OPTICAL APPARATUS INCLUDING AN IMAGE STABILIZING APPARATUS

• US 20110013283A1
• Filed: 07/14/2010
• Published: 01/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Sato, Shigeki
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,097 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/557
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/646 compensating for small deviations, e.g. due to vibration or shake movement of one or more optical elements for control of motion blur in cameras, projectors or printers G03B2205/0007; image stabilisation in cameras peculiar to the presence or use of an electronic image sensor H04N23/68

Abstract

An image stabilizer includes: an optical system movable in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis (“orthogonal plane”) and correcting image blur; a movable member holding the optical system and movable relative to a fixed member in an orthogonal plane; a guide guiding the movable member while preventing from rotating in an orthogonal plane; three first balls rollably interposed between the fixed and guide members; two second balls rollably interposed between the guide and movable members; one third ball rollably interposed between the fixed and movable members; a biasing unit biasing the movable member toward the fixed member; and a drive unit driving the movable member relative to the fixed member in two directions perpendicular to the optical axis, wherein in an orthogonal plane, two of the first balls are rollable only in first direction; the second balls are rollable only in second direction different from the first direction.

Claims

1. An image stabilizing apparatus, comprising:

an optical system that moves in a plane perpendicular to an optical axis and corrects an image blur;

a fixed member;

a movable member that holds the optical system and is movable with respect to the fixed member in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis;

a guide member that guides the movable member to prevent the movable member from rotating in the plane perpendicular to the optical axis;

three first rolling balls rollably interposed between the fixed member and the guide member;

two second rolling balls rollably interposed between the guide member and the movable member;

one third rolling ball rollably interposed between the fixed member and the movable member;

a biasing unit that biases the movable member in a direction toward the fixed member; and

a drive unit that drives the movable member with respect to the fixed member in two directions perpendicular to the optical axis, wherein;

two of the first rolling balls are rollable only in a first direction perpendicular to the optical axis; and

the second rolling balls are rollable only in a second direction that is perpendicular to the optical axis and is different from the first direction.

2. An image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when projected onto a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, a line connecting portions, in which the two second rolling balls abut against the guide member, intersects, at two points, a triangle formed by connecting portions, in which the three first rolling balls abut against the guide member.

3. An image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the second rolling balls and the third rolling ball are arranged equiangularly in a rotating direction about the optical axis;

the guide member is formed of a plate-like nonmagnetic material;

abutting portions in which the first rolling balls and the second rolling balls abut against the guide member are arranged at positions different from each other in the rotating direction about the optical axis;

abutting portions in which the two of the first rolling balls rollable only in the first direction abut against the guide member and the fixed member comprise guide grooves extended in the first direction; and

abutting portions in which the second rolling balls abut against the movable member and the fixed member comprise guide grooves extended in the second direction.

4. An image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the drive unit comprises a yoke formed of a magnetic material magnetically coupled to a magnet, and is fixed integrally with the fixed member; and

the yoke comprises abutting portions in which the third rolling ball and at least two of the first rolling balls abut against the fixed member.

5. An image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the biasing unit includes three biasing sub-units; and

the three biasing sub-units are arranged at the same position as a position of the second rolling balls and the third rolling ball in the rotating direction about the optical axis.

6. An optical apparatus, comprising the image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the image stabilizing apparatus comprises a tilt adjusting mechanism that adjusts tilt of an optical axis with respect to the optical apparatus.