Patent ID: 9335560
Filing Date: 2016-05-10
CPC Classification: G02B,H04N

Claim Text:
1. An imaging apparatus comprising: a front lens group which constitutes part of an imaging optical system of said imaging apparatus and includes at least one front lens element and a reflector, in that order from an object side, wherein said reflector includes a reflection surface which reflects light rays, exiting from said front lens element, toward a different direction, and wherein said imaging apparatus performs an image-stabilizing operation by driving said front lens element in response to vibrations applied to said imaging optical system in order to reduce image shake on said image plane; at least one rear lens group which constitutes another part of said imaging optical system and is positioned closer to an image plane than said front lens group; a movable frame which holds said front lens element; a support member which supports at least said reflector and is immovable relative to an optical axis of said front lens element in a reference state in which said imaging apparatus does not drive said front lens element when said image-stabilizing operation is not performed; a support mechanism which supports said movable frame in a manner to allow said movable frame to spherically swing along an imaginary spherical surface about a spherical-swinging center which is positioned on an extension of said optical axis, of said front lens element, extending behind an underside of said reflection surface of said reflector; and an actuator which applies a driving force to said movable frame in response to the vibrations applied to said imaging optical system to make said movable frame spherically swing about said spherical-swinging center, wherein said actuator comprises a voice coil motor including a permanent magnet and a coil, one of said permanent magnet and said coil being fixedly held by said movable frame and the other of said permanent magnet and said coil being fixedly held by said support member, wherein said permanent magnet planarly extends in a direction parallel to a first tangent plane that is tangent to a first imaginary sphere, centered about said spherical-swinging center, wherein said coil is formed by winding wire to lie in a second tangent plane that is tangent to a second imaginary sphere about said spherical-swinging center, said coil extending planarly in a direction parallel to said second tangent plane, wherein any normal to said first tangent plane is nonparallel to said optical axis of said front lens element and intersects said optical axis of said front lens element or an extension line thereof, and wherein any half line, which extends toward said first tangent plane in a direction parallel to said any normal from an intersecting point between said normal and said optical axis or said extension line thereof, has an inclination with respect to said optical axis of said front lens element such that a distance between said half line and said optical axis of said front lens element increases in a direction toward said object side.