JP4976885B2 - Lens barrel turning mechanism - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lens barrel turning mechanism for turning an imaging apparatus to perform a tracking operation or correcting camera shake vibration or the like.

  As a conventional lens barrel turning mechanism, a mechanism as shown in FIG. 16 (see Patent Document 1), a mechanism as shown in FIG. 17 (see Patent Document 2), and the like are known.

  In FIG. 16, the lens barrel 101 and the image sensor 102 are supported by a biaxial gimbal 111 having two orthogonal degrees of freedom, and worm wheels 106 and 109 are installed on the rotation shafts 103a, 103b, and 110, respectively. Further, rotary motors 104 and 107 with worm gears 105 and 108 are connected in the orthogonal direction and driven through gears.

  In FIG. 17, the lens barrel 155 is supported by a biaxial gimbal 151 having two orthogonal degrees of freedom, and rotating shafts 154 and 157 installed on the flat brushless motors 150, 152 and 158 are directly screwed onto the gimbal 151 or the lens barrel 155. Screwed at 153, 156. In this mechanism, since the motor and the rotating shaft are directly connected, it can be driven directly. In addition, since a moment arises due to gravity in the vertical rotation, two motors 150 and 158 are attached to both sides of the shaft to obtain a larger torque.

  With these mechanisms, in Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent an image from being blurred due to camera shake or the like, and in Patent Document 2, tracking of the optical axis of a light beam is possible.

JP-A-61-248681 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 01-192233 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 06-311765

  When a turning mechanism of an image sensor is used for tracking or robot eyes, it is necessary to instantly position a small angle frequently. In addition, a scene that repeats normal inversion frequently is predicted.

  In such a configuration, for example, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, the rotator motors 104 and 107 having a small torque are greatly decelerated by the worm gears 105 and 108 to increase the acceleration torque. However, since the play of the worm gear is usually large, when trying to perform positioning at a short distance, the load variation between the gear engaged state and the idle state is large, and it is difficult to control to a desired position at high speed.

  At the time of reversal, the meshing side is also reversed, and there is a time during which torque cannot be transmitted. Furthermore, even if the motor angle is the same, the position of the lens barrel becomes uncertain by the amount of play.

  If the rotation direction is fixed in advance, such as patrol in a certain direction, or if the interval can be taken when reversing and the next rotation direction can be predicted reliably, it can be apparently played by biasing with a biasing member such as a spring or the motor itself. Can be eliminated. However, in either case, the high speed performance is greatly impaired due to the shifting or the steady load is greatly increased. Further, when an urging mechanism is attached, the mechanism becomes complicated and large.

  Further, in the turning mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 2, the flat brushless motors 150, 152, 158 and the gimbal 151 or the lens barrel 155 are directly connected. Therefore, there is no problem derived from the play of the transmission mechanism as seen in the mechanism disclosed in Patent Document 1.

  However, electromagnetic motors such as the flat brushless motors 150, 152, and 158 have a small volume-torque ratio, so that the torque at low speed is small, and if the torque is generated by direct drive, the shape of the motor becomes large. In particular, in the case of a flat motor, since there is a restriction in the axial direction, torque is gained in the radial direction, so that the diameter increases, the moment of inertia increases, and it is not suitable for a quick response.

  Electromagnetic motors have good efficiency at high speed rotation due to the action of back electromotive force, but they are very inefficient because they do not reach efficient speeds when driving at a small angle. Furthermore, driving in the low speed region without deceleration is directly affected by cogging due to the arrangement of the coil and magnet, and the torque is unstable depending on the angle.

  Another problem is that, as shown in FIG. 18, a two-inertia system in which two large inertia bodies such as a motor 201 and a lens barrel 203 are connected by a thin shaft having a small torsional rigidity 202, so that it is twisted in a low band. Resonance is likely to occur. In this case, controllability deteriorates or steady vibration occurs.

  Furthermore, since there is no appropriate friction due to gears or the like, in order to perform stop and hold, the servo must be constantly operated, which is heavy in terms of power and calculation load of the control system. Therefore, generally, an electromagnetic motor is used with a speed reducer.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a lens barrel turning mechanism capable of high-acceleration and high-precision control with a small configuration.

The lens barrel turning mechanism of the present invention includes an imaging unit including a lens barrel unit that acquires image information, and a support unit having at least one degree of freedom of rotation so that the optical axis of the imaging unit is variable. A lens barrel turning mechanism including an actuator that varies the optical axis of the imaging unit, wherein the actuator is configured by a vibrator that generates elliptical vibration in a linear direction, and is opposed to the vibrator. A sliding member that moves while being in contact therewith, and a beam that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lens barrel portion, is parallel to the support portion, and has a width capable of supporting the vibrator. The support portion is a U-shaped gimbal in a front view of the imaging unit, the sliding member is attached to the gimbal side, and the beam is a truss type projecting from the rotating shaft. The part perpendicular to the rotation axis is the sliding part Of which is substantially horizontal to the mounting surface, characterized in that the vibrator on opposite side to the sliding member is fixed.
In addition, the lens barrel turning mechanism according to the present invention includes an imaging unit including a lens barrel unit that acquires image information and a support having at least one degree of freedom of rotation so that the optical axis of the imaging unit is variable. And a pivoting mechanism of a lens barrel that includes an actuator that varies the optical axis of the imaging unit, and the actuator includes a vibrator that generates elliptical vibration in a linear direction, and is opposed to the vibrator. A sliding member that moves while the vibrator is in contact therewith, and a columnar body that has a width that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lens barrel portion, parallel to the support portion, and capable of supporting the vibrator. The support part is a U-shaped gimbal in front view of the imaging unit, the sliding member is attached to the gimbal side, and the columnar body is formed from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel part. Projected toward the mounting surface side of the sliding member, Said rotation shaft perpendicular portions of the columnar body has a substantially horizontal to the mounting surface of said sliding member, and wherein the vibrator is fixed to opposite side to the sliding member To do.

  According to the present invention, high-acceleration and high-precision control can be performed with a small configuration. In addition, since it is small but has high rigidity, vibrations due to torsion and the like are less likely to occur and reliable control is possible. As a result, when tracking control or the like is performed using, for example, the eyes of a robot, the object can be captured more quickly because it is small and has little unevenness, so that it can be easily incorporated and can be positioned instantaneously. Further, when used in a vibration isolator or the like, there is an effect of a high speed and a wide dynamic range. Furthermore, it is possible to save power by holding torque when no power is supplied.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a turning mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a front view of the turning mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Reference numerals 1 and 13 denote rectangular plate vibrators (hereinafter also simply referred to as vibrators) that generate elliptical vibrations in a linear direction, which will be described below. Reference numerals 2 and 12 are sliding members formed in a donut shape (or ring shape) made of a material having an appropriate friction coefficient and fixed on a U-shaped gimbal 7 in a front view. A relative driving force is generated by contacting the vibrator 1 and 13 with the vibrators 1 and 13 installed. In the present embodiment, the gimbal 7 is composed of a two-degree-of-freedom gimbal mechanism and includes an inner gimbal and an outer gimbal. The gimbal 7 corresponds to a support portion having a rotational degree of freedom of one degree or more as used in the present invention.

  Reference numerals 3 and 14 denote angle sensors such as a rotary encoder, which sense an angle in combination with a scale that relatively moves on the opposite gimbal side.

  Reference numerals 4 and 15 denote rotating shafts orthogonal to each other, and are freely rotatable with respect to the gimbal 7 or the fixed portion 8. The rotation axes 4 and 15 can change the optical axis on which a lens 6 described later is incident.

  Reference numerals 5, 6, and 10 denote members included in an imaging sensor module that is an imaging unit. Reference numeral 5 denotes a lens barrel (lens barrel part), 6 denotes a lens, and 10 denotes a substrate on which an imaging element such as a CCD is mounted. . Image information is acquired by an imaging sensor module including these members.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a clamp portion (clamp member) for contacting and fixing on the periphery of the lens barrel, and is fixed or integrally formed with the shaft.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes a truss-type beam that protrudes from the clamp portion 9 and the rotary shaft 4, and is fixed or integrally formed with the clamp portion 9 and the rotary shaft 4. The portion perpendicular to the rotation axis (swivel axis) of the beam 11 is substantially horizontal with respect to the sliding member mounting surface of the gimbal 7, and the vibrator 1 is mounted on the gimbal side of the beam 11. Yes.

  The mechanism as described above is composed of a minimum number of structural members, and various effects as described below can be obtained by using the frictional force between the vibrator and the sliding member.

  First, the principle of movement by the vibrator and the sliding member will be described here. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an example of a thin plate-like vibrator. Here, 16 is a thin plate capable of bending vibration, and 17 is a vertical vibrator integrated at a position having an offset with respect to the bending center of the thin plate, and expands and contracts in a direction perpendicular to the thin plate 16. Reference numeral 18 schematically represents the mass point at the tip of the vertical vibrator 17.

  Gray points (referred to as hatched circles in the figure) and arrows indicate the trajectories of past mass points. 3A to 3E show the driving procedure.

  In FIG. 3A, the vertical vibrator 17 is contracted to the minimum, and the thin plate bending vibrator is in a straight state.

  In FIG. 3B, the thin plate 16 is bent upward and the length of the vibrator 17 is neutral. As a result, the mass point 18 moves to the upper left.

  Next, in FIG. 3C, the thin plate 16 is straightened, and the length of the vertical vibrator 17 is maximized. As a result, the mass point 18 moves to the upper right.

  Next, in FIG. 3D, the thin plate 16 is bent downward and the length of the vertical vibrator 17 becomes a neutral length. As a result, the mass point 18 moves to the lower right.

  Finally, in FIG. 3 (e), the thin plate 16 is straightened, the length of the vertical vibrator 17 is minimized, and the state returns to the same state as in FIG. 3 (a). Although it seems that the motion shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E is performed in a stepped manner, it is actually driven in a harmonic manner using sine vibration.

  In this way, by smoothly repeating the procedure shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, the mass point 18 moves on an elliptical locus on the paper surface.

  During the procedure shown in FIGS. 3B to 3D using such a vibrator, the thrust can be taken out by pressing the vibrator with an appropriate pressure so as to contact the mass point 18.

  In addition, smooth driving is possible by setting the period of vibration to a high frequency in the ultrasonic region. The method for obtaining elliptical vibration with a thin plate vibrator is not limited to the above example. For example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 may be used in the present embodiment.

  Such a vibrator 19 is fixed to an appropriate position of a plate 21 integrated with the rotary shaft 20 as shown in FIG. A sliding member 22 having an appropriate friction coefficient is fixed and arranged on the side facing the vibrator 19. The vibrator 19 and the sliding member 22 are pressed with an appropriate pressure.

  The vibrator 19 generates a thrust F in the linear direction. However, since the translational direction is constrained by the rotating shaft 20, the thrust becomes a tangential force and generates a rotational motion.

  For example, the force F ′ when the vibrator and the plate material are moved to the position indicated by the broken line in FIG. 4 is also a rotational tangential force. In the figure, the sliding member 22 has an arc shape for the sake of space, but is not limited thereto.

  The size of the sliding member can be changed according to the rotation range. For example, if a circular sliding member is used, it can move more than one rotation. In addition, when the sliding member is not circular, for example, in the case of a fan shape, an appropriate stopper can be provided according to the driving range to prevent breakage due to overrun.

  Compared to an annular motor, the structural members can be minimized as a feature of such a unit, so that weight can be reduced and inertia can be reduced. It is possible to choose the speed ratio.

  In particular, the torque can be maximized by installing the vibrator at a position farthest from the rotation axis, in other words, at the outermost periphery. Further, it is possible to double the torque by installing a plurality of vibrators.

  Furthermore, compared with an electromagnetic motor, it is easy to reduce the thickness because a coil is unnecessary. Since the inertial body is received at two locations of the shaft and the contact portion, the torsional rigidity is large, and even if the rotating shaft is thin, it is difficult to generate torsional vibration and high acceleration is possible.

  By taking advantage of the above features, high-speed driving is possible with a light and thin unit.

  The mechanism shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 performs two-axis driving of the imaging module using a unit as shown in FIG. Utilizing the features of small size, light weight and high acceleration, it is most suitable for applications such as tracking of objects by eye movements and robot eyes.

  In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the clamp part, the lens barrel, and the rotation shaft are configured as separate bodies, but they can be integrally formed by resin molding or the like. In this case, there are effects such as a reduction in the number of parts, a reduction in assembly man-hours, and an increase in rigidity.

  1 and 2 show examples in which only the tilt axis uses the mechanism of FIG. That is, the pan shaft is a vibrator on the fixed side and a sliding member on the rotation side. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and if the rigidity and strength of the gimbal 7 allow, the vibrator is attached to the gimbal side of the pan shaft, and the lower part of the gimbal 7 may be a thin beam-like plate to which the vibrator can be attached. Is possible. That is, a vibrator may be provided on at least one of the inner gimbal and the outer gimbal of the gimbal 7.

  Since the angle sensors 3 and 14 such as a rotary encoder are attached to the two rotation shafts as described above, accurate positioning can be performed using a feedback control technique or the like. The angle sensor may be installed on the side opposite to the actuator with respect to the lens barrel. Although the overall size is a little larger, the resolution can be increased because there is room for the scale diameter.

  Such a configuration is easy to incorporate because it is small and has few irregularities when, for example, a tracking operation is performed using the eyes of a robot. In addition, since it is possible to literally position instantaneously with fast acceleration utilizing the characteristics of high torque, it can be used for a faster follow-up target.

  Further, when used in a vibration isolator, in addition to high speed, there is a feature that a dynamic range is large as compared with a conventional piezo type or liquid prism type. In addition, there are no problems due to play of the transmission mechanism, which is a problem of the conventional prior art, and it is not necessary to increase the diameter because a large torque is generated at low speed, and the efficiency is almost unchanged at high speed-low speed, Also, the torque unevenness due to the position is small.

  Furthermore, the torsional rigidity is high and vibrations are difficult to occur. When the power is turned off, there is a large holding torque due to frictional force, so there is no waste of electric power as in the case of a servo at all times. As described above, according to the present invention, the problems of the prior art can be almost solved.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a turning mechanism according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a front view. Reference numeral 23 denotes a columnar body fixed integrally with the clamp 24.

  A rectangular thin plate-like vibrator 25 similar to that of the first embodiment is attached to the tip of the columnar body 23 and faces a sliding member 26 installed on the gimbal side. Pressurized by pressure and in contact. Thereby, similarly to the first embodiment, the lens barrel can be rotated by causing elliptical vibration in the vibrator.

  In the present embodiment, since the lateral width of the substrate 27 is narrow, the distance from the lens barrel to the gimbal is small, and rigidity can be secured even with a columnar body, such a configuration is possible.

  In FIG. 6, the columnar body 23 is in contact with the rotating shaft, but this configuration is not necessarily required. Any width that can mount the vibrator 25 (or an angle sensor added thereto) is sufficient.

  Further, the length indicated by X in FIG. 6 may be 0 or minus. When there is no protrusion of the substrate 27, it is possible to make it as shown in FIG. 7, or as shown in FIG. The length in the optical axis direction of 28 and the width of the columnar body 23 may be substantially matched.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the same configuration viewed from the right front and the left front. As shown in this figure, the lens barrel and the columnar body can be integrally molded.

  Further, since the shape on the side opposite to the vibrators 25 and 26 is arbitrary, the entire lens barrel can be covered with a rectangular parallelepiped shape. Further, when the length of the lens barrel is known in advance, a columnar body 64 is provided in parallel with the optical axis of the lens barrel 61 as shown in FIG. 15, and a rotary shaft 65, actuators 62, 63 (vibrator) are provided on the upper surface thereof. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to further reduce the protrusion. In this case, the columnar body 63 is preferably formed integrally with the lens barrel 61.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a turning mechanism according to the third embodiment. Here, 29 is a beam portion perpendicular to the rotation shaft 37 and parallel to the bearing portion 36 of the gimbal.

  The beam 29 has a structure in which two truss types are connected in the vertical direction. On the side facing the gimbal, rectangular thin plate-like vibrators 30 and 31 as shown in FIG. The sliding member 32 is in pressure contact.

  Here, the vibrators 30 and 31 are installed so as to be substantially symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis as shown in FIG. 10, and the distance between the rotation center and the contact position is substantially equal. With such a configuration, it is possible to double the torque as compared with the first and second embodiments.

  In addition, since the inertia is supported at three points, the load on the bearing portion 36 is reduced and the rigidity is increased, so that torsional vibration is less likely to occur. Furthermore, there is a merit that the holding force at the time of stopping is doubled.

  Reference numeral 38 denotes a detection head of the angle sensor, and 39 denotes an index scale. By performing feedback control by detecting the angle, high-precision positioning is possible.

  Further, when the length of the lens barrel 61 is fixed as shown in FIG. 15, the two actuators 62 and 63 can be arranged by passing the columnar body 64 or the beam parallel to the optical axis. In this case, the columnar body 64 or the beam is preferably formed integrally with the lens barrel 61. FIGS. 11 and 12 are variations of this configuration. In FIG. 11, four vibrators 40 to 43 are provided, and a plurality of pairs are installed at positions that are symmetrical with respect to the rotation axis and that face each other.

  With such a configuration, the torque can be increased approximately four times as compared with the case of using one vibrator.

  Moreover, since each group is arrange | positioned in the symmetrical position, it is balanced and it is hard to produce a twist. 44 and 45 are angle sensors, and their detection heads are shown. They are installed at symmetrical positions with respect to the rotation axis by utilizing the symmetry of the beam. By taking the average of the angles detected by the two detection heads, it is possible to remove angular errors caused by asymmetry such as eccentricity of the scale, and very accurate control is possible by performing feedback control.

  The beam portion 46 has a cross shape, but is not limited thereto. For example, an octagonal shape such as a beam portion 99 in FIG. 12 or a circular shape may be used.

  Similarly to the second embodiment, when the substrate or the like is small and there is no interference and the lens barrel and the gimbal portion are close to each other, it is possible to drive a plurality of simple columnar bodies without beams at symmetrical positions. .

  FIG. 13 shows three vibrators 47 to 49 arranged as point targets with respect to the rotation axis. That is, each makes an angle of 120 ° with respect to the rotation axis, and the distances from the rotation center to the contact point are equal. In this case as well, as in the case of two or four vibrators, the rigidity and holding force at the time of stopping increase, and the torque also triples.

  In addition, by providing the angle sensors 50 to 52 at positions equidistant from the rotation center of each beam and taking the average of the detected angles, the influence of the eccentricity of the index scale can be removed as in the case of FIG.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing a lens barrel turning mechanism according to the fourth embodiment. Here, reference numeral 53 denotes a lens barrel in which an optical element is incorporated, and reference numeral 54 denotes a beam fixed to the lens barrel, which faces the gimbal 58 in parallel.

  Reference numeral 55 denotes a circuit board on which a light receiving element or the like is mounted. Reference numeral 56 denotes a rotating shaft fixed to the lens barrel 53 and is freely rotatable with respect to the gimbal 58. Reference numeral 57 denotes a thin plate-like vibrator that generates elliptical vibration, and is fixed to the side facing the gimbal on the beam 54. Reference numeral 59 denotes an arc-shaped sliding member that is in contact with the elliptical motion portion of the elliptical vibrator of the vibrator 57 with an appropriate pressure.

  Reference numeral 60 denotes a horizontal rotation unit. In this unit, because of the interference between the lens barrel 53 and the horizontal shaft 60, the rotation angle around the rotation shaft 56 is limited to about 120 °. Therefore, the drive angle of the actuator may be about 120 °.

  In this case, the sliding member 59 does not have an annular shape as in the first to third embodiments, but has an arc shape, that is, a ring shape having an arc angle or a part of the ring. Therefore, the projected area and product of the gimbal 58 that supports the sliding member 59 can be significantly reduced. As a result, the size and weight can be reduced, and the speed can be increased.

  In addition, it is good also as a structure which replaces with a beam and provides a vibrator | oscillator on a columnar body like 2nd Embodiment. Further, although an angle sensor is not shown in FIG. 14, it is possible to perform feedback control by detecting the rotation angle around the rotation shaft 56 even with this configuration. In that case, the index scale of the angle sensor may be at least the same angle as the sliding member 59 of the actuator.

  The scale and head may be attached on the same side as the actuator, or on the opposite side of the axis with the lens barrel in between. Further, since the angle is limited, stoppers for limiting the movement of the vibrator 57 may be provided at both ends of the sliding member 59 in order to prevent overrun. In this case, it is also possible to perform an operation in which the vibrator 57 is once pressed against the stopper and the rotation reference point is obtained.

It is a perspective view of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a conceptual diagram explaining the elliptical vibration of the thin plate vibrator which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for using an actuator for rotation drive. It is a perspective view of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the actuator and sensor in the turning mechanism which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the modification of the turning mechanism which concerns on the 2nd and 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the conventional turning mechanism. It is a figure which shows the conventional turning mechanism. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of the 2 inertia system in the conventional turning mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

1, 13, 19, 25, 30, 31, 33, 34, 40, 41, 42, 43, 47, 48, 49, 57, 62, 63 Rectangular plate vibrator (vibrator)
2, 12, 22, 26, 32, 35, 59 Sliding member 3, 14, 38, 44, 45, 50, 51, 52 Angle sensor 4, 15, 20, 37, 56, 65 Rotating shaft 5, 28, 53, 61 Lens barrel 6 Lens 7, 36, 58 Gimbal 8 Fixed part 9, 24 Clamp 10, 27, 55 Substrate 11, 21, 46, 54, 64 Beam 16 Thin plate 17 Vertical vibrator 18 Material point 23 Columnar body 29 Beam Part

Claims (12)

An imaging unit including a lens barrel unit that acquires image information, a support unit having at least one degree of freedom of rotation so that the optical axis of the imaging unit is variable, and the optical axis of the imaging unit are varied. A swivel mechanism for a lens barrel including an actuator,
The actuator is composed of a vibrator that generates elliptical vibration in a linear direction,
A sliding member that moves relative to the vibrator while the vibrator is in contact with the vibrator;
A beam perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lens barrel, parallel to the support, and having a width capable of supporting the vibrator;
The support portion is a U-shaped gimbal in front view of the imaging unit, and the sliding member is attached to the gimbal side,
The beam is a truss type projecting from the rotating shaft, and a portion perpendicular to the rotating shaft of the beam is substantially horizontal with respect to the mounting surface of the sliding member and is opposed to the sliding member. A lens barrel turning mechanism characterized in that the vibrator is fixed to the side. An imaging unit including a lens barrel unit that acquires image information, a support unit having at least one degree of freedom of rotation so that the optical axis of the imaging unit is variable, and the optical axis of the imaging unit are varied. A swivel mechanism for a lens barrel including an actuator,
The actuator is composed of a vibrator that generates elliptical vibration in a linear direction,
A sliding member that moves relative to the vibrator while the vibrator is in contact with the vibrator;
A columnar body having a width that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the lens barrel portion, parallel to the support portion, and capable of supporting the vibrator;
The support portion is a U-shaped gimbal in front view of the imaging unit, and the sliding member is attached to the gimbal side,
The columnar body protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the lens barrel portion toward the mounting surface side of the sliding member, and a portion of the columnar body perpendicular to the rotation axis is with respect to the mounting surface of the sliding member. A lens barrel turning mechanism characterized by being substantially horizontal and having the vibrator fixed to a side facing the sliding member .   The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the beam and the lens barrel portion are integrally formed.   2. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the beam is formed integrally with a clamp member that contacts and fixes the periphery of the lens barrel portion. 3.   2. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is installed on an outer peripheral portion of the beam viewed from a rotation axis.   2. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the vibrators are installed at positions symmetrical to the rotation axis of the beam.   2. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the vibrators are installed at positions of the beams facing the rotation axis at an equal distance.   2. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the vibrator and the sensor for detecting an angle are installed at positions of the beam facing the rotation axis at an equal distance. 3.   3. The mirror according to claim 1, wherein the support portion is a gimbal mechanism having two degrees of freedom, and the actuator is used in at least one of an inner gimbal that supports the lens barrel and an outer gimbal that supports the inner gimbal. A cylinder turning mechanism.   3. The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the sliding member has a ring shape or a part of a ring centered on a rotation axis.   2. A sensor for detecting a rotation angle, and a fan-shaped index scale that is a ring shape or a part of a ring having an arc angle equal to that of the sliding member about the rotation axis is provided. Alternatively, the lens barrel turning mechanism according to 2.   The lens barrel turning mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the vibrator is a rectangular plate vibrator.

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