Patent ID: 8792051

Claim:
A driving device comprising: a vibrator having an elastic body and an electromechanical energy transducer fixed to the elastic body; a portion of a contact member arranged to contact with the vibrator; a permanent magnet; a magnetic body arranged proximate the permanent magnet to generate an attraction force between the permanent magnet and the magnetic body; a holding member arranged to hold the vibrator and the permanent magnet; and a guide member arranged to restrict a moving direction of the holding member, wherein a distance from the guide member to the vibrator is less than a distance from the guide member to the permanent magnet in a plane perpendicular to a guiding direction of the guide member, the attraction force between the permanent magnet and the magnetic body acts as a force to rotate the holding member about a longitudinal axis of the guide member, the vibrator being pressed against the contact member by the rotating force, and the vibrator and the contact member are moved relative to each other when an AC voltage is applied to the electromechanical energy transducer of the vibrator.