An imaging equipment includes an image display; an image sensor; a motor; and an inclinometer, where the image display concurrently displays the image being captured by the image sensor, the motor automatically rotates the image sensor around the center of the motor with respect to at least one of the image sensor's axes, to make the sensor level on the basis of data acquired from a inclinometer, the motor allows the user to control the motor to shift the image sensor along at least one of the image sensor's axes, and the motor allows the user to control the motor to rotate the image sensor with respect to at least one of the image sensor's axes to have the motor tilt and swing the image sensor in such a way as to move two or more points, selected by the user, to lie on a same focus plane.

A drive apparatus comprising a stationary frame with a coil, a movable frame with a magnetic circuit held movably in a direction orthogonal to a first direction, and a drive unit that moves the movable frame by applying electric current to the coil. The magnetic circuit is constituted by aligning a first magnet having a magnetization direction parallel to the first direction, a second magnet having a magnetization direction opposite to the first magnet, and a third magnet between the first and second magnets in a direction orthogonal to the first direction. The third magnet has a magnetization direction that has a pole in the same direction of the poles of the first and second magnets when viewed from the coil side. The side spaces of the first and second magnets opposite to the third magnet are occupied by material whose magnetic permeability is lower than the magnets.

An actuator is disclosed that includes a lens driving device, a movable portion, a holder, a supporting plate spring, and a plurality of suspension wires. The lens driving device has a driving mechanism for driving a lens body forward and backward in an optical axis direction and is fixed to a case. The movable portion is arranged on a rear side of the lens driving device together with an image sensor. The holder is fixed to the case and surrounding the lens driving device from outside. The supporting plate spring is fixed to a front surface of the holder. The plurality of suspension wires couple the supporting plate spring and the movable portion.

An image blur correction device that forms a strong rolling surface on a movable member having a resin part and is improved in strength of the movable member. The image blur correction device includes a fixed member, rolling balls, and the movable member that includes a sheet metal member and the resin part molded integrally with the sheet metal member, holds an image capture device, and is movable in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis of the image capture device, relative to the fixed member. Part of the movable member, where the sheet metal member is exposed from the resin part, forms the rolling surfaces on which the rolling members roll, and the sheet metal member is formed into a shape surrounding the image capture device, as viewed from the optical axis direction.

Various embodiments include a camera with a voice coil motor (VCM) actuator assembly to provide autofocus (AF) and/or optical image stabilization (OIS) movement. The VCM actuator assembly is configured to move an image sensor of the camera in three dimensions (e.g. X, Y, and Z) to provide the AF and/or OIS movements. The VCM actuator assembly is asymmetrical and includes an at least partially open side that allows an optical assembly of the camera to pass through the open side of the VCM actuator. In some embodiments, the optical assembly is part of a folded optics arrangement of the camera that includes one or more prisms/and or lenses.

A lens interchangeable digital camera includes an image sensor in which a subject image is formed on an imaging surface through an imaging optical system including a zoom lens and a sensor movement type shake correction mechanism that performs a sensor movement operation of moving the image sensor in a direction to cancel a shake. A zoom operation determination unit determines whether or not a zoom operation in which the zoom lens moves is being performed. In a case where the zoom operation determination unit determines that the zoom operation is being performed, an operation deciding unit prohibits a shift operation which is at least a part of a sensor movement operation which is allowed while the zoom operation is stopped.

An image pickup apparatus includes an image sensor unit that includes a fixed unit and a movable unit movable relative to the fixed unit, and a duct unit configured to form an air channel. The movable unit includes an image sensor and a heat exchanger. At least part of the heat exchanger is inserted inside the duct unit through an opening of the duct unit.

An imaging apparatus includes an image sensor assembly and a plurality of signal feed-in contacts. The image sensor assembly includes a movable substrate, an image sensing chip, and a bearing frame. The image sensing chip is disposed on an upper surface of the movable substrate. The bearing frame is disposed on the upper surface and surrounds the image sensing chip. The signal feed-in contacts are disposed on the movable substrate, and the signal feed-in contacts are not shaded by the image sensor assembly. The signal feed-in contacts are configured to transmit an enabling signal for enabling the image sensing chip.

An image stabilization apparatus comprises: a first obtaining unit that obtains orientation information of an image capturing apparatus; a determining unit that, on the basis of the orientation information, determines a reference position of an image sensor included in the image capturing apparatus; and a calculating unit that calculates a correction amount for performing image stabilization by moving a position of the image sensor from the reference position in a plane intersecting with an optical axis. The reference position is different between when the orientation information indicates that the image capturing apparatus is in a first orientation and when the orientation information indicates that the image capturing apparatus is in a second orientation.

An image shake correction device includes: a movable member; an imager that is fixed to the movable member; a support member that supports the movable member to be movable; and two movement restrictors that restrict a movement range of the movable member, each of the two movement restrictors includes a recess portion or a through-hole and an insertion member as defined herein, a shape of the recess portion or the through-hole is as defined herein, and a second diagonal line overlaps an extension line of a first diagonal line and the center of the light receiving surface overlaps a line connecting the first diagonal line and the second diagonal line as defined herein.