PIEZOELECTRIC DRIVE APPARATUS FOR MOTOR AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME, MOTOR, ROBOT, AND PUMP

• US 20170162780A1
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Published: 06/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: TAKAHASHI, Tomoaki
• Granted Patent: US 10,644,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/12 electric
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 23/02 having reservoirs
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/08 having tubular flexible members F04B43/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/082 the tubular flexible member being pressed against a wall by a number of elements, each having an alternating movement in a direction perpendicular to the axes of the tubular member and each having its own driving mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/095 Piezoelectric drive
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/004 Rectangular vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/0075 Electrical details, e.g. drive or control circuits or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/103 by pressing one or more vibrators against the rotor
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/108 around multiple axes of rotation, e.g. spherical rotor motors
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/01 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/03 Assembling devices that include piezoelectric or electrostrictive parts
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/06 Forming electrodes or interconnections, e.g. leads or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/20 with electrical input and mechanical output, e.g. functioning as actuators or vibrators
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/87 Electrodes or interconnections, e.g. leads or terminals

Abstract

A piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor, the apparatus including a substrate having a longitudinal direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, a piezoelectric element provided on the substrate and having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode, and a contact section that is attached to a front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof or in contact with the front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof and comes into contact with a driven body, wherein the longitudinal direction of the substrate roughly coincides with a direction in which Young'"'"'s modulus is minimized in a plane of the substrate.

Claims

1. A piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a longitudinal direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;

a piezoelectric element provided on the substrate and having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

a contact section that is attached to a front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof or in contact with the front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof and comes into contact with a driven body,

wherein the longitudinal direction of the substrate roughly coincides with a direction in which Young'"'"'s modulus is minimized in a plane of the substrate.

3. The piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 1,

wherein the substrate is a silicon single crystal substrate.

4. The piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 3,

wherein the substrate is a {110} substrate, and

the longitudinal direction of the substrate roughly coincides with a <

100>

direction.

5. The piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 3,

wherein the substrate is a {100} substrate, and

the longitudinal direction of the substrate roughly coincides with a <

100>

direction.

6. The piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 1,

wherein the substrate and the piezoelectric element form a chip,

the chip is formed of a plurality of chips, and

the plurality of chips are arranged in a thickness direction of the substrate.

13. A motor comprising:

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 1; and

a rotor rotated by the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor.

15. A robot comprising:

a plurality of links;

joints that connect the plurality of links to each other; and

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 1 and causing the plurality of links to pivot at the joints.

17. A pump comprising:

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 1;

a tube through which liquid is transported; and

a plurality of fingers that block the tube when the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor is driven.

2. A piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor, the apparatus comprising:

a substrate having a longitudinal direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;

a piezoelectric element provided on the substrate and having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode; and

a contact section that is attached to a front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof or in contact with the front end section of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof and comes into contact with a driven body,

wherein the longitudinal direction of the substrate roughly coincides with a direction in which a value of Ey/Ex/Gxy is maximized in a plane of the substrate, where Gxy represents a shear elastic coefficient of the substrate in the widthwise direction thereof, Ex represents Young'"'"'s modulus of the substrate in the longitudinal direction thereof, and Ey represents Young'"'"'s modulus of the substrate in the widthwise direction thereof.

14. A motor comprising:

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 2; and

a rotor rotated by the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor.

16. A robot comprising:

a plurality of links;

joints that connect the plurality of links to each other; and

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 2 and causing the plurality of links to pivot at the joints.

18. A pump comprising:

the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 2;

a tube through which liquid is transported; and

a plurality of fingers that block the tube when the piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor is driven.

7. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of piezoelectric elements on a wafer, the plurality of piezoelectric elements each having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode;

forming a plurality of chip regions on the wafer in correspondence with the plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of chip regions each having a longitudinal direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;

extracting the chip regions from the wafer to acquire chips; and

attaching a contact section that comes into contact with a driven body to a front end section of each of the chips in the longitudinal direction thereof or placing the contact section that comes into contact with the driven body in such a way that the contact section is in contact with the front end section of each of the chips in the longitudinal direction thereof,

wherein the chip regions are so formed that the longitudinal direction of the chip regions roughly coincides with a direction in which Young'"'"'s modulus is minimized in a plane of the chip regions.

9. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 7,

wherein the wafer is a silicon single crystal wafer.

10. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 9,

wherein the wafer is a {110} wafer, and

the chip regions are so formed that the longitudinal direction thereof roughly coincides with a <

100>

direction.

11. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 9,

wherein the wafer is a {100} wafer, and

the chip regions are so formed that the longitudinal direction thereof roughly coincides with a <

100>

direction.

12. The method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor according to claim 7,

further comprising arranging the plurality of chips in a thickness direction of the chip regions.

8. A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric drive apparatus for a motor, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of piezoelectric elements on a wafer, the plurality of piezoelectric elements each having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a piezoelectric body positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode;

forming a plurality of chip regions on the wafer in correspondence with the plurality of piezoelectric elements, the plurality of chip regions each having a longitudinal direction and a widthwise direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction;

extracting the chip regions from the wafer to acquire chips; and

attaching a contact section that comes into contact with a driven body to a front end section of each of the chips in the longitudinal direction thereof or placing the contact section that comes into contact with the driven body in such a way that the contact section is in contact with the front end section of each of the chips in the longitudinal direction thereof,

wherein the chip regions are so formed that the longitudinal direction of the chip regions roughly coincides with a direction in which a value of Ey/Ex/Gxy is maximized in a plane of the chip regions, where Gxy represents a shear elastic coefficient of the chip regions in the widthwise direction thereof, Ex represents Young'"'"'s modulus of the chip regions in the longitudinal direction thereof, and Ey represents Young'"'"'s modulus of the chip regions in the widthwise direction thereof.