Abstract: An optical fiber scanner including: an optical fiber that guides light produced by a light source; an actuator that is fixed at an intermediate position of the optical fiber in the long-axis direction and that displaces a distal end of the optical fiber through a bending vibration; and an electrically conductive detection wire member that extends in a state in which it is attached to the outer periphery of the optical fiber at least between the actuator and the distal end of the optical fiber, over a predetermined range in the long-axis direction.

Abstract: An optical fiber scanner including: an optical fiber that guides illumination light; a piezoelectric element that is disposed at an intermediate position on the optical fiber in the long-axis direction and that displaces, due to a bending vibration, an emission end of the optical fiber in a direction intersecting the long axis; a wiring part that is electrically bonded to the piezoelectric element at a location between the piezoelectric element and the optical fiber; a tube-shaped electrically conductive frame that has an inner hole for accommodating the piezoelectric element and the optical fiber; and a holding section that fixes the frame and the piezoelectric element and that conducts electricity between the frame and the piezoelectric element.

Abstract: A scanner unit includes: a tubular elastic part provided with marks outside a prescribed bonding region set on an outer surface thereof and; and a piezoelectric element that is bonded to the bonding region. The piezoelectric element includes: a piezoelectric body having two mutually opposing electrode faces; and marks that are different from each other, respectively provided on the two electrode faces. The mark provided on one electrode face has a shape that matches the mark provided outside the bonding region when the piezoelectric body is bonded to the bonding region so that the other electrode face contacts the outer surface.

Abstract: An optical fiber scanner includes: an elongated optical fiber; driving piezoelectric elements that are provided on an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber and produce bending oscillation at a distal-end portion of the optical fiber as a result of an alternating voltage being applied thereto; detecting piezoelectric elements provided on the outer circumferential surface at the distal-end portion of the optical fiber; and a control unit that controls an alternating voltage to be applied to the driving piezoelectric elements on the basis of the voltages produced by the detecting piezoelectric elements.

Abstract: This optical fiber scanner has an elongated optical fiber, a vibration transmission member which has a column-like shape and has a penetrating hole through which the optical fiber penetrates, and a piezoelectric element provided on an outer surface of the vibration transmission member, wherein the penetrating hole is a fitted hole which is formed from a proximal end of the vibration transmission member to a middle of the vibration transmission member and the optical fiber is fitted, and the penetrating hole is an accommodation hole which is formed from the middle to a distal end of the vibration transmission member, which has a large inner diameter than an outer diameter of the optical fiber, and which accommodates a distal end portion of the optical fiber with a gap between the optical fiber and the accommodation hole.

Abstract: A scanner includes: an optical fiber that guides light from a light source; a drive unit including at least one actuator that, when a voltage is applied thereto, displaces an exit end of the optical fiber in a direction intersecting an optical axis; a support portion that is provided on a basal end side from the drive unit and that is spaced away from the drive unit to support the optical fiber; and a correction portion that performs correction so as to bring the center of gravity of the drive unit and a combined center of gravity of the optical fiber, the drive unit, and the support portion close to each other on a cross-section of the drive unit.

Abstract: An optical fiber scanner is provided with an illumination optical fiber that guides light and emits the light from a distal end thereof; a plurality of piezoelectric elements that are secured on a side surface of the illumination optical fiber, that have polarizations in radial directions of the illumination optical fiber, and that vibrate the illumination optical fiber when an alternating voltage is applied in the polarization directions; and a vibration suppressing part that suppresses vibrations in the radial directions generated at a position of the illumination optical fiber away from the piezoelectric elements toward a base end.

Abstract: A fiber-optic scanner equipped with a light-guiding optical fiber; the fiber-optic scanner including a plurality of vibration generating units disposed circumferentially at equal intervals on an outer peripheral surface of the optical fiber located on a base end side thereof at a predetermined distance from the emission end of the optical fiber to vibrate an emission end of the optical fiber in a plurality of directions; and a vibration damping member disposed at least in a position between base end-side edges of the vibration generating units and the emission end of the optical fiber, wherein the vibration damping member has a uniform shape of a rotating body rotated around the axis line of the optical fiber.

Abstract: The force of a piezoelectric element is efficiently transferred to an optical fiber without attenuation, so that the vibration of the optical fiber becomes large. Provided is an optical fiber scanner including an optical fiber which has an elongated cylindrical shape in which illumination light emitted from a light source is guided and can emerge from a distal end thereof and whose distal end can be vibrated in a direction intersecting the longitudinal direction thereof; and at least one piezoelectric element which have a plate shape polarized in a thickness direction thereof and which are separately bonded to an outer circumferential surface of the optical fiber closer to a base side than to a distal end thereof.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic motor unit includes a piezoelectric element, a holder member, a pressing member, a pressing auxiliary member, a driven member, an ultrasonic motor accommodation member, a power extraction member. The piezoelectric element has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The holder member holds the piezoelectric element so as to cover an outer surface of a portion of the piezoelectric element. The pressing member applies a predetermined pressing force to the piezoelectric element. The pressing auxiliary member transfers a pressing force generated by the pressing member to the holder member. The driven member is in contact with one end face of the piezoelectric element. The power extraction member is coupled to the ultrasonic motor accommodation member to form a joint portion. The ultrasonic motor unit is formed by connecting a plurality of sections each formed by coupling the ultrasonic motor accommodation member to the power extraction member.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor for driving a driven object with a multi-degree of freedom includes a vibrator configured to simultaneously excite two vibration modes to generate an elliptic vibration on an output surface thereof, a driven object configured to be driven by the elliptic vibration generated on the output surface, and a driving element interposed between the output surface and the driven object. The driven object includes a spherical portion to be brought into contact with at least the output surface via the driving element. The elliptic vibration exhibits different vibration amplitudes at different positions on the output surface. The output surface includes a plurality of regions which exhibit greater vibration amplitudes than other regions on the output surface. The driving element includes a contact portion with at least two regions exhibiting greater vibration amplitudes than other regions of the contact portion, and is provided on the output surface.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic motor unit includes a piezoelectric element, a holder member, a pressing member, a pressing auxiliary member, a driven member, an ultrasonic motor accommodation member, a power extraction member. The piezoelectric element has a rectangular cross-sectional shape. The holder member holds the piezoelectric element so as to cover an outer surface of a portion of the piezoelectric element. The pressing member applies a predetermined pressing force to the piezoelectric element. The pressing auxiliary member transfers a pressing force generated by the pressing member to the holder member. The driven member is in contact with one end face of the piezoelectric element. The power extraction member is coupled to the ultrasonic motor accommodation member to form a joint portion. The ultrasonic motor unit is formed by connecting a plurality of sections each formed by coupling the ultrasonic motor accommodation member to the power extraction member.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor drive apparatus comprises a piezoelectric element 107 having a plurality of piezoelectrically active regions, in which longitudinal vibration and flexural vibration are induced with application of alternate signals to the plurality of piezoelectrically active regions, a piezoelectric element holder 108 that is fixedly attached to the piezoelectric element, covering the neighborhood of a common node of the longitudinal vibration and the flexural vibration induced in the piezoelectric element all along the circumference of the central portion of the piezoelectric element with respect to the longitudinal direction, a vibrator holder 103 having a plurality of openings, a driven member 104 having a substantially spherical shape, an output shaft 106 attached to the driven member, through which power output of the driven member is transmitted, a pressing member 102 that brings the driven member 104 and the piezoelectric member into pressure contact with each other along the third direction, a cap

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor for driving a driven object with a multi-degree of freedom includes a vibrator configured to simultaneously excite two vibration modes to generate an elliptic vibration on an output surface thereof, a driven object configured to be driven by the elliptic vibration generated on the output surface, and a driving element interposed between the output surface and the driven object. The driven object includes a spherical portion to be brought into contact with at least the output surface via the driving element. The elliptic vibration exhibits different vibration amplitudes at different positions on the output surface. The output surface includes a plurality of regions which exhibit greater vibration amplitudes than other regions on the output surface. The driving element includes a contact portion with at least two regions exhibiting greater vibration amplitudes than other regions of the contact portion, and is provided on the output surface.

Abstract: A motorized table apparatus comprises: a support unit for supporting a movement table so as to allow it to move in a single axis direction relative to a stationary unit which is fixed to the movement table; a slide member which is equipped on the movement table and which has a length equivalent to, or more than, a moving range of the movement table; an ultrasonic oscillators which is equipped on the stationary unit, which moves the movement table, and which comprises a single piezoelectric body and two drive elements; and a pressure application unit for supporting so that the two drive elements of the ultrasonic oscillator and the slide member are pressed by a constant force, wherein a plurality of the ultrasonic oscillators are equipped.

Abstract: A multilayered piezoelectric element in which first internal electrodes include first exposed portions formed at the end portion of a first piezoelectric material. And the second internal electrodes include second exposed portions formed at the end portion of a second piezoelectric material.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor drive apparatus comprises a piezoelectric element 107 having a plurality of piezoelectrically active regions, in which longitudinal vibration and flexural vibration are induced with application of alternate signals to the plurality of piezoelectrically active regions, a piezoelectric element holder 108 that is fixedly attached to the piezoelectric element, covering the neighborhood of a common node of the longitudinal vibration and the flexural vibration induced in the piezoelectric element all along the circumference of the central portion of the piezoelectric element with respect to the longitudinal direction, a vibrator holder 103 having a plurality of openings, a driven member 104 having a substantially spherical shape, an output shaft 106 attached to the driven member, through which power output of the driven member is transmitted, a pressing member 102 that brings the driven member 104 and the piezoelectric member into pressure contact with each other along the third direction, a cap

Abstract: A ultrasonic motor includes a piezoelectric device, and friction contact members moves a driven body by a elliptical vibration. And the ultrasonic motor includes a holder member which is disposed corresponding to a node of a longitudinal vibration or in the vicinity thereof on the face of the piezoelectric device and a node of a flexural vibration or in the vicinity thereof, the holder member having an engagement convex portion and being provided with a pair of sliding contact projection portions, a position limiting member which has accommodation holes each constituted of a sliding contact concave portion for accommodating the sliding contact projection portion such that it makes a sliding contact therewith freely and an engagement concave portion for accommodating the engagement convex portion, and a pressure member which presses the holder member so as to bring the friction contact members into pressure contact with the driven body.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor includes a vibrator formed by stacking a plurality of rectangular piezoelectric plates in a thickness direction, a driving circuit for applying a driving signal to a piezoelectric plate, and a detection circuit for detecting an electromotive force generated when the piezoelectric plate deforms, and this ultrasonic motor is configured in such a manner that there are a first piezoelectric plate and a second piezoelectric plate among the plurality of rectangular piezoelectric plates, the first and the second piezoelectric plate each is a piezoelectric plate in which a longitudinal vibration polarization portion that can excite longitudinal vibrations and a bending vibration polarization portion that can excite bending vibrations are polarized in a thickness direction, and the first piezoelectric plate is connected to the driving circuit and the detection circuit, and the second piezoelectric plate is connected to the driving circuit and is not connected to the detection circuit.

Abstract: A ultrasonic motor includes a piezoelectric device, and friction contact members moves a driven body by a elliptical vibration. And the ultrasonic motor includes a holder member which is disposed corresponding to a node of a longitudinal vibration or in the vicinity thereof on the face of the piezoelectric device and a node of a flexural vibration or in the vicinity thereof, the holder member having an engagement convex portion and being provided with a pair of sliding contact projection portions, a position limiting member which has accommodation holes each constituted of a sliding contact concave portion for accommodating the sliding contact projection portion such that it makes a sliding contact therewith freely and an engagement concave portion for accommodating the engagement convex portion, and a pressure member which presses the holder member so as to bring the friction contact members into pressure contact with the driven body.