Drive apparatus, image pickup unit and image pickup apparatus

• US 20070279497A1
• Filed: 04/19/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta OPTO Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta OPTO Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Wada, Shigeru, Hara, Yoshihiro, Oohara, Masamichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,773,119 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/208.700
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 5/00 Adjustment of optical system relative to image or object surface other than for focusing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/54 Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/68 for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6812 based on additional sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/687 by shifting the lens or sensor position

Abstract

A small-sized and highly efficient drive apparatus, an image pickup unit and an image pickup apparatus are provided, by using a polymer actuator that is small in size and has high speed of response and has high degree of freedom for arrangement, and by realizing an actuator having excellent assembly simplicity. By being provided with a polymer actuator and by moving objects to be driven such as an image pickup device, a lens, an image pickup optical system and a lens barrel unit by the use of the actuator, an actuator that is small in size and has the high speed of response, a high degree of freedom for arrangement and excellent assembly simplicity can be provided, which makes it possible to provide a small-sized and highly efficient drive apparatus, an image pickup unit and an image pickup apparatus.

Claims

1. A drive apparatus, comprising:

a driven body; and

a plurality of polymer actuators for moving the driven body,

wherein acting directions of two of the polymer actuators cross approximately orthogonally.

2. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of the polymer actuators comprises a displacement portion which comes into contact with the driven body, and a displacement of a portion of the actuator other than the displacement portion is regulated by a regulating member.

3. The drive apparatus of claim 2, wherein a plurality of the displacement portions are integrally formed.

4. The drive apparatus of claim 2, wherein the polymer actuator includes a plurality of the displacement portions in at least one direction of the directions in which the driven body is moved.

5. The drive apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a support member which is provided on a circumference of the polymer actuators and supports the polymer actuators.

6. The drive apparatus of claim 1, comprising:

a polymer actuator which is provided in a direction perpendicular to a plane containing the approximately orthogonal two acting directions.

7. The drive apparatus of claim 6, wherein the polymer actuators arranged in the three directions comprises:

displacement portions which are integrally formed and comes into contact with the driven body.

8. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polymer actuator comprises:

a plurality of the displacement portions for moving the driven body in one direction of directions in which the driven body is moved,

wherein the plurality of the displacement portions are arranged in positions surrounding a center of gravity of the driven body.

9. The drive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polymer actuator comprises:

a plurality of flat action portions which are integrally formed and have electrodes on both side thereof; and

a fixing member for fixing a portion of the polymer actuator other than the action portion,

wherein the action portion deforms into a convex shape in response to an application of an electric field across the electrodes on the action portion.

10. The drive apparatus of claim 9, wherein the electrode on a portion which becomes a top portion and touches the driven body when the action portion deforms into the convex shape is removed.

11. The drive apparatus of claim 9, wherein the polymer actuator comprises:

the action portion which has an opening thereon.

12. The drive apparatus of claim 9, wherein the fixing member includes a groove thereon.

13. The drive apparatus of claim 6, comprising:

an actuator control section which controls the polymer actuator,

wherein the actuator control section controls the polymer actuator putting a motion in a plane containing two appropriately perpendicular directions of directions in which the driven body is moved and a motion in a direction perpendicular to the plane in synchronism each other.

23. An image pickup unit, comprising:

an image pickup unit;

the image pickup unit including;

an image pickup optical system for providing a subject image;

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system; and

a drive apparatus of claim 6,

a focus detection section for detecting a focus condition of the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system;

an autofocus section which conducts a focusing operation by driving the polymer actuator based on a detection result of the focus detection section;

an image shake detection section which detects an image shake of the image pickup apparatus; and

an image shake correction section which corrects the image shake by driving the polymer actuators based on a detection result of the image shake detection section.

14. An image pickup unit, comprising:

an image pickup optical system which provides a subject image;

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system;

a polymer actuator for driving the image pickup optical system, which is a driven body, in a plane perpendicular to an image pickup optical axis; and

an image shake correction section,

wherein the polymer actuators are arranged so as for acting directions thereof to cross approximately orthogonally, and the image shake correction section corrects the subject image by controlling the polymer actuator to drive the driven body in a plane.

19. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

an image pickup unit of claim 14;

and

an image shake detection section for detecting an image shake of the image pickup unit,

wherein the image shake correction section arranged in the image pickup unit controls a driving of the polymer actuators arranged in the image pickup unit based on a detection result of the image shake detection section.

21. The image pickup apparatus of claim 19, comprising:

a temperature detection section for detecting a temperature of the image pickup unit,

wherein the image shake correction section controls the driving of the polymer actuators based on a detection result of the temperature detection section.

15. An image pickup unit, comprising:

an image pickup optical system which provides a subject image;

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system;

a polymer actuator for driving the image pickup device, which is a driven body, in a plane perpendicular to an image pickup optical axis; and

an image shake correction section,

wherein the polymer actuators are arranged so as for acting directions thereof to cross approximately orthogonally, and the image shake correction section corrects the subject image by controlling the polymer actuator to drive the driven body in a plane.

20. An image pickup apparatus, comprising:

an image pickup unit of claim 15;

and

an image shake detection section for detecting an image shake of the image pickup unit,

wherein the image shake correction section arranged in the image pickup unit controls a driving of the polymer actuators arranged in the image pickup unit based on a detection result of the image shake detection section.

22. The image pickup apparatus of claim 20, comprising:

a temperature detection section for detecting a temperature of the image pickup unit,

wherein the image shake correction section controls the driving of the polymer actuators based on a detection result of the temperature detection section.

16. An image pickup unit, comprising:

a lens barrel unit;

the lens barrel unit including;

an image pickup optical system which provides a subject image; and

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system,

wherein the image pickup optical system and the image pickup device are integrally arranged,

a polymer actuator which has a plurality of displacement portions coming into contact with the lens barrel unit and drives the lens barrel unit as a whole with the displacement portions.

17. An image pickup unit, comprising:

an image pickup optical system which provides a subject image;

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system,

a polymer actuator for driving the image pickup optical system, which is a driven body; and

an image shake correction section,

wherein a plurality of the polymer actuators are arranged in at least one direction of directions in which the driven body is moved, and the image shake correction section corrects the subject image by controlling the polymer actuators to rotate the driven body.

18. An image pickup unit, comprising:

an image pickup optical system which provides a subject image;

an image pickup device for picking up the subject image provided by the image pickup optical system,

a polymer actuator for driving the image pickup device, which is a driven body, in a plane perpendicular to an image pickup optical axis; and

an image shake correction section,

wherein a plurality of the polymer actuators are arranged in at least one direction of directions in which the driven body is moved, and the image shake correction section corrects the subject image by controlling the polymer actuators to move or rotate the driven body.