

What is proposed is: a micromirror arrangement which comprises: a first spring-mass oscillator, which has an oscillatory body forming a mirror plate (1) and first spring elements (2); a second spring-mass oscillator, which has a drive plate (3) and second spring elements (4) and which is connected to a carrier arrangement (5, 8, 9) via the second spring elements (4), wherein the first spring-mass oscillator is suspended in the second spring-mass oscillator via the first spring elements (2); and a drive arrangement (11), which is assigned to the drive plate and is designed to cause the drive plate (3) to oscillate. The oscillatory body (1) is suspended, movably on two axes, via the first spring elements (2) on the drive plate (3), and the drive plate (3) is connected, movably on two axes, to the carrier arrangement (5, 8, 9), wherein the drive arrangement (11) is embodied as a two-axis drive and is designed to drive the drive plate (3) on two axes such that the oscillatory body (1) oscillates on two axes at in each case one of its orthogonal eigenmodes or close to this eigenmode.

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. The first actuator part has a first electrode part and second electrode parts. The second actuator part has third electrode parts and a fourth electrode part. The arrangement of the each electrode part constituting an upper electrode corresponds to a stress distribution of principal stresses in a piezoelectric body during resonance mode vibration, and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of the first electrode part and the third electrode parts and a piezoelectric portion corresponding to positions of the second electrode parts and the fourth electrode part generate stresses in opposite directions.

The MEMS device has a suspended mass supported via a pair of articulation arms by a supporting region. An electrostatic driving system, coupled to the articulation arms, has mobile electrodes and fixed electrodes that are coupled to each other. The electrostatic driving system is formed by two pairs of actuation assemblies, arranged on opposite sides of a respective articulation arm and connected to the articulation arm through connection elements. Each actuation assembly extends laterally to the suspended mass and has an auxiliary arm carrying a respective plurality of mobile electrodes. Each auxiliary arm is parallel to the articulation arms. The connection elements may be rigid or formed by linkages.

A mechanical device includes a long, narrow element made of a rigid, elastic material. A rigid frame is configured to anchor at least one end of the element, which is attached to the frame, and to define a gap running longitudinally along the element between the beam and the frame, so that the element is free to move within the gap. A solid filler material, different from the rigid, elastic material, fills at least a part of the gap between the element and the frame so as to permit a first mode of movement of the element within the gap while inhibiting a different, second mode of movement.

A movable apparatus includes a movable unit including a mirror configured to reflect light, a support portion including a first end and a second end, the first end being connected to the movable unit, the support portion configured to swingably support the movable unit, and a fixed unit connected to the second end of the support portion. The support portion includes a plurality of beam units and a connection unit connecting adjacent beam units of the plurality of beam units, wherein where the support portion is divided into two parts at a predetermined or given position, the two parts including a first part closer to the fixed unit and a second part closer to the movable unit. A beam unit of the plurality of beam units in the first part has a higher rigidity than a beam unit of the plurality of beam units in the second part.

A micromechanical component is described as having a part that is movable relative to a holder. The part is suspended on the holder at least via a suspension structure. Self-oscillations of the suspension structure are inducible such that, relative to the holder, the movable part can be set into a resonant oscillatory movement about a first axis of rotation and into a quasi-static oscillatory movement about a second axis of rotation oriented at an incline to the first axis of rotation by the suspension structure set into the self-oscillations. The movable part is connected directly or via at least one spring to at least one oscillation node point of at least one of the induced self-oscillations of the suspension structure. In addition, a method is described for producing a micromechanical component.