1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mounting arrangement for fixedly mounting one end of a piezoelectric element which comprises a carrier strip having at least one ceramic strip applied thereto and which element operates in a bending mode about the point of mounting for producing essentially linear movement for a part of a moving component operatively connected to the other end of the element.
2. Prior Art
Piezoelectric elements or piezoelectric benders which operate in a bending mode are well known in prior art. For example, an element having a metal carrier strip disposed between a pair of strips of piezoelectric material, such as lead-zirconium titanate, with electrodes for applying electrical current to the ceramic strip have been suggested. One proposed use of such elements is by rigidly mounting one end of the element in a body and by attaching the other end to a part of a movable component so that during a bending mode, the element creates substantially linear movement of the part attached to the other or free end. Various arrangements have been proposed to form so-called piezoelectric motors which have one or more of the elements arranged in parallel and mounted in the above manner. It has also been suggested to vary either the particular orientation of the ceramic layer or the application of the electrical current so that the element will bend in a substantial S configuration during operation.
While the elements used either alone or in a motor arrangement have proven very useful, they have suffered failure due to the high stress applied to the element adjacent to the rigid mounting point at the one end or in the case of an S bending operation at both ends. In the case of the element which is rigidly mounted at each end and has an S shape bending mode, failure often occurs at either of the fixed or rigid ends.