Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a polymer actuator that does not need a special member for determining the output direction of the drive force or a support member, and which is simply configured with a small number of parts and is compact and low-cost. The present invention provides a polymer actuator that includes electrodes which are inelastic in a planar direction and sandwich a stretching portion of a dielectric polymer with a gradient in thickness, and also provides an optical system including the polymer actuator.

Abstract: An object of the preset invention is to provide a technique capable of preventing occurrence of an assembly error. A driving apparatus for driving an object includes: a driving part having a stationary part and a moving part; and a displacement transmitting part for transmitting a displacement to the object in accordance with a drive displacement of the moving part. The displacement transmitting part and the moving part coupled to the displacement transmitting part are integrally molded.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a small-sized image sensor device having high precision of moving an object to be moved. The image sensor device includes: a fixed unit; a movable unit including an image sensor; a beam unit fixed to the fixed unit and movably supporting the movable unit; a driving unit for applying a driving force for moving the movable unit; and a wire unit provided for the beam unit and electrically connecting the image sensor and an external circuit.

Abstract: A determination is made whether a moving speed of a slider section with respect to a rod section in a piezoelectric actuator is lower than a predetermined speed. When the moving speed is lower than the predetermined speed, it is considered that a friction-bonded portion between the rod section and the slider section is in a fastened state or a nearly fastened state. A resonance frequency of the piezoelectric actuator or a frequency proximity to the resonance frequency is set as a driving frequency for the piezoelectric actuator. The slider section is moved in a reciprocating manner plural times with respect to the rod section. As a result, an abnormal state is eliminated from the piezoelectric actuator.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to provide a transmitting apparatus and a transmitting power control method that can provide excellent power efficiency and a wide control range of transmitting output power, and a radio communication apparatus employing the transmitting apparatus. At the time of high output power, a high-frequency power amplifier (5) is operated as a nonlinear amplifier, whereby power efficiency when a transmitting signal is power-amplified can be enhanced. Further, at the time of low output power, the high-frequency power amplifier (5) is operated as a linear amplifier, whereby the control range of the transmitting output power can be extended.

Abstract: Either linear operating mode or saturation operating mode is set as the operating mode of a high-frequency power amplifier on the basis of an operating mode set signal. The gain of a variable gain amplifier provided in front of the high-frequency power amplifier and values of output voltage and bias current supplied from a supply voltage/bias current control circuit to the high-frequency power amplifier are switched. The gain of the variable gain amplifier in the saturation operating mode is formed so as to be higher by a predetermined value than that in the linear operating mode. Accordingly, the high-frequency power amplifier operates in the designated operating mode, so that the output transmission power range can be widened.

Abstract: Provided is a transmission circuit 1 which is capable of precisely compensating for an offset characteristic of an amplitude modulation section 15, and operating with low distortion and high efficiency over a wide output electric power range. A signal generation section 11 outputs an amplitude signal and an angle modulation signal. An amplitude amplifying section 14 inputs, to the amplitude modulation section 15, a signal corresponding to a magnitude of the amplitude signal having been inputted. The amplitude modulation section 15 amplitude-modulates the angle modulation signal with the signal inputted from the amplitude amplifying section 14, and outputs a resultant signal as a modulation signal. The power measuring section 18 measures an output power of the amplitude modulation section 15.

Abstract: An image sensor unit includes a fixed substrate, a movable substrate, an actuate section including an actuator for moving the movable substrate against the fixed substrate, an image sensor having an imaging surface on a front surface of the image sensor, and at least, a part of a rear surface of the image sensor being directly fixed onto the movable substrate, an external electrical connecting member for conducting a transmission and reception of signals between the actuate section and the image sensor and an outside of the image sensor unit, and an internal electrical connecting member electrically connects the actuate section, the image sensor and the external connection wiring, wherein the actuate section, the image sensor, the internal connection wiring and a part of the external connection wiring are sealed into the same space.

Abstract: Provided are an amplifier section in which N amplifiers (N is an integer of 2 or more) are serially connected to one another, and which performs an amplitude modulation on an input signal using an amplitude signal, which is a control signal; and M distortion compensation apparatuses (M is a natural number satisfying M<N) which are respectively provided to M amplifiers of the N amplifiers, each of which retains a distortion compensation table in which a voltage of the amplitude signal and a distortion compensated voltage are correlated with each other, and provides the distortion compensated voltage which is correlated with the control signal, to a power supply terminal of a corresponding amplifier of the M amplifiers in accordance with the distortion compensation table.

Abstract: An optical unit and image pickup apparatus capable of performing “auto focus function” and “image shake correction function” and characterized by easy assembling, compact configuration, high performance and reduced costs is provided. The optical unit and image pickup apparatus are provided with a polymer actuator to move an optical device, whereby performing auto focus function and image shake correction function can be performed. The polymer actuator is provided with electric wirings for image pickup device, thereby reducing the number of circuit board used for electric wiring of the image pickup device, with the result that an optical unit and image pickup apparatus characterized by easy assembling, compact configuration, high performance and reduced costs are provided.

Abstract: A small-sized and highly efficient drive apparatus, an image pickup unit and an image pickup apparatus are provided, by using a polymer actuator that is small in size and has high speed of response and has high degree of freedom for arrangement, and by realizing an actuator having excellent assembly simplicity. By being provided with a polymer actuator and by moving objects to be driven such as an image pickup device, a lens, an image pickup optical system and a lens barrel unit by the use of the actuator, an actuator that is small in size and has the high speed of response, a high degree of freedom for arrangement and excellent assembly simplicity can be provided, which makes it possible to provide a small-sized and highly efficient drive apparatus, an image pickup unit and an image pickup apparatus.

Abstract: A digital camera having an image shake correction apparatus and a method of preventing the image shake of an image taken by the digital camera. The digital camera includes optical elements arranged along a bent line for focusing an object image upon a light receiving plane in which the elements include at least one mirror which reflects a light from an object toward the light receiving plane, a driver for moving the mirror so as to turn its light axis having been bent by the mirror, a vibration sensor for sensing a vibration of a camera body, and a processor for making the driver move the mirror based on the sensed vibration. The mirror turns so as to cancel the vibration of the object image focussed on the light receiving plane.

Abstract: In a first mode in which the power level of a transmission output signal (S6) is to be high, an output from the multiplier (2) is input to an amplitude modulation signal amplifier (4), and a radio frequency power amplifier (5) performs amplitude modulation on a radio frequency phase modulated signal (S4) using a nonlinear area with a supply voltage from the amplitude modulation signal amplifier (4). In a second mode in which the power level of a transmission output signal (S6) is to be low, the output from the multiplier (2) is input to a variable gain amplifier (7), and the variable gain amplifier (7) performs amplitude modulation on the radio frequency phase modulated signal (S4). The amplitude modulated signal is output without passing through the radio frequency power amplifier (5).

Abstract: There is provided a transmission device having a preferable power efficiency and a wide control range of transmission output power. At the pre-stage side of a high-frequency power amplifier (105) for changing the amplitude of a high-frequency phase modulation signal (S4) according to a base band amplitude modulation signal (S2) and a gain control signal (S12), there is provided a variable gain amplifier (201) for changing the amplitude of the high-frequency phase modulation signal (S4) according to the base band amplitude modulation signal (S2) and the gain control signal (S12), so that the base band amplitude modulation signal (S2) is supplied to a variable gain amplifier (203) via a linear-log conversion unit (206).

Abstract: A position detector includes a pair of magnetic sensors spaced from each other and a magnetic force generator movable relative to the pair of magnetic sensors. The length of the magnetic force generator along the space between the magnetic sensors is equal to or larger than a length of a space between the magnetic sensors. Preferably, the length of the magnetic force generator along the space between the magnetic sensors is equal to or larger than a sum of the length of the space between the magnetic sensors and an allowable moving distance of the magnetic force generator.

Abstract: In an auto image stabilization system, a driving member formed as a wire of shape memory alloy (SMA) is retained by a projection of an image capturing unit. A distance Lb from the rotation center of an elastic deforming part to center of gravity (point of application) of the image capturing unit is longer than a distance La from the rotation center of the elastic deforming part to the projection (power point). In the configuration, equivalent mass (apparent mass) of the image capturing unit becomes (Lb/La) times, and it causes deterioration in response. Consequently, the driving member having an ellipse-shaped section in which a value obtained by dividing the width in the longer direction of the section by the width in the shorter direction is 1.3 or larger is employed. As a result, heat dissipation of the driving member increases, so that response in the SMA actuator can be properly improved.

Abstract: A camera is provided with: a detector for detecting a shake amount of the apparatus with respect to an object at an interval; a calculator for calculating a shake speed and a shake acceleration rate based on detected shake amounts, and calculates an estimative shake amount based on a calculated shake speed, a calculated shake acceleration rate, and a coefficient k (0<k<1) on an assumption that a shake is uniformly accelerated motion, the coefficient k being a multiplier for the calculated shake acceleration rate; and a corrector for executing a shake correction in accordance with a calculated estimative shake amount.

Abstract: A polar modulation transmission apparatus for realizing a wide control range for transmission power, maintaining the modulation precision and the distortion characteristic at a superb level even at a low output, and providing a high power efficiency is provided. An adder 102 adds a logarithm-represented transmission power control signal S13 to a logarithm-represented amplitude signal S14, and outputs the resultant signal as a transmission power-controlled amplitude signal S5. A phase modulation section 104 outputs a high frequency phase-modulated signal S8 based on a phase signal S3. An amplitude signal amplifier 103 supplies a supply voltage to a high frequency power amplifier 106 based on an amplitude signal S5. The high frequency power amplifier 106 performs amplitude modulation on the high frequency phase-modulated signal S8 based on the supply voltage supplied thereto, and outputs the resultant signal as a high frequency transmission signal S10.

Abstract: Imaging lens device has a zoom lens system and an image sensor. The zoom lens system has a first reflecting surface, a first movable lens unit, an aperture stop, a second reflecting surface, a second movable lens unit. A first reflecting surface bends a first optical axis which is an incident optical axis of the zoom lens system 90 degrees into a second optical axis. A second reflecting surface bends the second optical axis 90 degrees into a third optical axis. The first optical axis, the second optical axis and the third optical axis are mutually perpendicular. The first movable lens unit and the aperture stop are disposed on the second optical axis. The second movable lens unit is disposed on the third optical axis. During zooming, the first and second reflecting surfaces and the aperture stop are stationary; the first and second movable lens units are moved, respectively.

Abstract: Drive technology is provided which makes suitable low velocity driving and smooth changing of driving velocity possible and achieves reduced power consumption. In the driving device, the drive unit is driven which engages with drive shaft which moves back and forth in tandem with extension and contraction of the piezoelectric element. In this driving device, when the output cycle for cycle Te is repeated such that the voltages applied to the piezoelectric element 11 are the maximum value (+Vp), the minimum value (?Vp), and the middle value (0V), the movement velocity of the drive unit 13 can be changed by thinning the output cycle at cycle Tf. As a result, suitable low velocity driving can be carried out and power consumption can be reduced in the drive unit.