Vibration motor and mobile terminal having the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9948170-B2
Application number	US-201615130473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Feb 7, 2012
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A mobile terminal can include a case, a touch screen, a haptic module to generate vibration, a memory storing data, and a power supply unit. The haptic module may be a linear vibration motor including a housing, a coil, a moving portion, first and second elastic members; the housing includes an inner space defined by top and bottom surfaces, and first to fourth side surfaces; the coil, moving portion, and first and second elastic members are in the housing; the first and third side surfaces are spaced apart from the moving portion; the moving portion includes a magnet, first and second insertion grooves; the first and second elastic members are coil springs, the first and second elastic members are between the moving portion and the first third side surfaces, respectively; and one end of each coil spring is located at the first and second insertion grooves of the moving portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal comprising:
a case forming an appearance of the mobile terminal and formed using a metallic material;
a touch screen disposed on a front surface of the mobile terminal, configured to sense a touch input, and display information processed in the mobile terminal, wherein the touch input is at least one of a touched area or a touched pressure;
a haptic module configured to generate vibration in the mobile terminal;
a memory storing data related to various patterns of vibrations corresponding to touch inputs applied on the touch screen;
a power supply unit configured to supply power to the haptic module,
wherein the haptic module is a linear vibration motor, the linear vibration motor includes a housing, a coil, a moving portion, and first and second elastic members,
wherein the housing includes an inner space defined by a top surface, a bottom surface, and first to fourth side surfaces,
wherein the coil, the moving portion, and the first and second elastic members are provided in the inner space of the housing,
wherein the first side surface and the third side surface are spaced apart from the moving portion,
wherein the moving portion includes a magnet, and first and second insertion grooves, the magnet and the coil are disposed to generate an electromagnetic force for allowing the moving portion to reciprocate in an extending direction of the first and third side surfaces arranged opposite to each other in the housing,
wherein the first and second elastic members are coil springs, the first elastic member is located between the moving portion and the first side surface, and the second elastic member is located between the moving portion and the third side surface,
wherein one end of each of the coil springs is located at the first and second insertion grooves of the moving portion, respectively,
wherein a guide portion is fixed to the housing, and the guide portion is moveably connected to the moving portion,
wherein the moving portion includes a guide rail, and the guide rail and the guide portion are formed along the extending direction and the guide portion is inserted through the guide rail of the moving portion,
wherein the guide portion has a guide groove recessed from a surface of the guide portion and the guide portion includes a contact area contacting the moving portion and a non-contact area, and
wherein the housing includes coupling portions on the second and fourth side surfaces coupled to a corresponding end portion of the guide portion.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the housing is formed in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, the housing having a length direction and a width direction, and
wherein the length direction of the housing is longer than the width direction of the housing.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the moving portion is formed to have a predetermined mass, a mass at both ends in the length direction is greater than a mass of a central portion of the housing.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the housing includes third and fourth insertion grooves into which the coil springs are inserted.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the magnet is formed at a central portion of the moving portion in plural numbers.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the coil is disposed in plural numbers.

7. A mobile terminal comprising:
a haptic module in the mobile terminal to vibrate the mobile terminal,
wherein the haptic module is a linear vibration motor, the linear vibration motor includes a housing, a coil, a moving portion, first and second elastic members,
wherein the housing includes an inner space defined by a top surface, a bottom surface, and first to fourth side surfaces,
wherein the coil, the moving portion, the first and second elastic members are provided in the inner space of the housing,
wherein the first side surface and the third side surface are spaced apart from the moving portion,
wherein the moving portion includes a magnet, first and second insertion grooves, first and second guide grooves, the magnet and the coil are disposed to generate an electromagnetic force for allowing the moving portion to reciprocate in an extending direction of the first and third surfaces arranged opposite to each other in the housing,
wherein the first and second elastic members are coil springs, the first elastic member is located between the moving portion and the first side surface, and the second elastic member is located between the moving portion and the third side surface,
wherein one end of each of the coil springs is located at the first and second insertion grooves of the moving portion, respectively,
wherein first and second guide portions are inserted into the first and second guide grooves, and the first and second guide portions and the first and second guide grooves are formed along the extending direction, and the first and second guide portions are fixed to the housing,
wherein each of the first and second guide portions has a guide groove recessed from a surface of the corresponding first and second guide portions and the first and second guide portions include a contact area contacting the moving portion and a non-contact area, and
wherein the housing includes first and second coupling portions on the second and forth side surfaces, respectively, and the first coupling portion is coupled to a first end portion of the first guide portion and the second coupling portion is coupled a second end portion of the second guide portion.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the housing includes third and fourth insertion grooves into which the coil springs are inserted.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the magnet is formed at a central portion of the moving portion in plural numbers.

10. A mobile terminal comprising:
a case forming an appearance of the mobile terminal and formed using a metallic material;
a touch screen disposed on a front surface of the mobile terminal, configured to sense a touch input, and display information processed in the mobile terminal, wherein the touch input is at least one of a touched area or a touched pressure;
a haptic module configured to generate vibration in the mobile terminal;
a memory storing data related to various patterns of vibrations corresponding to touch inputs applied on the touch screen;
a power supply unit configured to supply power to the haptic module,
wherein the haptic module is a linear vibration motor, and the linear vibration motor includes a housing, a coil, a moving portion, first and second elastic members, and a guide portion of the housing,
wherein the housing includes an inner space defined by a top surface, a bottom surface, and first to fourth side surfaces,
wherein the coil, the moving portion, and the first and second elastic members are provided in the inner space of the housing,
wherein the first side surface and the third side surface are spaced apart from the moving portion,
wherein the moving portion includes a magnet, first and second insertion grooves, and a guide rail,
wherein the magnet and the coil are disposed to generate an electro-magnetic force for allowing the moving portion to reciprocate in an extending direction of the first and third surfaces arranged opposite to each other in the housing,
wherein the first and second elastic members are coil springs,
wherein the first elastic member is located between the moving portion and the first side surface, and the second elastic member is located between the moving portion and the third side surface,
wherein one end of each of the coil springs is located at the first and second insertion grooves of the moving

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Jun Minsu
• Kim Hongki
• Choi Jaecheon

Classifications

• H02K7/08

  Structural association with bearings · CPC title

• H04M1/026 Primary

  Details of the structure or mounting of specific components · CPC title

• H02K33/16 Primary

  with polarised armatures moving in alternate directions by reversal or energisation of a single coil system · CPC title

• H02K5/24

  specially adapted for suppression or reduction of noise or vibrations · CPC title

• H02K33/00 Primary

  Motors with reciprocating, oscillating or vibrating magnet, armature or coil system (arrangements for handling mechanical energy structurally associated with motors H02K7/00, e.g. H02K7/06) · CPC title