Abstract: A tubular actuator including a flexible tube or roll, operable to shift between first and second configurations so as to define a stroke, and utilizing active material activation to produce, modify, and/or retain the stroke.

Abstract: The invention relates to a switch device (10), for switching a user on and off, in particular, a motor or similar in a vehicle, comprising a housing (20), an operating element (30), a switch element (40) and a display (50), wherein the display (50) is arranged on the operating element (30), the switch element (40) may be activated by the operating element (30) and at least one switch signal (117) for a control unit (15,15?) may be generated by means of the switch element (40). According to the invention, the switch element (40) is a piezo switch and the piezo switch is arranged such as to generate the switch signal (17) on pushing (31) the operating element (30) into the housing (20).

Abstract: A wake-up unit for waking up an electronic device is provided. The wake-up unit comprises a resonating unit (C) for resonating at least one specific frequency, at least one first electrode (TE), at least one piezoelectric material (PM) and at least one second electrode (BE). The piezoelectric material (PM) is sandwiched between the at least one first and the at least one second electrode (TE, BE) such that an electronic current is provided to the at least one first and at least one second electrode (TE, BE) when the resonating unit (C) resonates at the at least one specific frequency.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor includes a stator. The stator includes a seat and a driving unit. The driving unit includes a generally semi-elliptical driving mechanism formed integrally with the seat, and two spaced-apart piezoelectric actuators disposed between the seat and the driving mechanism. Each of the piezoelectric actuators has a first end abutting against the driving mechanism, and a second end opposite to the first end and abutting against the seat.

Abstract: An acoustic resonator device includes a composite first electrode on a substrate, a piezoelectric layer on the composite electrode, and a second electrode on the piezoelectric layer. The first electrode includes a buried temperature compensating layer having a positive temperature coefficient. The piezoelectric layer has a negative temperature coefficient, and thus the positive temperature coefficient of the temperature compensating layer offsets at least a portion of the negative temperature coefficient of the piezoelectric layer.

Abstract: A surface acoustic wave device prevents a decrease in yield and a decrease in reliability, such as an impulse withstand voltage, and achieves good frequency characteristics, even when using higher frequencies. The surface acoustic wave device includes an IDT electrode disposed on a piezoelectric substrate, and a first insulating film and at least one second insulating film disposed on the IDT electrode, and utilizes a higher-order mode of an SH wave, in which the acoustic velocity of a surface acoustic wave in the first insulating film located closer to the IDT electrode than the insulating film at an outermost surface is higher than the acoustic velocity of a surface acoustic wave in the second insulating film located at the outermost surface.

Abstract: The various embodiments of the present invention are directed to floating floor systems and to methods of making and using the floor systems. The floating floor systems generally include a floating flooring unit (704) and a mechanical-energy-harvesting device (710). The mechanical-energy-harvesting device can be incorporated into the flooring unit component at a variety of locations. The floor systems can further include an energy storage device (712) and/or an electronic component that will be actuated or driven by the electricity generated.

Abstract: In an ultrasonic motor, an elliptical vibration is generated by combining a longitudinal primary resonance vibration, resulting from an expansion and a contraction of a vibrator in a direction of a central axis, and a torsional secondary resonance vibration or a torsional tertiary resonance vibration resulting from twisting of the vibrator about the central axis. A dimension ratio of a rectangle of the vibrator is chosen such that a resonance frequency of the longitudinal primary resonance vibration, resulting from the expansion and the contraction of the vibrator in the direction of the central axis, and a resonance frequency of the torsional secondary resonance vibration or the torsional tertiary resonance vibration, resulting from twisting of the vibrator about rotation axis, substantially match.

Abstract: An acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, an interdigital transducer (IDT) electrode, a reflector electrode, and a dummy electrode. The IDT electrode includes electrode fingers extending in a predetermined direction. The reflector electrode faces the IDT electrode across a gap. The dummy electrode is situated on a straight line extending in the predetermined direction through the gap. At least one of the distance between the dummy electrode and the IDT electrode and the distance between the dummy electrode and the reflector electrode is larger than the distance between the IDT electrode and the reflector electrode. This acoustic wave device prevents a short circuit between the IDT electrode and the reflector electrode, thereby avoiding a decrease in its yield.

Abstract: In an ultrasonic actuator, piezoelectric layers and internal electrode layers are stacked. External electrodes are formed on a principal surface exposed to an outside of the outermost piezoelectric layer. Side electrodes connected to the internal electrode layers and the external electrodes are formed on side surfaces of a body including the piezoelectric layers and the internal electrode layers. A first divided electrode and a first external electrode are connected together by a plurality of side electrodes. A second divided electrode and a second external electrode are connected together by a plurality of side electrodes. A minus electrode layer and a third external electrode are connected together by a plurality of side electrodes.

Abstract: Systems and methods for achieving cavitation at high static pressures which may be used in acoustic applications and research such as in liquid metal resonators. Novel preparation and electroplating methods are disclosed to improve boundary layer conditions. A chemical cleaning loop for containment and treatment for oxide removal and to develop a dynamic system for chemically treating liquid metal disposed in a liquid metal loop is also described. A liquid metal handling loop for containment and treatment is provided to maintain cleanliness of bulk liquid metal.

Abstract: An actuator includes a first bending portion having a first electrode layer, a first electrolyte layer on a first surface of the first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer in contact with the first electrolyte layer; and a second bending portion having the first electrode layer, a second electrolyte layer on a second surface of the first electrode layer, the second surface facing the first surface, and a third electrode layer in contact with the second electrolyte layer, in which the first surface of the first electrode layer includes a region where the first electrolyte layer is not arranged, the second surface of the first electrode layer includes a region where the second electrolyte layer is not arranged, the first bending portion is adjacent to the second bending portion, and the bending direction of the first bending portion is opposite to the bending direction of the second bending portion.

Abstract: This piezoelectric vibrator is provided with a package that is structured to include a first substrate and a second substrate that are bonded to each other such that a cavity is formed therebetween, an internal electrode portion that is formed on the first substrate and housed in the cavity, a piezoelectric vibrating reed that is sealed in the cavity and also is electrically connected to the internal electrode portion in the cavity, an external electrode portion that is formed on an external surface of the first substrate, a through electrode portion that is disposed so as not to be overlapped by the external electrode portion in a thickness direction of the first substrate, while one end of the through electrode portion is electrically connected to the internal electrode portion and another end of the through electrode portion is formed on the external surface of the first substrate while penetrating through the first substrate, and a routing wiring portion that electrically connects the through electrode po

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a micro device. The device has a micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) movable structure, a plurality of metal loops over the MEMS movable structure, and a piezoelectric element over the MEMS movable structure. Frontside and backside capping wafers are bonded to the MEMS structure, with the frontside and backside capping wafers encapsulating the MEMS movable structure, the plurality of metal loops, and the piezoelectric element. The device further includes a magnet disposed on the frontside capping wafer over the plurality of metal loops.

Abstract: In a universal drive with a rotatable or linearly movable drive member and piezo actuators supported on a carrier for acting on a leg supported on the drive member and moving the leg in a high-frequency stepping sequence in a drive direction, wherein the carriers are jointly supported on a stator by a pretension member which biases them elastically toward the drive member via an elbow lever mechanism including a first elbow lever and at least a second elbow lever which are both connected to an actuator by a coupling member and this arrangement is such that, with the first elbow lever stretched, the second elbow lever is kinked and vice versa.

Abstract: Disclosed is a transducer of an ultrasonic diagnosis device. Electrode patterns are formed inside a backing block, as one body, and thus, a prior art FPCB may be omitted.

Abstract: An expansion and contraction actuator has a first long actuator portion and a second long actuator portion that face each other and connection members that connect the long sides of each of the first long actuator portion and the second long actuator portion to each other, in which a part of the first long actuator portion and a part of the second long actuator portion are apart from each other to thereby form a hollow structure, the first long actuator portion and the second long actuator portion each have a pair of long electrodes and a long electrolyte layer having an electrolyte, long internal electrodes thereof are the same cathode or anode electrodes, long external electrodes thereof are counter electrodes thereto, and the actuator expands and contracts in the direction of the screw axis by voltage application.

Abstract: An exemplary piezoelectric vibrating device includes a piezoelectric vibrating piece that vibrates when electrically energized, a first package plate, and a second package plate. The first package plate has a respective inner main surface defining a recess. The recess has volume and dimensions sufficient to contain at least a portion of the piezoelectric vibrating piece. The inner main surface includes a peripheral main surface that peripherally extends around the recess. The second package plate has respective inner and outer main surfaces. The inner main surface is bonded to the peripheral main surface of the first package plate using a sealing material that thus seals the piezoelectric vibrating piece inside a package formed of the first and second package plates. The sealing material includes multiple concentric bands of sealing glass and multiple concentric bands of adhesive.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a mesa-type AT-cut quartz-crystal vibrating piece, in which amount of the vibrating unit is adjusted to appropriate amount, in order to inhibit unnecessary vibration and to prevent degradation. The mesa-type AT-cut quartz-crystal vibrating piece (30) for vibrating piece vibrates at 38.400 MHz comprises a rectangular excitation unit (31), a peripheral region (32) formed in periphery of the excitation unit and thinner than the excitation unit. The thickness difference h (?m) between one principal surface of the excitation unit and the adjacent peripheral region is obtained by the following equation: h=(0.2×Mx)?143 The length of the x-axis direction of the crystallographic X-axis is Mx (?m).

Abstract: An ultrasonic system is provided that includes an ultrasonic device having an elongated member configured to impart ultrasonic energy to tissue and a resonator configured to impart a frequency to the elongated member. The system also includes an ultrasonic generator configured to supply power to the resonator of the ultrasonic device. The ultrasonic generator has a drive signal generator configured to provide a drive signal, a noise signal generator configure to provide a noise signal, and a controller. The controller receives an output signal from the ultrasonic device and the noise signal from the noise signal generator, calculates a transfer function based on the output signal and the noise signal, and adjusts the drive signal generator based on the calculated transfer function.