Patent ID: 8183743

Claim:
A tubular linear piezoelectric motor, comprising: a resonator formed of a cylindrical tube of length n L comprised of a piezoelectric material, where L is some length, and n is an even numbered integer, greater than zero; an inner electrode formed of a conductive material disposed on an interior surface of said cylindrical tube; one or more annular protrusions, each disposed at a different unique location on an exterior surface of said cylindrical tube, each said unique location spaced a different distance m L from a first end of said cylindrical tube, where m is an odd numbered integer and n>m; a first outer electrode provided for each annular protrusion, each of said first outer electrode formed of a conductive material disposed on said exterior surface of said cylindrical tube, and respectively located on one side of a respective one of said annular protrusions; and wherein each of said annular protrusions comprises a contact site, and said cylindrical tube is configured to move said contact site along a respective elliptical path when said resonator is excited with one signal having a single exciter frequency that is applied across said inner electrode and said first outer electrodes.