Actuator device

Claim 2

An actuator device for regulating a contact member in contact with a projection formed in a vibrator and for producing relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member by vibrating the vibrator, said actuator comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator; and control means for controlling the vibrator so that a stop position between the projection and the contact member randomly changes at every stop operation of the vibrator by said driving circuit.

Claim 3

An actuator device according to claim 1, wherein the vibrations generated in the vibrator by said drive circuit produce movement between the projection and the contact member, and the projection is maintained is contact with the contact member by a friction member.

Claim 4

An actuator device according to claim 2, wherein said drive circuit generates vibrations in a vibrator having a plurality of projections.

Claim 5

An actuator device for regulating a contact member in contact at contact positions with a plurality of projections formed in a vibrator through a friction member and for producing relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member by vibrating the vibrator, said actuator device comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator; and a control circuit for controlling a time to stop the vibrations so that the contact positions between the projections and the friction member at every stop operation of said driving circuit are not identical to one another.

Claim 6

An actuator device for regulating a contact member in contact at contact positions with a plurality of projections formed in a vibrator through a friction member and for producing relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member by vibrating the vibrator, said actuator device comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator; and a control circuit for controlling a time to stop the vibrations so that the contact positions between the projections and the friction member at every stop operation of said driving circuit are not identical to one another.

Claim 7

An actuator device according to claim 4, wherein said control circuit includes a first circuit for outputting a first signal when a first predetermined amount of relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member has taken place, and a second circuit for outputting a second signal when a second predetermined amount of relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member has taken place after said first signal is output, wherein the operation to generate vibrations by said driving circuit is stopped by said second signal, and wherein said control circuit further includes a third circuit for randomly changing or shifting by a third predetermined amount the second predetermined amount of relative movement from the output of the first signal to the output of the second signal by said second circuit.

Claim 8

An actuator device according to claim 5, wherein said third circuit changes the amount of the third predetermined movement within a range of an interval between each projection and an integer multiple of the intervals between the projections.

Claim 9

An actuator device for regulating relative movement between a contact member and a vibrator having a plurality of projections at predetermined intervals, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for setting an amount of relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member to an integer multiple of a unit amount of relative movement, for stopping and starting vibrations by said driving circuit at every amount of relative movement, and for setting either one of an interval between the projections and the unit amount of relative movement so that the unit amount is not an integer multiple of the interval between the projections.

Claim 10

An actuator device for regulating relative movement between a contact member and a vibrator having a plurality of projections at predetermined intervals, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for setting an amount of relative movement between the vibrator and the contact member to an integer multiple of a unit amount of relative movement, for stopping and starting vibrations by said driving circuit at every amount of relative movement, and for setting either one of an interval between the projections and the unit amount of relative movement so that the unit amount is not an integer multiple of the interval between the projections.

Claim 11

An actuator device for regulating relative circular movement between a contact member and a vibrator having a plurality of projections at predetermined intervals, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for setting an amount of relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member to an integer multiple of a unit angle of rotation, for stopping and starting vibrations by said driving circuit at every amount of relative circular movement, and for setting either one of the unit interval between the projections and an angle of rotation so that the unit angle of rotation is not an integer multiple of a central angle for a circular arc having a length of the interval between the projections.

Claim 12

An actuator device for regulating relative circular movement between a contact member and a vibrator having a plurality of projections at predetermined intervals, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a driving circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for setting an amount of relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member to an integer multiple of a unit angle of rotation, for stopping and starting vibrations by said driving circuit at every amount of relative circular movement, and for setting either one of the unit interval between the projections and an angle of rotation so that the unit angle of rotation is not an integer multiple of a central angle for a circular arc having a length of the interval between the projections.

Claim 13

An actuator device for regulating relative circular movement between a contact member and a vibrator having N projections, with N being an integer, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a drive circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for controlling relative circular movement amount at an integer multiple of a unit angle of rotation, and for setting the number of said relative circular movements at which the projections and the contact member become identical in position, as the unit angle of rotation is set to at least 360/(N·θ), where θ is a central angle of the projections.

Claim 14

An actuator device for regulating relative circular movement between a contact member and a vibrator having N projections, with N being an integer, with a friction member placing the contact member in contact with the projections, said actuator comprising: a drive circuit for generating vibrations in the vibrator to produce the relative circular movement between the vibrator and the contact member; and control means for controlling relative circular movement amount at an integer multiple of a unit angle of rotation, and for setting the number of said relative circular movements at which the projections and the contact member become identical in position, as the unit angle of rotation is set to at least 360/(N·θ), where θ is a central angle of the projections.