Abstract: A head gimbal assembly (10) for a disk drive (1), having a flexure (30) with a stationary portion (40) and at least one movable portion (42), a portion of the flexure (30) being attached to a load beam (28). A slider (20) containing a read/write head (22) is attached to one of the movable portions (40) of the flexure (30). The load beam (28) provides a center of rotation (54) for the slider (20) and one or more microactuators (24) connect between the stationary portion (40) of the flexure (30) and one of the movable portions (42, 44) for applying a moment which causes pure or nearly pure rotation of the slider (20) about the center of rotation (54). A disk drive (1) and an actuator arm (2) including the head gimbal assembly (10) are also disclosed.

Abstract: A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device includes: a driving portion which is driven by displacement of a piezo-electric/electrostrictive element, a movable portion which operates on the basis of a drive of the driving portion, and a fixed portion for supporting the above driving portion and movable portion. It has a driving portion including thin plates facing each other and a thin film piezoelectric/electrostrictive element formed on the surface of at least one of the thin plates, and the above fixed portion and the above movable portion are joined by the driving portion. In this piezoelectric/electrostrictive element, the movable portion can largely be displaced, and it is not easily affected by a harmful vibration in operation, and it is excellent in mechanical strength, handling efficiency, impact resistance, and moisture resistance.

Abstract: An ultrasonic motor 1 comprises a stator-side elastic member 30 having a rotationally symmetrical shape, a rotor-side elastic member 40 having a rotationally symmetrical shape, a stator-side piezoelectric element 31 for imparting vibrations to the elastic member 30, a rotor-side piezoelectric element 41 for imparting vibrations to the elastic member 40, an output shaft 10 rotating integrally with the elastic member 40, a rotary transformer 60 for supplying power to the piezoelectric element 41 in non-contacting fashion, and housings 21 and 22 for accommodating therein the above-enumerated elements, wherein of three transformer circuits in the rotary transformer 60, a middle transformer circuit C2 and an outermost transformer circuit C3 are used as a two-phase drive power transformer circuit. This construction achieves stable power supply to the rotor side.

Abstract: To provide an actuator which can achieve a reduction in size and weight of a device in which the actuator is mounted by amplifying and outputting displacement of a movable end of a vibrating plate as vibration in an in-plane direction, and to provide a timepiece and a notification device using the same, in an actuator (10), when a voltage is applied to a piezoelectric element (21) formed on a vibrating plate (12), the vibrating plate (12) generates bending vibrations in an out-of-plane direction, and one end portion (125) repeats displacement in an in-plane direction as a movable end. The displacement is transmitted to a lever (32) whose base end side (321) is connected to the end portion (125) of the vibrating plate (12) and an elastically deformable constricted portion (31), and a free end (322) of the lever (32) vibrates in the in-plane direction to drive a follower member (500).

Abstract: The application seeks to eliminate errors introduced by bearings and supports. It does so by integrating the drive means, in the form of a piezoelectric actuator, into the bearing or support. Thus the bearing no longer acts against the drive means, eliminating errors. It also describes a drive mechanism for elongate prismatic objects (140). The mechanism uses piezoelectric drives (148) and achieves very high accuracy of positioning with minimal backlash etc, whilst occupying only a small volume. This makes it suitable for use in electro-discharge machining and electro-discharge texturing operations where one or more wire electrodes (140) need to be positioned accurately with respect to a workpiece and maintained in that relative position as the workpiece erodes and the electrode (140) is consumed.

Abstract: An actuator using an electromechanical transducer capable of maintaining stable driving function even under a severe environment of high temperature and/or high humidity, or the like, and an apparatus mounted with the actuator. The actuator are disclosed is constituted to move a slider block frictionally coupled to a drive shaft in a predetermined direction by reciprocating oscillation having different speeds of the drive shaft driven by elongation and contraction displacements of a piezoelectric element and the piezoelectric element, a portion where the piezoelectric element is coupled to the drive shaft and a portion where the piezoelectric element is coupled to a frame is sealed by silicone resin, fluorinated resin or the like to thereby protect them from the high temperature and/or high humidity environment.

Abstract: An actuator using an electro-mechanical transducer, the actuator comprising: the electro-mechanical transducer; a fixed portion securely coupled to one end of the electro-mechanical transducer to securely hold the electro-mechanical transducer; a driving member securely coupled to the other end of the electro-mechanical transducer to be displaced together with the electro-mechanical transducer; a member to be driven which is frictionally coupled to the driving member; and a support member for supporting one end of the driving member such that the driving member is movable in the direction of expansive or contractive displacement of the electro-mechanical transducer, wherein reciprocal vibrations are produced at different speeds in the driving member by causing the expansive or contractive displacement with the application of a drive pulse to the electro-mechanical transducer such that the member to be driven that is frictionally coupled to the driving member is thereby moved in a specified direction, and one