Patent ID: 7256926

Claim:
An electromagnetically actuated optical deflector comprising: a magnet unit, which generates a magnetic field; and a movable plate unit, which is placed in the magnetic field, the movable plate unit having an inner movable plate having a reflecting surface, an outer movable plate located outside the inner movable plate, two inner torsion bars connecting the inner movable plate and the outer movable plate, a support located outside the outer movable plate, and two outer torsion bars connecting the outer movable plate and the support, the inner torsion bars extending along a first axis and being capable of twisting about the first axis so as to allow the inner movable plate to tilt about the first axis with respect to the outer movable plate, the outer torsion bars extending along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis and being capable of twisting about the second axis so as to allow the outer movable plate to tilt about the second axis with respect to the support, the movable plate unit further having two inner drive wiring portions that extend along by a periphery of the inner movable plate, and the magnet unit including magnets, two adjacent magnets of the magnets being opposite in magnetic polarity direction, the inner drive wiring portions extending substantially parallel to boundaries between the two adjacent magnets and being respectively located substantially immediately above the boundaries, and currents of the same direction being applied to the two inner drive wiring portions; wherein the movable plate unit further has two outer drive wiring portions that extend along by a periphery of the outer movable plate, the outer drive wiring portions extending substantially parallel to boundaries between the two adjacent magnets and being respectively located substantially immediately above the boundaries, currents of the same direction being applied to the two outer drive wiring portions to apply a driving force to the outer movable plate, the two outer drive wiring portions being provided independently of each other such that they are electrically isolated from each other.