Driver and image instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712748-B2
Application number	US-201615079220-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 24, 2016
Priority date	Apr 8, 2014
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A driver includes a piezoelectric sheet, a fixing frame, a moving frame, and a control circuit. The piezoelectric sheet includes a first piezoelectric body portion which bends in a first direction, a second piezoelectric body portion which bends in a second direction that intersects at right angles with the first direction, and a connection portion which connects the first and second piezoelectric body portions. The fixing frame is fixed to the connection portion. The moving frame is supported on the first and second piezoelectric body portions. The control circuit applies voltage signals to the first and second piezoelectric body portions to bend the first and second piezoelectric body portions and which moves the moving frame in one of the first direction and the second direction or in a composite direction of the first direction and the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driver comprising:
a piezoelectric sheet including at least one first piezoelectric body portion which bends in a first direction, at least one second piezoelectric body portion which bends in a second direction that intersects at right angles with the first direction, and at least one connection portion which connects the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion;
a fixing frame to which the at least one connection portion is fixed;
a moving frame which is supported on the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion; and
a control circuit which applies voltage signals to the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion to bend the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion and which moves the moving frame in one of the first direction and the second direction or in a composite direction of the first direction and the second direction.

2. A driver comprising:
a stack resin sheet formed by fixedly connecting a first resin sheet which is displaced in at least a first direction that intersects at right angles with a thickness direction and second resin sheet which is displaced in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the stack resin sheet comprising a first displacement portion which is bent in at least a third direction different from the first and second directions, and a second displacement portion which is bent and displaced in a fourth direction that intersects at right angles with the third direction;
piezoelectric body portions which respectively apply voltage signals to the first and second displacement portions;
a connection portion which connects each of first ends of the piezoelectric body portions;
a fixing frame to which the connection portion is fixed;
a moving frame which is supported on second ends of the piezoelectric body portions different from the first ends; and
a control circuit which applies voltage signals to the piezoelectric body portions to bend each of the piezoelectric body portions and which displaces the moving frame relative to the fixing frame.

3. The driver according to claim 2 , further comprising
an insulating resin sheet fixedly connected to an outer layer of the stack resin sheet, and
a circuit line which is formed in the insulating resin sheet and which applies voltage signals to the piezoelectric body portions.

4. The driver according to claim 2 , wherein the moving frame holds an image pickup device or an optical element.

5. The driver according to claim 4 , wherein when an optical axis of the image pickup device or the optical element and axes that intersect at right angles with each other in a plane that intersects at right angles with the optical axis are set,
the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion respectively drive the moving frame by bending and drive the image pickup device or the optical element held by the moving frame in the directions of the optical axis and one of the axes.

6. The driver according to claim 5 , wherein the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion perform focusing and wobbling by driving the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction corresponding to the optical axis, and perform a shake correction operation by driving the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction corresponding to one of the axes that intersect at right angles with each other.

7. The driver according to claim 5 , wherein the piezoelectric sheet includes a bending portion configured to bend the piezoelectric sheet, a pair of arm portions provided at both ends of the bending portion, and first and second displacement portions which displace the piezoelectric sheet,
the pair of arm portions rotate in directions to face each other to position and hold the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction that intersects at right angles with the optical axis, and
the first and second displacement portions position and hold the image pickup device or the optical element in the optical axis direction by the displacement of one or both of the first and second displacement portions.

8. An image instrument comprising:
an image pickup device or an optical element;
a stack resin sheet formed by fixedly connecting a first resin sheet which is displaced in at least a first direction that intersects at right angles with a thickness direction and a second resin sheet which is displaced in a second direction opposite to the first direction, the stack resin sheet comprising a first displacement portion which is bent in at least a third direction different from the first and second directions, and a second displacement portion which is bent and displaced in a fourth direction that intersects at right angles with the third direction;
piezoelectric body portions which respectively apply voltage signals to the first and second displacement portions;
a connection portion which connects each of first ends of the piezoelectric body portions;
a fixing frame to which the connection portion is fixed;
a moving frame which is supported on second ends of the piezoelectric body portions different the first ends and which holds the image pickup device or the optical element; and
a control circuit which applies voltage signals to the piezoelectric body portions to bend each of the piezoelectric body portions and which displaces the moving frame relative to the fixing frame.

9. The image instrument according to claim 8 , further comprising
an insulating resin sheet fixedly connected to an outer layer of the stack resin sheet, and
a circuit line which is formed in the insulating resin sheet and which applies voltage signals to the piezoelectric body portions.

10. The image instrument according to claim 8 , wherein when an optical axis of the image pickup device or the optical element and axes that intersect at right angles with each other in a plane that intersects at right angles with the optical axis are set,
the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion respectively drive the moving frame by bending and drive the image pickup device or the optical element held by the moving frame in the directions of the optical axis and one of the axes.

11. The image instrument according to claim 10 , wherein the first piezoelectric body portion and the second piezoelectric body portion perform focusing and wobbling by driving the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction corresponding to the optical axis, and perform a shake correction operation by driving the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction corresponding to one of the axes that intersect at right angles with each other.

12. The image instrument according to claim 10 , wherein the piezoelectric sheet includes a bending portion configured to bend the piezoelectric sheet, a pair of arm portions provided at both ends of the bending portion, and each of first and second displacement portions which displace the piezoelectric sheet,
the pair of arm portions rotate in directions to face each other to position and hold the image pickup device or the optical element in a direction that intersects at right angles with the optical axis, and
the first and second displacement portions position and hold the image pickup device or the optical element in the optical axis direction by the displacement of one or both of the first and second displacement portions.

Assignees

• Olympus Corp

Inventors

• Kawai Sumio

Classifications

• G03B3/10

  Power-operated focusing · CPC title

• G03B2205/0007

  Movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur · CPC title

• H02N2/028

  along multiple or arbitrary translation directions, e.g. XYZ stages · CPC title

• G03B5/00

  Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing · CPC title

• H04N23/687 Primary

  by shifting the lens or sensor position · CPC title