Actuator

• US 7,183,697 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2004
• Issued: 02/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Electronics Company Limited, Authentic Ltd (OnCell, Inc.), NEC Tokin Corporation (Yageo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Electronics Company Limited, Authentic Ltd (OnCell, Inc.), NEC Tokin Corporation (Yageo Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Kazuhiro, Miura, Naoki, Watanabe, Keita, Ohkawa, Yoshiro, Ueno, Toru, Suzuki, Harunami, Yonetake, Naoto
• Primary Examiner(s): BUDD, MARK OSBORNE
• Application Number:
  US10/972,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20050116585A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 Days
• Field of Search: 310/328, 310330-332, 310/339, 310/348, 310/344
• US Class Current: 310/330
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/2042 Cantilevers, i.e. having one fixed end
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/88 Mounts; Supports; Enclosures; Casings

Abstract

An actuator, comprising a beam (2) including a laminated structure which has piezoelectric layers (30, 31, 32) and electrode layers (20, 21, 22, 23), a holding mechanism to hold the beam, a feeding terminal (10) to supply an exciting power to the electrode layers of the beam, and a contact mechanism provided in the holding mechanism, the holding mechanism comprising a case (1) including a space (5) to house the beam (2) and a holding part to hold at least one of an end and a central portion of the beam (2), the contact mechanism being configured to contact with a part of the beam (2) and prevent the beam from excessively deflecting when a great impact is added to the beam.

Claims

1. An actuator, comprising:

at least one beam including an oscillating part;

a case including at least one space in which the beam is housed and at least one holding part to fix one end of the beam in the case;

at least one feeding terminal to supply an exciting power to the beam;

a limiting structure formed on at least one inner surface of the case which defines the space and is configured to contact the oscillating part of the beam and prevent excess deflection of the oscillating part; and

wherein the inner surface is curved or tapered so that the space formed by the curved or tapered inner surface gradually increases with distance from the holding part of the beam in a longitudinal direction of the beam.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the beam includes a plated body and a laminated structure formed on at least one surface of the plated body, the laminated structure having piezoelectric layers and electrode layers, which are laminated with respect to each other.

3. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the holding part holds the end or the center portion of the beam, and the oscillating part is formed on at least one free end portion of the beam.

4. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the limiting structure limits a movement of the beam in a thickness direction of the beam.

5. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the curved or tapered inner surface of the case includes a plurality of protrusions.

6. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of protrusions are disposed at intervals in a longitudinal direction of the beam.

7. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of protrusions are disposed at intervals in a width direction of the beam.

8. The actuator according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of protrusions are disposed at random.

9. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein a 100-micron or less step which defines an end of the holding part is formed between the holding part and the inner surface of the case.

10. The actuator according to claim 1, comprising a plurality of beams, the case having wall surfaces with a plurality of spaces to house each beam, and the limiting structure being formed on the wall surfaces opposite each beam.

11. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of electrode layers are laminated in a thickness direction of the laminated structure, some electrode layers being connected to each other at a notch which is formed on an end of the plated body at ends of the piezoelectric layers and has a width less than that of the plated body.

12. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of piezoelectric layers and a plurality of electrode layers are laminated in a thickness direction of the laminated structure, some electrodes being connected to each other at an opening which is formed on a central portion of the plated body at ends of the piezoelectric layers and has a diameter less than a width of the plated body.