Piezoelectric type actuator having stable resonance frequency

• US 6,104,127 A
• Filed: 03/24/1998
• Issued: 08/15/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Katou, Kiyoshi, Kameyama, Tsutomu, Ichise, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Budd, Mark O.
• Application Number:
  US09/046,670
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 310/324, 310/344, 310/346, 310/348, 310/354-356, 310/328, 310/330-332
• US Class Current: 310/346
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 17/003 driven by piezoelectric means F04B43/046 and F04B43/095 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 43/046 with piezoelectric drive

Abstract

A piezoelectric type actuator is composed of a vibration element, in which a piezoelectric element is attached on a vibration plate, an upper member and a lower member provided to hold the piezoelectric element. The vibration plate, the upper member, the lower member are made of the material having substantially a same thermal expansion coefficient. Also, a pressure applying mechanism is provided to apply a holding pressure to the lower member such that the vibration element is held with the holding pressure by the lower member and the upper member.

Claims

1. A piezoelectric type pump comprising:

a vibration element in which a piezoelectric element is installed on a vibration plate;

a housing having an output port and an inlet port; and

a holding pressure applying mechanism providing a holding pressure such that said vibration element is held by said housing with said holding pressure,

wherein said holding pressure applying mechanism is wave washer.

2. A piezoelectric type actuator comprising:

a vibration element in which a piezoelectric element is installed on a vibration plate;

an upper casing member having an upper section and a first side section, wherein said first side section extends downward from a peripheral portion of said upper section, said first side section has an outer side section and an inner side section, said outer side section is longer than said inner side section;

an inner lower casing member having a first lower section and a peripheral section extending upward from an edge portion of said first lower section, wherein said inner lower casing member is smaller than said outer side section and said inner lower casing member engages with said inner side section such that said vibration element is held by said peripheral section and said inner side section; and

a pressure applying mechanism having a lower plate section and an elastic washer, wherein said elastic washer is provided between said inner lower casing member and said lower plate section, and said pressure applying mechanism engages with said outer side section of said first side section to apply a pressure to said inner lower casing member by said elastic washer such that said vibration element is held with the pressure by said peripheral section and said inner side section.

6. A piezoelectric type actuator according to claim 2, wherein said elastic washer is a wave washer.

3. A piezoelectric type actuator according to claim 3, wherein at least two of said vibration plate, said upper casing member, said inner lower casing member, and said pressure applying mechanism are made of a material having substantially a same thermal expansion coefficient.

4. A piezoelectric type actuator according to claim 5, wherein said vibration plate, said upper casing member, and said inner lower casing member are made of Fe which contains Ni of 42%.

5. A piezoelectric type actuator according to claim 3,

wherein said lower plate section of said pressure applying mechanism includes a second side section extending upward from a peripheral portion of said lower plate section to engage with said outer side section of said first side section such that said inner lower casing member, said elastic member and said vibration element are accommodated in a cavity formed by said pressure applying mechanism and said upper casing member.