Driving apparatus using transducer

[0002] This application is based on application No. Hei 9-143998 filed in Japan, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0003] 1. Field of the Invention

[0004] The present invention pertains to a driving apparatus that uses as a drive source a member that expands and contracts, and more particularly, to a driving apparatus that employs an electromechanical transducer such as a piezoelectric element, e.g., to a driving apparatus used for the precision driving of an X-Y drive table, a camera image recording lens, or a probe of a scanning tunneling electron microscope.

[0005] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0006] Conventional examples of a driving apparatus using a piezoelectric element include driving apparatus 10ain which movable unit 20amoves along shaft 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, and driving apparatus 10bin which movable unit 20bmoves along guide groove 18, as shown in FIGS. 4 through 6. In these driving apparatuses 10aand 10b, an elastic deforming mechanism is constructed by pressing protrusion 24aor 25aof plate spring 24 or 25, which is a friction member connected to one end of piezoelectric element 22, against the outer surface of shaft 14 or against the inner surface of guide groove 18, such that a frictional force may be created. A driving apparatus of the type in which the friction member has an elastic deforming mechanism which creates frictional force is superior to a driving apparatus of the type in which a frictional force is created by applying external force to the friction member by means of a spring member, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,723, in that the construction may be simplified.

[0007] In either driving apparatus 10aor 10b, the elastic deformation stress vector that occurs during the elastic deformation of protrusion 24aor 25aof plate spring 24 or 25 runs in the directions indicated by bi-directional arrow 82 or 84 in FIG. 3 or 6, where stress is applied that has a component that works in the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22, as shown by bi-directional arrow 80. In other words, deflection occurs in plate spring 24 or 25, the friction member, in the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22, between the area that is fixed to piezoelectric element 22 and the area that is in frictional contact with shaft 14 or guide groove 18, and plate spring 24 or 25 elastically deforms in expansion and contraction directions 80 of piezoelectric element 22.

[0008] Therefore, if the frequency of the pulse voltage that is applied to piezoelectric element 22 is increased in order to move movable unit 20aor 20bof driving apparatus 10aor 10bat a high rate of speed, the change in position that occurs at one end 22aof piezoelectric element 22 can no longer be communicated to the frictional contact point via plate spring 24 or 25 in the same manner as before. FIGS. 7 and 8 are graphs that show the transfer function G=Y/X, i.e., the relationship between the transfer of the change in position X of piezoelectric element 22 and the change in position Y of the frictional contact point between friction member 24 or 25 and shaft 14 or groove 18. In other words, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the frequency increases, the gain decreases and the phase changes. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, with conventional driving apparatuses 10aand 10b, when the frequency increases to a certain level, the drive speed of movable units 20aand 20bdecreases, as a result of which the drive speed cannot be increased by increasing the frequency.

[0009] The technological issue to be resolved by the present invention, therefore, is to improve the frequency characteristic of the transfer function governing the relationship between the change in position of the piezoelectric element and the change in position of the friction member's frictional contact point, so as to provide a driving apparatus capable of high speed driving in a high frequency range.

[0010] The present invention provides a driving apparatus having the following construction in order to resolve the technological issue described above.

[0011] The driving apparatus comprises (i) an electromechanical transducer that is connected to a drive pulse generating means and that expands and contracts, (ii) a first unit that is either fixed or movable and that is connected to one expansion end of said electromechanical transducer, (iii) a friction member that is connected to the other expansion end of said electromechanical transducer, and (iv) a second unit that is either movable or fixed that comes into frictional contact with said friction member, wherein said friction member has an elastic deforming mechanism that elastically presses against and comes into frictional contact with said second unit, said electromechanical transducer is expanded or contracted by means of said drive pulse generating means such that it drives said movable unit in a prescribed direction relative to said fixed unit, and said elastic deforming mechanism is constructed such that its elastic deformation stress vector vertically crosses the directions of expansion and contraction of said electromechanical transducer.

[0012] In the construction described above, the fixed unit is fixed and the movable unit may move relative to the fixed unit. In the driving apparatus, the electromechanical transducer slowly changes its position in a first direction and said second unit which is either movable or fixed, changes its position in the first direction due to the electrostatic friction between itself and the friction member, but when the electromechanical transducer suddenly changes its position in a second direction, the inertial force of the second unit overcomes the frictional force between itself and the friction member, causing the second unit to slip, as a result of which only the friction member returns to the original position, for example. Step driving of the driving apparatus can be achieved by repeating this process. Where the movable unit is fixed to one expansion end of the electromechanical transducer, to perform driving it is necessary for the mass of the movable unit to be smaller than the mass of the friction member that is fixed to the other expansion end of the electromechanical transducer.

[0013] Using the construction described above, the elastic deforming mechanism elastically deforms in directions that are perpendicular to the directions of expansion and contraction of the electromechanical transducer and does not deform in directions that are parallel to said directions of expansion and contraction. Consequently, the change in position of the electromechanical transducer caused by its expansion and contraction may be directly communicated to the frictional contact point of the friction member even when the driving frequency applied to the electromechanical transducer increases.

[0014] Therefore, the frequency characteristic of the function governing the transfer of the change in position of the piezoelectric element to the change in position of the friction member's frictional contact point may be improved and high-speed driving in the high frequency range becomes possible.

[0015] These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate specific embodiments of the invention.

[0016] In the following description, like parts are designated by like reference numbers throughout the several drawings.

[0017] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional driving apparatus.

[0018] FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a partial enlargement of the frictional contact area of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 1.

[0020] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a conventional driving apparatus.

[0021] FIG. 5 is an overall perspective view of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

[0022] FIG. 6 is a partial enlargement of the frictional contact area of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 4.

[0023] FIG. 7 is a graph showing the frequency-gain relationship in a conventional driving apparatus.

[0024] FIG. 8 is a graph showing the frequency-phase relationship in a conventional driving apparatus.

[0025] FIG. 9 is a graph showing a frequency-speed relationship in a conventional driving apparatus.

[0026] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a driving apparatus of a first embodiment pertaining to the present invention.

[0027] FIG. 11 is an overall perspective view of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 10.

[0028] FIG. 12 is a partial enlargement of the frictional contact area of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 10.

[0029] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the important components of a driving apparatus of a second embodiment pertaining to the present invention.

[0030] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the important components of a driving apparatus of a third embodiment pertaining to the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 15 is a drawing showing three sides of a friction member of a fourth embodiment pertaining to the present invention.

[0032] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the friction member shown in FIG. 15.

[0033] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the important components of the driving apparatus of the fourth embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of a driving apparatus of a fifth embodiment pertaining to the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 19 is an overall perspective view of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 18.

[0036] FIG. 20 is a drawing showing three sides of the frictional contact area of the driving apparatus shown in FIG. 18.

[0037] FIG. 21 is a graph showing the frequency-gain relationship in a driving apparatus of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 22 is a graph showing the frequency-phase relationship in a driving apparatus of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 23 is a graph showing the frequency-speed relationship in a driving apparatus of the present invention.

[0040] Driving apparatuses in which the present invention is applied are explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0041] Driving apparatus 10s, a first embodiment, of the type in which driving occurs along a shaft, will first be explained.

[0042] As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 10 and the assembled perspective view of FIG. 11, this driving apparatus 10sis constructed in essentially the same manner as driving apparatus 10a, the conventional example shown in FIG. 1. In other words, in driving apparatus 10s, shaft 14 is fixed by means of screws 13 in a pair of fixed blocks 12 that are fixed onto a base, and movable unit 30 is movably supported by shaft 14.

[0043] Movable unit 30 comprises (i) movable member 26 that is movably supported by shaft 14, (ii) piezoelectric element 22 located such that one expansion end is connected to one end of movable member 26 and its direction of layering is parallel to the axis of shaft 14, and (iii) friction member 32 that is connected to the other expansion end of piezoelectric element 22 and is aligned in the direction of shaft 14. Friction member 32 is a block member having a construction different from that of plate spring 24 of the conventional driving apparatus 10a. That is, friction member 32 comprises main body or driving member 32sthat is connected to piezoelectric element 22 and a pair of semi-cylindrical protrusions 32athat protrude toward shaft 14 from a side of main body 32s. The pair of protrusions 32aelastically grasp shaft 14 from both above and below, as shown in FIG. 11, and are in frictional contact with shaft 14. When protrusions 32agrasp shaft 14, an elastic deformation stress vector occurs along the circumference of the shaft, as indicated by arrows 86 in the partial enlargement of FIG. 12. Directions 86 in which the stress runs are essentially perpendicular to the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22 indicated by bi-directional arrow 80.

[0044] Therefore, because friction member 32 does not elastically deform in directions that are parallel to the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22, the change in position of piezoelectric element 22 due to its expansion or contraction can be accurately transmitted to the frictional contact point even when the driving frequency increases.

[0045] A driving apparatus of a second embodiment pertaining to the present invention will now be explained.

[0046] In driving apparatus 10sof the first embodiment described above, the frictional contact point is not in the line of force governing the expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22, and consequently, moment is applied to connection surface 22abetween piezoelectric element 22 and friction member 32, but this moment can be removed in the second embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 13 is an enlargement of the important components of driving apparatus 30ausing two shafts 15. This driving apparatus of the second embodiment has a pair of parallel shafts 15, and movable member 26ais movably supported on them. Piezoelectric element 22 and friction member 34 are located between the pair of shafts 15. Friction member 34 is a driving member with two pairs of protrusions 34athat grasp a respective shaft 15 on either side. In this driving apparatus 30a, frictional contact areas at which friction member 34 engages with shafts 15 exist on either side of piezoelectric element 22, and consequently, the moment that is applied to piezoelectric element 22 by each frictional contact area is kept in balance by the other, and consequently no net moment works on piezoelectric element 22.

[0048] FIG. 14 is an enlargement of the important components of driving apparatus 30bof a third embodiment, using two piezoelectric elements 22. This driving apparatus of the third embodiment has a single shaft 14, and movable member 26 is movably supported by this shaft 14. Two piezoelectric elements 22 are located one on either side of shaft 14, and one expansion end of each piezoelectric element 22 is connected to one end of movable member 26. Friction member 36, which is located such that it crosses shaft 14, is connected to the other expansion end of the two piezoelectric elements 22. Friction member 36 has a pair of protrusions 36aat its center that grasp shaft 14. In this variation, the two piezoelectric elements 22 expand and contract synchronously and move friction member 36 along the shaft 14. Therefore, no net moment works on piezoelectric elements 22.

[0049] Driving apparatus 30cof a fourth embodiment, shown in FIGS. 15 through 17, is an example in which friction member 38 is simplified relative to the third embodiment described above. FIG. 15 shows three sides of friction member 38.

[0050] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of friction member 38, and FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the important components of driving apparatus 30c. Friction member 38 is essentially a triangular block. Piezoelectric elements 22 are connected to bottom surface 38a. Pass-through hole 38t, which passes through the center of the block, is formed such that it runs from top surface 38bto bottom surface 38a, and slit 38sis also formed through pass-through hole 38tsuch that pass-through hole 38twill elastically grasp shaft 14. In this embodiment, the friction member 38 may be made lightweight, highly elastic, highly movable and very hard by using an aluminum alloy treated with anode oxide coating.

[0051] Driving apparatus 10tof a fifth embodiment of the type in which the movable member moves along a groove will now be explained.

[0052] As shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 18 and the assembled perspective view of FIG. 19, this driving apparatus 10tis constructed in essentially the same manner as the conventional driving apparatus 10b. In driving apparatus 10t, movable unit 31 is located in guide groove 18 of guide block 16 that is fixed on a base, such that friction member 40 of movable unit 31 comes into movable contact with the vertical surfaces of guide groove 18. Movable unit 31 comprises piezoelectric element 22, movable member 27 that is connected to one expansion end of piezoelectric element 22, and friction member 40 that is connected to the other expansion end of piezoelectric element 22. The construction of friction member 40 differs from that of the friction member in the conventional driving apparatus 10b.

[0053] In other words, friction member 40 comprises elastic member 42, which is a rubber plate, and a pair of contact members 44 formed of carbon fiber, as shown in the three-sided drawing of FIG. 20. Each of the pair of contact members 44 comprises a base piece 44bhaving the configuration of a small cylinder split in the middle along the axis, and contact piece 44ahaving the configuration of a large cylinder split in the middle along the axis, the two of them being connected such that they share the same axis. Base pieces 44bof the pair of contact members 44 are fixed to each other, and the ends opposite from the ends connected to contact pieces 44aare fixed to expansion end 22aof piezoelectric element 22. For friction member 40, elastic member 42 is sandwiched between contact pieces 44aof the pair of contact members 44 such that (i) both contact pieces 44aface the vertical surfaces of guide groove 18, and (ii) elastic member 42 is parallel to the vertical surfaces of guide groove 18.

[0054] When movable unit 31 is placed in guide groove 18, contact pieces 44aof contact members 44 are elastically pressed against the vertical surfaces of guide grooves 18 due to the force of elastic member 42, and as a result, friction member 40 comes into frictional contact with guide block 16. Contact members 44 are made of carbon fiber, and thus experience virtually no elastic deformation along their length, i.e., in the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22. In other words, the elastic deformation stress vector of friction member 40 runs perpendicular to the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22, and no elastic deformation occurs in directions that are parallel to the directions of expansion and contraction of piezoelectric element 22. Therefore, this driving apparatus 10tcan also be driven at a high rate of speed using a high frequency.

[0055] Friction member 40 is made lightweight, very rigid, highly movable and very hard by using carbon fiber. On the other hand, the optimal elasticity to create frictional force can be easily provided to contact members 44 by selecting the most suitable rubber characteristic for elastic member 42.

[0056] The effect of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 21 through 23 with regard to the driving apparatuses of the first through fifth embodiments. FIG. 21 is a graph showing the transfer function G=Y/X, just as with regard to FIG. 7, showing the function governing the transfer of change in position X of the piezoelectric element to change in position Y of the frictional contact point between friction member 32, 34, 36, 38 or 40 and shaft 14 or groove 18. The vertical axis represents the gain, while the horizontal axis represents the frequency of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element. FIG. 22 is a graph showing the transfer function G=Y/X, just as with regard to FIG. 8, and the vertical axis represents the phase, while the horizontal axis represents the frequency of the voltage applied to the piezoelectric element. Comparing FIG. 21 with FIG. 7 regarding the conventional examples, the frequency level at which the gain starts to decrease is higher. Comparing FIG. 22 with FIG. 8 regarding the conventional examples, phase change does not occur until a higher frequency is applied. FIG. 23 is a graph showing the characteristic of the present invention in terms of the frequency (the horizontal axis) and the drive speed (the vertical axis). In other words, using driving apparatus 10sor 10tof the present invention, the drive frequency can be increased to increase the drive speed.

[0057] In the embodiments described above, a movable unit equipped with piezoelectric element 22 moves. However, it is also acceptable if the movable unit is fixed on a base and shaft 14 or 15 or guide block 16 moves instead. In addition, the present invention is not limited to said embodiments, but may be implemented in various other forms.

[0058] For example, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,723, the same effect is obtained if the driving apparatus used is of the type in which one end of a piezoelectric element is fixed to a base, and a shaft, connected to the other end of the piezoelectric element, is moved back and forth such that a movable member that is in friction contact with the shaft is driven, or is of the type that performs rotation instead of linear movement. Needless to say, an electromechanical transducer other than a piezoelectric element may also be used in its place.

[0059] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described in the foregoing detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions of parts and elements without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to encompass such rearrangements, modification and substitutions of parts and elements as fall within the spirit and scope of the invention.