Patent ID: 7864446

Claim:
A lens driver unit which moves a plurality of lens groups between an imaging position and a contained position, the imaging position in which at least a part of the lens groups are moved to a subject side to be ready for imaging, the contained position in which the plurality of lens groups are contained in a lens barrel by retreating at least a part of the plurality of lens groups, comprising: the plurality of lens groups including a first lens group and a second lens group each comprised of one or more lenses; a first lens frame holding the first lens group and comprising a first engaging portion and a second engaging portion; a second lens frame holding the second lens group and comprising a third engaging portion to engage with the first engaging portion of the first lens frame; the lens barrel movably holding at least one of the plurality of lens groups other than the first and second lens groups along an optical axis; a first guide element rotatably holding the first lens frame in a predetermined direction to move closer or away to/from the optical axis and guiding the first lens frame to move along the optical axis; a second guide element guiding the second lens frame to move along the optical axis; at least one third guide element guiding the first and second lens groups to move along the optical axis when engaging with the first and second lens frames; an engaging element engaging with the second engaging portion of the first lens frame; and a drive unit driving the engaging element to rotate the first lens frame in the predetermined direction and move the first lens frame along the optical axis, wherein in the imaging position in which all of the plurality of lens groups including the first and second lens groups are placed on the optical axis, the first lens frame is integrally moved with the second lens frame along the optical axis by engagement of the first and third engaging portions while in the contained position, the first lens frame is rotated in the predetermined direction to retreat the first lens group outside an inner diameter of the lens barrel.