Image pickup apparatus comprising driven body driven by actuator, and moving body

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11330157-B2
Application number	US-201815995722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2018
Priority date	Jun 2, 2017
Publication date	May 10, 2022
Grant date	May 10, 2022

Abstract

An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
an image pickup unit that is rotatable about a shaft portion and that includes a rotational plate having a frictional sliding surface, the shaft portion being disposed along an axis of rotation of the image pickup unit; and
an actuator including a vibrator including a contact point, a piezoelectric element that causes the vibrator to vibrate, and a pressure unit that presses the vibrator against the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in a pressure contact direction, thereby bringing the contact point of the vibrator into pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in the pressure contact direction,
wherein the vibrator, when caused to vibrate by the piezoelectric element, causes the image pickup unit to rotate relative to the actuator by vibration of the contact point in pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate, a direction of the rotation of the image pickup unit being different from the pressure contact direction.

2. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a base unit; and
a supporting member that is provided in a standing manner from the base unit and that rotatably supports the image pickup unit,
wherein the supporting member is comprised of a pair of arm portions,
the image pickup unit is sandwiched and supported by the pair of arm portions,
an opening that opens and faces the image pickup unit is provided in one of the pair of arm portions, and
the actuator is arranged in the opening.

3. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the opening is formed in the one of the pair of arm portions between the base unit and a central axis of vertical rotation of the image pickup unit.

4. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a base unit;
a supporting member that is provided in a standing manner from the base unit and that rotatably supports the image pickup unit; and
a holding unit that holds the supporting member and that rotates on a rotational axis perpendicular to another rotational axis of the image pickup unit,
wherein the actuator is accommodated in a region in which the holding unit rotates when viewed along the another rotational axis.

5. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein the vibrator includes a plurality of contact points brought into pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate, the plurality of contact points being comprised of a pair of protrusion portions, and
the actuator is arranged so that a middle point of a virtual straight line obtained by connecting the pair of protrusion portions is positioned on a virtual plane defined by the rotational axis and the another rotational axis of the image pickup unit.

6. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising a position detecting unit that detects a rotational position of the image pickup unit,
wherein the position detecting unit has a light-emitting portion and a light-receiving portion,
the other of the pair of arm portions is provided with another opening,
the image pickup unit has a reflection portion arranged so as to face the another opening, and
the position detecting unit is arranged in the another opening so as to face the reflection portion.

7. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein a distance from a rotation center of the image pickup unit to the contact point is equal to or less than a distance from the rotation center of the image pickup unit to a detecting point in which a rotational position is detected by the position detecting unit.

8. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a base unit;
a supporting member that is provided in a standing manner from the base unit and that rotatably supports the image pickup unit; and
a holding unit that holds the supporting member and that rotates on a rotational axis perpendicular to another rotational axis of the image pickup unit,
wherein the supporting member has a defective portion formed by cutting out a part of the supporting member, and
the actuator is arranged in the defective portion and accommodated in a region in which the holding unit rotates when viewed along the another rotational axis.

9. A moving body comprising an image pickup apparatus,
wherein the image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit that is rotatable about a shaft portion and that includes a rotational plate having a frictional sliding surface, the shaft portion being disposed along an axis of rotation of the image pickup unit, and an actuator including a vibrator including a contact point, a piezoelectric element that causes the vibrator to vibrate, and a pressure unit that presses the vibrator against the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in a pressure contact direction, thereby bringing the contact point of the vibrator into pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in the pressure contact direction,
wherein the vibrator, when caused to vibrate by the piezoelectric element, causes the image pickup unit to rotate relative to the actuator by vibration of the contact point in pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate, a direction of the rotation of the image pickup unit being different from the pressure contact direction.

10. The moving body according to claim 9 , further comprising a flying mechanism, wherein the moving body causes the image pickup apparatus to perform shooting while the moving body flies by the flying mechanism.

11. An image pickup apparatus comprising:
an image pickup unit that is rotatable about a shaft portion and that includes a rotational plate having a frictional sliding surface, the shaft portion being disposed along an axis of rotation of the image pickup unit; and
an actuator including a vibrator including a contact point, a piezoelectric element that causes the vibrator to vibrate, and a pressure unit that presses the vibrator against the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in a pressure contact direction, thereby bringing the contact point of the vibrator into pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate in the pressure contact direction,
wherein the vibrator, when caused to vibrate by the piezoelectric element, causes the image pickup unit to rotate relative to the actuator by changing a position of the contact point on the frictional sliding surface, a direction of the rotation of the image pickup unit being different from the pressure contact direction.

12. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a holding unit which holds the image pickup unit,
wherein the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate is located on one side face of the holding unit.

13. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a base unit; and
a supporting member that is provided in a standing manner from the base unit and that rotatably supports the holding unit,
wherein the supporting member is comprised of a pair of arm portions,
the holding unit is sandwiched and supported by the pair of arm portions,
an opening that opens and faces the holding unit is provided in one of the pair of arm portions, and
the actuator is arranged in the opening.

14. The image pickup apparatus according to claim 13 ,
wherein the vibrator includes a plurality of contact points brought into pressure contact with the frictional sliding surface of the rotational plate, the plurality

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Obana Shinji
• Nemoto Ayumu

Classifications

• H04N23/66

  Remote control of cameras or camera parts, e.g. by remote control devices · CPC title

• H04N23/54 Primary

  Mounting of pick-up tubes, electronic image sensors, deviation or focusing coils · CPC title

• H04N23/68

  for stable pick-up of the scene, e.g. compensating for camera body vibrations · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04N23/51

  Housings · CPC title