Patent ID: 8175449

Claim:
A driving device for driving a driven member, comprising: a driving member comprising: first and second sheet-like driving pieces, each having at least four driving arms arranged so as to form a four-sided aperture within which to slidably mount the driven member; a first displacement output portion attached to at least one of the driving arms of the first sheet-like driving piece, the first displacement output portion being movable in a first axis direction; a second displacement output portion attached to at least one of the driving arms of the second sheet-like driving piece, the second displacement output portion being movable in the first axis direction; first and second displacement input portions for moving the first and second displacement output portions in the first axis direction in response to an application of a moving force in a second axis direction orthogonal to the first axis direction, one or both of the first and second displacement output portions being suitable for mounting the driven member thereto; and a linear shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator contacting at least one of the displacement input portions for applying the moving force to at least one of the displacement input portions, the SMA actuator comprising a wire member having electrodes to energize and heat the SMA actuator, the SMA actuator being wound around an outer periphery of the driving member and positioned such that energizing and de-energizing of the SMA actuator causes the at least one of the displacement input portions to move in the second axis direction, wherein a distance between the first displacement output portion and the second displacement output portion increases in the first axis direction when a distance between the first displacement input portion and the second displacement input portion decreases in the second axis direction.