A vibrator is disclosed having a vibrating body with a polygonal lateral cross-section. Two piezoelectric elements are disposed on nonparallel side surfaces of the vibrating body. A support structure is provided which supports the vibrating body at two support points of the vibrating body. The support points are located in a split plane which passes through the line of intersection of the two planes in which the two side surfaces lie and bisects the inner angle formed by these two planes. Furthermore, the support points are located on opposite sides of the vibrating body and each support point is located at or near a nodal point of the vibrator.
A vibration gyroscope includes a vibrator. The vibrator has a vibration member formed in a regular triangular prism shape. On side faces of the vibration member, three piezoelectric elements are formed, respectively. Two of the piezoelectric elements are connected to the input terminal of an oscillation circuit through resistors which serve as the loads of the two piezoelectric elements, respectively. The output terminal of the oscillation circuit is connected to the other piezoelectric element. The former piezoelectric elements are also connected to the non-inverting input terminal and the inverting input terminal of a differential amplifier circuit, respectively. By changing the impedances of the resistors, the characteristics of the vibration gyroscope is adjusted.
A vibrating gyroscope having a vibratable body in the form of a triangular prism, piezoelectric elements formed on side surfaces of the vibrating body and having the same vibration characteristics and a detection circuit having two input terminals connected to two of the piezoelectric elements to detect the difference between the outputs from the two piezoelectric elements, the two detection piezoelectric elements being selected such that the difference between their outputs with respect to a change in ambient atmosphere temperature is the smallest.
The ultrasonic actuator of the present invention includes a rod shaped vibration body having a plurality of faces, an exciter which is provided on a one of the faces for vibration excitation of the vibration body and which generates traveling waves which progress along this face for vibration excitation, and a movable member which is pressed against the vibration body and is moved by the traveling waves. The vibration body is so formed that the traveling waves which progress along the face for vibration excitation of the vibration body are transmitted to a face of the vibration body other than its face for vibration excitation, and are recirculated back to the face for vibration excitation again.
Four piezoelectric elements are formed on both surfaces of a plate-shaped vibrating body. Two piezoelectric elements are formed to be opposite to each other at one side of the longitudinal center portion of the vibrating body. Another two piezoelectric elements are formed to be opposite to each other at the other side of the longitudinal center portion of the vibrating body. By applying a signal to the piezoelectric elements, the vibrating body is vibrated in a longitudinal direction. In this time, the vibrating body is vibrated in such a manner that longitudinal expansion and contraction take place simultaneously in a part of the vibrating body. By using such vibration, both longitudinal ends are not displaced in spite of the vibration of the vibrating body. The vibrating body can be used as an acceleration sensor by measuring the output voltages from the piezoelectric elements of the vibrating body.
A high-torque, low speed, positive-drive field actuator motor including a stator carrying at least one field actuator which changes in dimension responsive to application of an energy field, and at least one drive shoe movable by the dimensional changes of the field actuator to contact and move a rotor element with respect to the stator. Various embodiments of the motor are disclosed, and the rotor element may be moved linearly or arcuately.
