Piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and method of producing the same

• US 20020093271A1
• Filed: 01/14/2002
• Published: 07/18/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: Ikeda, Koji, Shibata, Kazuyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 6,798,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/328
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 5/5552 using fine positioning means for track acquisition separate from the coarse (e.g. track changing) positioning means
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/03 Assembling devices that include piezoelectric or electrostrictive parts
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/2043 connected at their free ends, e.g. parallelogram type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/42 Piezoelectric device making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49124 On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49151 by deforming or shaping

Abstract

A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device that includes a base 11 having a pair of right and left movable parts 11a, 11b and a fixing part 11c disposed at one end thereof as well as piezoelectric/electrostrictive elements 12a, 12b disposed on the sides of the movable parts 11a, 11b of the base 11 is fabricated to have a construction with fewer components. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device having a construction with fewer components is provided by adopting a base 11 having an integral structure formed by bending an original plate stamped into a shape that delineates a plane development of the base, as the base of the piezoelectric/electrostrictive device.

Claims

1. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a base having a pair of right and left movable parts and a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said base is constructed with one sheet of flat plate;

said fixing part has a flat plate shape; and

said movable parts are erect by a predetermined height from side peripheries of said fixing part to face each other and extend beyond the other end of said fixing part along the side peripheries of said fixing part.

2. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, wherein a slit-shaped groove extending from the other end of said fixing part intervenes between a base part of the movable parts constituting said base and the side peripheries of said fixing part.

9. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a connecting portion between a base part of said movable parts and the side peripheries of said fixing part constituting said base has a circular arc shape.

11. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein a central portion, as viewed in a length direction, of said movable parts constituting said base is formed to have a smaller thickness than other portions of said movable parts.

12. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein said movable parts constituting said base has a reinforcing part located at an end thereof on said fixing part side and bent from an upper edge of said end to extend towards and abut against a surface of said fixing part.

13. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein said movable parts constituting said base has a reinforcing part located at an end thereof on said fixing part side and bent from a front edge of said end to extend towards an inner side and abut against a surface of said fixing part.

14. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein a reinforcing member intervenes between said movable parts on said fixing part constituting said base.

15. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein said fixing part constituting said base extends from the one end side of said movable parts and is enlarged as compared with a case of being located within said movable parts.

17. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 8, wherein said base is constructed with a flat plate made of metal.

19. The method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 18, wherein said stamped structure has a gate-shaped opening composed of a pair of straight side grooves located at right and left sides of a rectangular flat plate and extending along side peripheries and an opening formed by cutting and removing a portion between the two grooves, and the side peripheries of said flat plate are bent along said side grooves to form said side peripheries into said movable parts and to form a portion between said side grooves into said fixing part.

25. The method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, or 24, wherein an opening of said stamped structure is formed by stamping simultaneously with stamping said flat plate or formed by a hole-forming process after stamping said flat plate.

3. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising abase having a pair of right and left movable parts, a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof, and a mounting part that is separate from said fixing part and connects the two movable parts with each other at the other end thereof as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said base is constructed with one sheet of flat plate;

said fixing part and said mounting part have a flat plate shape; and

said movable parts are erect by a predetermined height from side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part to face each other and extend along the side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part.

4. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 3, wherein a laterally extending slit-shaped groove intervenes between the other end of said fixing part and the one end of said mounting part constituting said base, and a longitudinally extending slit-shaped groove intervenes between a base part of said movable parts and the side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part.

5. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 3, wherein a laterally and longitudinally extending rectangular opening intervenes between the other end of said fixing part and the one end of said mounting part constituting said base.

10. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8, wherein a connecting portion between a base part of said movable parts and the side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part constituting said base has a circular arc shape.

16. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, wherein said mounting part constituting said base extends from the other end side of said movable parts and is enlarged as compared with a case of being located within said movable parts.

6. A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a base having a pair of right and left movable parts, a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof, a mounting part that is separate from said fixing part and connects the two movable parts with each other at the other end thereof, and a connecting part that is integral with said mounting part and surrounds said mounting part, said movable parts, and said fixing part as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said base is constructed with one sheet of flat plate;

said fixing part and said mounting part have a flat plate shape;

said movable parts are erect by a predetermined height from side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part to face each other and extend along the side peripheries of said fixing part and said mounting part; and

said movable parts, said fixing part, and said mounting part are positioned within a central space of said connecting part.

7. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 6, wherein said central space of said connecting part on a side of the one end of said fixing part is closed.

8. The piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 6, wherein said central space of said connecting part on a side of the one end of said fixing part is open.

18. A method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a base having a pair of right and left movable parts and a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said method comprises the steps of preparing a flexible and bendable flat plate as a material for forming said base, stamping said flat plate into a shape that delineates a plane development of said base to form a stamped structure, and bending said stamped structure at a predetermined site to form the base having said movable parts and said fixing part.

20. A method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a base having a pair of right and left movable parts, a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof, and a mounting part that is separate from said fixing part and connects the two movable parts with each other at the other end thereof as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said method comprises the steps of preparing a flexible and bendable flat plate as a material for forming said base, stamping said flat plate into a shape that delineates a planar development of said base to form a stamped structure, and bending said stamped structure at a predetermined site to form the base having said movable parts, said fixing part, and said mounting part.

21. The method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 20, wherein said stamped structure has an H-shaped opening composed of a pair of straight side grooves located at right and left sides of a rectangular flat plate and extending along side peripheries and a straight central groove that connects the two side grooves with each other at a middle part, and the side peripheries of said flat plate are bent along said side grooves to form said side peripheries into said movable parts and to form a portion between said side grooves into said fixing part and said mounting part.

22. The method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 20, wherein said stamped structure has a rectangular opening at a central part of a rectangular flat plate, and side peripheries of said flat plate are bent along side peripheries of said opening to form said side peripheries into said movable parts and to form a portion between said side peripheries into said fixing part and said mounting part.

24. The method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device according to claim 23, wherein said stamped structure has a rectangular flat plate part located inside a central opening of a rectangular flat plate and has an H-shaped opening composed of a pair of straight side grooves located at right and left sides of said flat plate part and extending along side peripheries and a straight central groove that connects the two side grooves with each other at a middle part, and the side peripheries of said flat plate part are bent along said side grooves to form said side peripheries into said movable parts, to form a portion between said side grooves into said fixing part and said mounting part, and to form a portion around said central opening into said connecting part.

23. A method of producing a piezoelectric/electrostrictive device comprising a base having a pair of right and left movable parts, a fixing part that connects the two movable parts with each other at one end thereof, a mounting part that is separate from said fixing part and connects the two movable parts with each other at the other end thereof, and a connecting part that is integral with said mounting part and surrounds said mounting part, said movable parts, and said fixing part as well as a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element disposed on at least one side of said two movable parts of the base, wherein said method comprises the steps of preparing a flexible and bendable flat plate as a material for forming said base, stamping said flat plate into a shape that delineates a plane development of said base to form a stamped structure, and bending said stamped structure at a predetermined site to form the base having said movable parts, said fixing part, said mounting part, and said connecting part.