Control device for a vibration wave motor

Claim 2

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a contact member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device, comprising: (a) a determining circuit for monitoring a driving state of said motor and determining a resonance frequency or a frequency in the vicinity thereof; (b) a changing circuit for changing a frequency of the periodic voltage from a predetermined value toward the resonance frequency, said changing circuit changing the frequency independently from the resonance frequency or the frequency in the vicinity thereof determined by said determining circuit; and (c) inhibiting means for inhibiting the frequency changed by said changing circuit from shifting to a frequency exceeding the resonance frequency or the frequency in the vicinity thereof, said frequency in the vicinity thereof being a frequency shifted from the resonance frequency toward the predetermined value.

Claim 3

A control device according to claim 1, wherein said changing circuit time-serially changes the frequency of said frequency voltage from a frequency higher than said resonance frequency to a frequency lower than said resonance frequency.

Claim 4

A control device according to claim 2, wherein said changing circuit has renewing means for time-serially renewing the determined frequency value by a predetermined value each toward the lower frequency.

Claim 5

A control device according to claim 1, wherein said determining circuit has monitor means for outputting a periodic signal corresponding to the driving state of said motor and a phase detecting circuit for detecting the phase difference between the periodic signal from said monitor means and said periodic voltage and producing an output when said phase difference becomes a predetermined phase difference, and said inhibiting means is responsive to the output of said phase detecting circuit to inhibit the change of the frequency by said changing circuit.

Claim 6

A control device according to claim 4, wherein said monitor means is an electrostrictive element disposed on the surface of said vibration member.

Claim 7

A control device according to claim 4, wherein said monitor means is a piezoelectric element disposed on the surface of said vibration member.

Claim 8

A control device according to claim 1, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is an electrostrictive element.

Claim 9

A control device according to claim 1, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is a piezoelectric element.

Claim 10

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a contact member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a detecting circuit for detecting a driving state of the motor and producing an output when the motor becomes a resonance driving state or the vicinity of the resonance driving state; (b) a changing circuit for time-serially changing a frequency of the periodic voltage in succession, said changing circuit changing the frequency independently from the detecting operation of said detecting circuit for detecting the resonance or the vicinity of the resonance driving state, said changing circuit changing the frequency from a predetermined value toward a frequency of the resonance driving state, said state in the vicinity of the resonance driving state being a state where the frequency is shifted from the frequency of the resonance driving state toward the predetermined value; and (c) an inhibiting circuit responsive to the output of said detecting circuit to inhibit substantial renewal of the frequency controlled by said changing circuit.

Claim 11

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a contact member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a detecting circuit for detecting a driving state of the motor and producing an output when the motor becomes a resonance driving state or the vicinity of the resonance driving state; (b) a changing circuit for time-serially changing a frequency of the periodic voltage in succession, said changing circuit changing the frequency independently from the detecting operation of said detecting circuit for detecting the resonance or the vicinity of the resonance driving state, said changing circuit changing the frequency from a predetermined value toward a frequency of the resonance driving state, said state in the vicinity of the resonance driving state being a state where the frequency is shifted from the frequency of the resonance driving state toward the predetermined value; and (c) an inhibiting circuit responsive to the output of said detecting circuit to inhibit substantial renewal of the frequency controlled by said changing circuit.

Claim 12

A control device according to claim 9, wherein said changing circuit changes the frequency by each predetermined value and said inhibiting circuit is alternately effect said changing operation of the predetermined value by said changing circuit and a changing operation of said predetermined value in the direction opposite to the direction of change by said changing operation.

Claim 13

A control device according to claim 9, wherein said detecting circuit has monitor means for outputting a periodic signal corresponding to the driving state of the motor, and a phase detecting circuit for detecting the phase difference between the periodic signal from said monitor means and said periodic voltage and producing an output when said phase difference becomes a predetermined phase difference.

Claim 14

A control device according to claim 11, wherein said monitor means is an electrostrictive element disposed on the surface of said vibration member.

Claim 15

A control device according to claim 11, wherein said monitor means is a piezoelectric element disposed on the surface of said vibration member.

Claim 16

A control device according to claim 9, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is an electrostrictive element.

Claim 17

A control device according to claim 9, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is a piezoelectric element.

Claim 18

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a control member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device having: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage; (b) drive detecting means for detecting whether said motor is being driven; (c) frequency detecting means for detecting the maximum of the frequency changed by said changing circuit in a state in which the driving of said motor is detected by said drive detecting means or a frequency in the vicinity of the maximum; and (d) a control circuit for setting the frequency at the starting of said motor for the next driving thereof to a frequency corresponding to the frequency detected by said frequency detecting means during the preceding driving of the motor, and causing the frequency changing operation by said changing circuit to be performed from said frequency.

Claim 19

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electro-mechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a control member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device having: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage; (b) drive detecting means for detecting whether said motor is being driven; (c) frequency detecting means for detecting the maximum of the frequency changed by said changing circuit in a state in which the driving of said motor is detected by said drive detecting means or a frequency in the vicinity of the maximum; and (d) a control circuit for setting the frequency at the starting of said motor for the next driving thereof to a frequency corresponding to the frequency detected by said frequency detecting means during the preceding driving of the motor, and causing the frequency changing operation by said changing circuit to be performed from said frequency.

Claim 20

A control device according to claim 16, wherein; in case of the first driving of the motor, said changing circuit successively decreases the frequency from a particular value, and said control circuit sets the frequency which is detected by said drive detecting means at the time when said drive detecting means detect the start of rotating of the motor under the decrease in said frequency as the next starting frequency detected by said frequency detecting means.

Claim 21

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a contact member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage in succession from a particular initial value for driving the motor; (b) detecting means for detecting the start of the driving of said motor; and (c) a setting circuit for setting the frequency changed by said changing circuit when the start of the driving of said motor is detected by said detecting means as an initial value for the frequency change by said changing circuit during the next driving of the motor.

Claim 22

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a contact member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage in succession from a particular initial value for driving the motor; (b) detecting means for detecting the start of the driving of said motor; and (c) a setting circuit for setting the frequency changed by said changing circuit when the start of the driving of said motor is detected by said detecting means as an initial value for the frequency change by said changing circuit during the next driving of the motor.

Claim 23

A control device according to claim 18, wherein said changing circuit changes the frequency in succession from the initial value to the direction of decreasing for driving the motor.

Claim 24

A control device according to claim 19, further comprising comparing means for comparing the initial value set by said setting circuit with the frequency changed by said changing circuit during the driving of the motor after the motor is started, and causing said setting circuit to set the frequency changed by said changing circuit as a new initial value when the frequency changed by said changing circuit has become a frequency higher than said initial value.

Claim 25

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a control member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage; and (b) a setting circuit for setting the maximum frequency changed by said changing circuit during the driving of the motor or a frequency in the vicinity of said maximum frequency as the initial value of the frequency changed by said changing circuit at the next starting of the motor.

Claim 26

A control device for a vibration wave motor in which a periodic voltage is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element disposed on a vibration member to form a travelling vibration wave in the vibration member and a control member is driven by said travelling vibration wave, said control device comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of said periodic voltage; and (b) a setting circuit for setting the maximum frequency changed by said changing circuit during the driving of the motor or a frequency in the vicinity of said maximum frequency as the initial value of the frequency changed by said changing circuit at the next starting of the motor.

Claim 27

A control device according to claim 16, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is an electrostrictive element.

Claim 28

A control device according to claim 16, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is a piezoelectric element.

Claim 29

A control device according to claim 18, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is an electrostrictive element.

Claim 30

A control device according to claim 18, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is a piezoelectric element.

Claim 31

A control device according to claim 21, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is an electrostrictive element.

Claim 32

A control device according to claim 21, wherein said electro-mechanical energy conversion element is a piezoelectric element.

Claim 41

A vibration motor in which a periodic signal is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element to form a vibration as a driving force, comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of the periodic signal; and (b) a setting circuit for setting the maximum frequency changed by said changing circuit during the driving of the motor or a frequency in the vicinity of said maximum frequency as an initial value of the frequency changed by said changing circuit at the next starting of the motor.

Claim 42

A vibration motor in which a periodic signal is applied to an electromechanical energy conversion element to form a vibration as a driving force, comprising: (a) a changing circuit for changing the frequency of the periodic signal; and (b) a setting circuit for setting the maximum frequency changed by said changing circuit during the driving of the motor or a frequency in the vicinity of said maximum frequency as an initial value of the frequency changed by said changing circuit at the next starting of the motor.

Claim 43

A device according to claim 28, wherein said changing circuit time-serially changes the frequency of the periodic signal from a frequency higher than the resonance frequency to a frequency lower than the resonance frequency.

Claim 44

A device according to claim 33, wherein said changing circuit has renewing means for time-serially renewing the determined frequency value by a predetermined value each toward the lower frequency.

Claim 45

A device according to claim 28, wherein said determining circuit has monitor means for outputting a periodic monitoring signal corresponding to the driving state of said motor and a phase detecting circuit for detecting the phase difference between the periodic monitoring signal from said monitor means and the periodic signal and for producing an output when said phase difference becomes a predetermined phase difference, and said inhibiting means is responsive to the output of said phase detecting circuit to inhibit the change of the frequency by said changing circuit.

Claim 46

A device according to claim 29, wherein said changing circuit changes the frequency of the periodic signal by each predetermined value and said inhibiting circuit is responsive to the output of said detecting circuit to alternately effect said changing operation of the predetermined value of said changing circuit and a changing operation of said predetermined value in the direction opposite to the direction of change by said changing operation.

Claim 47

A device according to claim 29, wherein said detecting circuit has monitor means for outputting a periodic monitoring signal corresponding to the driving state of the motor, and a phase detecting circuit for detecting the phase difference between the periodic monitoring signal from said monitor means and the periodic signal and producing an output when said phase difference becomes a predetermined phase difference.