Patent ID: 8736143

Claim:
A vibration wave driving apparatus, comprising: a vibrator having an electro-mechanical energy conversion element and an elastic body having a projecting portion; and a driven body having a contacting portion coming into contact with the projecting portion of the vibrator, wherein the apparatus causes the driven body, when coming into contact with the projecting portion, to change position relative to the vibrator by two bending modes, a first bending mode and a second bending mode whose nodal lines are substantially orthogonal to each other, wherein the driven body has an annular shape, wherein the contacting portion has spring properties, wherein the elastic body has an end portion in a driving direction, wherein the projecting portion is provided at a position between a position of an antinode and a position of a node of the vibration of the first bending mode, wherein the position at which the projecting portion is provided is in a vicinity of a position of a node of the second bending mode, and wherein a vibration direction of the projecting portion of the vibrator corresponds to a displacement direction of the contacting portion of the driven body.