US 7,525,235 B2
Optical apparatus having a driving source for driving a lens in an optical axis direction
Shigeo Nakashima, Utsunomiya (Japan); and Takehiko Sato, Utsunomiya (Japan)
Assigned to Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo (Japan)
Filed on Apr. 12, 2006, as Appl. No. 11/403,382.
Claims priority of application No. 2005-125753 (JP), filed on Apr. 22, 2005.
Prior Publication US 2006/0238902 A1, Oct. 26, 2006
Int. Cl. H01L 41/00 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 310—328  [310/322; 310/323.01] 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical apparatus comprising
a lens holding member which holds a lens;
a guide member which engages the lens holding member to guide the lens holding member in an optical axis direction;
a vibration type linear actuator which drives the lens holding member in the optical axis direction, the vibration type linear actuator including: a vibrator which includes an electromechanical energy conversion element and a ferromagnetic elastic member having a press contact surface on which a vibration is produced by the electromechanical energy conversion element, and a magnetic contact member having a press contact surface that is in press contact with the press contact surface of the ferromagnetic elastic member of the vibrator at one side and engaged with the lens holding member at the other side thereby guiding the lens holding member in the optical axis direction according to a frictional force produced by the vibrator and a magnetic force acting between the vibrator and the magnetic contact member; and
a plate spring which holds the press contact surface of the elastic member of the vibrator in parallel with the press contact surface of the contact member, each of the press contact surfaces being a planar surface,
wherein the plate spring is deformable in a rotation direction around an axis included in a plane parallel to the press contact surfaces.