Vibration type actuator and electronic apparatus

Abstract

To provide a vibration type actuator with which thrust improvement and maintenance of downsizing are made compatible.SOLUTION: A vibration type actuator 1 comprises: a vibration body 2 including a piezoelectric element 7 and an elastic body 6 which is disposed above the piezoelectric element 7 and has a projecting part 6b on a top surface thereof; a contact body 3 which is brought into pressurized contact with the projecting part 6b by a pressurizing force; and a support member 4 which has a plurality of columnar parts 4b and supports the vibration body 2. The vibration body 2 includes a tabular member 8 having extension parts 8b which can be in contact with the columnar parts 4b under the elastic body 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vibration actuator and an electronic device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a conventional vibration type actuator in which protrusions are formed on the surface of a rectangular vibrating body and a support member is provided to maintain the vibrating body in a state of pressure contact with a contact body.

[0003] In the vibration actuator described in Patent Document 1, an extension provided on a rectangular elastic body that constitutes the vibrating body is supported by a support member with columnar protrusions. While it is generally possible to increase the output of the vibration actuator by increasing the size of this vibrating body, this approach has the disadvantage of increasing the overall size. Therefore, the performance of the vibration actuator is adjusted by adjusting the height of the protrusions formed on the elastic body. By lowering the height of the protrusions, the maximum speed decreases, but it becomes easier to obtain a high thrust. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-198658 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, if the height of the protrusion formed on the elastic body is lowered to increase thrust, there is a risk of interference between the contact body and the columnar portion of the support member, which places restrictions on lowering the height of this protrusion.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vibration-type actuator that achieves both miniaturization and high thrust. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The vibration type actuator of the present disclosure comprises a vibrating body having an electromechanical energy conversion element, an elastic body arranged above the electromechanical energy conversion element and having a protrusion on its upper surface, a contact body that comes into pressurized contact with the protrusion by applying pressure, and a support member that has a plurality of columnar portions and supports the vibrating body, and the vibrating body has a plate-like member below the elastic body that has an extension portion that can come into contact with the columnar portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a vibration type actuator that is both compact and has a high thrust force. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a vibration type actuator according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibrating body and the support member shown in FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the vibrating body, the columnar portion of the support member, and the contact body. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing a vibrating body and a supporting member in a vibration actuator according to a second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the vibrating body, the columnar portion, and the contact body. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device according to a third embodiment to which the vibration type actuator of the first or second embodiment is applied. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing main components of a vibration type actuator according to a comparative example. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between a vibrating body and a support member in a comparative example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] -Basic configuration of vibration type actuator in various embodiments- Before specifically disclosing the embodiments, the basic configuration of the vibration type actuator in this disclosure will be described.

[0011] The vibration actuator according to the present disclosure includes an electromechanical energy conversion element, a vibrating body having an elastic body disposed above the electromechanical energy conversion element and having a protrusion on its upper surface, and a support member having a plurality of pillars and supporting the vibrating body. The vibration actuator further includes a contact body that is in pressurized contact with the protrusion by a pressure force.

[0012] In the present disclosure, the vibrating body includes a plate-like member below the elastic body, the plate-like member having an extension portion that can come into contact with the columnar portion. The vibrating body including the plate-like member is supported by engaging the extension portion with the support member. The plate-like member contacts the columnar portion of the support member, causing relative movement between the vibrating body and the contact member. When increasing thrust by reducing the height of the protrusion portion of the elastic body, reducing the height of the protrusion may cause contact and interference between the contact member and the columnar portion of the support member. In the present disclosure, a plate-like member is disposed below the elastic body as one component of the vibrating body. The extension portion of the plate-like member engages with the support member, and the thickness of the plate-like member is appropriately adjusted taking into account its relationship with other components of the vibration actuator. As a result, the plate-like member appropriately raises the elastic body, ensuring a predetermined gap (gap) between the contact member and the columnar portion of the support member, preventing contact and interference between them. In the present disclosure, by using a configuration that is as simple as possible without significantly increasing the number of parts, it is possible to prevent interference between the support member columnar portion and the contact body regardless of the height of the vibrating body's protrusion, thereby realizing a vibration actuator that is both compact and has high thrust.

[0013] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the direction of relative movement of the vibration actuator 1 is defined as the X-axis direction, the direction of pressure applied by the contact body is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the direction perpendicular to both the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction is defined as the Y-axis direction.

[0014] -First embodiment- In the first embodiment, an example of a vibration actuator to which the present disclosure is applied will be described. Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing the main part of a vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0015] The vibration actuator 1 of this embodiment includes a vibrating body 2 , a support member 4 , and a contact body 3 . When viewed from the vibrating body 2, the contact body 3 is disposed on the +Z side (upper in the figure) in the figure, and the support member 4 is disposed on the -Z side (lower in the figure). The vibrating body 2 and the contact body 3 are brought into pressure contact in the Z-axis direction in the figure via the support member 4 by a pressure mechanism (not shown). The ultrasonic vibrations generated in the vibrating body 2 cause the vibrating body 2 and the contact body 3 to move relative to each other in the Z-axis direction in the figure, thereby operating the vibration actuator 1.

[0016] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibrating body 2 and the support member 4 shown in FIG. The vibrating body 2 is configured to have a diaphragm 6 which is an elastic body, a piezoelectric element 7 which is an electromechanical energy conversion element, a plate-like member 8, and a flexible printed circuit board 9. In this embodiment, all of these components which make up the vibrating body 2 are integrated by adhesive bonding.

[0017] The diaphragm 6 has a substantially rectangular, flat main portion 6a and two protrusions 6b that protrude in the Z-axis direction in the drawing from the top surface of the main portion 6a. In this embodiment, the protrusions 6b are formed to a low height from the top surface of the main portion 6a so that a high thrust can be obtained from the vibration actuator 1. The diaphragm 6 is preferably made of a material with low vibration damping, such as metal or ceramics.

[0018] The plate-like member 8 is disposed below the diaphragm 6 (on the surface opposite to the upper surface on which the protrusions 6b of the diaphragm 6 are disposed). The plate-like member 8 has a flat plate portion 8a that is roughly rectangular and flat like the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6, and extending portions 8b in four places in total, two at each end of the flat plate portion 8a in the X-axis direction.

[0019] As a material for the plate-shaped member 8, a metal material, particularly a stainless steel material, is preferable, but aluminum, copper-based alloys, etc. can also be selected. Because the vibrator 2 operates as an ultrasonic vibrator, selecting a material with low vibration attenuation for the plate-shaped member 8 can result in an efficient vibrator. Furthermore, a metal material is preferable because the plate-shaped member 8 rubs against the columnar portion 4b of the support member 4 (described later) when vibrating in contact with it. Regarding the manufacture of the plate-shaped member 8, the extension portion 8b may be formed integrally with the flat plate portion 8a by press working, cutting work, etc., or the extension portion 8b may be formed separately from the flat plate portion 8a and then fixed to the flat plate portion 8a later by welding, adhesive, etc.

[0020] In this embodiment, in a plan view, the end of the flat portion 8a of the plate-like member 8, where the extension portion 8b is provided, protrudes from the end of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6. In other words, the plate-like member 8 is formed so that the dimension of the flat portion 8a of the plate-like member 8 is reliably larger than the dimension of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6 in the X-axis direction. As will be described later, the vibrating body 2 is held in a loose-fit state relative to the support member 4. To reliably achieve this configuration, it is desirable that the length of the vibrating body 2 in the X-direction be determined solely by the dimension of the flat portion 8a of the plate-like member 8. Consider a situation in which the diaphragm 6 is longer in the X-direction than the support member 4 due to variations in component processing, or a situation in which the diaphragm 6 protrudes from the support member 4 due to variations in positioning during bonding. In such a situation, there is a risk that the loose-fit state described above will not be achieved (there will be no gap between the vibrating body 2 and the support member 4). By making the dimensions of the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-like member 8 larger than the dimensions of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6, the vibrating body 2 is reliably held in the support member 4 in a loosely fitted state.

[0021] The piezoelectric element 7 is disposed below the plate-like member 8 (on the surface of the plate-like member 8 opposite to the surface that contacts the diaphragm 6). The piezoelectric element 7 is formed in a generally rectangular, flat plate shape, similar to the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6. The material of the piezoelectric element 7 is a piezoelectric ceramic material, such as lead zirconate titanate. It may also be made primarily of a lead-free piezoelectric material, such as barium titanate or bismuth sodium titanate. "Lead-free" means that the lead content is 1000 ppm or less.

[0022] In this embodiment, in a plan view, the end of the flat portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 8, where the extension portion 8b is provided, protrudes beyond the end of the piezoelectric element 7. In other words, the plate-shaped member 8 is formed so that the dimension of the flat portion 8a in the X-axis direction is reliably larger than the dimension of the piezoelectric element 7. As will be described later, the vibrating body 2 is held in a loose-fit state relative to the support member 4. To reliably achieve this configuration, it is desirable that the length of the vibrating body 2 in the X-direction be determined solely by the dimension of the flat portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 8. Consider a situation in which the piezoelectric element 7 is longer in the X-direction than the support member 4 due to variations in component processing, or a situation in which the piezoelectric element 7 protrudes from the support member 4 due to variations in positioning during bonding. In such a situation, there is a risk that the loose-fit state described above will not be achieved (there will be no gap between the vibrating body 2 and the support member 4). By making the dimension of the flat portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 8 larger than the dimension of the piezoelectric element 7, the vibrating body 2 is reliably held in a loose-fit state relative to the support member 4. Furthermore, since the piezoelectric element 7 is made of a brittle piezoelectric ceramic material, there is a risk that the piezoelectric element 7 may be damaged by rubbing against the columnar portion 4b of the support member 4. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the piezoelectric element 7 from coming into contact with the columnar portion 4b of the support member 4.

[0023] The flexible printed circuit board 9 is disposed on the underside (the surface opposite to the surface in contact with the plate-like member 8) of the piezoelectric element 7. The flexible printed circuit board 9 is a member for electrically connecting the piezoelectric element 7 to the outside (such as a power source for supplying power to the vibration-type actuator).

[0024] When the vibrating body 2 is viewed in a projected manner from the Z-axis direction, the extension 8b is arranged at a location where the vibration displacement in the vibration mode is small. The vibration mode used to drive the vibrating body 2 is not limited to the form disclosed in Patent Document 1, for example. Any vibrating body that can obtain a driving force by having the protrusion 6b is effective as the vibrating body 2, and the extension 8b may be provided near a node of this vibration mode.

[0025] The support member 4 has, on one surface of the main portion 4a, for example, two pressure portions 4c formed for transmitting pressure to the vibrating body 2 and for holding the vibrating body 2 in the Z-axis direction in the figure. The pressure portions 4c are positioned so as to align with the vicinity of nodes of the vibration mode excited in the vibrating body 2. The pressure portions 4c provide a gap between the main portion 4a of the support member 4 and the vibrating body 2 so that they do not come into contact with each other. Furthermore, columnar portions 4b for holding the vibrating body 2 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions are formed in four locations near the corners of the support member 4 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0026] 3 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the vibrating body 2, the columnar portion 4b of the support member 4, and the contact body 3. The positional relationship among these will be explained below with reference to this drawing. As shown in FIG. 3(a), when the vibrating body 2 is placed on the support member 4, the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-like member 8 and the columnar portion 4b of the support member 4 are sized and positioned so that a small gap is created in the X-axis direction in the figure. Similarly, the extension portion 8b and the columnar portion 4b are sized and positioned so that a small gap is created in the Y-axis direction in the figure. The formation of the small gap results in a non-contact state between the flat plate portion 8a and the columnar portion 4b. The relationship between the plate-like member 8 and the support member 4 is formed at four locations symmetrically with the locations shown in the figure. As a result, the vibrating body 2 is held in a state where there is small backlash in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, i.e., a loose fit state, relative to the support member 4. By holding the vibrating body 2 in this loose fit state, the vibration excited by the vibrating body 2 is not hindered, and output from the vibrating body 2 can be generated as an ultrasonic actuator.

[0027] Prior to describing this embodiment using Fig. 3(b), a comparative example of this embodiment will be described using Fig. 7 and Fig. 8. In this comparative example, like this embodiment, a low-height protrusion 6b is provided on the vibration plate 6, but the vibration actuator 1 does not have the plate-like member of this embodiment.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing main components of a vibration type actuator according to a comparative example. The vibrating body 22 is supported by a support member 4. Two protrusions 6b formed on a main portion 6a of a diaphragm 6, which is a component constituting the vibrating body 22, are brought into pressurized contact with the contact body 3 by a pressure mechanism (not shown). For the sake of explanation, in this figure, the contact body 3 is moved in the Z-axis direction in the figure.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the vibrating body 22 and the support member 4 in the comparative example. The height of the protrusions 6b of the vibrating body 22 is kept low to ensure the thrust of the vibration actuator. When these protrusions 6b and the friction surface 3a of the contact body are in pressurized contact, the four pillars 4b of the support member support the side of the vibrating body 22, preventing movement in the X and Y axis directions. The gap between the friction surface (contact surface) 3a of the contact body 3 and the pillars 4b is extremely narrow (≒ 0), or in the worst case, they come into contact (= 0). In these cases, in actual use, the friction surface 3a and the pillars 4b come into contact and interfere with each other, making it impossible for the vibrating body to function as a vibration actuator.

[0030] In contrast, in the vibration actuator of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3(b), the positional relationship in the Z-axis direction between the plate-like member 8 and the contact body 3 is determined so that the vibration plate 6 is sandwiched between them. Since the extensions 8b are provided on the plate-like member 8, not on the vibration plate 6, and engage with the support member 4, the plate-like member 8 appropriately raises the bottom of the vibration plate 6, and a distance (gap) of Z1 (>0) is secured between the upper surface of the columnar portion 4b engaging with the plate-like member 8 and the friction surface 3a of the contact body 3. In this way, in this embodiment, even when the height of the protrusions 6b of the vibrating body 2 is reduced to increase the thrust of the vibration actuator 1, the risk of contact or interference between the contact body 3 and the columnar portion 4b of the support member is eliminated.

[0031] Furthermore, to prevent the plate-like member 8 from coming off the columnar portion 4b, it is desirable that the distance Z2 between the plate-like member 8 and the friction surface 3a in the Z-axis direction (thickness direction of the vibrating body 2) be Z2 > Z1, and this relationship is achieved in this embodiment. If the relationship Z2 > Z1 is satisfied, the position of the top surface of the plate-like member 8 will be lower than the position of the top surface of the columnar portion 4b, and the plate-like member 8 will be held without coming off the columnar portion 4b. A configuration that satisfies the above relationship is desirable because it stably maintains the above relationship between the protrusion 6b and the plate-like member 18 even when there is variation in the thickness of each component in the Z-axis direction or when the support member 4 is tilted about the Y-axis relative to the vibrating body 2.

[0032] As described above, in this embodiment, by appropriately providing a plate-like member 8 on the vibrating body 2, it is possible to realize a vibration actuator 1 that achieves both improved thrust by reducing the height of the protrusion 6b of the vibrating body 2 and maintaining a small size.

[0033] -Second embodiment- The second embodiment discloses a vibration type actuator similar to the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that the location of the plate-like member is different.

[0034] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the vibrating body 12 and the support member 4 in the vibration actuator 1 of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the vibrating body 12 is configured to have two plate-like members 18A and 18B in addition to the diaphragm 6, piezoelectric element 7, and flexible printed circuit board 9. Two protrusions 6b are formed on the upper surface of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6, the upper surface of the piezoelectric element 7 is in contact with the lower surface of the main portion 6a, and the flexible printed circuit board 9 is disposed in a central portion of the lower surface of the piezoelectric element 7. On the lower surface of the piezoelectric element 7, plate-like members 18 are disposed on both ends in the X-axis direction, sandwiching the flexible printed circuit board 9 therebetween. Here, the diaphragm 6 and the piezoelectric element 7 are bonded together, and the piezoelectric element 7, the flexible printed circuit board 9, and the two plate-like members 18A and 18B on either side thereof are bonded together.

[0035] The two plate-like members 18A, 18B are a pair of members having the same configuration. In Fig. 4, the plate-like member 18A has a flat plate portion 18a and extending portions 18b extending in the -X-axis direction from two locations on one end of the plate-like member 18a. The plate-like member 18B has extending portions 18b extending in the +X-axis direction from two locations on the flat plate portion 18a and the other end (the end opposite to the one end). In the vibrating body 12, the two plate-like members 18A, 18B provide extending portions 18b in a total of four locations.

[0036] In this embodiment, for the same reasons as in the first embodiment, in a plan view, one end of the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 18A protrudes from one end of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6. The other end (the end opposite to the one end) of the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 18B protrudes from the other end of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6. In other words, at one end and the other end of the vibrating body 2, the dimensions of the flat plate portions 18a are formed so as to be reliably larger than the dimensions of the main portion 6a of the diaphragm 6 in the X-axis direction.

[0037] Furthermore, for the same reasons as in the first embodiment, in a plan view, one end of the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 18A protrudes from one end of the piezoelectric element 7. The other end of the flat plate portion 8a of the plate-shaped member 18B protrudes from the other end of the piezoelectric element 7. In other words, at one end and the other end of the vibrating body 2, the dimensions of the flat plate portions 18a are formed so as to be reliably larger than the dimensions of the piezoelectric element 7 in the X-axis direction.

[0038] Figure 5 is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the vibrating body 12, the columnar portion 4b, and the contact body 3. The positional relationship between these will be explained below using this figure. In Figure 5, of the two plate-like members 18, only the left plate-like member 18 is shown.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 5 , the positional relationship between the plate-like members 18A and 18B and the contact body 3 in the Z-axis direction is determined so that the piezoelectric element 17 and the diaphragm 6 are sandwiched between them. Here, the extensions 18b are provided on the plate-like members 18A and 18B, not on the diaphragm 6, and engage with the support member 4. Therefore, the plate-like members 18A and 18B appropriately raise the bottom of the diaphragm 6, and a distance (gap) of Z3 (>0) is ensured between the upper surface of the columnar portion 4b, which engages with the plate-like members 18A and 18B, and the friction surface (contact surface) 3a of the contact body 3. In this embodiment, the plate-like members 18A and 18B having the extensions 18b are disposed on the lower surface of the piezoelectric element 7, and therefore not only the thickness of the plate-like members 18A and 18B but also the thickness of the piezoelectric element 7 contribute to raising the bottom of the diaphragm 6. Therefore, the diaphragm 6 can be made thinner, enabling the vibrating body 12 to be made smaller. In this way, in this embodiment, even when the height of the protrusion 6b of the vibrating body 2 is reduced to improve the thrust of the vibration actuator 1, the risk of contact or interference between the contact body 3 and the columnar portion 4b of the support member is eliminated.

[0040] Furthermore, to prevent the plate-like members 18A and 18B from coming off the columnar portion 4b, it is desirable that the distance Z4 between the plate-like members 18A and 18B and the friction surface 3a in the Z-axis direction (thickness direction of the vibrating body 12) be greater than Z3, and this relationship is achieved in this embodiment. If the relationship Z4 > Z3 is satisfied, the positions of the top surfaces of the plate-like members 18A and 18B are lower than the positions of the top surfaces of the columnar portion 4b, and the plate-like members 18A and 18B are held without coming off the columnar portion 4b. A configuration that satisfies this relationship is desirable because it stably maintains the above-described relationship between the protrusions 4b and the plate-like members 18 and 18B even when there is variation in the thickness of each component in the Z-axis direction or when the support member 4 is tilted about the Y-axis relative to the vibrating body 12.

[0041] Furthermore, in this embodiment, plate-like members 18A and 18B are arranged in contact with the lower surface of the piezoelectric element 7, and a flexible printed circuit board 9 for supplying power to the piezoelectric element 7 is arranged in the region between the plate-like members 18A and 18B. Since the plate-like members 18A and 18B and the flexible printed circuit board 9 are both in parallel contact with the lower surface of the piezoelectric element 7, an increase in the thickness of the vibrating body 12 due to the provision of the plate-like members 18A and 18B is suppressed. As a result, the vibrating body 12 can be made smaller, and therefore the vibration actuator 1 can be made smaller.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, by appropriately providing plate-like members 18A and 18B on the vibrating body 2, it is possible to realize a vibration actuator 1 that achieves both improved thrust by reducing the height of the protrusion 6b of the vibrating body 2 and maintaining a small size.

[0043] -Third embodiment- In the third embodiment, an imaging device, which is an electronic device to which the vibration type actuator according to the first or second embodiment is applied, will be described.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an imaging device according to the third embodiment to which the vibration actuator of the first or second embodiment (referred to as a vibration actuator 100) is applied. Note that, although the following description is given of a case where a lens barrel driving device equipped with vibration actuator 100 is mounted on an imaging device, this does not limit the present disclosure. Also, the following description is given of an imaging device in which imaging lens unit 101 and camera body 102 are integrated, but imaging lens unit 101 may be an interchangeable lens.

[0045] The imaging device main body is composed of an imaging lens unit 101 and a camera body 102. Inside the imaging lens unit 101, an optical lens 103 is a member to be driven by a vibration actuator 100, and is connected to a movable part 111 of the vibration actuator 100. Driving the vibration actuator 100 moves the movable part 111, and the optical lens 103 becomes movable in a direction substantially parallel to an optical axis 105 and is positioned at a predetermined position. The lens barrel drive device of this embodiment is composed of the lens barrel including the optical lens 103 and the vibration actuator 100. In a lens barrel drive device in which the optical lens 103 is a focusing lens, the focusing lens moves in a direction substantially parallel to the optical axis 105 during imaging, and the subject image is formed at the position of an image sensor 104 inside the camera body 102, making it possible to generate a focused image.

[0046] As described above, according to this embodiment, an imaging device equipped with a vibration type actuator that can improve thrust while maintaining a small size can be realized.

[0047] The disclosure of various embodiments includes the following configurations. (Configuration 1) an electromechanical energy conversion element; an elastic body disposed above the electromechanical energy conversion element and having a protrusion on an upper surface thereof; a vibrating body having a contact body that comes into pressurized contact with the protrusion by applying a pressure; a support member having a plurality of pillar portions and supporting the vibrating body; Equipped with the vibrating body has a plate-like member below the elastic body, the plate-like member having an extending portion that can come into contact with the columnar portion; Vibration actuator. (Configuration 2) the plate-like member is disposed between the electromechanical energy conversion element and the elastic body; 2. The vibration actuator according to claim 1. (Configuration 3) the plate-like member is disposed below the electromechanical energy conversion element; 3. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 or 2. (Configuration 4) The plate-shaped member has two of the above-mentioned members, The two plate-like members are arranged in parallel with a predetermined interval. 4. The vibration actuator according to configuration 3. (Configuration 5) a predetermined distance is maintained between the top surface of the columnar portion and the contact surface of the contact body with the protrusion portion in the thickness direction of the vibrating body; The vibration type actuator according to any one of the first to fourth aspects. (Configuration 6) a distance between an upper surface of the plate-like member and a contact surface of the contact body with the protrusion portion in a thickness direction of the vibrating body is larger than a distance between an upper surface of the columnar portion and the contact surface; 6. The vibration actuator according to any one of configurations 1 to 5. (Configuration 7) In a plan view, an end of the plate-like member where the extension portion is provided protrudes from an end of the elastic body. The vibration type actuator according to any one of the first to sixth aspects. (Configuration 8) In a plan view, an end portion of the plate-like member where the extension portion is provided protrudes from an end portion of the electromechanical energy conversion element. The vibration type actuator according to any one of configurations 1 to 7. (Configuration 9) The vibrating body is held in a loosely fitted state in the support member. 9. The vibration actuator according to any one of the first to eighth aspects. (Configuration 10) When the vibrating body is placed on the support member, a gap is formed between the extending portion and the columnar portion, so that the extending portion and the columnar portion are in a non-contact state. 10. The vibration actuator according to configuration 9. (Configuration 11) a vibration type actuator according to any one of configurations 1 to 10; a member that is positioned by driving the vibration type actuator; Equipped with electronic equipment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1. Vibration actuator 2,12,22 Vibration body 3 Contact body 4 Support member 6 diaphragm 6a Main part 6b Protrusion 7 Piezoelectric element 8, 18A, 18B Plate-shaped members 8a,18a flat plate part 8b,18b extension part 9 Flexible Printed Circuit Board

Claims

1. an electromechanical energy conversion element; an elastic body disposed above the electromechanical energy conversion element and having a protrusion on an upper surface thereof; a vibrating body having a contact body that comes into pressurized contact with the protrusion by applying a pressure; a support member having a plurality of pillar portions and supporting the vibrating body; Equipped with the vibrating body has a plate-like member below the elastic body, the plate-like member having an extending portion that can come into contact with the columnar portion; Vibration actuator.

2. the plate-like member is disposed between the electromechanical energy conversion element and the elastic body; The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

3. the plate-like member is disposed below the electromechanical energy conversion element; The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

4. The plate-shaped member has two of the above-mentioned plates, The two plate-like members are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval. The vibration type actuator according to claim 3 .

5. a predetermined distance is maintained between the top surface of the columnar portion and the contact surface of the contact body with the protrusion portion in the thickness direction of the vibrating body; The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

6. a distance between an upper surface of the plate-like member and a contact surface of the contact body with the protrusion portion in a thickness direction of the vibrating body is larger than a distance between an upper surface of the columnar portion and the contact surface; The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

7. In a plan view, an end of the plate-like member where the extension portion is provided protrudes from an end of the elastic body. The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

8. In a plan view, an end portion of the plate-like member where the extension portion is provided protrudes from an end portion of the electromechanical energy conversion element. The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

9. The vibrating body is held in a loosely fitted state in the support member. The vibration type actuator according to claim 1 .

10. When the vibrating body is placed on the support member, a gap is formed between the extending portion and the columnar portion, so that the extending portion and the columnar portion are in a non-contact state. The vibration type actuator according to claim 9 .

11. a vibration type actuator according to any one of claims 1 to 10; a member that is positioned by driving the vibration type actuator; Equipped with electronic equipment.

Images