Electronic apparatus and panel unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9426580-B2
Application number	US-201314402773-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 21, 2013
Priority date	May 22, 2012
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

An electronic apparatus that generates a vibration sound by vibrating a panel and may operate in an excellent manner is provided. An electronic apparatus 1 according to the present invention includes a housing 60 , a first piezoelectric element 30 , a second piezoelectric element 31 , and a panel 10 that is vibrated by the first piezoelectric element 30 and the second piezoelectric element 31 and generates the vibration sound to be transmitted through a part of a human body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:
a housing;
a plurality of piezoelectric elements; and
a panel to be vibrated by the plurality of piezoelectric elements that generates a vibration sound to be transmitted through a part of a human body, wherein
the plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged overlapping with one another in a thickness direction of the panel, wherein the panel has a first, exterior-facing surface and a second, interior-facing surface opposite the first, exterior-facing surface, and the plurality of piezoelectric elements include:
a first piezoelectric element disposed on a portion of the panel that is enclosed by a visor portion extending from the housing and coplanar with the first, exterior-facing surface of the panel; and
a second piezoelectric element disposed on the second, interior-facing surface of the panel at a position opposite to the first piezoelectric element in the thickness direction.

2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the panel generates the vibration sound and an air conduction sound.

3. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the panel vibrates in a region larger than a region having a length corresponding to a distance from the inferior antihelix crus of the human ear to the antitragus and a width corresponding to a distance from the tragus to the antihelix.

4. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the panel partially or entirely constitutes any one of a display panel, an operation panel, a cover panel, and a lid panel for allowing removal of a battery.

5. The electronic apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein, when the panel constitutes the display panel, the piezoelectric elements are disposed outside a display area for executing a display function.

6. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the panel deforms at any position thereof to deliver the air conduction sound and the vibration sound.

7. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the panel, in a vibration region thereof, includes a plurality of positions for vibrating in a direction intersecting with a main surface of the panel, in each of which a value of amplitude of the vibration changes with time from positive to negative or vice versa.

8. A panel unit for an electronic apparatus comprising the panel unit, a housing for the panel unit, and a visor portion extending from the housing, the panel unit comprising:
a plurality of piezoelectric elements; and
a panel to be vibrated by the plurality of piezoelectric elements that generates a vibration sound to be transmitted through a part of a human body, wherein
the plurality of piezoelectric elements are arranged overlapping with one another in a thickness direction of the panel, wherein the panel has a first, exterior-facing surface and a second, interior-facing surface opposite the first, exterior-facing surface, and the plurality of piezoelectric elements include:
a first piezoelectric element disposed on a portion of the panel that is enclosed by the visor portion and coplanar with the first, exterior-facing surface of the panel; and
a second piezoelectric element disposed on the second, interior-facing surface of the panel at a position opposite to the first piezoelectric element in the thickness direction.

Assignees

• Kyocera Corp

Inventors

• Watanabe Takaaki

Classifications

• H04R3/02

  for preventing acoustic reaction {, i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/453)} · CPC title

• H04R2400/03

  Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones · CPC title

• H04R2460/13

  Hearing devices using bone conduction transducers · CPC title

• H04R2499/15

  Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops · CPC title

• H04R7/045

  using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion · CPC title