Annular piezoelectric plastic bender lens motor

In a photographic camera, a lens motor for moving a lens element along the optical axis of the camera, comprising:

• (a) an annular piezoelectric bender including one or more annular sheets of piezoelectric plastic material, said annular bender having outside edges and an inside edge, and electrode means disposed on the surfaces of said sheet for creating an electric field across the thickness thereof;
• (b) means for rigidly securing a portion near the outside edge of said annular bender with respect to the camera such that the plane of said annular bender is substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the camera;
• (c) means for establishing electrical contact with said electrode means;
• and
• (d) means for flexibly attaching the movable lens element to the inside edge of said annular bender such that the optical axis of said lens element is substantially coaxial with the optical axis of the camera, whereby when an electric field is applied across said sheet of piezoelectric plastic material, said bender causes said movable lens element to be displaced in a direction along its optical axis.