Patent ID: 6654557
Filing Date: 2003-11-25
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
A lens driving apparatus comprising:a lens holding fame for holding a lens, said lens holding frame including a first tapered positioning dowel that tapers, along a first axis, from a larger diameter at a base end to a smaller diameter at a tip end; a first guide pole and a second guide pole for slidably supporting said lens holding frame so as to slidably support the lens in a direction of said first axis when the lens is held by said lens holding frame, wherein said first axis corresponds to an optical axis of the lens when the lens is held by said lens holding frame; a driving shaft having a feed screw; a motor to rotate said driving shaft and said feed screw; a driving member including a rack having one end that is threadably engaged with said feed screw and having a second end that is engaged with said lens holding frame, said driving member also including a first elastically deformable leg part, with said first elastically deformable leg part defining a first positioning hole with a diameter that is less than said larger diameter of said first postioning dowel, and with said first positioning dowel being received within said first positioning hole such that a portion of said first elastically deformable leg part that defines said first positioning hole is tangent with said first positioning dowel and such that said driving member is rotatably mounted to said lens holding same; and a spring member for urging said rack against said driving shaft, and for providing an elastic rotating force in a direction along which said lens holding frame presses against said second guide pole, said spring member being provided between said lens holding frame and said driving member, whereby a moment, in the direction along which said lens holding frame presses against said second guide pole, created by a self-weight of said lens holding frame is added to the elastic rotating force provided by said spring member.