Piezoelectric electromechanical translation apparatus and method.

摘要

An electromechanical translation apparatus adapted to produce incremental movement relative to a separate member and having a housing, a pair of clamping and translating members each of which has a driven end and an engaging end wherein each of the engaging ends is adapted to removably clamp and translate a separate member relative to the housing in response to a driving force which is selectively applied through the clamping and translating members to the engaging ends which selectively clamp the separate member at selected locations with a clamping force which varies with the magnitude of the driving force, a pair of piezoelectric driving elements operatively coupled one each to each of the clamping and translating members wherein each of the piezoelectric driving elements is capable of being selectively expanded and contracted in response to a voltage of a selected magnitude and selected frequency to produce between the housing and the clamping and translating members a variable driving force which varies between a first magnitude and a second magnitude and which enables the engaging ends of the clamping and translating members to apply a variable clamping force to the separate member which selectively clamps the members to the separate member for incremental movement therewith and enables sliding motion at conditions other than the selective clamping condition wherein the clamping force is a function of the magnitude of the driving force is shown. A method for producing relative translational movement between an electro mechanical apparatus and a separate member is also shown.