Olympus Corporation

Takeshi Saito

Sho Nakamura

Takehiko Iguchi

Kanako Saito

An optical unit includes: a moving frame disposed so as to freely move back and forth inside a fixed barrel and configured to hold a moving lens; an actuator configured to drive the moving frame along an optical axis of the moving lens; a plurality of spherical bodies configured to make the moving frame slidable; a plurality of guide grooves configured to guide the plurality of spherical bodies; a plurality of magnets disposed so as to generate magnetic force in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis; and a magnetic member disposed at a facing position of the plurality of magnets, and configured to cancel attractive forces in opposing directions generated with the plurality of magnets by the magnetic force and generate urging force only in a direction of bringing the plurality of spherical bodies into contact with the guide grooves at the moving frame.

Optical unit and endoscope

An optical unit includes: a cylindrical fixing member configured to retain at least one of an object-side fixed lens group and an image-side fixed lens group; a cylindrical movable member configured to retain a movable lens group between the groups and arranged on a radial-direction inner side of the fixing member slidablly with respect to the fixing member, the cylindrical movable member having a same central axis as the cylindrical fixing member; a voice coil motor including: a coil arranged in the fixing member; and magnets arranged on the movable member and magnetically polarized in a direction intersecting with the central axis, the voice coil motor being capable of moving the movable member relative to the fixing member along a direction of the central axis; and a rotation restricting member configured to restrict rotation of the movable member about the central axis with respect to the fixing member.

An optical unit includes: a fixed portion configured to hold at least one of an object side fixed lens group and an image side fixed lens group; a movable portion configured to hold a movable lens group between the object side fixed lens group and the image side fixed lens group; and a voice coil motor configured to relatively move the movable portion with respect to the fixed portion in a direction of a central axis, the voice coil motor including a coil arranged on the fixed portion, and magnets magnetically polarized in directions orthogonal to the central axis and substantially symmetrical with respect to the central axis. At least two magnets adjacent to each other in a circumferential direction in a cross section orthogonal to the central axis are arranged so as to be shifted in opposite directions in a circumferential direction.

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Tokorozawa, Japan

Takeshi Saito