Patent ID: 7154199

Claim:
A driving apparatus comprising: an actuator equipped with a rotatable ring-shaped magnet, a coil, and a stator disposed with respect to the magnet in an axial direction of the magnet, the magnet being movable to one of a first rotational position and a second rotational position due to switching of the direction of energization of the coil; and a member to be moved, which is movable in the axial direction of the magnet from one abut end position to another abut end position as the magnet is moved from one of the first rotational position and the second rotational position to the other of the first rotational position and the second rotational position within a movable range between the first rotational position and the second rotational position, wherein the movable range of the magnet is set in a manner that a torque acting in a rotational direction during cessation of energization of the coil at a time when the magnet is at the first rotational position becomes smaller than a torque required for holding the magnet at the first rotational position, and wherein the member to be moved is held at the one abut end position by a magnetic force acting in the axial direction between the magnet and the stator during cessation of energization of the coil.