Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080212212 | MAGNETIC COUPLED ACTUATOR - A magnetic coupled actuator includes a lens which is movable in an optical axis direction AX, a lens frame which is coupled with the lens, a lens barrel which seals and accommodates the movable lens and the lens frame to be airtight, a permanent magnet which is disposed at an outer side of the lens barrel, facing the lens frame, and is disposed to be movable in the optical axis AX direction, and a wire of which, one end is coupled with the permanent magnet, and which moves the permanent magnet in the optical axis AX direction. At least one of the lens frame and the permanent magnet is a magnetic field generating means. | 09-04-2008 |
20080278840 | POSITION CONTROL METHOD OF INERTIAL DRIVE ACTUATOR AND INERTIAL DRIVE ACTUATOR - A position control method of inertial drive actuator includes a movement-amount setting step of setting an amount of movement, a target-position setting step of setting a target position of a moving body, a position detection step of detecting a relative position of the moving body, a comparison step of comparing the target position and the relative position, a drive-voltage pattern setting step of setting a drive voltage pattern which is to be applied to the moving means, a first electrode, and a second electrode, based on the amount of movement which is set, and a comparison result, and a driving step of driving the moving body by controlling a frictional force between the vibration substrate and the moving body, by making an electrostatic force act on both, while synchronizing with a movement of the vibration substrate, by applying a drive voltage pattern which is set at the drive-voltage pattern setting step, between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the moving body is moved to the target position by repeating steps from the comparison step to the driving step. | 11-13-2008 |
20090007561 | POSITION CONTROL METHOD FOR SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATOR - To provide a position control method for a shape memory alloy actuator that improves positioning accuracy of the actuator while ensuring satisfactory response until achieving positioning, the method includes a commanded resistance value setting step of setting a commanded resistance value that corresponds to the predetermined length, a resistance value measurement step of measuring the value of resistance, a resistance value comparison step of comparing the commanded resistance value and the measured resistance value, a first control step of controlling the length of the shape memory alloy using a first gain based on the result of comparison until the commanded resistance value is reached, a termination determination step of making a determination as to a condition for terminating the first control step, and a second control step of keeping the moving body stationary, upon determination of termination in the termination determination step, by retaining the length of the shape memory alloy using a second gain smaller than the first gain based on the result of the comparison, wherein the second control step is continued until a commanded resistance value is set again, thereby performing position control of the moving body. | 01-08-2009 |
20090015949 | INERTIAL DRIVE ACTUATOR - To provide an inertial drive actuator that is easy to assemble and achieves high accuracy in position detection, the actuator has a fixed member, a vibration substrate, a piezoelectric element (movement unit), first and second moving bodies that moves relative to the vibration substrate by inertia, a first electrode provided on the surface of each of the first and second moving bodies, a second electrode provided on a surface of the vibration substrate, an insulating film provided between the first electrode and the second electrode, a drive unit, and a position detection unit that detects the position of the moving body with respect to the vibration substrate based on capacitance of the portion in which the first electrode and the second electrode are opposed to each other. | 01-15-2009 |
20090277300 | INERTIAL DRIVE ACTUATOR - An inertial drive actuator includes a fixed member, a displacement generating mechanism which is connected to the fixed member, and which generates a minute displacement in a first direction and a second direction, a vibration substrate which reciprocates by the minute displacement generated by the displacement generating mechanism, a mobile object which is disposed on the vibration substrate, and which is movable by inertia, a driving mechanism which is connected to the mobile object, and which controls a frictional force between the mobile object and the vibration substrate by making an electromagnetic force to act in the mobile object by applying a current, a detecting electrode having a position detection function, which is disposed on a flat surface of the vibration substrate, to be facing the mobile object via an insulating body layer, and which is formed such that, an area face-to-face thereof with the mobile object either increases continuously or decreases continuously with the movement of the mobile object, and a position detecting mechanism which detects a position of the mobile object by detecting an electrostatic capacitance generated between the mobile object and the detecting electrode. | 11-12-2009 |
20100254032 | MAGNETIC COUPLING LENS DRIVING ACTUATOR - A magnetic coupling lens driving actuator includes an imaging element; a movable lens that is movable in a direction of an optic axis; a magnetic body that is coupled to the movable lens; a lens tube that encases and airtightly seals the imaging element, the movable lens, and the magnetic body; a magnetic field producing unit that is disposed on an outer surface of the lens tube and that is movable in the direction of the optic axis; and a wire member that has one end thereof attached to the magnetic field producing unit, and that is operative to move the magnetic field producing unit in the direction of the optic axis. The magnetic field producing unit includes two magnetic field producing members disposed with a predetermined gap therebetween in the direction of the optic axis, the magnetic body is disposed opposed to the predetermined gap within the lens tube, and the movable lens is moved by any one of deformation and movement of the wire member. | 10-07-2010 |
20110121766 | INERTIAL DRIVING ACTUATOR - An inertial driving actuator includes a fixing member, a moving element that is fixed to the fixing member and generates a small displacement by extension and contraction, an oscillation substrate that is fixed to the moving element and is moved linearly reciprocally by the small displacement, and a moving body that is moved by reciprocal movement of the oscillation substrate. The moving body has a first electrode. The oscillation substrate has a second electrode, the area of the facing portion of the second electrode and the first electrode changing continuously as the moving body moves. The actuator further includes a frictional force controller that controls a frictional force generated between the oscillation substrate and moving body, and a position detector that detects the position of the moving body on the basis of the electrostatic capacitance of the facing portion of the first electrode and the second electrode. | 05-26-2011 |
20110187296 | SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATOR SYSTEM - A shape memory alloy actuator system includes a shape memory alloy actuator which has a shape memory alloy wire, a mobile object which is movable, an elastic member, a first regulating member, and a second regulating member, a detecting section which detects a resistance value of the shape memory alloy wire, a calculating section (a computing section) which calculates an electric current applied, an output section, a control section which controls the detecting section, a calculating section, an output section, and a reference resistance value calculating section. The shape memory alloy actuator, the detecting section, the calculating section, the output section, the control section, and the reference resistance value calculating section collectively form a resistance control circuit which carries out a position control of the shape memory alloy actuator. The resistance control circuit calculates a first resistance value at which, a proportion of a resistance change with respect to a change in a unit temperature changes from a first proportion to a second proportion which differs from the first proportion, and carries out the position control by the first resistance value, when the shape memory alloy wire is to be loosened. | 08-04-2011 |
20120180474 | SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATOR - A shape memory alloy actuator includes a shape memory alloy wire portion, a non-deformable portion, a wire portion which is formed by the shape memory alloy wire portion and the non-deformable portion, and which is inserted into a tube member, a movable body which is movable in a direction in which the length of the shape memory alloy wire portion changes, an elastic member which exerts an external force in a direction in which, the shape memory alloy wire portion elongates, and a fixed member to which, one end of the tube member and one end of the shape memory alloy wire portion are fixed. One end of the non-deformable portion which forms the wire portion is connected to the movable body, and the tube member includes therein the shape memory alloy wire portion, and includes therein at least a part of the non-deformable portion. | 07-19-2012 |
20130047603 | SHAPE MEMORY ALLOY ACTUATOR - A shape memory alloy actuator according to the present invention includes a shape memory alloy wire which is inserted through a tube member, a movable body which moves in a direction in which, the length of the shape memory alloy wire changes due to contraction of the shape memory alloy wire, an elastic member which exerts an external force on the movable body in a direction in which the shape memory alloy wire elongates, and a magnetic sensor which has a magnetic portion which moves with the movement of the movable body, an exciting coil which magnetizes the magnetic portion, and which is provided corresponding to the magnetic portion, and a detecting coil which outputs an electric voltage according to a relative position with respect to the magnetic portion. | 02-28-2013 |
20140169780 | LIGHT CONTROL APPARATUS - The apparatus includes an upper substrate and a lower substrate, each of which has an optical aperture, at least one light control unit, a spacer arranged between the upper substrate and the lower substrate to provide a space in which the light control unit can move, and a drive unit arranged on the upper substrate to drive the light control unit. The drive unit includes a magnet arranged at a center of rotation of the light control unit and an electromagnetic drive source including a coil core and a winding coil, the coil core being arranged in such a way as to be opposed to the magnet. A positioning member is provided on the upper substrate. The distance between the coil core and the magnet is kept constant by the positioning member. | 06-19-2014 |
20140354184 | LIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM - The light control system includes command means ( | 12-04-2014 |