Patent ID: 6977461

Claim:
A piezo actuating system for moving an object, comprising: at least two piezo actuators, each of said at least two piezo actuators configured to lengthen or contract in response to a first control signal and to shear in a first direction or in a second direction opposite to said first direction in response to a second control signal; and a control system for controlling said piezo actuators by supplying said first and second control signals; wherein the system achieves the movement of said object by performing at least a linear shear sequence and a shuffle sequence, such that: (a) said linear shear sequence moves said object by having each of said at least two piezo actuators (i) engage said object and (ii) shear from a first position to a second position along a first direction, and (b) said shuffle sequence returns each of the at least two piezo actuators to the first position after moving said object by (i) releasing the engagement of one of the at least two piezo actuators with said object while maintaining the other of the at least two piezo actuators engaged with said object, (ii) changing a shear state of said one piezo actuator by shearing in a second direction opposite to said first direction, and (iii) engaging the object again using said one piezo actuator.