Driving mechanism, driving system, anti-shake unit, and image sensing apparatus

A driving system comprising:

• a driving mechanism including:
• a fixed base member;
• a movable base member which is movable relative to the fixed base member;
• and
• at least three driving devices each having an operating part which is moved linearly, the three driving devices being loaded on either one of the fixed base member and the movable base member, at least three operated parts being formed on the other one of the fixed base member and the movable base member where the driving devices are not loaded to receive driving forces from the operating parts of the driving devices, respectively,
• the operated parts each having a moving guide part extending in a direction of a guide axis orthogonal to a linear driving axis along which the corresponding operating part of the driving device is moved, the operating parts being guided in the respective corresponding moving guide parts to cause relative rotation of one of the movable base member and the fixed base member against the other,
• at least one of the linear driving axes extending in a first direction, the other linear driving axis extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and
• the respective linear driving axes extending in tangential directions of a circle having an arbitrary point on the movable base member or the fixed base member as a center point, the respective guide axes extending radially with respect to the center point;
• a driven member which is mounted on the movable base member;
• and
• a drive controller which controllably moves the operating parts of the driving devices.

An anti-shake unit comprising:

• an image sensor which converts an object light image into an electrical signal;
• and
• a driving mechanism including:
• a fixed base member;
• a movable base member which is movable relative to the fixed base member;
• and
• at least three driving devices each having an operating part which is moved linearly, the three driving devices being loaded on either one of the fixed base member and the movable base member, at least three operated parts being formed on the other one of the fixed base member and the movable base member where the driving devices are not loaded to receive driving forces from the operating parts of the driving devices, respectively,
• the operated parts each having a moving guide part extending in a direction of a guide axis orthogonal to a linear driving axis along which the corresponding operating part of the driving device is moved, the operating parts being guided in the respective corresponding moving guide parts to cause relative rotation of one of the movable base member and the fixed base member against the other,
• at least one of the linear driving axes extending in a first direction, the other linear driving axis extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and
• the respective linear driving axes extending in tangential directions of a circle having an arbitrary point on the movable base member or the fixed base member as a center point, the respective guide axes extending radially with respect to the center point,
• wherein the image sensor is mounted on the movable base member as a driven member.

An image sensing apparatus comprising:

• an anti-shake unit including:
• a driving mechanism including:
• a fixed base member;
• a movable base member which is movable relative to the fixed base member;
• and
• at least three driving devices each having an operating part which is moved linearly, the three driving devices being loaded on either one of the fixed base member and the movable base member, at least three operated parts being formed on the other one of the fixed base member and the movable base member where the driving devices are not loaded to receive driving forces from the operating parts of the driving devices, respectively,
• the operated parts each having a moving guide part extending in a direction of a guide axis orthogonal to a linear driving axis along which the corresponding operating part of the driving device is moved, the operating parts being guided in the respective corresponding moving guide parts to cause relative rotation of one of the movable base member and the fixed base member against the other,
• at least one of the linear driving axes extending in a first direction, the other linear driving axis extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and
• the respective linear driving axes extending in tangential directions of a circle having an arbitrary point on the movable base member or the fixed base member as a center point, the respective guide axes extending radially with respect to the center point;
• and
• an image sensor which converts an object light image into an electrical signal, the image sensor being mounted on the movable base member as a driven member;
• a shake detector which detects angular velocities of a main body of the image sensing apparatus in a pitch direction, in a yaw direction, and in a rolling direction based on a shake applied to the apparatus main body;
• a corrective amount calculator which calculates corrective amounts by which the apparatus main body is to be correctively moved in the pitch direction, in the yaw direction, and in the rolling direction to cancel the shake of the apparatus main body, based on detection results of the shake detector;
• and
• a drive controller which controls the driving devices to correctively move the operating parts thereof in the pitch direction, in the yaw direction, and in the rolling direction, depending on the corrective amounts calculated by the corrective amount calculator.