ACTUATOR UNIT, INFORMATION RECORDING/READING HEAD DRIVE DEVICE, INFORMATION RECORDING/READING DEVICE, AND DRIVING METHOD OF ACTUATOR UNIT

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an actuator unit which has less slipping in an abutting part of a friction member 33 and an object to be driven 21 at the time of expansion/contraction driving the friction drive actuator and can perform efficient expansion/contraction driving, to provide an information recording/reading head drive device, to provide an information recording/reading device, and to provide a driving method of the actuator unit. SOLUTION: Since depressed pressure at the time of expansion/contraction driving the friction drive actuator is enlarged by applying potential of a waveform constituted of prescribed steps to an electromechanical conversion element being a drive source of the friction drive actuator at a period different from that of a resonance frequency, efficient expansion/contraction driving with less slipping in the abutting part of the friction member and the object to be driven at the time of expansion/contraction driving can be performed in the actuator unit. The information recording/reading head drive device, the information recording/reading device, and the driving method of the actuator unit can be obtained. COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT