Patent ID: 8760126

Claim:
A driving device for a capacitance type actuator that functions according to a series of charging and discharging sequence, the driving device comprising: a driving power supply which outputs charging voltage given to the actuator; at least one intermediate voltage source including a reference voltage source that outputs reference voltage, a voltage follower circuit that buffers output of the reference voltage source, a smoothing capacitor charged by the output of the voltage follower circuit, and a current limiting unit that limits a current of output of the voltage follower circuit that charges the smoothing capacitor, wherein the intermediate voltage source gives the voltage generated at the smoothing capacitor as intermediate potential at a stage halfway in charging or discharging by the charging and discharging sequence to the actuator; a discharging path for discharging electric charge remaining in the actuator and consuming energy corresponding to the electric charge; and a controller, in charging the actuator, which charges electric charge in the actuator from the intermediate voltage source and thereafter charging electric charge in the actuator from the driving power supply and, in discharging of the actuator, discharging electric charge from the actuator to the smoothing capacitor of the intermediate voltage source and thereafter discharging electric charge of the actuator with the discharging path.