Patent ID: 7519283

Claim:
A barrel unit comprising: a barrel including a photographing optical system having an image sensing device; a supporting member for pivotally supporting the barrel; at least two actuators for providing driving forces to specified acting portions of the barrel from different positions for shake correction; and a pivot bearing portion provided between the supporting member and the barrel, and configured to provide a common supporting point for rotation of the barrel along two intersecting axes; wherein a gravity point of the barrel is located within an area enclosed by the acting portions of the at least two actuators and the pivot bearing portion; and wherein the barrel further includes: a first side surface relatively close to the gravity point of the barrel; a second side surface opposed to the first side surface and relatively distant from the gravity point; a first inertia principle axis passing the gravity point of the barrel, and orthogonal to an optical axis of an incident light introduced to the barrel and having a relatively large inertia thereabout; a second inertia principle axis passing the gravity point of the barrel, and orthogonal to the optical axis and having an inertia thereabout relatively smaller than the first inertia principle axis; a third inertia principle axis passing the gravity point of the barrel, and parallel with the optical axis; and the first, second, and third inertia principle axes orthogonally intersecting-one another, wherein the first and second side surfaces are parallel with a direction of the second inertia principle axis, the pivot bearing portion is arranged on the first inertia principle axis and on the first side surface, the acting portions of the two actuators are arranged at symmetric positions on the second surface with respect to the first inertia principle axis, and the linear driving forces are provided to the acting portions of the barrel along a direction of the third inertia principle axis by the two actuators.