Vibration actuator and electric apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12334792-B2
Application number	US-202217851182-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 28, 2022
Priority date	Jun 30, 2021
Publication date	Jun 17, 2025
Grant date	Jun 17, 2025

Abstract

A movable body wherein a pair of annular yokes including an opening at a center and a pair of weight parts including a through hole are stacked on a front and rear surfaces of a magnet having a circular plate shape in an axis direction, and another end portion of a connecting part that connects a pair of elastic support parts on one end portion side is disposed in the contiguous opening and through hole; and a fixing body wherein the movable body is housed in a cylindrical part, the movable body is supported with the pair of elastic support parts so as to be allowed to vibrate back and forth in the axial direction, and a pair of annular coils disposed radially outside the movable body is provided are provided, and the movable body is vibrated in the axial direction through energization of the coil.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vibration actuator comprising:
a movable body including a magnet having a circular plate shape in which no through hole is provided, wherein a pair of annular yokes including an opening at a center and a pair of weight parts including a through hole that is contiguous with the opening in an axial direction are stacked on a front surface and a rear surface of the magnet in the axis direction, and another end portion of a connecting part that connects a corresponding elastic support part of a pair of elastic support parts on one end portion side is disposed to face each of the front surface and the rear surface of the magnet in the opening and the through hole that are contiguous with each other; and
a fixing body including a cylindrical part configured to house the movable body, wherein with the pair of elastic support parts, the movable body is supported so as to be allowed to vibrate back and forth in the axial direction, and a pair of annular coils disposed radially outside the movable body is provided,
wherein the movable body is vibrated in the axial direction through energization of the coil.

2. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the opening and the through hole contiguous with each other have the same diameter.

3. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the weight part is smaller than an outer diameter of the yoke.

4. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 ,
wherein the weight part is stacked to the magnet and the yoke such that at the fixing body, the weight part is disposed at a position that does not face an outer yoke surrounding the coil when the movable body is located at a maximum amplitude position in the vibration direction; and
wherein the weight part comprising a non-magnetic substance.

5. 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 at a contact part for a user.

6. The vibration actuator according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting part includes a support fixing part on the one end portion side and a connection main body on the other end portion side, the support fixing part being configured to connect to the elastic support part, the connection main body being configured to be inserted to the opening through the through hole and joined to the through hole and the opening.

7. The vibration actuator according to claim 6 ,
wherein the opening is a through hole extending through the yoke; and
wherein the connection main body is joined to the magnet in the opening.

8. The vibration actuator according to claim 6 , wherein the support fixing part protrudes from a surface on one end portion side of the connection main body, and has an outer diameter smaller than an outer diameter of the connection main body.

9. The vibration actuator according to claim 8 , wherein in the connection main body, a recess is formed around the support fixing part at a portion where the support fixing part protrudes.

10. The vibration actuator according to claim 9 , wherein the recess is an annular groove part that surrounds a periphery of the support fixing part.

Assignees

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

Inventors

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

Classifications

• H02K33/12 Primary

  with armatures moving in alternate directions by alternate energisation of two coil systems · CPC title

• H02K33/02 Primary

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