Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a housing, a rotor, a bearing member, a vibrator serving as an actuator and having a support shaft and a driving element, and a leaf spring having a pressing protrusion. The vibrator is slidably disposed in an opening of the housing along a rotation axis direction of the rotor, and a support shaft of the vibrator is rotatable. The vibrator is held while being urged by the leaf spring and being in contact with the rotor. The vibrator is excited to generate supersonic vibration so that the rotor is rotated. Since the vibrator is movably supported by the housing in the rotation axis direction and the vibrator is urged by the leaf spring and is in contact with a friction contact surface of the rotor, the vibrator is evenly in contact with the rotor in a direction perpendicular to the friction contact surface so as to provide superior driving conditions of the vibration wave motor.

Abstract: A camera includes a first lens unit on which a light beam is incident from a subject, a reflective mirror for reflecting the light beam through the first lens unit, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the first lens unit, a first diaphragm member arranged on a surface of a lens of the first lens unit closest to the reflective mirror with the surface of the lens facing the reflective mirror, and which blocks unwanted rays of light other than the light beam that forms the image of the subject, a second lens unit on which the light beam reflected from the reflective mirror is incident, a second diaphragm member arranged between the first lens unit and the second lens unit blocks unwanted rays of light that travel outside the outermost periphery at which the light beam traveling from the first lens unit to the reflective member intersects the light beam traveling from the reflective mirror to the second lens unit, and an unwanted ray-of-light reflection prevention member arranged on

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a housing, a rotor, a bearing member, a vibrator serving as an actuator and having a support shaft and a driving element, and a leaf spring having a pressing protrusion. The vibrator is slidably disposed in an opening of the housing along a rotation axis direction of the rotor, and a support shaft of the vibrator is rotatable. The vibrator is held while being urged by the leaf spring and being in contact with the rotor. The vibrator is excited to generate supersonic vibration so that the rotor is rotated. Since the vibrator is movably supported by the housing in the rotation axis direction and the vibrator is urged by the leaf spring and is in contact with a friction contact surface of the rotor, the vibrator is evenly in contact with the rotor in a direction perpendicular to the friction contact surface so as to provide superior driving conditions of the vibration wave motor.

Abstract: A vibration wave motor includes a housing, a rotor, a bearing member, a bending-vibration driving transducer having a support shaft and two driving elements and serving as an actuator, and a leaf spring having a pressing protrusion. The transducer is slidable in an opening of the housing along a rotation axis direction of the rotor, and a support shaft of the transducer is rotatably supported and inserted. The transducer is held while being urged by the leaf spring and being in contact with the rotor. Since the transducer is urged by the pressing protrusion of the leaf spring, the leaf spring is in complete contact with the transducer without edge contact so that the two driving elements are evenly in contact with the rotor in a direction perpendicular to the frictional contact surface, thus providing driving conditions of superior conversion efficiency.

Abstract: A camera includes a first lens unit, formed of a plurality of lenses, on which a light beam is incident from a subject, a reflective mirror for reflecting a light beam, which has come from the subject and has been transmitted through the first lens unit, in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of the first lens unit, a first diaphragm member which is arranged on a surface of a lens of the first lens unit closest to the reflective mirror with the surface of the lens facing the reflective mirror, and which blocks unwanted rays of light other than the light beam that contributes to the forming of the image of the subject on an image formation surface, a second lens unit, formed of a plurality of lenses, on which the light beam reflected from the reflective mirror is incident, a second diaphragm member which is arranged between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, and blocks unwanted rays of light that travel outside the outermost periphery at which the light beam forming the subje