Did You Know...
...that a workman who left the soap mixing machine on too long was responsible for making Ivory Soap? He was so embarrassed by his mistake that he threw the mess in a stream. Imagine his dismay when the evidence of his error floated to the surface! Result: Ivory soap, the soap that floats.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7732981 | Ultrasonic motor having lightweight vibrating element An ultrasonic motor includes a vibrating element having a piezoelectric body attached thereto to produce a traveling wave when the piezoelectric body is supplied with an electric power, and a contacting element to come in friction contact with the vibrating element ... | 06/08/2010 |
| 7705518 | Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor includes a stator that includes a comb body with a plurality of circumferentially-arranged comb-like projections and a piezoelectric body integrally mounted on the comb body, a rotor rotatable with respect to the stator, the rotor having a contac... | 04/27/2010 |
| 7619348 | Motor, lens barrel, camera system, and method for producing motor An oscillatory wave motor, a lens barrel, and a camera system are provided, which have long service lives and which are stable. An oscillatory wave motor includes an oscillator which generates oscillation on an elastic member in accordance with excitation of an elec... | 11/17/2009 |
| 7315108 | Driving device A piezoelectric element expands and contracts when a pulse voltage is applied. A fixing body is fixed to one end of the piezoelectric element in an expansion-contraction direction. A driving shaft is fixed to the other end of the piezoelectric element in the expansi... | 01/01/2008 |
| 7301259 | Vibration type driving apparatus A vibration type driving apparatus capable of inhibiting wear in an elastic member and a contact member is provided. The vibration type driving apparatus is a vibration type driving apparatus relatively driving an elastic member given vibrations by an electric-mecha... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7245058 | Vibration wave driving apparatus, and method of setting shape of support member supporting elastic member forming vibration member of vibration wave driving apparatus A vibration wave driving apparatus includes a vibration member in which an electro-mechanical energy conversion element is fixed to an elastic member, and a contact member pressed against a sliding part provided in the vibration member, so as to be kept in contact t... | 07/17/2007 |
| 7233096 | Multilayer piezoelectric element and vibration-wave drive device A vibration-wave drive motor incorporating a multilayer piezoelectric element having reduced vibration damping as well as a design lending itself to reduced manufacturing costs and miniaturization. The multilayer piezoelectric element includes a piezoelectric active... | 06/19/2007 |
| 7196454 | Positioning device for microscopic motion An apparatus including a base configured to slidably engage a driven element, a piezoelectric element interposing the base and the driven element and attached to the base proximate a first piezoelectric element end, and a friction element attached proximate a second... | 03/27/2007 |
| 7187104 | Vibration-type driving device, control apparatus for controlling the driving of the vibration-type driving device, and electronic equipment having the vibration-type driving device and the control apparatus A vibration-type driving device comprises a vibration element including a driving member and an electro-mechanical energy conversion element having an electrode and arranged to displace the driving member with a driving signal supplied to the electrode, and a driven... | 03/06/2007 |
| 7149495 | Switching apparatus, electric field applying method and switching system In a switching apparatus having a pair of electrodes including a first electrode and a third electrode, which are provided with a piezoelectric element therebetween and a pair of electrodes including a second electrode and a fourth electrode, which are provided adja... | 12/12/2006 |
| 7129618 | Control apparatus capable of low-speed driving of vibration type driving apparatus, actuating apparatus using the control apparatus, control method capable of low-speed driving of vibration type driving apparatus, and storage medium storing program including program codes capable of realizing the control method A control apparatus and a control method for a vibration type driving apparatus are disclosed which can maintain output performance even when low-speed driving is continued for a long time. The vibration type driving apparatus comprises a vibrating body and an elect... | 10/31/2006 |
| 7126261 | Piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and method for manufacturing the same A piezoelectric/electrostrictive device 10 includes a stationary portion 11; a thin-plate portion 12 supported by the stationary portion; and a piezoelectric/electrostrictive element 14 including a plurality of electrodes and a plurality ... | 10/24/2006 |
| 7084550 | Vibration wave linear motor A vibrator of a vibration wave linear motor comprises two and one driving contacting parts respectively on top and bottom surfaces. A first guide member contacts the two driving contacting parts on the top surface, and both ends of a second guide member are pressed ... | 08/01/2006 |
| 7067958 | Wide frequency range electromechanical actuator An electromechanical actuator 10 is disclosed, having drive elements (14a–d) movable in two dimensions and connected to an actuator backing (12). The actuator backing (12) is made of a material being ferromechanically inactive. F... | 06/27/2006 |
| 6949868 | Surface acoustic wave actuator and deflector employing the same A surface acoustic wave actuator has a mover arranged on a first surface of a piezoelectric board and comb-shaped electrodes formed on the first surface. High frequencies are applied to the comb-shaped electrodes to generate Rayleigh waves that move the mover. In th... | 09/27/2005 |
| 6809459 | Piezoelectric/electrostrictive device and method of manufacturing same A pair of opposing thin plate sections, movable sections, and fixed sections for supporting the thin plate sections and the movable sections are provided on a ceramic substrate. After a wiring pattern and a gap or an insulating layer of cermet layer for filling the ... | 10/26/2004 |
| 6463642 | Method of manufacturing a vibration type driving apparatus A method of manufacturing a vibration type driving apparatus comprising an elastic member which, in use, is excited with a vibration that sets a moving member into motion relative to the vibrating elastic member. The method includes providing a friction m... | 10/15/2002 |
| 6433462 | Ultrasonic motor and method for manufacturing the same An ultrasonic motor includes a stator, which includes a piezoelectric element, and a rotor, which opposes the stator. The piezoelectric element vibrates the stator to rotate the rotor. The rotor has an annular thin section. An elastic ring is secured to t... | 08/13/2002 |
| 6320299 | Friction member used in vibration wave driving apparatus, and device using the vibration wave driving apparatus as driving source A friction member is used in a friction portion in a vibration wave driving apparatus. The friction member comprises a composite resin which comprises polytetrafluoroethylene as a matrix and which further comprises at least an inorganic fiber substance an... | 11/20/2001 |
| 6274965 | Piezoelectric motor for use in magnetic fields A motor for use in magnetic fields generated for medical imaging. The motor comprises a stator. The stator includes a piezoelectric material and is configured to generate vibrations when subjected to a voltage gradient. A rotor is arranged and configured ... | 08/14/2001 |
| 6107724 | Vibration wave driving device and apparatus having the same A vibration wave driving device comprises a vibration member in which a vibration is generated, and a contact member contactable with the vibration member and movable relative to the vibration member by the vibration generated in the vibration member, whe... | 08/22/2000 |
| 6107725 | Vibration type driving device and apparatus using the same A vibration type driving device includes a vibration element by which vibration is excited, and a contact element brought into contact with the vibration element and relatively moved by the vibration. One of two opposing slide portions of the vibration an... | 08/22/2000 |
| 5994819 | Driving apparatus using transducer A driving apparatus having an electromechanical transducer which extends and contracts; a first member connected to one end of the electromechanical transducer; a driving frictional member which is formed of a ceramic material and is connected to the othe... | 11/30/1999 |
| 5952766 | Vibration wave motor There is disclosed vibration wave motor comprising: a movable member; a molded elastic member having a surface for urging the movable member; and a piezoelectric member arranged in contact with the elastic member to apply vibration to the elastic member a... | 09/14/1999 |
| 5942838 | Rotary motor driven by a piezoelectric composite laminate There is described a rotary motor in which a rotor disc is driven by a plate-like driving member comprising a laminate of piezoelectric material sandwiched between outer layers of anisotropic material. When a voltage is applied to the rotor disc the drivi... | 08/24/1999 |
| 5818147 | Vibration actuator with improved contact surface A vibration actuator has a vibration element which generates vibrations and has a contact surface. The vibration actuator further has a relative motion member which moves in a movement direction with respect to the vibration element upon generation of vib... | 10/06/1998 |
| 5747951 | Vibration motor with a rotor/stator interface made of shape memory alloy A vibration motor comprising a stator and a rotor together with excitation means for deforming said stator in a vibratory mode enabling it to rotate the rotor, the motor being characterized in that the stator and/or the rotor include(s) a shape memory all... | 05/05/1998 |
| 5698930 | Ultrasonic wave motor and method of manufacture An ultrasonic motor having an elastic body provided with a base part and two driving force output members. The driving force output members are provided with slide members. Two piezo-electric elements for generating longitudinal oscillation L1 mode and fl... | 12/16/1997 |
| 5557157 | Vibration driven motor In a vibration wave motor wherein a member provided with a composite resin layer providing a contact surface with respect to a vibration member for generating a travelling vibration wave is brought into pressure contact with the vibration member, whereby ... | 09/17/1996 |
| 5508581 | Ultrasonic motor with a stator and a mobile element made of improved materials An ultrasonic motor having a stator and a mobile element made of improved materials. The ultrasonic motor includes an electro-mechanical conversion element, a stator and a mobile element. The electro-mechanical conversion element creates oscillations when... | 04/16/1996 |
| 5472662 | Method for manufacturing a stator for an ultrasonic motor A method for manufacturing a stator for an ultrasonic motor, wherein the stator includes a circular land portion, a plurality of teeth secured to the land portion by a plurality of radial slits, the method comprising the steps of: compressing fine metal p... | 12/05/1995 |
| 5463265 | Vibration driven motor A vibration driven motor of a construction in which the hardness of the sliding surface of a vibration member is lower than the hardness of the sliding contact portion of a member brought into pressure contact therewith, and the lateral width of the slidi... | 10/31/1995 |
| 5448129 | Ultrasonic motor with vibrating body and moving body driven thereby An ultrasonic motor which achieves uniform contact between the vibrating body and the moving body and features high output transfer efficiency and high reliability, and by which the manufacturing process for the moving body thereof can be simplified and t... | 09/05/1995 |
| 5440191 | Ultrasonic motor An ultrasonic motor is proposed for which the process of manufacture is easy and the yield and production cost are improved, in spite of the fact that the width of the contact between a moving member and a stator is less than the width of a base portion o... | 08/08/1995 |
| 5363006 | Stator for ultrasonic motor and method for manufacturing the same A stator for use in an ultrasonic motor is made of sintered metal. The stator includes a circular land portion which is connected to a piezoelectric element, and a plurality of teeth formed at the land portion by a plurality of radial slits. Each tooth in... | 11/08/1994 |
| 5352950 | Vibration wave driven motor A vibration wave motor, in which the slidable member, constituting the rotor either solely or in combination with a support member, is formed by injection molding of a composite resin, composed of a thermoplastic resin with the glass transition point at l... | 10/04/1994 |
| 5329201 | Vibration driven motor A vibration wave driven motor including a vibration member having a friction contact surface and a rotor having a contact surface, which is in contact with the vibration member. The contact surface of the rotor consists of a composite resin filled and ble... | 07/12/1994 |
| 5327040 | Ultrasonic motor with a vibrating body and a moving body driven thereby An ultrasonic motor achieves uniform contact between a vibrating body and a moving body and features high output transfer efficiency and high reliability. The manufacturing process for the moving body can be simplified and the moving body made lighter by ... | 07/05/1994 |
| 5311094 | Ultrasonic motor Provided herein is an ultrasonic motor in which at least fluorocarbon polymer is present on the contact surface of at least either of the rotor or the stator. Since the fluorocarbon polymer provides a smooth contact surface, the ultrasonic motor generates... | 05/10/1994 |
| 5293094 | Miniature actuator A ferroelectric motor comprises a single layer of ferroelectric material electrically excited by an array of electrical contacts and an electrical excitation source for supplying phased electrical signals to the contacts thereby creating a travelling wave... | 03/08/1994 |
