Abstract: A range finding device comprising an image sensor and a measurement circuit that measures a distance to a predetermined position within a field of view of the image sensor based on time of flight of light, is disclosed. The range finding device records image data that has been obtained using the image sensor, as well as a measurement result from the measurement circuit, into a recording medium in association with each other. The range finding device executes the recording under a condition that the measurement performed by the measurement circuit has been successful.

Abstract: Provided is a distance detection device attached to a position at which it surrounds a camera lens device. The distance detection device has a light emitting element configured to irradiate a target region with irradiation light and a light receiving element configured to receive reflected light of the irradiation light from a target in the target region. The distance detection device acquires distance information indicating a distance to the target on the basis of a time until the light receiving element receives the reflected light after the light emitting element performs irradiation with the irradiation light and communicates the distance information.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

Abstract: A driving apparatus includes a movable portion, a fixed portion configured to hold the movable portion, and a controller configured to control a position of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion. At least part of the outer surface of the movable portion is a spherical surface. The fixed portion includes a plurality of vibrators configured to press and contact the spherical surface of the movable portion and to rotate the movable portion, and a pressure receiver configured to hold pressure contact states of the plurality of vibrators against the movable portion. The movable portion is held by the plurality of vibrators and the pressure receiver, and a spherical center of the spherical surface of the movable portion is located between a plane passing through the plurality of vibrators and the pressure receiver.

Abstract: A vibration driving device that achieves low cost and high accuracy while reducing driving load. A drive unit has a vibrator with a projection and generates driving force by vibrating the vibrator. A first unit has a contact portion with which the projection is in pressure contact in a first direction. A second unit rotates relative to the first unit around a rotation axis parallel to the first direction by the driving force. Three or more support members are between the first and second units in the first direction to support the first and second units rotatably. The support members are positioned such that, during relative rotation of the first and second units, a contact point at which the projection contacts the contact portion is always located in at least one of triangular areas formed by connecting any three support members with straight lines when viewed in the first direction.

Abstract: A vibration type actuator includes a vibrator, including a protrusion and a piezoelectric element, that is arranged to vibrate in response to a voltage, and a contact member having a contact surface which the protrusion contacts. The vibrator and the contact member rotate relative to each other around a first axis. The vibrator is tilted to the contact surface by a predetermined angle.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

Abstract: An electronic apparatus includes a movable cylinder, a support cylinder configured to support the movable cylinder rotatably around a panning rotation axis, a flexible wire connecting to a panning control circuit board in the support cylinder, and a storage area communicating with the movable cylinder and the support cylinder and containing the flexible wire. The flexile wire includes a first fixed part on the movable cylinder and a second fixed part on the support cylinder. In the storage area, the first fixed part is fixed to a first fixing part of the movable cylinder. In the storage area, the second fixed part is fixed to a second fixing part of the support cylinder.

Abstract: A vibration type actuator includes a vibrator, including a protrusion and a piezoelectric element, that is arranged to vibrate in response to a voltage, and a contact member having a contact surface which the protrusion contacts. The vibrator and the contact member rotate relative to each other around a first axis. The vibrator is tilted to the contact surface by a predetermined angle.

Abstract: A vibration driving device that achieves low cost and high accuracy while reducing driving load. A drive unit has a vibrator with a projection and generates driving force by vibrating the vibrator. A first unit has a contact portion with which the projection is in pressure contact in a first direction. A second unit rotates relative to the first unit around a rotation axis parallel to the first direction by the driving force. Three or more support members are between the first and second units in the first direction to support the first and second units rotatably. The support members are positioned such that, during relative rotation of the first and second units, a contact point at which the projection contacts the contact portion is always located in at least one of triangular areas formed by connecting any three support members with straight lines when viewed in the first direction.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a movable unit that includes an image pickup unit having a lens and an image sensor, and a driver configured to drive the movable unit so as to change a direction of the movable unit. The driver is a vibrator whose vibration is excited by a piezoelectric element. At least part of an outer surface of the movable unit is a spherical surface, and the spherical surface includes a contact surface which the vibrator contacts. The contact surface is continuously provided in at least one section passing through a spherical center of the spherical surface in an area of a central angle of 180° or wider around the spherical center on the spherical surface.

Abstract: Provided is a distance detection device attached to a position at which it surrounds a camera lens device. The distance detection device has a light emitting element configured to irradiate a target region with irradiation light and a light receiving element configured to receive reflected light of the irradiation light from a target in the target region. The distance detection device acquires distance information indicating a distance to the target on the basis of a time until the light receiving element receives the reflected light after the light emitting element performs irradiation with the irradiation light and communicates the distance information.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus includes a movable unit that includes an image pickup unit having a lens and an image sensor, and a driver configured to drive the movable unit so as to change a direction of the movable unit. The driver is a vibrator whose vibration is excited by a piezoelectric element. At least part of an outer surface of the movable unit is a spherical surface, and the spherical surface includes a contact surface which the vibrator contacts. The contact surface is continuously provided in at least one section passing through a spherical center of the spherical surface in an area of a central angle of 180° or wider around the spherical center on the spherical surface.

Abstract: A driving apparatus includes a movable portion, a fixed portion configured to hold the movable portion, and a controller configured to control a position of the movable portion relative to the fixed portion. At least part of the outer surface of the movable portion is a spherical surface. The fixed portion includes a plurality of vibrators configured to press and contact the spherical surface of the movable portion and to rotate the movable portion, and a pressure receiver configured to hold pressure contact states of the plurality of vibrators against the movable portion. The movable portion is held by the plurality of vibrators and the pressure receiver, and a spherical center of the spherical surface of the movable portion is located between a plane passing through the plurality of vibrators and the pressure receiver.

Abstract: A downsizable electronic apparatus is provided. A supporting unit supports a driven body and has a shaft portion, and a rotation plate which is arranged coaxially with and perpendicular to the shaft portion and has a sliding surface with the shaft portion at its center and a scale arranged coaxially with the slicing surface and at an outer peripheral side in the rotation plate. A base unit, on which the supporting unit is provided in a standing manner, has a control substrate, an actuator drives the supporting unit and is arranged so as to be brought into pressure contact with the sliding surface, and a position detecting unit detects a rotational position of the supporting unit and reads the scale, and rotatably supports the supporting unit. Wiring drawn from the driven body is inserted into a wiring region and connected to the control substrate.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a connector constituted by plural types of pins and configured to perform a communication in accordance with at least one of a first communication standard for requesting a symmetrical pin arrangement and a second communication standard for requesting an asymmetrical pin arrangement, an input unit configured to input a signal for detecting that an external apparatus connected to the connector is an apparatus in conformity to the first communication standard or the second communication standard via at least one of the pins in the connector, and a control unit configured to perform control in a manner that signal assignment of the plural types of the pins of the connector is switched to a first state corresponding to the first communication standard or a second state corresponding to the second communication standard in accordance with the signal input by the input unit.

Abstract: An image pickup apparatus is capable of decreasing a space capacity occupied by component elements and being downsized compared to a case where an actuator is arranged independently of a supporting unit. The image pickup apparatus has an image pickup unit driven by the actuator, a base unit, and the supporting unit provided in a standing manner from the base unit and rotatably supports the image pickup unit. The actuator has a piezoelectric element and an oscillator including a transmission unit which transmits driving force caused by vibration excited by the piezoelectric element. The transmission unit is arranged in the supporting unit so that it is in pressure contact with the image pickup unit. The image pickup unit has a transmitted plane with which the transmission unit is brought into pressure contact, and the vibration excited by the oscillator causes the transmitted plane to move relatively to the oscillator.

Abstract: A downsizable electronic apparatus is provided. A supporting unit supports a driven body and has a shaft portion, and a rotation plate which is arranged coaxially with and perpendicular to the shaft portion and has a sliding surface with the shaft portion at its center and a scale arranged coaxially with the slicing surface and at an outer peripheral side in the rotation plate. A base unit, on which the supporting unit is provided in a standing manner, has a control substrate, an actuator drives the supporting unit and is arranged so as to be brought into pressure contact with the sliding surface, and a position detecting unit detects a rotational position of the supporting unit and reads the scale, and rotatably supports the supporting unit. Wiring drawn from the driven body is inserted into a wiring region and connected to the control substrate.

Abstract: An electronic device includes a connector constituted by plural types of pins and configured to perform a communication in accordance with at least one of a first communication standard for requesting a symmetrical pin arrangement and a second communication standard for requesting an asymmetrical pin arrangement, an input unit configured to input a signal for detecting that an external apparatus connected to the connector is an apparatus in conformity to the first communication standard or the second communication standard via at least one of the pins in the connector, and a control unit configured to perform control in a manner that signal assignment of the plural types of the pins of the connector is switched to a first state corresponding to the first communication standard or a second state corresponding to the second communication standard in accordance with the signal input by the input unit.