Patent ID: 7612330

Claim:
An optical scanning probe for observing an inside of a subject by scanning and irradiating a region inside the subject with light and detecting light emitted from an irradiated point of the region, the optical scanning probe comprising: an optical scanning element that is disposed in a tip end portion of the probe and that optically scans the region inside the subject with light guided to the tip end portion through a light transmitting section inserted in the probe; and a signal switching section that switches drive signals for making the optical scanning element perform optical scanning, wherein the optical scanning element includes: a movable portion having a micro mirror that is supported so as to be elastically displaced and that is displaced bidirectionally in a first rotating direction and a second rotating direction that is a reverse direction of the first rotating direction; a first driver that applies a physical acting force in the first rotating direction to the movable portion; and a second driver that applies a physical acting force in the second rotating direction to the movable portion, the signal switching section has a function for switching between a scanning preparation signal and a scanning drive signal and outputting the switched signal, wherein the scanning preparation signal is for attracting the movable portion in one of the first rotating direction and the second rotating direction in response to a timing signal before the probe is inserted into the subject, and the scanning drive signal is for attracting the movable portion alternately in the first rotating direction and the second rotating direction, and a maximum voltage of the scanning preparation signal is set to be higher than a maximum voltage of the scanning drive signal.