Actuator and object detecting apparatus that uses actuator using distance detection

1. An actuator comprising:

a pair of blade springs;

a driving unit;

a position detector; and

a calculating unit;

one end of each blade spring being attached to a fixed member, and the other end of each blade spring being attached to a movable member; the blade spring being attached in parallel to each other with respect to the movable member and the fixed member; the movable member or one of the blade springs having a predetermined position of flat surface; the driving unit moving the movable member; the position detector having a phototransmitting element and a photoreceiving element; the position detector being attached to the fixed member so that the phototransmitting element and the photoreceiving element face the predetermined position of flat surface; the calculating unit calculating an amount of displacement of the movable member;

wherein the position detector detects a distance between the predetermined position of flat surface and the position detector by irradiating a light on the flat surface from the phototransmitting element so that the reflected light is received by the photoreceiving element, and the calculating unit calculates the amount of displacement of the movable member based on the distance detected by the position detector.

2. An actuator comprising:

a blade spring;

a driving unit;

a position detector; and

a calculating unit;

one end of the blade spring being attached to a fixed member, and the other end of the blade spring being attached to a movable member; the blade spring having a hollow space and a protruding portion which protrudes from the fixed member toward the movable member; the protruding portion having a predetermined position of flat surface; the driving unit moving the movable member; the calculating unit calculating an amount of displacement of the movable member;

wherein the position detector detects a distance between the predetermined position of flat surface on the protruding portion of the blade spring and the position detector, and the calculating unit calculates the amount of displacement of the movable member based on the distance detected by the position detector.

3. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein the hollow portion of the blade spring is widest at substantially a center and becomes narrower towards ends of the hollow portion.

4. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein a reflector is provided on the protruding portion, and the position detector detects a distance to the reflector.

5. The actuator according to claim 2 , wherein a magnetic body is attached to the protruding portion of the blade spring, and the position detector is a magnetic sensor that detects the distance by detecting a magnetism field produced by the magnetic body.

6. An object detecting apparatus mounted on a first object, comprising:

a laser oscillator that produces laser beams;

an actuator that deflects the laser beams;

a photoreceiving unit that receives laser beams that after being deflected by the actuator fall on a second object, which moves relatively to the first object, and are reflected from the second object; and

a detecting/calculating unit that any one of detects a presence of the second object and calculates a distance between the first object and the second object based on laser beams received in the photoreceiving unit;

wherein the actuator includes;

a pair of blade springs; one end of each blade spring is attached to a fixed member, and the other end of each blade spring is attached to a movable member; the blade springs are attached in parallel to each other with respect to the movable member and fixed member; one of the blade springs has a predetermined position of flat surface;

a driving unit that moves the movable member;

an optical element that is attached to the movable member and that receives the laser beams from the laser oscillator and deflects the laser beams to at least two directions that are orthogonal to each other;

a position detector that has a phototransmitting element and a photoreceiving element; the position detector is attached to the fixed member so that the phototransmitting element and the photoreceiving element face the predetermined position of flat surface on the blade spring; the position detector detects a distance to a predetermined position of a flat surface portion of the blade spring; and

a calculating unit that calculates an amount of displacement of the movable member based on the distance detected by the position detector.

7. An object detecting apparatus mounted on a first object, comprising;

a wave producer that produces waves;

an actuator that deflects the waves;

a receiver that receives waves that after being deflected by the actuator fall on a second object, which moves relatively to the first object, and are reflected from the second object; and

a detecting/calculating unit that any one of detects presence of the second object and calculates a distance between the first object and the second object based on waves received in the receiver,

wherein the actuator includes a blade spring of which one end is supported by a fixed member and other end is supported by a movable member;

a driving unit that moves the movable member;

an antenna that is attached to the movable member and that produces the waves;

a position detector that detects a distance to a predetermined position of a flat surface portion of the blade spring; and

a calculating unit that calculates an amount of displacement of the movable member based on the distance detected by the position detector.