Abstract: An electric motor having a permanent magnet and a compressor including an electric motor are provided. The electric motor may include a stator; and a rotor rotatably disposed and spaced a predetermined gap apart from the stator. The rotor may include a rotational shaft, a permanent magnet arranged concentrically to the rotational shaft, and a permanent magnet support that supports the permanent magnet. The permanent magnet may have a cylindrical shape and be magnetized to have polar anisotropy such that a magnetic field is formed on the magnet's surface facing the gap but is not formed on the magnet's surface opposite to the gap. The permanent magnet support may be configured to form no flux path in the permanent magnet and connect the rotational shaft to the permanent magnet. Thus, the rotor has a reduced weight with consequent suppression of vibration and noise.

Abstract: A vibration type motor relatively moves, in a first direction, a vibrator whose vibration is excited by an electromechanical energy conversion element and a contact member configured to contact the vibrator, and includes a vibrator holder configured to hold the vibrator, a holding mechanism configured to hold the vibrator holder so as to restrict a displacement of the vibrator holder in the first direction and to enable the vibrator holder to be displaced in a direction orthogonal to the first direction, a press mechanism configured to press the vibrator against the contact member in a second direction, and a damper configured to contact a plurality of components among the vibrator holder, components of the holding mechanism, and components of the press mechanism.

Abstract: A method can be used to synchronize time between nodes of a converter device for high voltage power conversion. The method is performed in a first node of the converter device and includes receiving a time reference from a second node of the converter device, obtaining a delay value for receiving time references from the second node, determining a compensated time by adding the delay value to the time reference, and setting a clock in the first node to be the compensated time.

Abstract: A control unit of a piezoelectric drive device calculates a maximum deceleration ? applied to a driven part by the piezoelectric drive device using a friction force F2max between the piezoelectric drive device and the driven part and a mass m of the driven part, calculates a distance Ln to a target position from a present position of the driven part detected by a position sensor, calculates a reference velocity vth of the driven part using the maximum deceleration ? and the distance Ln from the present position of the driven part to the target position, calculates a velocity vn of the driven part from a temporal change of the present position of the driven part detected by the position sensor, and performs control to apply a drive force from the piezoelectric drive device to the driven part when the present velocity vn of the driven part is lower than the reference velocity vth, and apply a brake force from the piezoelectric drive device to the driven part when the present velocity vn is equal to or higher th

Abstract: An actuator includes a piezoelectric element, a vibration plate, and a support. The vibration plate has the piezoelectric element joined thereto and vibrates in accordance with displacement of the piezoelectric element. The support supports the vibration plate. A holder is disposed on the vibration plate. The holder is configured to join the vibration plate to an object of vibration. The vibration plate and the support are integrally molded.

Abstract: A control method of a piezoelectric driving device which includes a vibrator including a piezoelectric element and vibrating by application of a drive signal to the piezoelectric element, a driven unit moving by the vibration of the vibrator, a drive signal generation unit generating the drive signal based on a pulse signal, the control method including: stopping the application of the drive signal to the piezoelectric element at the time when a driving speed of the driven unit is a reference speed, in a case of stopping driving of the driven unit.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes an element configured to be displaced by application of voltage, and an annular elastic body having a bottom surface coming into contact with the element and a drive surface having a groove, configured to drive a moving element by a vibration wave produced on the drive surface by displacement of the element. The element has a density of 4.2 to 6.0×103 kg/m3. A value of [(T/B)÷W] is in a range of 0.84 to 1.94, where T represents a depth of the groove, B represents a distance from a bottom part of the groove to the bottom surface, and W represents a radial width of the elastic body.

Abstract: A vibration type motor has a vibrator; a frictional member, a pressurization unit that causes the vibrator and the frictional member to come into pressure-contact with each other, a retaining member that retains the frictional member, and a fixing unit that fixes the friction member to the retaining member, and the vibrator and the frictional member make relative movement by the vibrator being vibrated. The frictional member has a first area including an area that contacts the vibrator and a second area including an area that is retained by the retaining member. A size of the first area in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to both the direction of the relative movement and a pressure direction of the pressurization unit is smaller than a size of the second area in the orthogonal direction.

Abstract: A system may include a magnetic shape memory (MSM) element having a long axis that extends from a first end of the MSM element to a second end of the MSM element. The system may further include a first solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the first solenoid is positioned at a first angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element. The system may also include a second solenoid, where a longitudinal axis of the second solenoid is positioned at a second angle relative to the long axis of the MSM element and at a third angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid, where the longitudinal axis of the first solenoid and the longitudinal axis of the second solenoid are not parallel.

Abstract: A vibration-type actuator includes a vibrating body including an annular elastic member and an electric-mechanical energy conversion element, and an annular contact body configured to move relative to the vibrating body. The contact body includes a base portion, a support portion annularly extending from the base portion in a radial direction of the contact body, and a friction member provided at the support portion, formed separately from the support portion, and being in contact with the vibrating body. The friction member includes a first part extending in a direction along a central axis of the annular contact body, and a second part extending in the radial direction, the first part and the second part being connected to the support portion. The first part includes a portion that is connected by being either internally or externally fitted to the support portion in the radial direction.

Abstract: An electric motor includes a stator assembly including a lamination stack, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), and a plurality of windings. The PCBA is coupled to the lamination stack at a first axial end of the stator assembly. The windings are wrapped about the lamination stack to form coils. Each winding includes crossover portions extending about a portion of a circumference of the stator assembly to connect pairs of opposite coils. The crossover portions are located at a second axial end of the stator assembly opposite the first axial end.

Abstract: A control method for a piezoelectric drive device includes a first step of executing first control to decrease a frequency of a drive voltage applied to a piezoelectric vibrator from a predetermined first frequency while acquiring a pickup voltage representing vibration amplitude of the piezoelectric vibrator, and a second step of executing second control to increase the frequency of the drive voltage applied to the piezoelectric vibrator to a second frequency as a frequency of the drive voltage applied before a second time when the pickup voltage is higher from a first time to the second time and the pickup voltage is lower from the second time to a third time.

Abstract: A backing member includes: a resin body including a lower surface and an upper surface opposite to each other; a plurality of leads each of which extends in a first direction from the lower surface toward the upper surface, and that are embedded at pitches in the resin body; and a plurality of insulating spacers each of which is provided between adjacent ones of the leads and extends in a second direction intersecting with the first direction, and that contact the leads.

Abstract: To make it possible to freely move a moving body between level surfaces located at different heights that are not connected by a vertical member. A moving body includes a movable moving part, an expansion/contraction part disposed in the moving part and configured to expand and contract in a vertical direction, a first engagement part disposed at a tip of the expansion/contraction part and configured to engage with a member located in a surrounding environment, and a control unit configured to control the moving part and the expansion/contraction part. The control unit moves the moving part to a target height position by engaging the first engagement part with a member located at the target height position and then expanding or contracting the expansion/contraction part.

Abstract: An imaging assembly for an intraluminal device is provided. In one embodiment, the imaging assembly includes: an array of ultrasound transducer elements spaced apart by air kerfs; a plurality of buffer elements surrounding the array of ultrasound transducer elements, wherein the plurality of buffer elements are spaced apart by gaps; and a sealing material filling portions of the gaps between the plurality of buffer elements.

Abstract: A power converter includes a rectifier configured to rectify an AC voltage supplied from an AC power supply, a booster circuit configured to boost the voltage rectified by the rectifier, a smoothing capacitor configured to smooth the voltage output from the booster circuit, a power module configured to convert a DC voltage obtained by smoothing the output voltage by the smoothing capacitor into an AC voltage, and a snubber capacitor configured to absorb a surge voltage superimposed on the DC voltage to be input to the power module. The snubber capacitor is mounted in the power module.

Abstract: Piezoelectric devices are described fabricated in packaging buildup layers. In one example, a package has a plurality of conductive routing layers and a plurality of organic dielectric layers between the conductive routing layers. A die attach area has a plurality of vias to connect to a microelectronic die, the vias connecting to respective conductive routing layers. A piezoelectric device is formed on an organic dielectric layer, the piezoelectric device having at least one electrode coupled to a conductive routing layer.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator includes a vibrating section including a piezoelectric element, a distal end face, and a recess opened on the distal end face and a protrusion section including a base that overlaps the recess in plan view of the distal end face and is fixed to the distal end face and a projection that is provided in the base and projects in an opposite direction of the distal end face, the protrusion section transmitting a driving force of the vibrating section to a driven section. In plan view of the distal end face, the projection is disposed within a range of the recess.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a vibrator including a piezoelectric element and a vibratory plate, a friction member configured to make a frictional contact with the vibrator, a pressurizer configured to press the vibrator and the friction member against each other, and a guide unit configured to guide a relative movement between the vibrator and the friction member. The guide unit includes a plurality of rollers configured to move relative to the pressurizer, and a guide member that includes a guide portion, the guide portion being configured to extend along a relative movement direction between the vibrator and the friction member and to guide the plurality of rollers. The guide member includes a reinforcer configured to extend along the relative movement direction near a roller closest to a center position of a pressing force by the pressurizer.

Abstract: A piezoelectric drive device includes a vibrator having a vibrating portion including a piezoelectric element, and a convex portion placed in the vibrating portion, an urging member including a base, a holding portion holding the vibrator, and a spring portion coupled to the base at one end and coupled to the holding portion at another end and urging the convex portion toward a driven unit, wherein d1>d2 in a natural state in which the vibrator is not urged by the urging member, where a separation distance between the one end and the convex portion along directions of the longitudinal direction is d1 and a separation distance between the other end and the convex portion is d2, and |d1?d2| in an urging state in which the vibrator is urged toward the driven unit by the urging member is smaller than |d1?d2| in the natural state.