US 12,149,187 B2
Vibration wave motor and imaging apparatus and electronic apparatus including vibration wave motor
Akira Shimada, Saitama (JP)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Oct. 10, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/045,271.
Application 18/045,271 is a continuation of application No. PCT/JP2021/012482, filed on Mar. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-071690 (JP), filed on Apr. 13, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0060963 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. H02N 2/16 (2006.01); H02N 2/02 (2006.01); H02N 2/14 (2006.01)
CPC H02N 2/163 (2013.01) [H02N 2/026 (2013.01); H02N 2/142 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vibration wave motor, comprising:
a vibrator including an electro-mechanical energy conversion element and an elastic body to which the electro-mechanical energy conversion element is fixed; and
a contact body configured to be in pressure contact with the elastic body,
wherein the vibration wave motor is configured to relatively move the vibrator and the contact body using a vibration excited in the vibrator,
wherein the elastic body includes:
a flat plate portion on which the electro-mechanical energy conversion element is fixed; and
a protruding portion that protrudes from the flat plate portion,
wherein the protruding portion includes:
a contact portion that has a contact surface being in pressure contact with the contact body;
a side wall portion that protrudes in a pressure direction and forms a hollow structure, the pressure direction representing a direction in which the contact surface is in pressure contact with the contact body; and
a coupling portion that is configured to couple the contact portion and the side wall portion and has flexibility in the pressure direction, and
wherein the following inequality is satisfied:
0<h1/t1≤2.0,
where a thickness of the side wall portion in a direction orthogonal to the pressure direction is t1, and a distance in the pressure direction from a second surface of the flat plate portion to the coupling portion is h1, the second surface of the flat plate portion facing a first surface of the flat plate portion on which the electro-mechanical energy conversion element is fixed.