Patent ID: 7772743

Claim:
A piezoelectric drive unit comprising: a rod for driving a displaced body; and a piezoelectric drive element for generating rotational motion of the rod for driving the displaced body, wherein one end of the rod is fixed to a main surface of the piezoelectric drive element at an approximate center of the main surface, said piezoelectric drive element comprising: a layered product comprising piezoelectrics and electrodes alternately layered in a thickness direction perpendicular to the main surface, wherein the electrodes comprise internal electrodes and ground electrodes alternatively disposed in the thickness direction, each layer of the internal electrodes being divided into four electrode pieces as regions which are symmetrically disposed with respect to the fixed end of the rod and are different in displacement in a thickness direction between adjacent regions; and terminal electrodes formed outside of the layered product along the thickness direction, each electrode piece and each ground electrode having a leading portion which is exposed outside of the layered product and connected to the terminal electodes, wherein the rod is rotatable while being inclined such that a center of an unfixed end of the rod opposite to the fixed end of the rod is circulated on a plane parallel to the main surface when the four electrode nieces are sequentially activated, and wherein the rod has a side face extending from the fixed end to the unfixed end, said side face being adapted to contact a member for moving the same.