Ultrasonic motor and surveying instrument

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9919341-B2
Application number	US-201715402626-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 10, 2017
Priority date	Jan 18, 2016
Publication date	Mar 20, 2018
Grant date	Mar 20, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides an ultrasonic motor, which is an ultrasonic motor provided on a shaft end of a rotation shaft. An output shaft of the ultrasonic motor is connected to the rotation shaft, a stator is rotatably provided on the output shaft, a rotor is fixed to the rotation shaft, a vibration generating component for generating an ultrasonic vibration is provided on either one of the rotor or the stator. A whirl-stop unit is provided between the stator and a fixed side for supporting the rotation shaft: the whirl-stop unit has a joint holder provided on the fixed side and a connection element provided on the stator: the joint holder has a ball holder for pressing a metal ball to the connection element in a circumferential direction and a connection pin holding the connection element between the ball holder and the connection pin, spanning over the joint holder and capable of tilting.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic motor, which is an ultrasonic motor provided on a shaft end of a rotation shaft supported rotatably, wherein an output shaft of said ultrasonic motor is connected to said rotation shaft, a stator is rotatably provided on said output shaft, a rotor is fixed to said rotation shaft, a vibration generating component for generating an ultrasonic vibration is provided on either one of said rotor or said stator, said rotor and said stator are constituted to make a relative rotation by the ultrasonic vibration, a whirl-stop unit is provided between said stator and a fixed side for supporting said rotation shaft,
wherein said whirl-stop unit has a joint holder provided on said fixed side and a connection element provided on said stator, wherein said joint holder has a ball holder for pressing a metal ball to said connection element by a compression spring in a circumferential direction and a connection pin holding said connection element between said ball holder and said connection pin, spanning over said joint holder and capable of tilting and wherein said whirl-stop unit restricts a displacement of said connection element in a rotating direction and absorbs a displacement in a radial direction between said joint holder and said connection element by tilting of said connection pin.

2. The ultrasonic motor according to claim 1 , wherein said rotor has a driving disk, said vibration generating component in a ring shape is provided on an outer circumferential portion of said driving disk, said stator has an intermediate disk and a fixed disk, said intermediate disk is in close contact with said vibration generating component via a friction torque T 1 , said fixed disk is in close contact with said intermediate disk via a friction torque T 2 smaller than said friction torque T 1 , and said whirl-stop unit is provided on said fixed disk.

3. The ultrasonic motor according to claim 1 , wherein said rotor has an intermediate disk, said intermediate disk is in close contact with said output shaft via a friction torque T 2 , said stator has a driving disk and a fixed disk fixed to said driving disk, said driving disk has said vibration generating component in a ring shape on an outer circumferential portion, said vibration generating component is in close contact with said intermediate disk via a friction torque T 1 larger than said friction torque T 2 , and said whirl-stop unit is provided on said fixed disk.

4. A surveying instrument comprising: a frame unit provided on a leveling unit, capable of horizontal rotation via a horizontal shaft and a telescope unit provided on said frame unit rotatably in a vertical direction via a vertical shaft, wherein an ultrasonic motor according to claim 1 is provided at least on either one of said horizontal shaft or said vertical shaft.

5. A surveying instrument comprising: a frame unit provided on a leveling unit, capable of horizontal rotation via a horizontal shaft and a telescope unit provided on said frame unit rotatably in a vertical direction via a vertical shaft, wherein an ultrasonic motor according to claim 2 is provided at least on either one of said horizontal shaft or said vertical shaft.

6. A surveying instrument comprising: a frame unit provided on a leveling unit, capable of horizontal rotation via a horizontal shaft and a telescope unit provided on said frame unit rotatably in a vertical direction via a vertical shaft, wherein an ultrasonic motor according to claim 3 is provided at least on either one of said horizontal shaft or said vertical shaft.

Assignees

• Topcon Corp

Inventors

• Tokuda Yoshihiko
• Nakamura Satoshi
• Okudaira Yosuke

Classifications

• B06B1/06 Primary

  operating with piezoelectric effect or with electrostriction (piezoelectric or electrostrictive devices per se H10N30/00) · CPC title

• G01C1/02

  Theodolites · CPC title

• G01C15/002

  Active optical surveying means (optical plumbing G01C15/105) · CPC title

• G02B23/16

  Housings; Caps; Mountings; Supports, e.g. with counterweight · CPC title

• H02N2/10

  producing rotary motion, e.g. rotary motors · CPC title