Abstract: A remote controller (1) provided with a power generating function is provided with: a main body (10); an operation board (11); operation buttons (12) provided on the operation board (11) so as to be exposed to the outside of the remote controller (1); and a power generating section (14) which has a piezoelectric element that generates an electromotive force when the piezoelectric element is deformed. The operation board (11) can rotate with respect to the main body (10) when an operation force is applied to the operation buttons (12), and the power generating element of the power generating section (14) generates the electromotive force when the power generating element is deformed due to the force applied from the operation board (11) which has been rotated by means of the operation force.

Abstract: A piezoelectric ceramic comprising as a main component an alkali-containing niobate-based perovskite structure expressed by a compositional formula (LixNayK1-x-y)a(Nb1-zTaz)O3 (provided: 0.04<x?0.1, 0?y?1, 0?z?0.4, and 0.95?a?1.005); wherein a crystal phase or an amorphous phase containing Si and K is made present at a grain boundary or a grain boundary triple point of a plurality of crystal grains constituting the piezoelectric ceramic.

Abstract: A power recovery device, including an electroactive polymer membrane; an actuator capable of moving along a first direction non-parallel to the mid-plane of the membrane; a member for converting the motion of the actuator into a stretching of the membrane along at least one second direction of the mid-plane of the membrane; and means for biasing the membrane including an electret.

Abstract: The invention relates to a piezo drive, in particular for use in geodesic devices, having at least one piezoelectric motor element that includes an advancing component, a running surface component, and a receptacle for the running surface component, wherein said receptacle is to be connected to a component to be driven, wherein the piezoelectric motor element has a window of operation of the motor as a frequency range of the movement of the advancing component. The running surface component and the receptacle are sized and connected to one another such that the natural resonances of the running surface component lie outside the window of operation of the motor.

Abstract: Piezoelectric vibrating devices have piezoelectric vibrating pieces of which the vibration frequency is measurable individually on a wafer scale, without being affected by adjacent piezoelectric devices on the wafer. An exemplary piezoelectric device includes a piezoelectric vibrating piece having excitation electrodes and respective extraction electrodes. The device includes a package base with two connecting electrodes facing the vibrating piece and connected to respective extraction electrodes. Two pairs of mounting terminals are situated on the outer surface of the package base. Also on the outer surface of the package base are two pairs of opposing castellations that are recessed toward the center of the package base. Edge-surface electrodes connect the first and second main surfaces of the base; one pair is connected to the connecting electrodes and the other pair is connected to respective mounting terminals.

Abstract: In a piezoelectric actuator including a lower electrode layer, a first PZT piezoelectric layer having a first relative permittivity is formed on the lower electrode layer, and a second PZT piezoelectric layer having a second relative permittivity smaller than said first relative permittivity is formed on the first PZT piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: A resilient support for a bridge includes: an upper plate fixedly installed on the undersurface of the bridge deck panel; a base plate fixedly installed on the top surface of the pier; an upper fixed panel and a lower fixed panel fastened and fixed by fastening bolts to the upper plate and to the base plate, respectively; and a rubber pad, the top and bottom surfaces of which are thermally bonded and fixed to the upper and lower fixed panels, respectively, and including a plurality of steel panels in a multi-stack configuration filled therein, wherein the resilient support is configured with a plurality of piezoelectric devices for converting vibrations transmitted from the bridge deck panels into electric energy, and the piezoelectric devices are stacked between each of the steel panels within the rubber pad.

Abstract: A stage comprises a linear guide rail (2) for guiding a movable table (4), a driven bar (12), a linear drive actuator in contact with the driven bar (12) to transmit driving force to the driven bar (12), and parallel plate springs (30) for holding opposite ends of the driven bar (12). A drive transmitting surface of the linear drive actuator is provided so as to be separated from the movable table (4), and this prevents the accuracy of positioning from being reduced. Also, the parallel springs (30) reduce deforming forces applied to sections supporting the driven bar (12), and this prevents the driven bar from being damaged. The configuration makes the stage highly accurate and highly reliable.

Abstract: A piezoelectric motor including a base member; a stator disposed on the base member and comprising at least one piezoelectric element; a rotor configured to rotate by a wave motion of the stator, the wave motion being generated by the piezoelectric element; a cover member attached to the base member; a bearing arranged between the cover member and the rotor; and an elastic member configured to press the rotor toward the stator.

Abstract: An electromechanical article that includes a composite material (110) including a polymer and at least one expanded microsphere having an outer shell of a shell material and a gas contained within the outer shell, wherein the polymer at least partially encapsulates the microsphere and wherein the polymer, shell material and gas all have different dielectric constants. Devices including such articles and methods of making the articles are also disclosed.

Abstract: A component (1) is proposed wherein the suspension of the component (1) is effected in a stress-reduced manner. The component (1) can rest on a membrane (4) or be held by a spring element (2). The membrane (4) or the spring element (2) is situated above a depression (6) or an opening (7) partially spanned by the membrane (4). Preferably, the membrane (4) has a modulus of elasticity that is less than or equal to the modulus of elasticity of the component (1) or of the substrate (3). The component (1) can be covered with metal electrodes (10) wholly or partially over the area on two sides.

Abstract: A power generation device that provides power to an auxiliary system on an airborne platform, includes a piezoelectric energy harvesting device and an energy storage unit, including a battery and a power conditioner. The device extracts energy generated by turbulent airflow around the platform and stores the energy to meet future power requirements. The piezoelectric energy harvesting device is located on a portion of an inner surface of an outward shell of the platform. The stand-alone power generation device is electrically connected to the auxiliary system. The stand-alone power generation device also includes a router that connects the power generation unit to the platform electrical distribution system. Excess power generated by the device may be delivered to the platform electrical distribution system for use by other platform systems.

Abstract: In a quartz crystal unit, the unit comprising a quartz crystal resonator having a base portion, and first and second vibrational arms connected to the base portion, at least one groove being formed in at least one of opposite main surfaces of each of the first and second vibrational arms, a length of the base portion being less than 0.5 mm and an overall length of the quartz crystal resonator being less than 2.1 mm, at least one mounting arm protruding from the base portion and being formed between the first and second vibrational arms, the at least one mounting arm extending in a common direction with the first and second vibrational arms.

Abstract: A transducer has natural unidirectionality for surface acoustic waves. An interdigital electrode structure is arranged on a piezoelectric crystal substrate and is constructed with interdigital transducers including collecting electrodes and fingers. At least two of the fingers form a transducer cell, which includes at least one excitation center for exciting an electrical potential wave and at least one reflection center for reflecting electrical potential waves. The fingers are oriented perpendicularly to a direction R parallel to a 1- or 3-fold rotational axis of the substrate crystal and the derivative dv/d?=0 applies to R, wherein v is the phase velocity of the surface wave and ? is an angular deviation of the perpendicular to the finger direction from the direction R.

Abstract: In the ultrasound transducer of the present embodiment, front surface electrodes and rear surface electrodes are provided for a plurality of ultrasound vibrators. A circuit board is disposed on the rear surface side of the ultrasound vibrators, and connected to the rear surface electrodes. An electronic circuit is connected to the surface opposite to that of the rear surface electrodes side on the circuit board, and has signal paths to each ultrasound vibrator through the circuit board. A backing material is disposed on the rear surface side of the ultrasound vibrators, and is provided so as to sandwich between it and the ultrasound vibrators the circuit board and the electronic circuit.

Abstract: A piezoelectric actuator, especially for an ultrasonic motor, includes an acoustic oscillation resonator, wherein the acoustic oscillation resonator is substantially formed as a rectangular piezoelectric plate with two main surfaces, two side surfaces and two end faces and has a multilayer structure in its interior which represents a layer of excitation electrodes taking turns with the layers of the common electrodes and the layers of polarized ceramic provided therebetween, with the polarization vector extending perpendicularly with respect to the surface of the electrodes, wherein all excitation electrodes are divided into two groups not connected to each other, which are disposed symmetrically with respect to the symmetry surface of the aforementioned plate, wherein this symmetry surface extends perpendicularly with respect to the main and side surfaces of the plate, namely through the center thereof.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave resonator includes a quartz crystal substrate with Euler angles (?1.5°???1.5°, 117°???142°, and 42.79°?|?|?49.57°), and an IDT provided on the quartz crystal substrate that includes a plurality of electrode fingers and excites a stop band upper end mode surface acoustic wave. Inter-electrode finger grooves are provided between the electrode fingers. If a line occupation rate of the convex portions of the quartz crystal substrate disposed between the inter-electrode finger grooves is ?g, and a line occupation rate of the electrode fingers disposed on the convex portions is ?e, ?g>?e and 0.59<?eff<0.73 are satisfied when an effective line occupation rate ?eff of the IDT is an arithmetic mean of the line occupation rate ?g and the line occupation rate ?e.

Abstract: The present invention relates generally to a High Efficiency MEMS Micro-Vibrational Energy Harvester (?VEH) having a thick beam bimorph architecture. The disclosed architecture is capable of producing a voltage of sufficient magnitude such that the requirement to connect a plurality of harvesters in series to produce an adequate voltage magnitude is eliminated.

Abstract: A stick-slip piezo motor. A piezo housing holds at least two piezo elements. The piezo elements are both rigidly connected to the piezo housing. At the end of each of the piezo elements is a piezo friction element. Each of the piezo friction elements is in friction contact with a moving friction element. While oscillating between a stick phase and a slip phase, both of the friction elements operate in conjunction to move the moving friction element in a desired travel direction. The piezo elements oscillate out of phase such that when one of the oscillating piezo elements is operating in the slip phase and moving in a direction opposite to the desired travel direction, the other oscillation piezo element is operating in the stick phase and is moving in the travel direction in order to counteract and overcome unwanted dragging of the moving piezo element.

Abstract: There is provided a dielectric composition, including: a basic powder including BamTiO3(0.995?m?1.010); a first subcomponent including 0.1 to 0.6 mole of zirconium (Zr) oxide or carbide, based on 100 moles of the basic powder; a second subcomponent including 0.8 to 6.0 moles of oxide or carbide including at least one of magnesium (Mg), strontium (Sr), and barium (Ba); a third subcomponent including 0.2 to 1.8 moles of oxide including at least one rare earth element; a fourth subcomponent including 0.05 to 0.30 mole of oxide including at least one transition metal; a fifth subcomponent including 0.05 to 0.35 mole of oxide including at least one of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta); and a sixth subcomponent including 0.5 to 4.0 moles of oxide including at least one of silicon (Si) and aluminum (Al).