Solid-state actuator drive apparatus

A solid-state actuator drive apparatus has—a shaft, —a pivot bearing for supporting the shaft, —a drive body, —at least two actuators for the excitation of the drive body and the shaft relative to each other for causing the shaft to rotate relative to the drive body, and—a base element, on which these components are attached. Either the drive body is configured such that it has a drive body opening, and the shaft at least leads into the drive body opening, —or the shaft is configured as a hollow shaft, and an element of the drive body having an annular or discoid circumference is disposed therein. The drive body is disposed stationary relative to the base element. The shaft is disposed in the pivot bearing and is adjustably disposed in the radial direction of the shaft relative to the base element by the solid-state actuators.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is based on and hereby claims priority to PCT Application No. PCT/EP2007/059855 filed on Sep. 18, 2007 and German Application No. 10 2006 045 293.3 filed on Sep. 26, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

An electromechanical motor with a solid-state actuator drive apparatus is disclosed in EP 1 098 429 BI. A rotatably mounted shaft with a first diameter is encompassed by a drive body with a drive body opening in the form of a cylindrical hole. A shaft surface of the shaft is able to roll on the inner surface of the drive body opening, which has a second diameter which is somewhat larger than the first diameter. At the same time, a shaft axis of the shaft and a central axis of the drive body opening are aligned parallel to one another. The rolling movement and therefore the rotation of the shaft are brought about by a circular sliding movement of the drive body or its axis parallel to the shaft axis. In the simplest case, the circular relative movement between the axis of the drive body opening and the shaft axis is produced by two electromechanical actuators in the form of linear actuators, which in particular can be driven independently of one another and the active directions of which, i.e. directions of the utilized change in length, are orthogonal to one another. In the simplest case, the actuators are disposed so that the active directions span a plane perpendicular to the shaft axis or annular hole axis. By a suitable electrical control of the actuators, one of the actuators is excited to produce a sinusoidal deflection and the other actuator to produce a cosinusoidal deflection with the same frequency and amplitude as a function of time. In doing so, the magnitude of the amplitude of the deflection exceeds one-half of the diameter difference of the first and second diameter, thus reliably overcoming the diameter difference between the drive body opening and the shaft. As long as the linear movements of the two linear actuators are superimposed on one another independently, in total the drive body and shaft are displaced with respect to one another in a circular manner and the rotatably mounted shaft rotates.

If a torque load is applied to the shaft, then a force is transmitted between drive body and shaft, which, in the embodiment described, is by friction. The force transmission can be improved by introducing gearing. As, in this case, no further slip can occur, in addition a very high positioning accuracy and reproducibility of the positioning process is achieved.

The basic design of an embodiment according to the related art is shown in a highly abstract form inFIG. 5. In this case, the force can be transmitted between drive body opening and shaft by friction or by positive locking.

A shaft1is rotatably mounted by two radially rigid pivot bearings2, e.g. sliding bearings, ball bearings or needle bearings, in a bearing holder3in each case. The two bearing holders3are rigidly connected by two bridge elements4. Each bridge element4provides a mounting for an actuator. The two actuators5.1,5.2are described in the following as X-actuator for a movement in a first direction X perpendicular to a shaft axis Z, and as Y-actuator for a movement in a second direction Y perpendicular to the shaft axis Z and perpendicular to the first direction X. The two actuators5.1,5.2are rigidly mechanically connected to the associated bridge elements4on the mounting side. In practical motor design, the functional elements, i.e. the bearing holders and bridge elements, are preferably formed as part of a single-part or multi-part motor housing. A mechanically rigid connection, symbolized by triangles, of one of the bridge elements4to a motor holder (not shown), such as a frame or machine bed for example, is therefore correspondingly to be understood as a fixing to a motor housing or carrier element. At their drive ends, the actuators5.1,5.2are mechanically rigidly connected to a drive body6with a drive body opening6.1in the form of a cylindrical hole. The shaft1feeds through or into the drive body opening6.1.

With such an embodiment, in motor operation, the motor housing with the pivot bearings2and the shaft1can be considered to be quiescent with regard to translation, and the drive body6as moving.

FIG. 5shows the instantaneous situation in which the Y-actuator5.2is just at its maximum deflection and the drive body6in the drawing rests against the bottom of the shaft1. In the left-hand illustration, a plan view, the hidden X-actuator5.1is therefore shown distorted. This representation is deliberately greatly exaggerated in order to illustrate the principle. For solid-state actuators used as actuators in practice, an actuator deflection only reaches about 1-2 per mil of the actuator length. With a currently typical actuator length of ca. 30 mm, a maximum of a=60 μm actuator deflection is achieved. Taking into account the necessary assumption that the actuator deflection a must exceed the diameter difference between a second diameter D of the drive body opening6.1and a shaft diameter d of the shaft1, i.e. a>(D−d), it becomes clear that the “bending” of the actuators5.1,5.2perpendicular to their active direction remains negligibly small.

Torques of up to 2 Nm have already been taken off and measured at the shaft1in electromechanical motors of this design using a positively locked force transmission between drive body6and shaft1. In this case, the load torque is transmitted by the shaft1to the drive body6, in particular by positive locking, passes from here via the actuators to the motor housing or the bridge elements, and is finally dissipated at the motor holder7. As the shaft1is rotatably mounted in the motor housing and is fitted in the bearing holders, torque cannot as a basic principle be transmitted at the bearing points.

Consequently, the whole load of an active torque M must be absorbed and dissipated by the actuators5.1,5.2. As a result, the actuators5.1,5.2are subject to considerable bending. Many known and new actuator materials, and in particular currently used ceramic piezoelectric multi-layer actuators, are mechanically brittle in their behavior. With high torque loads in particular, cracks can therefore initially form in the actuator material with subsequent failure due to breakage.

The bending load is accompanied by the fact that part of the actuator material is subjected to tensile stress and part of the actuator material is subjected to compressive stress. Tensile stresses in particular are highly damaging to brittle actuator materials, such as piezoceramic materials for example. In contrast with this, these materials have a high strength and loading capability with respect to compressive stress.

A first approach to a solution to such a problem relates to an arrangement of linear actuators in pairs, as described in the not yet published DE 10 2005 022 355. Here, a reduction in the mechanical stress in the actuators brought about by torque loads is achieved by increasing the area moment of inertia of the actuator arrangement.

A further approach, which likewise uses the increase in the appropriate area moment of inertia, is described in the not yet published DE 10 2006 032 993 as a design of a production-oriented unit for driving piezoelectric ring motors by piezoelectric multi-layer actuators with rectangular cross section.

Further approaches are concerned with the efficient provision of a high mechanical compressive stress for the actuators, wherein however the compressive stress must not or must only insignificantly hinder their deflection. The compressive stress provided must exceed superimposed components of mechanical tensile stress which occur in operation, so that in total no damaging tensile stress can occur in the actuator material in any conceivable operating state. Such approaches are described in the not yet published DE 10 2006 032 995 in the form of a pre-stressing system for production-oriented mechanical compressive stressing of the piezo actuators in the piezoelectric adjustment drive, and in the not yet published DE 10 2006 032 996 in the form of a circumferential spring wire for production-oriented mechanical compressive stressing of the piezo actuators in the piezoelectric adjustment drive.

SUMMARY

One possible object relates to providing a design of a solid-state actuator drive apparatus, which reduces or completely prevents the bending loading of the in particular mechanically brittle actuators brought about by torque loads on the motor shaft.

The proposed actuator is based on the fact that torque loads acting on the shaft are directly transmitted to the drive body or the motor housing, bearing holder, bridge elements etc. and are directly transferred from there to a motor holder, e.g. a frame or a machine bed. In doing so, the actuators are advantageously kept out of the chain of torque-transmitting elements by suitably disposed pivot bearings.

Accordingly, a solid-state actuator drive apparatus is preferred which comprises a shaft, a pivot bearing for supporting the shaft so that it is radially rigid and can easily rotate, a drive body, at least two actuators for the excitation of the drive body and the shaft relative to one other for causing the shaft to rotate relative to the drive body, and a base element, on which these components are fixed, wherein, according to one embodiment, the drive body is configured such that it comprises a drive body opening and the shaft at least feeds into the drive body opening, or, according to another embodiment, the shaft is configured as a hollow shaft and an element of the drive body having an annular or discoid circumference is disposed therein. In doing so, the drive body is disposed so that it is stationary relative to the base element. The shaft is disposed relative to the solid-state actuators by the pivot bearing so that it can easily rotate and can be adjusted by the solid-state actuators relative to the base element in the plane perpendicular to the shaft axis or in the radial and tangential direction of the shaft. At the same time, the driving directional component lies in the plane perpendicular to the shaft axis, wherein wobbling movements can possibly occur due to a fixed rotational mounting of an element driven by the shaft.

It is advantageous with such a solid-state actuator drive apparatus that no torque loading, or at the most only a low torque loading, acts on the actuators. In return, an at first glance deviant shaft vibration or transverse movement of the shaft in its radial direction must be accepted. However, on closer inspection, it can be seen that the transverse movements of the shaft are so small that they are negligible or can be compensated for. A decisive advantage is that the bending load, and in particular the associated highly damaging tensile stresses in parts of the actuator material brought about by torque loads acting on the shaft and which in the related art are transferred to the actuators, are avoided here as a basic principle by the actuators being decoupled from a torque load on the shaft by a rotational mounting relative to the shaft. Torque loads on the shaft can no longer act on the actuators in such a way that the actuators become too severely damaged or even destroyed with time.

It is also advantageous with such a solid-state actuator drive apparatus that the actuators do not rotate relative to the base element, as a result of which the electrical connection of the actuators is simplified.

Also particularly preferred is an embodiment based on a solid-state actuator drive apparatus having a shaft, a pivot bearing, a drive body, at least two actuators for the excitation of the drive body and the shaft relative to one another for causing the shaft to rotate relative to the drive body, and a base element on which these components are fixed, wherein either the drive body is configured such that it comprises a drive body opening and the shaft at least feeds into the drive body opening, or the shaft is configured as a hollow shaft and an element of the drive body having an annular or discoid circumference is disposed therein, and wherein the drive body is disposed so that it is stationary relative to the base element, the actuators and/or the shaft which is disposed thereon in particular so that it can rotate with them are disposed on the pivot bearing and can be rotated relative to the drive body, and the shaft is disposed so that it can be adjusted in a radial direction of the shaft relative to the base element by the actuators. According to this further modified embodiment, on the one hand, the actuators are in particular rigidly connected to the shaft and, on the other, are rotatably mounted relative to the base element. As a result, the actuators are also torque-free, but rotate with the shaft.

The general basic idea of the different embodiments resides in that the one or possibly also several drive bodies are disposed so that they are stationary relative to a base element, and the shaft is disposed so that it can be adjusted relative to the base element, while accepting a transverse movement of the shaft.

Particularly preferred is such a solid-state actuator drive apparatus in which the drive body is securely fixed to the base element. In other words, the drive body is disposed in a fixed position relative to a base element, preferably and optionally screwed, welded or securely fixed in some other way to such a base element while interposing further rigid elements.

Advantageous are two drive bodies, each with a drive body opening, wherein the shaft acts together with the two drive bodies. With such an arrangement, the two drive bodies, or possibly even more drive bodies, are accordingly disposed so that they are stationary relative to the base element. With such an arrangement, it is advantageous that a drive force acts on the shaft at two points at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, resulting in a stable and preferably tilt-free driving of the shaft.

The two drive bodies are preferably connected to one another by a connecting element and fixed to the base element by the connecting element. Advantageously, such an embodiment provides a fixed arrangement of the two drive bodies relative to one another and, at the same time, the possibility of fixing the two drive bodies to a common base element so that they are spaced apart and parallel to one another.

Preferably, two pivot bearings are used, which are coupled by at least one of the actuators to at least one such drive body in each case. Advantageously, two or more such pivot bearings make it possible to feed the shaft through two pivot bearings which are spaced apart from one another so that it is tilt-free. The two pivot bearings are preferably connected to one another by a connecting element and coupled to the drive body via the connecting element by the actuators.

Advantageous is such a solid-state actuator drive apparatus having a detection device for determining a torque acting on the shaft by taking off loads acting linearly on the actuators. Although a direct torque transmission to the actuators is advantageously avoided by the different embodiments, surprisingly a torque determination of a torque acting on the shaft can be carried out in spite of this. As a result, for example, the control unit can determine loads acting linearly on the actuators by a suitable algorithm, for which purpose control currents or control voltages, which if necessary are impressed on the actuators, are removed from the calculation in order to be able to deduce such a torque by values ultimately determined in this way. The detection device is therefore advantageously implemented by the actuators and the control unit provided for the activation or, if necessary, also by a separate circuit or control arrangement.

Preferred is such a solid-state actuator drive apparatus having a coupling device, which is disposed between the shaft and an element to be driven by the shaft, wherein the coupling device is configured to transmit a rotational movement between the shaft and the element to be driven and to decouple a movement of the shaft in the radial direction. Advantageously therefore, by such a coupling device, the transverse movement of the shaft relative to the base element is decoupled when transmitting to the element to be driven by the shaft, so that the element to be driven does not also execute such a transverse movement. A coupling device can be easily implemented, for example by a bellows coupling which is known in itself.

In particular, the base element is a housing of a drive apparatus or a frame, wherein the housing or frame securely connects the drive body to a superimposed apparatus.

Functionally therefore, an electromechanical motor is provided on the operating principle of a solid-state actuator drive apparatus, in which a torque load on the drive element is transmitted via the shaft or hollow shaft directly to a motor holder in the form of the base element. It is advantageous here that the actuators are not located in the torque transmission path. Advantageously, only radial forces can be transmitted to the drive shaft or drive element due to the interaction of the actuators and at least one pivot bearing.

Preferably, a decoupling of the transverse movement of the drive element, that is to say of the shaft or hollow shaft for transmitting the rotation between the shaft and the element to be driven, is provided by a bellows coupling for example.

As well as solid-state actuators in multi-layer PMA design, embodiments with different types of solid-state actuators can also be used, for example magnetorestrictive, electrorestrictive or electromagnetically acting solid-state actuators.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As can be seen fromFIG. 1, an example of a solid-state actuator drive apparatus wherein a plurality of individual components, wherein the components shown can be supplemented by further components or replaced by similarly acting components of a different design.

The solid-state actuator drive apparatus has a housing or frame7, which is sketched only schematically and accommodates or carries the other components. A shaft1is disposed in the housing by a bearing arrangement, wherein a shaft axis Z of the shaft1extends out of the housing in an axial direction. A drive apparatus is used to cause the shaft1to rotate about the shaft axis Z.

The drive apparatus includes two or more linearly acting actuators5.1,5.2, preferably in the form of solid-state actuators, and a drive body6. Furthermore, the drive apparatus has a bearing holder3and one or more pivot bearings2.

In the embodiment shown, the bearing holder3is constructed from a U-shaped element, which is open at the side and simultaneously forms a connecting element, wherein the two parallel legs of the bearing holder3run radially with respect to the shaft axis Z. The two pivot bearings2through which the shaft1feeds are disposed in the bearing holder3. The shaft1is therefore rotatably mounted in the bearing holder3in at least one pivot bearing2, preferably in two pivot bearings2for stabilization against tilting, but fixed in its radial direction.

The drive body6has a circular drive body opening6.1, which in particular is configured as a through opening through the drive body6. The shaft1feeds through the drive body opening6.1or at least into the drive body opening. An outside diameter of the shaft1as a first diameter d is here less than an inside diameter of the drive body opening6.1as a second diameter D. The ratio of the two diameters d, D is such that a maximum actuator deflection a of the actuators5.1,5.2is greater than the difference of the two diameters, that is to say a>(D−d). In order to drive the shaft1by the actuators5.1,5.2, the drive body6is displaced in such a way that a shaft outer wall of the shaft1is preferably continuously in frictional contact with a drive body inner wall so that by suitably controlling the drive body6by the actuators5.1,5.2, the drive body is set in motion which causes the shaft1to rotate.

In order to drive the actuators5.1,5.2, the solid-state actuator drive apparatus has a control unit C in the form of an integral or if necessary also as an independent external component. In the usual way, the control unit C is connected to the actuators5.1,5.2by leads in order to apply charges or voltages to the actuators5.1,5.2depending on the design, so that the actuators5.1,5.2linearly extend and/or contract in their longitudinal direction according to the control.

The actuators5.1,5.2are disposed as a connecting member between the drive body6and the bearing holder3in such a way that the shaft1is set in translatory, pseudo-circular motion relative to the drive body6via the bearing holder3and the pivot bearings2. In other words, as a result of suitable activation of the actuators5.1,5.2, the shaft axis Z of the shaft1rotates about a drive body opening axis Z* which runs parallel to the shaft axis Z and forms a central axis through the drive body opening6.1. Unlike known embodiments however, the bearing holder3with the pivot bearings2is not securely connected to the frame7or housing, but in the different embodiments the drive body6is securely connected to the frame7.

In summary, an important aspect of the design of such a preferred solid-state actuator drive apparatus relates to a frame7, to which the drive body6is securely fixed, and the actuators5.1,5.2which fix the bearing holder3adjustably to the drive body6for mounting the shaft1. As a result, the drive body6is disposed in a fixed position on the frame7, while the shaft1executes a small rotational or vibrational movement relative to the drive body6and therefore also relative to the frame7.

Expediently, the actuators5.1,5.2are disposed between the drive body6and the bearing holder3by a fixed connection to both the drive body6and also to the bearing holder3. Preferably, in doing so, the actuators5.1,5.2are fixed to a section of the bearing holder3which runs parallel to the shaft axis Z. However, other embodiments can also be implemented in which the actuators5.1,5.2are not necessarily disposed securely fixed between the drive body6and the bearing holder3, but are inserted loosely between them. Such an arrangement is possible, for example, when more than two actuators5.1,5.2are disposed between the bearing holder3and the drive body6in such a way that only the extending movement of the actuators5.1,5.2is used to drive the drive body6relative to the pivot bearings2or relative to the bearing holder3in each case.

FIG. 1therefore shows in a highly abstract form the design of a first embodiment, which differs significantly from the related art shown inFIG. 5only by the change to the holding condition, symbolized by black triangles. Here, the preferred drive body6can be seen as quiescent, whereas the base element7, e.g. in the form of a motor housing, bearing holder, or bridge element, is moved with the pivot bearings2and the shaft1relative to the drive body6by the actuators5.1,5.2designed in the form of linear actuators.

It can be perceived as troublesome that the shaft1, which can be used as a motor shaft, is not quiescent, but is excited by the actuators5.1,5.2to produce a circular sliding movement parallel to the motor axis, i.e. in particular parallel to the drive body opening axis Z*. However, if it is taken into account that, in the extreme case of actuator deflection a in current applications, the sliding distance is at most up to 200 μm, then it becomes clear that the problem of the sliding movement of the shaft1can easily be rectified by simple measures for decoupling vibration of the shaft1from the element to be driven. This can easily be implemented, for example, by a coupling device in the form of a bellows coupling which is transversely soft but rigid with respect to torsion. Where dimensions are specified, these are not intended to impose any limitation on further implementable embodiments with dimensions that deviate therefrom.

With this design, the pivot bearings2prevent a load torque M acting on the shaft1from being transmitted to the actuators5.1,5.2. As a result, bending stresses on the actuators are reliably or at least sufficiently reliably prevented.

In the further embodiment according toFIG. 2, the arrangement according toFIG. 1is modified in such a way that the shaft1does not feed through the drive body opening6.1of a single drive body6, but through the drive body openings6.1of two drive bodies6, which are spaced apart from one another. In this embodiment, the shaft1is mounted in only a single pivot bearing2, which is disposed in the bearing holder3. Accordingly, the bearing holder3is not formed from a U-shaped element, but in a simple form from a square or circular element for example. The two drive bodies6are securely connected to one another by a bridge element4so that they execute a uniform movement about a common drive body opening axis Z*. The drive body6is in turn coupled to the bearing holder3by actuators5.1,5.2, wherein, in the embodiment shown, the actuators5.1,5.2are disposed between an outer wall of the bearing holder3and an opposite wall of the bridge element4. In this embodiment, the drive bodies6are likewise securely fixed in position to a frame7, wherein the connection to the frame7is made by the bridge element4as a connecting element for example.

FIG. 2therefore shows a second embodiment of an electromechanical motor which can be designed in this way. Here, the shaft1is mounted by such a pivot bearing2in a bearing holder3so that it is radially stiff but is able to rotate. The shaft1with its diameter d as the first diameter is encompassed by two drive bodies6each with a drive body opening6.1configured in the form of an annular hole, for example, with a slightly larger hole diameter than the second diameter D. The drive bodies6are mechanically rigidly connected by two bridge elements, for example, as the connecting element4. At the same time, one bridge element constitutes a mounting for the actuator5.1which is disposed and acts as an X-actuator in the X-direction perpendicular to the shaft axis Z, and the other bridge element constitutes a mounting for the actuator5.2which is disposed and acts as a Y-actuator in the Y-direction perpendicular to the X-direction and perpendicular to the shaft axis Z.

The functional elements, i.e. the drive bodies6and the bridge elements, can be configured as integral components of a single or multi-part motor housing. The linear actuators5.1,5.2are preferably mechanically rigidly connected to the bearing holder3at the drive end. By suitable activation of the electromechanically acting actuators5.1,5.2, the shaft1is displaced relative to the drive bodies6in the form of a circular sliding movement, as a result of which the outside diameter of the shaft1rolls in the drive body openings6.1. As a result, the shaft1is rotated. In the case of a friction-coupled arrangement, the maximum actuator deflection a, which corresponds to twice the amplitude of the deflection, must exceed the diameter difference of the two diameters D, d. In this case, the force is transmitted between the drive bodies6and the shaft1by friction. To improve the force transmission and to prevent slip, gearing can be introduced between the rings and the corresponding sections of the shaft.

In this case, the motor is mechanically connected to the motor holder by the motor housing, again symbolized by the triangles on one of the connecting elements. The fixing element7, in the form of a motor housing for example, can therefore be considered to be quiescent. The shaft1and the bearing holder3are moved relative thereto. In order to decouple vibrations, the shaft1is preferably coupled to the element to be driven by a transversely soft but torsionally stiff coupling element, such as a bellows coupling for example.

A load torque acting on the shaft1is transmitted by friction or positive locking to the drive bodies6or to the fixing element, and from there passed on directly to the motor holder. Thanks to the rotational mounting between the shaft1and the bearing holder3, no torque can be transmitted from the shaft1to the housing via the actuators5.1,5.2. The linearly acting actuators5.1,5.2are therefore not subjected to bending due to torque loads on the shaft1.

As an advantage compared with the first version, this second motor version has a quiescent motor housing. In the second version, the moving mass is ideally considerably less, and the vibrational excitation with regard to the motor mounting is therefore ideally also less.

FIG. 3shows a further modified embodiment in which a shaft1° is configured in the form of a hollow shaft or in the shape of a bell. One or more drive bodies6° are disposed within the shaft1°. Such a drive body6° has at least one annular or discoid element6.1, the diameter of which, as a first diameter d°, is slightly less than an inside diameter of the shaft1, which serves as a second diameter D°. The shaft1° is again set in translatory motion relative to the drive body6° by two or more actuators5.1,5.2. For this purpose, the actuators5.1,5.2are placed between a section of the drive body6°, which runs parallel to the shaft axis Z, and a bearing holder3for mounting a pivot bearing2. Particularly in the case of an arrangement of three or more actuators5.1,5.2, these do not especially have to be securely connected to the drive body6° and the bearing holder3, even though a secure connection is preferred. With this arrangement, the pivot bearing2sits outside around the bearing holder3in a guiding manner between the bearing holder3and the shaft1°, which is configured as a hollow shaft.

As an important aspect, in this embodiment, the drive body6° is also securely fixed in position to a frame7, which carries the whole arrangement.

With this embodiment, a motor version is therefore presented which has actuators5.1,5.2lying within the drive body6°, in which the outer surface of the drive body6° drives a drive bell housing, which is connected to a shaft1° and which itself forms a hollow shaft.

The version based thereon is configured with linearly acting electromagnetic actuators5.1,5.2lying within a cylindrical drive bell housing or shaft1°, i.e. within its inside diameter as second diameter D. On the bearing side, the actuators5.1,5.2are mechanically rigidly fixed to a stator3, which is configured as an independent component or as an annular or discoid element6.1of the drive body6°. The motor configured in this way is fixed by the stator, symbolized by triangles, to a motor holder (not shown), e.g. a frame or machine bed. The stator has at least one cylindrical disc, for reasons of symmetry preferably two cylindrical discs, with an outside diameter, which in this case serves as a first diameter d, and which is chosen to be only slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the drive bell housing or shaft1°. The shaft1° is mounted on the bearing holder3by the pivot bearing2so that it is radially stiff but can be rotated. At their drive end, the electromechanically acting actuators5.1,5.2are mechanically rigidly connected to the bearing holder3. By suitable activation of the linear actuators, the shaft1° with the bearing holder3and the pivot bearing2is displaced in a circular manner so that the inner surface of the shaft1° rolls on the cylindrical outer surfaces of the stator discs with its diameter D and is therefore caused to rotate.

When the force is transmitted by friction, the diameter difference between the inside diameter of the drive bell housing and the outside diameter of the stator discs must again be less than the maximum actuator deflection a>(D−d). The force is then transmitted between the inner surface of the shaft1° and the outer surface of the disc by friction. If gearing is fitted, a positive locking can also be achieved with the known advantages of an improvement in the force transmission and the guaranteeing of freedom from slip.

The rotational movement of the motor configured in this way is taken off at the drive bell housing or shaft1°. The circular sliding movement of the shaft1° which is superimposed upon the rotation can easily be suppressed by usual measures for decoupling vibration, such as for example the use of a transversely soft but torsionally stiff bellows coupling between the drive bell housing or shaft1° and the element to be driven.

If a load torque is applied to the shaft1°, then this is transmitted to the motor mounting via the stator discs. Because of the pivot bearing2, the actuators5.1,5.2remain free from torque and are therefore not subjected to bending load or not to a too severe bending load. A multitude of other variations are also possible, which are based on the same basic design. For example, the shaft can be fixed to the base element by the solid-state actuators so that it is adjustable relative to the base element in the radial direction of the shaft, and in addition the drive body can likewise be fixed directly to the base element. In such a case, a connecting element is omitted or the base element itself forms the connecting element.

Furthermore, the pivot bearings do not have to be configured as an independent element, but can be functionally configured by appropriate design of a bracket or end section of the actuators for example.

FIG. 4shows schematically components of a preferred solid-state actuator drive apparatus with solid-state actuators in plan view and in side sectional view according to a fourth embodiment, which builds on the third embodiment. The difference resides in both the shaft1° and the actuators5.1,5.2being jointly and rotationally rigidly disposed with respect to one another on the pivot bearing2. Both the shaft1° and the actuators5.1,5.2therefore rotate relative to the drive body2°. In this case, the current or voltage connection of the actuators to a control unit is made inductively or via sliding contacts for example.

According to further embodiments, the principle of the actuators rotating with the shaft can also be transferred to the concept of the first exemplary embodiments. In principle, an implementation is even possible in which the actuators are rotatably mounted with respect to the shaft by a first pivot bearing and with respect to the drive body by a second pivot bearing.