Actuator including quantum drive control unit

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to improve the controllability of an actuator having nonlinear characteristics. An actuator for solving this problem according to the present invention comprises a first member, a second member operated by driving the first member, a measurement unit for measuring the state of the second member, and a quantum drive control unit, and a quantum drive control unit that receives an input based on a signal of a target state instructed by an instruction unit and a measurement state, and outputs a control amount for driving the first member through a quantum operation, in which the second member is operated by driving the first member receiving the control amount as an input.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an actuator including a quantum drive control unit. More specifically, the present invention relates to an actuator that operates by control based on quantum gate operations using qubits. Background Art

[0002] As a next-generation technology following AI (Artificial Intelligence), quantum computing technology has been studied in recent years (Patent Documents 2, 3, and 4). Quantum computing technology is a promising technology and is expected to significantly shorten the calculation time compared to classical computers that perform binary operations. As specific applications, fields such as finance, material calculation, and data mining have been studied. Quantum computing technology has the potential to be applied to a wide range of fields such as controlling actuators by utilizing the characteristics of quantum operations.

[0003] A vibration-type actuator will be described as an example of an actuator. A vibration-type actuator is a non-electromagnetic drive motor that is configured to apply an alternating voltage to an electromechanical energy conversion element (such as a piezoelectric element coupled to an elastomer) to cause the element to generate high-frequency vibrations and extract its vibration energy as continuous mechanical motion.

[0004] The vibration-type actuator has excellent motor performance such as small size, light weight, high precision, low speed, and large torque. However, since the vibration-type actuator has non-linear motor characteristics, it is difficult to model the vibration-type actuator, and since its controllability changes according to the drive conditions and temperature environment, some control measures are required. In addition, the vibration-type actuator has many control parameters such as frequency, phase difference, and voltage, so its adjustment may be complicated.

[0005] Figure 12A An example of a conventional vibration-type actuator based on conventional PID control is shown. A two-phase alternating voltage signal is output from a drive circuit. The frequency, phase difference, and voltage amplitude (variable according to the pulse width) of each alternating voltage signal are controlled to control the speed of the vibration-type motor ( Figure 12B ). The position deviation, which is the difference between the target position and the detected relative position, is input to a PID controller, and the control amounts (frequency, phase difference, pulse width) calculated by the PID based on the position deviation are sequentially output at each control sampling to perform position feedback control.

[0006] Figure 12C is a graph schematically showing the frequency-speed characteristics of a conventional vibration-type actuator based on conventional PID control. The slope of the speed curve varies according to the speed range used in the vibration-type actuator, so the control gain needs to be adjusted. For example, a state is shown where the slope at frequency f1 in the high-speed range is different from the slope at frequency f2 in the low-speed range.Figure 12D The comparison of the phase difference - speed characteristics between the above - mentioned low - speed range (f2) and high - speed range (f1) is shown. The slope in the high - speed range (the frequency band near f1 of the curve indicated by the solid line) is large, resulting in high control sensitivity, while the slope in the low - speed range (the frequency band near f2 of the curve indicated by the solid line) is small, resulting in low sensitivity. In addition, when the ambient temperature changes, for example, when the temperature changes from room temperature to low temperature, based on the temperature characteristics of the piezoelectric element, the frequency shifts to the high - frequency side. In this case, the speed and slope are different from those when driving at the same frequency, causing the control performance to change. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the control gain to obtain good controllability, but the method of adjusting the control gain is complex.

[0007] Various modern control applications such as neural networks have been studied to improve the controllability of vibration - type actuators. Patent Document 1 discusses the following control method: This control method is used to select the rotation - axis vector for reaching the target position with the minimum driving amount in the control of a vibration - type actuator capable of multi - degree - of - freedom driving. This control method uses a neural network as the inverse model of the vibration - type actuator and controls by inputting the rotation - axis vector into the neural network and outputting the phase and amplitude. The parameters of the neural network are learned to approximate the characteristics of the driving estimation simulator modeled.

[0008] However, the control using a neural network discussed in Patent Document 1 requires creating a model based on the transfer function of the vibration - type actuator, which is difficult to exactly match the behavior of the actual device. Even if a completely matching model is obtained, due to performance variations according to individual differences or temperature environment, or due to changes over time due to long - term use, the controllability may be impaired.

[0009] In addition, Patent Document 2 discusses analytically deriving a control function assuming that the controlled object is part of a three - body vibration system moving under conservative forces designed to satisfy the Grover algorithm. However, due to the complexity of the algorithm, this is not suitable for actuator control.

[0010] Patent Document 3 discusses quantum search for controlling the parameters of a plant. Patent Document 4 discusses a control method of applying microwave pulses to a spin - system model through the operation of a resonator circuit, such that this control method can be applied to superconducting resonators using pulse electron spin resonance (ESR) etc. using a quantum - system model. However, these are also not suitable for actuator control.

[0011] Citation List

[0012] Patent Document

[0013] Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004 - 29458

[0014] Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2016-45595

[0015] Patent Document 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2003-526855

[0016] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent No. 6682507 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0017] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0018] An object of the present invention is to improve the controllability of an actuator and to provide a highly accurate actuator having robust performance even when driving conditions and temperature environments change.

[0019] SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0020] According to one aspect of the present invention, an actuator includes: a first member; a second member configured to operate by driving the first member; a measurement unit configured to measure the state of the second member; and a quantum drive control unit configured to output a control amount for driving the first member by quantum operation with a signal indicating a target state indicated in an instruction issued by an instruction unit and a measured state as inputs, wherein the second member operates by driving the first member with the control amount as an input.

[0021] ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0022] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the controllability of an actuator by performing probability-based control using quantum operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1A is a diagram showing an actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 1B is a diagram showing an actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 1C is a diagram showing an actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 1D is a diagram showing an actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2A shows an example of quantum gate operation in the quantum drive control unit.

[0028] ​​​​​​Figure 2B Shows an example of quantum gate operations in a quantum drive control unit.

[0029] Figure 3A Is a diagram showing the position feedback control of a vibration-type actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to this exemplary embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3B Is a diagram showing the position feedback control of a vibration-type actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to this exemplary embodiment.

[0031] Figure 3C Is a diagram showing the position feedback control of a vibration-type actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to this exemplary embodiment.

[0032] Figure 4 Is a diagram showing details of an operation method of a quantum drive control unit.

[0033] Figure 5A Is a diagram showing an algorithm for state shader operations.

[0034] Figure 5B Is a diagram showing an algorithm for state shader operations.

[0035] Figure 5C Is a diagram showing an algorithm for state shader operations.

[0036] Figure 6 Is a diagram showing a quantum gate operation circuit in Grover amplification operations and inverse QFT.

[0037] Figure 7A Shows an example in the case of quantum drive control using an output table.

[0038] Figure 7B Shows an example in the case of quantum drive control using an output table.

[0039] Figure 8A Shows a second exemplary embodiment in the case of quantum drive control using an approximate operation unit.

[0040] Figure 8B Shows a second exemplary embodiment in the case of quantum drive control using an approximate operation unit.

[0041] Figure 9A Shows a third exemplary embodiment in the case of quantum drive control using a quantum gate operation unit and an output table.

[0042] Figure 9B ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Shows a third exemplary embodiment in the case of quantum drive control using a quantum gate operation unit and an output table.

[0043] Figure 10A Shows the result of driving a vibration type actuator using the quantum drive control according to the present invention.

[0044] Figure 10B Shows the result of driving a vibration type actuator using the quantum drive control according to the present invention.

[0045] Figure 11A Shows the simulation result of the transfer characteristics of a vibration type actuator including a quantum drive control unit.

[0046] Figure 11B Shows the simulation result of the transfer characteristics of a vibration type actuator including a quantum drive control unit.

[0047] Figure 12A Shows an example of a conventional vibration type actuator based on conventional PID control.

[0048] Figure 12B Shows an example of a conventional vibration type actuator based on conventional PID control.

[0049] Figure 12C Shows an example of a conventional vibration type actuator based on conventional PID control.

[0050] Figure 12D Shows an example of a conventional vibration type actuator based on conventional PID control.

[0051] Figure 13 Shows an example of a lens drive mechanism in which an actuator is used for autofocus drive of a camera.

[0052] Figure 14A Shows an example of using an actuator to drive a lens or an imaging element during hand shake correction.

[0053] Figure 14B Shows an example of using an actuator to drive a lens or an imaging element during hand shake correction.

[0054] Figure 15 Shows an example of using an actuator to drive an automatic stage of a microscope. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The present inventors have designed a technique for newly introducing the concept of probability into the control amount of an actuator by using quantum gate operations used in quantum computing technology. This technique will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0056] ​​​​​​​​​​​​(First Exemplary Embodiment)

[0057] Figures 1A to 1D are diagrams each showing an actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] In Figure 1A the quantum drive control unit 2 takes the target state indicated by the instruction unit 1 and the measurement state measured by the measurement unit 4 as inputs, performs quantum gate operations using qubits, and outputs a control amount to the actuator 3. The actuator 3 includes: a first member configured to be driven based on the control amount; and a second member configured to be operated by driving the first member. The operation of the second member is measured by the measurement unit 4, and this operation is fed back as a measurement state to the quantum drive control unit 2.

[0059] Figure 1B shows the qubits used in the calculation of the quantum drive control unit 2. Bits in traditional binary operations use two states, "0" and "1", as shown in the left diagram in Figure 1B On the other hand, qubits use not only "0" and "1", but also superposition states of the H gate (Hadamard gate), where the amplitudes and phases of "0" and "1" of the qubit can be freely changed, enabling the creation of an infinite number of quantum states. In Figure 1B the amplitude is represented by the area of the gray part in the circle representing the Bloch sphere, and the phase is represented by the direction of the bar line that can rotate 360 degrees around the center of the circle. The representation of the qubit is represented by the signs of the amplitudes and phases of "0" and "1" in the quantum state. For example, "0.707" indicates an area of 70.7%, and the negative sign indicates a 180-degree phase inversion. The square of the amplitude indicates the probability of reading out the qubit in the quantum state. When the amplitude is "0.707", the probability is 50%.

[0060] Figure 1C shows an example of the configuration in the case of performing position feedback control. The quantum drive control unit 2 performs quantum gate operations by using the target speed V indicated by the instruction unit 1 and the position deviation between the measured position measured by the measurement unit 4 and the target position as inputs, and outputs a control amount P to the actuator 3. On the other hand, the measured speed Vp obtained by differentiating the measured position with respect to time is input to the quantum drive control unit 2 as frequency distribution data of the control amount P, and is used in the calculation of the probability table described below. Note that the measured speed Vp can be directly measured by the measurement unit 4.

[0061] Figure 1DShows a construction example in the case of performing speed feedback control. The quantum drive control unit 2 takes the target speed V indicated by the instruction unit 1 and the speed deviation between the measured speed Vp of the measurement unit 4 and the target speed V as inputs, performs quantum gate operations, and outputs the control amount P to the actuator 3. Similarly, the measured speed Vp is input to the quantum drive control unit 2 as frequency distribution data of the control amount P and is used for the calculation of the probability table.

[0062] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Each shows an example of quantum gate operations in the quantum drive control unit.

[0063] Figure 2A Shows an example of performing quantum gate operations via an external server. The quantum drive control unit 201 includes: a communication unit that can be connected to the external server 202 and perform wireless communication.

[0064] Alternatively, wired communication can be used. The external server 202 is connected to a quantum computer 203 and cloud data located outside via the Internet. A quantum computer using superconducting qubits and microwave pulses or a quantum simulator capable of high-speed operation can be used as the quantum computer 203. The quantum computer 203 performs quantum gate operations based on the target state indicated by the external instruction unit 1 and outputs the control amount obtained by the CPU to the actuator 3 via the communication unit to perform control. The CPU performs parts corresponding to traditional binary operations based on the measured state of the measurement unit 4, such as the calculation of the deviation and the adjustment of the control gain, and the external quantum computer 203 performs other quantum gate operations. This control that also uses an external server has the disadvantage of reducing the control rate due to the rate limitation of the communication rate. However, the data in the measured state can be stored in the cloud data, and the information about multiple actuators can be controlled in a centralized manner. Therefore, this control is also applicable to the case of simultaneously controlling multiple actuators from the instruction unit 1 and making them cooperate.

[0065] Figure 2BAn example of pre-using a quantum computer for quantum gate operations and using the operation results to control an actuator is shown. This method is used in an example of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The quantum drive control unit 204 includes a memory as follows, and information is written into this memory by a general-purpose computer 205 based on binary arithmetic operations. The general-purpose computer 205 is connected to an external server 202 and is also connected to an external quantum computer 203 and cloud data via the Internet. The quantum computer 203 performs quantum gate operations based on all target states that the instruction unit 1 can indicate, and its operation results are stored as table data in the memory of the quantum drive control unit 204. The CPU uses the table data to cause the output unit to output a control amount according to the target state and controls the actuator 3. Such a method enables control without reducing the control rate, and in an environment where the functions of the operations are separated from each other, the advantages of using the operations of the quantum computer and the operations of the CPU based on binary arithmetic are utilized.

[0066] Note that the quantum drive control according to the present invention can be performed using a configuration other than the above-described configuration. For example, depending on the level of the arithmetic function of the CPU, all quantum gate operations can be performed by a controller included in the actuator. Alternatively, some quantum gate operations can be performed internally, while other quantum gate operations can be performed by an external quantum computer.

[0067] Figures 3A to 3C FIGS. are each a diagram showing position feedback control of a vibration-type actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to this exemplary embodiment.

[0068] In Figure 3A the quantum drive control unit 2 takes as inputs the target speed V indicated by the instruction unit 1 and the position deviation between the measured position measured by the measurement unit 4 and the target position, performs quantum gate operations, and outputs the phase difference, frequency, and pulse width of the control amount to the drive circuit 301. The drive circuit 301 generates a two-phase AC signal based on the phase difference, frequency, and pulse width. The drive circuit 301 includes: a boost circuit (not shown) including a coil and a transformer. The AC signal boosted to a desired drive voltage is applied to Figure 3C the piezoelectric element 307 included in the vibrator 303 shown. The contact body 304 operates by driving the vibrator 303, and a measurement unit 4 such as an encoder measures the position and speed of the contact body 304.

[0069] Figure 3BShows the configuration of the quantum drive control unit 2. The added value of the target speed V and the position deviation is normalized by a predetermined scaling in the normalization unit 8 and converted into a normalized value for quantum gate operations. Here, the position deviation refers to the value calculated by the PI control unit 9 using a predetermined control gain. The normalization unit 8 performs scaling, for example, by dividing this value by the target speed range and multiplying this value by the maximum value of the target state value. For example, if the target speed range is 0 to 50 mm / s and the maximum target state value is 64, then V*64 / 50 holds. The target state value is the value used in the quantum gate operation unit described below. Next, the quantum gate operation unit 5 calculates the probability corresponding to the target state value and inputs the probability data into the output table 6. The output table 6 performs operations using the probability data regarding the target state value and the frequency data of the frequency table 7, and outputs the control amount based on the probability data. The frequency data in the frequency table 7 is data indicating the frequency distribution of the measured state value with respect to the control value, where the measured state value is obtained by normalizing the measured speed Vp in a similar manner 10.

[0070] Specifically, the measured state is normalized using substantially the same scaling as that of the value of the target state, thereby obtaining the measured state value.

[0071] Finally, the control value is scaled to the range of the control amount P through the inverse transformation 11 and then output. The inverse transformation 11 performs scaling by dividing this value by the maximum value of the control value and multiplying this value by the control amount range. For example, in the case of the phase difference, when the control amount range is 0 to 90 degrees and the maximum control value is 64, control value*90 / 64 holds. Therefore, the control according to this exemplary embodiment has the feature that the probability data indicating the target state value corresponding to the target state is associated with the control amount P for controlling the actuator.

[0072] Figure 3C The shown vibration type actuator 302 includes a vibrator 303 and a contact body 304. The vibrator 303 includes an elastic body 306 and a piezoelectric element 307 of an electromechanical energy conversion element. The contact body 304 is configured to operate by driving the vibrator 303. When an AC signal is applied to the piezoelectric element 307, two vibration modes in the upward push direction and the feed direction are generated in the vibrator 303, thereby allowing the contact body 304 in the pressure contact state to operate. The elliptical motion generated in the protrusion 305 includes a combination of two vibration modes, and the speed and direction of the vibration type actuator 302 can be controlled using the phase difference, frequency, and voltage amplitude (pulse width) of the two-phase AC signal as the control amount.

[0073] Note that all of the phase difference, frequency, and pulse width can be operated as control quantities, or any one or two of the phase difference, frequency, and pulse width can be operated while the others are controlled to fixed values. In the present exemplary embodiment, control is performed by operating the phase difference and frequency by the quantum gate operation unit and fixing the pulse width to a predetermined value.

[0074] Figure 4 FIG. is a diagram showing details of an operation method of a quantum drive control unit.

[0075] As Figures 3A to 3C shown, the main operations of the quantum drive control unit are performed by the quantum gate operation unit 5, the output table 6, and the frequency table 7.

[0076] First, the quantum gate operation unit 5 will be described. Quantum gate operations to be performed by the quantum gate operation unit 5 are performed using a counter qubit and a target state qubit placed in a superposition state by a Hadamard gate 401. The superposition state shown herein refers to a state in which a qubit can be read as "0" or "1" with a probability of 50%. The quantum gate operation unit 5 performs quantum gate operations based on the target state value normalized by the normalization unit 8 so that the probability of the target state value with respect to the counter qubit can be calculated. Specifically, a state shader operation 402, a Grover amplification operation 403, an inverse QFT operation 404 on the counter qubit, and a probability operation 405 are performed.

[0077] The state shader operation 402 takes the target state value as an input and outputs a state shader value through an operation using a temporary qubit. The temporary qubit is a qubit for calculation, which is provided to calculate the target state qubit through a predetermined operation equation.

[0078] The Grover amplification operation 403 performs a phase inversion on the target state qubit based on the probability of the state shader value, and repeats the phase inversion and amplitude amplification based on the counter qubit. The Grover amplification operation includes a flip operation and a mirror operation, and inverts the phase of the qubit in the superposition state, and performs amplitude amplification to transform the phase difference into a difference in amplitude magnitude.

[0079] The inverse QFT operation 404 is an operation unit that performs an inverse QFT operation on the counter qubit. The inverse QFT operation is an inverse transform corresponding to the QFT (quantum Fourier transform) of a qubit representing a periodic change in a superposition state in the frequency space, and is performed to take a qubit representing the frequency space as an input, transform the qubit into a corresponding signal, and output the signal. The probability operation 405 calculates the probability of the target state value with respect to the counter qubit.

[0080] Next, the output table 6 will be described. The purpose of the output table 6 is to output the control value with the highest probability according to the target state value. The output table 6 includes a first probability table 406, and the first probability table 406 includes the probability of the target state value with respect to the counter qubit. The first probability table 406 is a table including the probability data A(j, k) obtained by the quantum gate operation unit 5. The "i" row represents the value of the counter qubit, and i = 0 to 63, a total of six bits. The "k" column represents the target state value, and by adding 1 to the 6-bit value, k = 0 to 64. The reason for obtaining 65 target state values will be described in the state shader operation described below. The left figure shows a contour map graphically representing the probability of the first probability table 406. The contour map represents the magnitude of the probability with contour lines, and the darker area indicates the area with a higher probability. This contour map shows that the probability of each target state value changes according to the distribution of the counter qubit. The second probability table 408 includes the probability data C(i, j) indicating the result of the matrix operation 407 on the probability data A(j, k) and the frequency data B(k, j). The second probability table 408 indicates the probability of the control value with respect to the counter qubit. As shown in this figure, C(i, j) is obtained by calculating the inner product of the i-th row data of A ("k" column = 0 to 64) and the j-th column data of B ("k" row = 0 to 64). As a result of this calculation, the probability of the control value with respect to the target state value can be calculated by the counter qubit, and the control quantity P with a high probability can be output. The left figure shows a contour map graphically representing the probability of the second probability table 408. This contour map shows that the probability of each control value changes according to the distribution of the counter qubit, and the control value with a high probability can be selected and output.

[0081] Finally, the frequency table 7 will be described. Using the measurement state values (0 to 64) obtained by normalizing the measurement state with the same scaling as the target state value 10 and the control values (0 to 64) obtained by normalizing the control quantity in a similar manner, the frequency distribution 409 of the measurement state value with respect to the control value is calculated. The measurement data obtained by driving the actuator as shown in the figure can be used as the frequency distribution. In addition, calculation data using the identification model of the actuator, etc. can be used. The frequency data B(k, j) indicates the frequency of the measurement speed when a predetermined control quantity is applied to the actuator. The changes caused by noise or external factors are manifested as fluctuations in speed and are represented as frequency data by normalization. This is applied to the above probability operation as the frequency table 410, so that a highly reliable control quantity that is not affected by noise or variation factors can be output.

[0082] Figures 5A to 5C Each shows the state shader operation algorithm.

[0083] Use temporary qubits to perform state shader operation 402 such that the state shader value changes according to the target state value. The state shader value to be output represents a quantum state, and based on the state shader value, flip operations (NOT operation and phase inversion) are performed on the target state qubits.

[0084] Figure 5A Shows a method for calculating the state shader value. When the target state value is input, predetermined operations are performed on the target state qubits qx and qy. The target state qubits qx and qy are three-bit qubits. The values of the 64 cells shown in the figure indicate the calculation results of qx and qy, and the operation equation is S(qx, qy) = qx + qy * 8. If the qubits qx and qy are calculated, the state changes and the bits cannot be read out. Therefore, temporary qubits are used for the calculation. The cells that satisfy the condition that the target state value is greater than S are gray cells, and the number of gray cells is set as the state shader value. For example, if the target state value is "10", the cells from 0 to 9 are gray cells, and the state shader value is "10". In traditional binary operations, this only indicates "10"; however, in quantum gate operations, this is represented as a probability (10 / 64 = 15.625%). In other words, since qx and qy in the superposition state can randomly take all values, if the target state value "10" is input, it indicates that the phase inversion of the target state qubits is performed with a probability of 15.625%. Note that the phase inversion of the target state qubits is repeatedly calculated according to the value of the counter qubit, and the calculation is based on the probability of the counter qubit.

[0085] Figure 5B Shows the change in the state shader value (the number of gray cells) when the target state values "0", "32", and "64" are input. The phase inversion of the target state qubits is performed with a probability of 0% for the target state value "0", 50% for the target state value "32", and 100% for the target state value "64".

[0086] Figure 5C Shows the relationship between the target state value and the state shader value. In the present exemplary embodiment, the operation equation S is set such that the probability changes linearly with respect to the target state value, but alternatively it can be set such that the probability changes non-linearly using operation expressions such as simple addition (qx + qy) or sum of squares (qx^2 + qy^2).

[0087] Figure 6 Is a diagram showing a quantum gate operation circuit for Grover amplification operation and inverse QFT.

[0088] As described above, the flip operation 601 of the target state qubit is performed based on the state shader value, and the flip operation 601 and the mirror operation 602 are repeated based on the counter qubit. The Grover amplification operation 403 includes the flip operation 601 and the mirror operation 602, and is an operation for performing the following amplitude amplification, in which the phase of the qubit in the superposition state is inverted, and the phase difference is transformed into a difference in amplitude magnitude. The Grover amplification operation 403 can improve the accuracy of the probability of the qubit to be read out.

[0089] QFT (Quantum Fourier Transform) represents qubits that periodically change in the superposition state in the frequency space. The inverse QFT 404 is the inverse transform corresponding to QFT, and takes the qubit representing the frequency space as input, transforms the qubit into the corresponding signal, and outputs the signal.

[0090] Note that each of the target state qubits qx and qy according to the present exemplary embodiment is calculated using three bits, while the counter qubit is calculated using six bits. However, in the drawings, for ease of explanation, the number of bits is shown in a simplified manner.

[0091] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Each shows an example in the case of performing quantum drive control using an output table.

[0092] In this example, the Figure 4 shown first probability table and second probability table are used to output the control amount. Therefore, the second probability table indicates the result of the operation performed in advance using the frequency table.

[0093] Figure 7A Shows the quantum drive control unit according to this example. The added value of the target speed V and the position deviation is normalized by a predetermined scaling through the normalization unit 8, transformed into a target state value, and then input to the output table 701. Since the scaling in the normalization unit 8 and the inverse transform 11 is similar, its description is omitted. The output table 701 selects the control value indicating the maximum probability based on the target state value and outputs the control value. The control value is scaled to the control amount range by the inverse transform 11, and the control amount P is output.

[0094] Figure 7B Shows the operation of the output table 701. First, in the first probability table, the counter qubit (the black cell in the figure) in the "i" row representing the maximum probability in the column "A" (:, k) of the input target state value is selected.

[0095] Next, in the second probability table, select and output the control value in the "j" column representing the maximum probability in the row C(i,:) of the selected counter qubit (the black cell in the figure). This operation enables the output of the control value indicating the maximum probability based on the target state value.

[0096] The actuator including the quantum drive control unit according to the present invention has been described above.

[0097] The results of applying the quantum drive control according to the present invention to an actual device will be described.

[0098] Figure 10A and Figure 10B Each shows the results of driving a vibration type actuator using quantum drive control according to the present invention.

[0099] Figure 10A Shows the results of driving using PID control as a comparative example. As the PID gains, P = 0.32, I = 0.01, and D = 0.52 are respectively set as the proportional gain, integral gain, and derivative gain, and are used by multiplying by an A gain (overall gain) of 0.1. The upper part shows the transition of the target speed and the measured speed with respect to time on the horizontal axis, and the lower part shows the result of the deviation between the target position and the measured position. The target speed is given by the instruction unit, and reciprocating operation is performed at a maximum speed of 50 mm / s, an acceleration and deceleration time of 100 ms, and a pause time of 100 ms. Figure 10B Shows the results of driving using quantum drive control. In this control, only the proportional gain is set, and P = 0.08 is used. Note that the integral gain and derivative gain can be set. As indicated by the result of the position deviation, the quantum drive control can reduce the position deviation and improve the control performance.

[0100] Figure 11A and Figure 11B Each shows the simulation results of the transfer characteristics of a vibration type actuator including a quantum drive control unit.

[0101] Figure 11AResults showing the open-loop characteristics compared with PID control are presented. The upper part in each control indicates the gain, while the lower part indicates the frequency characteristics (1 Hz to 1 kHz) of the phase lag. As the PID gains, P = 0.32, I = 0.01, and D = 0.52 are set as the proportional gain, integral gain, and derivative gain, respectively, and are used after multiplying by the A gain of 0.1. In the quantum drive control, only the proportional gain is set, and P = 0.08 is used. The zero-crossing frequency of the gain characteristics in the PID control is 30 Hz (phase margin is 35 degrees), while the zero-crossing frequency of the gain characteristics in the quantum drive control is 90 Hz (phase margin is 55 degrees), which is satisfactory. In the quantum drive control, by adding the integral gain of the position deviation, the low-frequency gain around 1 Hz can be further improved.

[0102] Figure 11B Results showing the closed-loop characteristics compared with PID control are similarly presented. The zero-crossing frequency of the gain characteristics in the PID control is 40 Hz, while the zero-crossing frequency of the gain characteristics in the quantum drive control is 130 Hz, indicating that high-responsive control can be performed even in the high-frequency region.

[0103] (Second Exemplary Embodiment)

[0104] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0105] Figure 8A and Figure 8B A second example in the case of performing quantum drive control using an approximation operation unit is shown.

[0106] In this example, the operation is performed by substituting an approximate expression for the output table 701 that is used to output a control value with a high probability with respect to Figure 7A and Figure 7B the target state values shown in.

[0107] Figure 8A A quantum drive control unit according to this example is shown. The added value of the target speed V and the position deviation is normalized by a predetermined scaling through the normalization unit 8, transformed into a target state value, and then input to the approximation operation unit 801. Since the scaling in the normalization unit 8 is similar, its description is omitted. The approximation operation unit 801 calculates an approximate expression with the target state value as the input and outputs a control value. The control value is scaled to a predetermined control amount range by the inverse transformation 11, and the control amount P (frequency, phase difference, pulse width) is output.

[0108] Figure 8BShows the operation of the approximation operation unit 801. The approximation operation unit 801 is replaced with an approximation formula calculated by the least squares method, so that a control value approximating the result (the square graph shown in the figure) of the above output table 701 can be output. In this example, a quadratic function is used for approximation, but alternatively, a function other than the quadratic function can be used for approximation. This operation enables the output of a control value with a high probability based on the target state value.

[0109] (Third Exemplary Embodiment)

[0110] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0111] Figure 9A and Figure 9B Each shows a third example in the case of using a quantum gate operation unit and an output table for quantum drive control.

[0112] Figure 9A Shows the configuration of the quantum drive control unit. The added value of the target speed V and the position deviation is normalized by a predetermined scaling through the normalization unit 8 and transformed into a value for performing quantum gate operations. Since the scaling in the normalization unit 8 and the inverse transformation 11 is similar, its description is omitted. Next, the quantum gate operation unit 901 takes the target state value as input and outputs a counter qubit. The output table 902 outputs the control value with the highest probability based on the value of the input counter qubit. Finally, the control value is scaled to the range of the control quantity P through the inverse transformation 11, and the control quantity P is output.

[0113] Figure 9B Shows the operations of each of the quantum gate operation unit 901 and the output table 902. The H gate, state shader operation, Grover amplification operation, and inverse QFT in the quantum gate operation unit 901 are similar to those in the first example (see Figure 4 ) and thus their description is omitted. In the quantum gate operation unit 901, the counter qubit (903) is read based on the input target state value. The greater the possibility that the counter qubit to be read is calculated according to the target state value, the higher the frequency of the readout result. Next, in the output table 902, the control value in the "j" column representing the highest probability in the row C(i,:) of the read counter qubit is selected and output (the black cell in the figure). This operation enables the output of a control value indicating the highest probability based on the target state value. Note that the counter qubit read in 903 varies randomly. Therefore, a series of operations of the quantum gate operation unit 901 and the output table 902 can be repeated, and the average value of the control values can be output.

[0114] (Fourth Exemplary Embodiment)

[0115] An actuator including a quantum drive control unit according to the present invention can be used, for example, as a lens drive mechanism of a camera including an optical element, as an anti-shake correction device of an electronic device, and a stage including a placement unit.

[0116] Figure 13 An example of using the actuator for the lens drive mechanism to perform autofocus drive of the camera is shown.

[0117] The lens holder drive mechanism 40 includes a vibrator 303, a contact body 304, a lens holder 42, a lens 46, and a guide rod 43 that slidably holds the lens holder 42 and is positioned in parallel. Both ends of the contact body 304 are fixed by a base member (not shown), and the vibrator 303 and the lens holder 42 are integrated and relatively move along the guide rod 43. An AC voltage signal is applied to the vibrator 303 from a flexible printed circuit board (not shown), thereby generating a driving force between the vibrator 303 and the contact body 304. This driving force enables the lens holder 42 to operate.

[0118] The lens holder 42 includes: a cylindrical holder portion 42a, a holding portion 42b that holds and fixes the vibrator 303 and a pressurizing magnet 45, and a guiding portion 42c that fits on the guiding rod 43 to provide a guiding function. The pressurizing magnet 45 constituting the pressurizing member includes: a permanent magnet and two magnetic yokes arranged at both ends of the permanent magnet. A magnetic circuit is formed between the pressurizing magnet 45 and the contact body 304 such that an attractive force is generated between the members. The pressurizing magnet 45 and the contact body 304 are arranged at intervals, and the contact body 304 is arranged to be in contact with the vibrator 303. The magnetic attractive force generates a pressing force between the contact body 304 and the vibrator 303, generates a driving force, and also serves as a guiding portion of the lens holder 42. The anti-detachment portion 42d included in the lens holder 42 is brought into contact with the contact body 304 as a measure to maintain the desired position against external forces.

[0119] Figure 14A and Figure 14B Each shows an example of using the actuator to drive a lens or an imaging element during anti-shake correction.

[0120] Figure 14A is a plan view (top view) showing the appearance of the imaging device 60. Figure 14B is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the imaging device 60.

[0121] The imaging device 60 is generally composed of a main body 61 and a lens barrel 62 detachably attached to the main body 61. The main body 61 includes: an imaging element 63, such as a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor and a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, to convert an optical image formed by light that has passed through the lens barrel 62 into an image signal; and a camera control microcomputer 64 that controls the overall operation of the imaging device 60. A plurality of lenses L including a focusing lens and a zoom lens are arranged at predetermined positions on the lens barrel 62. The lens barrel 62 houses an image blur correction device 50. The image blur correction device 50 includes a disk member 56 and a vibrator 303 disposed on the disk member 56, and an image blur correction lens 65 is arranged in a hole formed at the center of the disk member 56. The image blur correction device 50 is arranged to allow the image blur correction lens 65 to move in a plane orthogonal to the optical axis of the lens barrel 62. The vibrator 303 is driven by the quantum drive control unit 2 so that the vibrator 303 and the disk member 56 move relative to a contact body 304 fixed to the lens barrel, thereby driving the correction lens.

[0122] The present invention can also be used to drive a lens holder to move a zoom lens. Therefore, the present invention can be mounted not only on an imaging device but also on an interchangeable lens for lens driving.

[0123] Figure 15 An example of an actuator for driving an automatic stage of a microscope is shown.

[0124] Figure 15 The shown microscope includes: an imaging unit 70 that includes an imaging element and an optical system; and an automatic stage 71 that is disposed on a base and includes a stage 72 that is moved by a vibration type actuator. An object to be observed is placed on the stage 72, and a magnified image is captured by the imaging unit 70. If the observation range exists in a wide range, the vibration type actuator is driven by the quantum drive control unit 2, thereby moving the stage 72. Therefore, the object to be observed is moved in the X direction or the Y direction in the figure, and a large number of captured images are obtained. By a computer (not shown), the captured images can be combined to obtain a high-definition image with a wide observation range.

[0125] The present invention can also be configured as a system that includes: a first member; a second member that is configured to operate by driving the first member; and the above control device.

[0126] In addition, the present invention can also be configured as a program that causes the control device to execute the above processing, and can also be configured as a computer-readable non-transitory storage medium that stores the program.

[0127] The present invention is not limited to the above-described exemplary embodiments, and various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is disclosed in the appended claims.

[0128] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-166378, filed on October 17, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0129] Description of Reference Numerals

[0130] 1 Instruction Unit

[0131] 2 Quantum Drive Control Unit

[0132] 3 Actuator

[0133] 4 Measurement Unit

[0134] 5 Quantum Gate Operation Unit

[0135] 6 Output Table

[0136] 7 Frequency Table

[0137] 8 Normalization Unit

[0138] 9 PI Control Unit

[0139] 11 Inverse Transformation

[0140] 301 Drive Circuit

[0141] 302 Vibration-Type Actuator

[0142] 303 Vibrator

[0143] 304 Contact Body

[0144] 401 H Gate (Hadamard Gate)

[0145] 402 State Shader Operation

[0146] 403 Grover Amplification Operation

[0147] 404 Inverse QFT

[0148] 405 Probability Operation

[0149] 406 First Probability Table

[0150] 407 Matrix Operation

[0151] 408 Second Probability Table

[0152] 410 Frequency Table

[0153] 601 Flip Operation

[0154] 602 Mirror operation

[0155] 801 Approximation operation unit.

Claims

1. An actuator, which comprises: a first member; a second member configured to operate by driving the first member; a measurement unit configured to measure the state of the second member; a quantum drive control unit configured to output a control quantity for driving the first member through quantum operations, with a signal of a target state indicated in an instruction issued by an instruction unit and a measured state as inputs; wherein the second member operates by driving the first member with the control quantity as an input.

2. The actuator according to claim 1, wherein the quantum drive control unit outputs the control quantity based on quantum gate operations using qubits.

3. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit outputs the control quantity with the target speed of the second member in the target state as an input.

4. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit outputs the control quantity with a signal based on the deviation between the target position of the second member in the target state and the position of the second member measured by the measurement unit as an input.

5. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit outputs the control quantity with a signal based on the deviation between the target speed of the second member in the target state and the speed of the second member measured by the measurement unit as an input.

6. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit outputs a control quantity associated with the probability of reading the qubit based on the target state.

7. The actuator according to claim 6, wherein the quantum drive control unit includes an output table corresponding to the probability based on the quantum gate operation.

8. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit includes an approximation operation unit configured to approximate the operation result based on the quantum gate operation with the target state as an input using a predetermined approximation formula, and output the control quantity based on the approximation formula.

9. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit includes a communication unit capable of connecting to an external server, and wherein quantum gate operations using a quantum computer are performed via the external server.

10. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the quantum drive control unit includes a memory, and wherein a computer based on binary operations performs quantum gate operations using a quantum computer via an external server, and information about the operation result is written into the memory.

11. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein the quantum gate operation includes a counter qubit and a qubit representing the target state as a superposition state using a Hadamard gate, performs quantum gate operations using the qubit based on a value corresponding to the normalized target state, and calculates the probability of the target state corresponding to the counter qubit.

12. The actuator according to claim 11, Among them, the quantum gate operations are performed as follows: a state shader operation that outputs a state shader value through an operation using a temporary qubit having the value of the target state as an input; a Grover amplification operation that performs a phase inversion of the target state qubit based on the probability of the state shader value and repeats the phase inversion and amplitude amplification based on the counter qubit; and an inverse QFT operation on the counter qubit.

13. The actuator according to claim 12, wherein, the temporary qubit is a qubit for calculation that is set to calculate the target state through a predetermined operation equation.

14. The actuator according to claim 12, wherein, the Grover amplification operation includes a flip operation and a mirror operation, and is performed to invert the phase of the qubit in the superposition state and perform amplitude amplification that transforms the phase difference into a difference in magnitude between amplitudes.

15. The actuator according to claim 12, wherein, the inverse QFT operation is an inverse transform corresponding to the quantum Fourier transform of the qubit representing the periodic change in the superposition state in the frequency space, and takes the qubit representing the frequency space as an input, transforms the input qubit into a corresponding signal, and outputs the signal.

16. The actuator according to claim 7, wherein, the output table includes a first probability table, and the first probability table includes probability data regarding the value of the target state corresponding to the counter qubit.

17. The actuator according to claim 2, wherein, the quantum drive control unit includes a frequency table, and the frequency table includes frequency distribution data regarding the measured state value corresponding to the control value obtained by normalizing the control quantity and the measured state value obtained by normalizing the measured state using the scaling corresponding to the value of the target state.

18. The actuator according to claim 17, wherein, the frequency table is measurement data obtained by driving the actuator.

19. The actuator according to claim 17, wherein, the frequency table is calculation data obtained by identifying the model of the actuator.

20. The actuator according to claim 7, wherein, the output table uses the first probability table and the frequency table to calculate and includes a second probability table, and the second probability table includes probability data regarding the control value corresponding to the counter qubit.

21. The actuator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, the first member is a vibrator including an elastomer and an electromechanical energy conversion element, and the second member is a contact body in contact with the elastomer.

22. The actuator according to claim 21, wherein, the control quantity is a parameter that adjusts at least one of the frequency, phase difference, and amplitude of the voltage to be applied to the electromechanical energy conversion element.

23. A control device configured to control an actuator, the actuator comprising: a first member; a second member configured to operate by driving the first member; and a measurement unit configured to measure the state of the second member, the control device including: a quantum drive control unit configured to calculate a control amount for driving the first member through quantum operations, with a signal indicating a target state and a measured state indicated in an instruction issued by an instruction unit as inputs; and an output unit configured to output the control amount, wherein the second member operates by driving the first member with the control amount as an input.

24. The control device according to claim 23, wherein, the quantum drive control unit outputs the control amount based on quantum gate operations using qubits.

25. The control device according to claim 24, wherein, the quantum drive control unit includes a communication unit capable of connecting to an external server, and wherein the quantum gate operations using a quantum computer are executed via the external server.

26. The control device according to claim 24, wherein, the quantum drive control unit includes a memory, and wherein a computer based on binary operations executes quantum gate operations using a quantum computer via an external server, and information about the operation result is written into the memory.

27. A system, which includes: a first member; a second member configured to operate by driving the first member; and the control device according to claim 23 or 24.

28. The system according to claim 27, further including a measurement unit configured to measure the state of the second member.

29. An electronic device, which includes: a third member; and the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 disposed in the third member, or the control device according to claim 23 or 24 configured to operate the third member.

30. An optical device, which includes: an optical element; and the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 configured to operate the optical element through the operation of the contact body.

31. A imaging device, which includes: an imaging element; an optical element; and the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 configured to operate the optical element or the imaging element.

32. A stage, which includes: a placement unit; and the actuator according to claim 1 or 2 configured to operate the placement unit.

33. A control method for controlling an actuator, the actuator including: a first member; a second member configured to operate by driving the first member; and a measurement unit configured to measure the state of the second member, the control method including: executing, by a control unit, a quantum drive control step of outputting a control amount for driving the first member through quantum operations, with a signal indicating a target state and a measured state indicated in an instruction issued by an instruction unit as inputs; and An operation step is performed by the control unit, and the operation step uses the control amount as an input to operate the second member by driving the first member.

34. The control method according to claim 33, wherein, the quantum drive control step includes a step of outputting the control amount based on quantum gate operations using qubits.

35. The control method according to claim 34, wherein, the quantum drive control step includes a step of communicating with an external server and performing the quantum gate operations using a quantum computer via the external server.

36. The control method according to claim 34, wherein, in the quantum drive control step, a computer based on binary operations performs the quantum gate operations using a quantum computer via an external server, and information about the operation result is written into a memory.

37. A program for causing a control device to execute each step according to claim 33 or 34.

38. A computer-readable non-transitory storage medium storing the program according to claim 37.

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