Apparatus provided with a vibration type motor

• US 6,049,156 A
• Filed: 12/17/1997
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Shinji, Hayashi, Tadashi, Kataoka, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dougherty, Thomas M.
• Application Number:
  US08/992,445
• Time in Patent Office: 846 Days
• Field of Search: 310/316, 310/317
• US Class Current: 310/316.01
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/14 Drive circuits; Control arrangements or methods
• CPC Class Codes: H02N 2/147 Multi-phase circuits

Abstract

The driving control of a vibration type motor for driving, for example e.g., the drum of a copying apparatus is controlled wherein, in a printing operation, the driving control of the motor is effected by amplitude control, and in the initial operation after the closing of a power source switch (i.e., during the start-up), the driving control of the motor is effected by frequency control, whereby appropriate driving control is effected in accordance with the type of work performed by the apparatus.

Claims

1. An apparatus that uses a driving force to perform a plurality of types of work, said apparatus comprising:

a vibration type motor including a vibration member and first and second electro-mechanical energy converting element portions disposed on said vibration member;

a driving circuit that generates first and second frequency signals having different phases and respectively applies the first and second frequency signals to said first and second electro-mechanical energy converting element portions to generate a vibration in said vibration member, thereby generating a driving force of the vibration type motor, said driving circuit being operable in a first mode in which said driving circuit varies the frequencies of the first and second frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions to effect driving control, and a second mode in which said driving circuit varies a voltage of the first and second frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions to effect driving control; and

a switching circuit that selectively switches the mode of operation of the driving circuit to the first mode or the second mode in accordance with the type of work being performed by said apparatus.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said switching circuit includes a selecting circuit that selects the second mode when the type of work being performed by said apparatus is a first predetermined type of work which requires high driving accuracy, and selects the first mode when the type of work being performed by said apparatus is a second predetermined type of work which does not require high driving accuracy.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said driving circuit includes a switching element that opens and closes in response to a pulse signal, applies a driving frequency signal to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions by an ON-OFF operation of said switching element, and changes a pulse width of the pulse signal in the second mode, wherein a voltage level of the frequency signal applied to the electro-mechanical energy converting element portions varies in accordance with a change in the pulse width of the pulse signal.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising detection means for detecting the type of work being performed by said apparatus, wherein said switching circuit switches between the first mode and the second mode on the basis of a detection result by said detection means.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode said driving circuit varies the frequencies of the frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions in accordance with a difference between a target velocity and a current velocity, and in the second mode the driving circuit varies the voltage of the frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions in accordance with the difference between the target velocity and the current velocity.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the first mode said driving circuit varies the frequencies of the frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions in accordance with a difference between a target velocity and a current velocity, and in the second mode the driving circuit varies the voltage of the frequency signals applied to said electro-mechanical energy converting element portions in accordance with the difference between the target velocity and the current velocity.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus prints or types on a recording medium.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said driving circuit operates in the second mode during a printing operation or a typing operation by said apparatus.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said driving circuit operates in the first mode when the type of work being performed by said apparatus is a type of work that requires a driving accuracy less than a driving accuracy required when said apparatus is performing a printing operation or a typing operation.

10. An apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a control circuit operable in the second mode to effect a change in the pulse width of the pulse signal after the frequencies of the frequency signals have been changed by a predetermined value when a value of the pulse width changed in the second mode is outside a predetermined range.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said apparatus performs a printing operation, and said driving circuit operates in the second mode when said apparatus performs a printing operation.

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said driving circuit operates in the first mode when said apparatus is operable in an initial operation immediately after the closing of a power source switch of said apparatus, during the time from an initial operation until the vibration type motor reaches a steady velocity, or during a sheet discharging operation after completion of a printing operation.

13. An apparatus that uses a driving force to perform a plurality of types of work, said apparatus comprising:

a vibration type motor including a vibration member and first and second electro-mechanical energy converting element portions disposed on said vibration member;

a driving circuit that generates first and second frequency signals having different phases and respectively applies the first and second frequency signals to said first and second electro-mechanical energy converting element portions to generate a vibration in said vibration member, thereby generating a driving force of the vibration type motor, said driving circuit being operable in a first mode in which said driving circuit varies the frequencies of the frequency signals applied to said first and second electro-mechanical energy converting element portions to effect driving control, and a second mode in which said driving circuit varies the phase difference between the first and second frequency signals to effect driving control; and

a switching circuit that selectively switches the operation mode of said driving circuit to the first mode or the second mode in accordance with the type of work being performed by said apparatus.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said switching circuit includes a selecting circuit that selects the second mode when the type of work being performed by said apparatus is a first predetermined type of work which requires high driving accuracy, and selects the first mode when the type of work being performed by said apparatus is a predetermined type of work which does not require high driving accuracy.

15. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said apparatus prints or types on a recording medium, and said driving circuit operates in the second mode when said apparatus performs a printing operation or a typing operation.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said driving circuit operates in the first mode when said apparatus is operable in an initial operation immediately after the closing of a power source switch of said apparatus, during the time from an initial operation until the vibration type motor reaches a steady velocity, or during a sheet discharging operation after completion of a printing operation.