Disclosed is a piezoelectric inertial drive stage including a piezoelectric inertial driver, a slider and a holder. The driver includes a mounting portion for the mounting on the holder, a friction portion coupling to the slider, a flexure portion between the mounting portion and friction portion, a piezoelectric element with a first end bonded to the mounting portion and a second end bonded to a movement portion, the movement portion transferring the motion of the piezoelectric element to the friction portion to drive the slider.

A vibration-wave motor includes a vibrator having two protruding parts, a holding member configured to hold the vibrator, a movable member configured to translationally move together with the holding member, a rotating unit configured to allow the holding member to rotate around each of three axes relative to the movable member and to restrict the holding member from translating in each of the three axes relative to the movable member, a urging member configured to urge the holding member and the movable member so that the holding member and the movable member translationally move together, and a restricting unit configured to restrict the holding member from rotating around the rotating unit as a center by the urging member.

A piezoelectric drive unit is configured for driving a passive element relative to an active element, wherein the active element includes a resonator with two arms, each extending in parallel to a reference plane and ending in a contact element, which is movable by oscillating movements of the arms and thereby drives the passive element. Each of the arms has, at the outer end of the arm, a protrusion extending inward, toward the other arm, and on at least one of the arms, the respective contact element, arranged at the arm's outer end, extends outward, away from the other arm.

Provided is a vibration wave motor including: a vibrator; a pressurizing member configured to pressurize the vibrator against a friction member; a holding member configured to hold the vibrator; and a buffering member provided between the vibrator and the holding member. The vibrator and the friction member are moved relatively to each other in a relative movement direction by vibration of the vibrator, and the holding member holds the vibrator in such a manner that an extending part extending in a pressurizing direction of the pressurizing member sandwiches the vibrator and the buffering member.

A vibration wave motor includes: a vibrator including a piezoelectric element; a friction member with which the vibrator comes into contact by receiving pressurizing force; and a guide member that holds the vibrator, wherein the guide member includes: an input portion on one end portion, the input portion receiving force from outside; and a pressurizing portion on another end portion positioned on an opposite side of the one end portion, the pressurizing portion providing the pressurizing force to the vibrator, and a first guide portion extending in a direction of relative movement of the vibrator and the friction member is formed between the input portion and the pressurizing portion.

A rotary drive mechanism comprises: a camshaft having a plurality of cams; and a plurality of transducer units each including a plurality of transducers that each have a dielectric elastomer layer and a pair of electrode layers sandwiching the dielectric elastomer layer. The plurality of transducer units each provide a drive force to a corresponding one of the plurality of cams. The plurality of transducers in one of the transducer units are arranged radially around the corresponding cam. Such a configuration can exert a drive force more efficiently.

Disclosed herein is a micro stage using a piezoelectric element that can be reliably operated even in a vacuum environment. In a particle column requiring a high precision, for example, a microelectronic column, the micro stage can be used as a stage with micro or nano degree precision for alignment of parts of the column, or for moving a sample, and so on.

A piezoelectric drive device driving a driven member by a projecting portion provided on one end of a vibrator including a piezoelectric element, includes a fixing portion fixing the piezoelectric drive device, a holding portion holding the vibrator, an urging portion coupled to the fixing portion and urging the holding portion including the vibrator in a direction toward the projecting portion, a weight portion provided at an opposite side to the projecting portion in the holding portion, and an elastic portion placed between the holding portion and the weight portion.

A piezoelectric drive device includes a rotor which has an output section for outputting a rotational force and a transmission section disposed on an outer periphery of the output section, and rotates around a rotational axis, and a vibrating part which has a piezoelectric element, and rotates the rotor due to a deformation of the piezoelectric element. The transmission section has a first portion and a second portion different from each other in position in a radial direction from the output section toward the transmission section, the first portion is coupled to the output section, the second portion is higher in Young's modulus than the first portion, the second portion is higher in mass per unit volume than the first portion, and the vibrating part makes contact with the transmission section at a position overlapping the second portion in a plan view from an axial direction of the rotational axis.

A motor includes a pressing member pressing a vibrator onto a contacting member, first and second holding members respectively holding the vibrator and a transmission member, which transmits pressing force by the pressing member to the vibrator, and a coupling member coupling the first and second holding members. The vibrator and the contacting member move by vibrations occurring in the vibrator. The coupling member includes a rolling member moving the first and second holding members in a pressing direction of the pressing member, and an urging member, which is held by the second holding member, urging the first and second holding members in parallel with a moving direction of the vibrator and the contacting member. The rolling member is sandwiched between the first and second holding members, and abuts against the first holding member on a center side of the vibrator in the moving direction.