Vibration actuator and electric apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12199487-B2
Application number	US-202217852425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2022
Priority date	Jun 30, 2021
Publication date	Jan 14, 2025
Grant date	Jan 14, 2025

Abstract

A fixing body configured to house a movable body including a magnet, and including a coil surrounding an outer periphery of the magnet and an outer yoke surrounding an outer periphery of the coil, the fixing body being configured to support the movable body so as to allow the movable body to vibrate back and forth in a vibration direction orthogonal to a radial direction, wherein the outer yoke includes a plurality of openings dispersed in a circumferential direction and provided at the same position in the vibration direction to keep a balance of a magnetic path configured together with the magnet and the coil in the circumferential direction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vibration actuator comprising:
a movable body including a magnet; and
a fixing body configured to house the movable body, and including a coil surrounding an outer periphery of the magnet and an outer yoke surrounding an outer periphery of the coil, the fixing body being configured to support the movable body so as to allow the movable body to vibrate back and forth in a vibration direction orthogonal to a radial direction of the coil, wherein
the outer yoke is a cylindrical body and includes a plurality of openings that keep a balance of a magnetic path configured together with the magnet and the coil in a circumferential direction of the outer yoke and that are provided at even intervals in the circumferential direction and at the same position in the vibration direction, the plurality of openings further being formed in a rectangular shape in a cylindrical portion of the cylindrical body, one of the openings being used as a wiring port for connecting an external device and the coil.

2. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein a pair of the openings are symmetrically disposed in the radial direction.

3. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the opening, which is used as the wiring port, has a cut out on the vertical side in the vibration direction.

4. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein both of the pair of openings are provided at a center portion of the outer yoke in the vibration direction.

5. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the movable body includes a stacked member obtained by stacking the magnet and a yoke in the vibration direction, and
the outer yoke has a length that does not cover both end portions of a movable range of the stacked member in the vibration direction.

6. An electric apparatus that is a hand-carry electric apparatus or a wearable electric apparatus, wherein
the vibration actuator according to claim 1 is mounted in a contact part that can be in contact with a user.

7. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein
the outer yoke has a C-cylindrical shape in plan cross-sectional view.

Assignees

• Ogihara Yuki
• Shimomura Shigeyuki
• Maeda Yoshihiro
• Sekiguchi Chikara
• Minebea Mitsumi Inc

Inventors

• Ogihara Yuki
• Shimomura Shigeyuki
• Maeda Yoshihiro
• Sekiguchi Chikara

Classifications

• H02K5/04

  Casings or enclosures characterised by the shape, form or construction thereof · CPC title

• H02K33/02

  with armatures moved one way by energisation of a single coil system and returned by mechanical force, e.g. by springs · CPC title

• H02K3/28

  Layout of windings or of connections between windings (windings for pole-changing H02K17/06, H02K17/14, H02K19/12, H02K19/32) · CPC title

• H02K33/18 Primary

  with coil systems moving upon intermittent or reversed energisation thereof by interaction with a fixed field system, e.g. permanent magnets · CPC title

• B06B1/045 Primary

  using vibrating magnet, armature or coil system · CPC title