JP2015126673A - Vibration actuator, and personal digital assistant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vibration actuator in which unnecessary deformation and breakage of an energization member (plate spring) fixed to a movable element is prevented by restricting rotation of the movable element at a regulated angle or more even when an impact is added to the actuator.SOLUTION: A vibration actuator 1 has: a stator having a case 2 which is a housing, and a coil 24; a movable element having a magnet 13, and a weight part 15 (counter-poise) housed in the case 2 which is the housing; and an energization member (plate spring 17) provided between the housing and the movable element, the movable element linearly vibrating in a vibration direction with respect to the stator by cooperation of the coil 24 and the magnet 13. The case 2 which is the housing has a projection 11 g(2 g) projected on the movable element side on an inner peripheral surface with respect to the movable element, and the movable element has on its outer peripheral surface, a recess 15 g which loosely fits to the projection 11 g(2 g). The rotation of the movable element at a regulated angle or more in a plane orthogonal to the vibration direction is regulated by loose fitting structure of the projection and recess.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vibration actuator and a portable information terminal, for example, a vibration generation source for notifying a user of an incoming call of a portable information terminal such as a cellular phone, an operation feeling of a touch panel, and a gaming machine such as a game controller. The present invention relates to a small-sized vibration actuator used as a vibration generation source for transmitting a sense of realism to a finger or a hand, and a portable information terminal having the vibration actuator.

  A vibration generator (vibration actuator) is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The vibration generator disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a magnetic core body in which a mechanical vibrator having an annular permanent magnet is supported by a fixed portion via a suspension spring means, and is supported by the fixed portion and passes through a central hole of the annular permanent magnet. And a coil that fits on the outer peripheral surface of the magnetic core and faces the inner peripheral surface of the central hole. When an alternating current is input to the coil, the mechanical vibrator vibrates due to electromagnetic force.

JP 2011-189337 A

  However, in the vibration generator described in Patent Document 1, for example, when an impact force is applied from the outside in the circumferential direction (rotation direction) of the mover and the mover rotates more than a specified angle, the vibration generator is fixed to the mover. There is a risk that the urging member (suspension spring means) may be damaged or undesirably deformed.

  This invention makes it an example of a subject to cope with such a problem. To provide a vibration actuator having a simple structure capable of preventing rotation of a mover having a magnet and a weight portion beyond a specified angle even when an impact force is applied from the outside, and portable information having the vibration actuator The purpose is to provide a terminal.

In order to achieve such an object, the vibration actuator according to the present invention has at least the following configuration.
A stator having a casing and a coil; a mover having a magnet and a weight housed in the casing; and a biasing member provided between the casing and the mover. A vibration actuator in which the mover linearly vibrates in a vibration direction with respect to the stator by the cooperation of the coil and the magnet, and the housing is disposed on an inner peripheral surface of the mover. A first convex portion or a first concave portion protruding to the side, and the movable element has a second concave portion that loosely fits to the first convex portion of the housing, or the And a second convex part loosely fitted in the first concave part of the housing.

  Moreover, the portable information terminal of the present invention has the vibration actuator of the present invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vibration actuator that can prevent rotation of a mover having a magnet and a weight portion beyond a specified angle even when an impact force is applied from the outside.
In addition, according to the present invention, a portable information terminal having the vibration actuator can be provided.

1 is a perspective view of a vibration actuator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. 1. Sectional drawing along the AA line of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a transparent top view of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. 1. The perspective view of the upper case of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. The perspective view of the weight part of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. The perspective view of the vibration actuator which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. 7. Sectional drawing along the BB line of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a transparent top view of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. 7. The perspective view of the upper case of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. The perspective view of the weight part of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the portable information terminal which has a vibration actuator.

  The vibration actuator according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided between a stator having a housing and a coil, a mover having a magnet and a weight portion housed in the housing, and the housing and the mover. The movable member linearly vibrates in the vibration direction with respect to the stator by the cooperation of the coil and the magnet. The housing has a first convex portion or a first concave portion that protrudes toward the movable element on the inner peripheral surface of the movable element. The mover has, on its outer peripheral surface, a second concave portion that is loosely fitted to the first convex portion of the casing or a second convex portion that is loosely fitted to the first concave portion of the casing. The vibration actuator is configured to restrict the movable element from rotating by a predetermined angle or more in a plane orthogonal to the vibration direction of the movable element by an uneven loose fitting structure.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The embodiment of the present invention includes the contents shown in the drawings, but is not limited to this. In the following description of each drawing, parts that are common to the parts that have already been described are assigned the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are partially omitted.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration actuator 1. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the vibration actuator 1 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a transparent top view of the vibration actuator 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the upper case portion 11 (2) of the vibration actuator 1. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the weight portion 15 of the vibration actuator 1.

  The small linear vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is incorporated in, for example, a communication device of a mobile communication device (such as a mobile phone or a smartphone) and is used as a vibration generation source of a calling function. In this embodiment, the vibration actuator 1 is formed in a coin shape having a diameter of about 10 mm and a thickness of about 3 mm.

The vibration actuator 1 according to the present embodiment includes a case 2 as a housing, a coil 24, a magnet 13, a weight portion 15 (weight), a leaf spring 17 as an urging member, and the like. The mover having the magnet 13 and the weight portion 15 is configured to be able to vibrate in the vibration direction with respect to the casing (case 2) as a stator.
Hereinafter, each component of the vibration actuator 1 will be described in detail.

  A case 2 as a housing of the vibration actuator 1 includes an upper case portion 11 (2) having a substantially U-shaped cross section formed of a nonmagnetic material (stainless steel or the like) and a non-openable side of the upper case portion 11 that can be closed. And a lower case portion 12 (2) formed in a substantially disc shape with a magnetic material (such as stainless steel). The lower case portion 12 is configured to fit into the circular open end of the upper case portion 11. The upper case part 11 and the lower case part 12 may be fixed by welding. The upper case portion 11 is provided with one or a plurality of ventilation holes 11m.

A magnet 13 is accommodated inside the case 2. The magnet 13 is formed in an annular shape (ring shape). The magnet 13 is magnetized so as to form an N pole and an S pole in the direction of the axis L of the shaft 20 (post) erected on the case 2. A flat surface portion 13 a is formed on the upper surface of the magnet 13, and a flat surface portion 13 b is formed on the lower surface of the magnet 13. An inner peripheral surface 15b of an annular (ring-shaped) weight portion 15 (weight) is fixed to the outer peripheral surface 13c of the magnet 13 with an adhesive or the like.
The weight portion 15 (weight) is formed of a predetermined material such as tungsten. The mover has the weight portion 15 and the magnet 13. An annular buffer member 32 is provided on the upper surface side of the weight portion 15.

  The leaf spring 17 as an urging member connects the upper seat portion 17a having a small-diameter annular shape, the lower seat portion 17b having an annular shape having a large diameter, and the upper seat portion 17a and the lower seat portion 17b. Arc-shaped elastic piece 17c. The upper seating portion 17a is fixed to the lower flat portion 13b of the magnet 13 by welding or the like, and the lower seating portion 17b is fixed to the inner wall surface of the lower case portion 12 by welding or the like. A buffer member 31 is provided on the inner wall surface of the lower case portion 12 and on the radially inner side of the lower seating portion 17 b of the leaf spring 17.

  The lower case portion 12 includes a substantially disc-shaped main body portion 12a having a shape matching the open end of the upper case portion 11, and a tongue piece 12d protruding in the radial direction from the main body portion 12a. A flexible circuit board 19 as a substrate is fixed to the inner wall surface of the lower case portion 12. The flexible circuit board 19 has a substantially arc-shaped main body portion 19 a placed on the inner wall surface of the lower case portion 12 and an extension portion 19 b placed on the tongue piece 12 d of the lower case portion 12. The extension portion 19b is provided with a power supply terminal 19c, and is configured to expose the power supply terminal 19c to the outside.

  In the center of the main body portion 12a of the lower case portion 12, a hole 12c for standing the shaft 20 is provided. A shaft 20 formed of a magnetic material or the like supports a resin bobbin 21.

The bobbin 21 includes a central hole 21a for inserting the shaft 20, flange portions 21b and 21c positioned at both ends in the axis L direction, and a flange-shaped partition portion 21d positioned between the flange portions 21b and 21c. Have.
The flange portion 21b, the partition portion 21d, and the support post 21e constitute a first bobbin portion 21A, and the flange portion 21c, the partition portion 21d, and the support post 21f constitute a second bobbin portion 21B.
The first bobbin portion 21A and the second bobbin portion 21B are arranged in parallel in the direction of the axis L. Further, the shaft 20 is press-fitted or inserted with a small error into the central hole 21a penetrating the support column 21e and the support column 21f.

The coil 24 includes a first coil portion 22 in which a coil wire is wound around a support column 21e of the first bobbin portion 21A, and a coil wire connected to the first coil portion 22 of a support column 21f of the second bobbin portion 21B. It has the 2nd coil part 23 wound by the reverse direction, and the 1st coil part 22 and the 2nd coil part 23 are juxtaposed in the axial direction.
The coil wire of the first coil portion 22 and the coil wire of the second coil portion 23 are connected in series, and the coil 24 is electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 19.

  The ring-shaped magnet 13 is disposed so as to surround the coil 24 supported by the shaft 20 around the axis L, and is held in the case 2 by a leaf spring 17. The leaf spring 17 is a compression spring and urges the magnet 13 and the weight portion 15 (weight) in the direction of the axis L of the shaft 20. When the power is turned off, the magnet 13 is disposed across the first coil portion 22 and the second coil portion 23 so that the inner peripheral surface 13d of the magnet 13 and the partition portion 21d of the bobbin 21 face each other.

In the vibration actuator 1, the magnet 13 and the shaft 20 constitute a magnetic circuit, and the coil 24 wound around the bobbin 21 is supported by the shaft 20 that forms a part of the magnetic circuit, and around the shaft 20 around the periphery thereof. Since it is arranged so as to be wound, the coil 24 can be positioned by effectively using the shaft 20.
That is, it is possible to position the coil 24 with reference to the shaft 20 erected in the case 2, thereby facilitating the assembly of the bobbin 21 in the case 2.

A clearance P1 between the outer peripheral surface 15c of the weight portion 15 (weight) and the peripheral wall 11b of the upper case portion 11 of the case 2 is larger than a clearance P2 between the inner peripheral surface 13d of the magnet 13 and the outer peripheral surface 24a of the coil 24. small.
If such a configuration is adopted, the outer peripheral surface 15c of the weight portion 15 (weight) and the peripheral wall 11b of the case 2 may collide with each other in the outer periphery 24a of the coil 24 and the magnet 13 during a drop impact. Since the peripheral surface 13d does not collide, the coil 24 is difficult to be disconnected due to a drop impact.

  The flange-shaped partition portion 21 d of the bobbin 21 is configured to protrude from the outer peripheral surface 22 a of the first coil portion 22 and the outer peripheral surface 23 a of the second coil portion 23. Such a configuration is intended to effectively use the partition portion 21d for partitioning the first coil portion 22 and the second coil portion 23 from each other. Even if the end of the partition 21d collides with the inner peripheral surface 13d of the magnet 13 at the time of a drop collision, the situation in which the coil 24 and the magnet 13 collide does not occur, and the coil 24 is disconnected due to the drop impact. It becomes difficult. This partition part 21d makes it easy to wind the coil wire in different winding directions around the bobbin 21.

  In the present embodiment, one end portion of the shaft 20 is press-fitted into the hole 12 c of the lower case portion 12, the other end portion abuts on the upper case portion 11, and the shaft 20 stands upright at the center of the case 2. It is configured.

Further, in the vibration actuator 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the upper case portion 11 (2) as the housing has a convex portion 11g protruding toward the mover on the inner peripheral surface with respect to the mover (the weight portion 15 and the like). (2g). In the present embodiment, the weight portion 15 as the mover has a concave portion 15g that is loosely fitted to the convex portion 11g (2g) of the upper case portion 11 (2) on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The convex portion 11g (2g) of the upper case portion 11 (2) is formed by, for example, a drawing process or a press process. In addition, the convex part 11g (2g) provided in the internal peripheral surface of the upper case part 11 (2) may be comprised by another member.
With the above-described irregular loose fitting structure, the weight portion 15 and the magnet 13 which are movable elements are configured to be restricted from rotating by a predetermined angle θa or more in a plane orthogonal to the vibration direction of the movable element. Specifically, the concave and convex loose-fitting structure is configured to restrict the weight portion 15 and the magnet 13 that are the mover from rotating more than a specified angle θa around the axis L parallel to the vibration direction of the mover. Has been. In this embodiment, the convex part 11g (2g) of the upper case part 11 (2) is formed so as to extend along the axis L direction. In the present embodiment, the specified angle θa is set to about 10 °.

  In the vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the leaf spring 17 as the biasing member is fixed to a mover having a weight portion 15 and a magnet 13. When an alternating current is input to the coil 24 during normal operation, the mover vibrates along the axis L direction due to electromagnetic force, and vibrates while rotating slightly (twisted) in the circumferential direction. For this reason, it is formed in the outer peripheral part of the weight part 15 so that it may not contact the convex part 11g (2) formed in the upper case part 11 (2), even when the mover vibrates during normal operation. The width of the recess 15g is defined. Specifically, the distance La along the circumferential direction between the convex portion 11g (2g) and the concave portion 15g is configured such that the convex portion 11g (2g) and the concave portion 15g do not contact during normal operation. Further, even when there is an assembly error between the mover and the case, the concave portion 15g is formed so as not to contact the convex portion 11g (2) regulated by the upper case portion 11 (2) during normal operation. Preferably it is.

  Further, the protrusion 11g (2g) of the upper case portion 11 (2) has a protruding height of 11g (2g) when the mover is close to the maximum in the rotation direction. It is preferable to set the size so that it does not climb on the board. In detail, the convex part 11g (2g) is formed in the protruding shape which becomes the magnitude | size LT11 more than twice the distance of the clearance gap P1 toward the radial inside from the surrounding wall 11b.

As described above, the vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the case 2 that is a housing and the stator having the coil 24, the magnet 13 that is accommodated in the case 2 that is the housing, and It has a mover having a weight portion 15 (weight) and an urging member (plate spring 17) provided between the housing and the mover. By the cooperation of the coil 24 and the magnet 13, the mover Vibrates linearly in the vibration direction with respect to the stator. Case 2 which is a housing has a convex portion 11g (2g) projecting toward the movable element on the inner peripheral surface with respect to the movable element, and the movable element has a concave portion 15g loosely fitted on the convex part 11g (2g) on the outer peripheral surface thereof. Have. The concave and convex loose-fitting structure is configured to restrict the mover from rotating more than a specified angle θa in a plane orthogonal to the vibration direction. Specifically, the concave and convex loose fitting structure is configured to restrict the mover from rotating more than a specified angle around an axis parallel to the vibration direction.
For this reason, even when an impact force is applied from the outside and the mover rotates around the axis L, it is possible to prevent rotation of the mover having the magnet 13 and the weight portion 15 beyond the specified angle θa with a simple structure. A vibration actuator 1 can be provided. That is, it is possible to prevent the leaf spring 17 serving as the urging member from being damaged and unnecessary deformation.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a vibration actuator 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration actuator 100. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration actuator shown in FIG. 7 taken along line BB. FIG. 10 is a transparent top view of the vibration actuator 100. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the upper case portion 11 (2) of the vibration actuator 100. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the weight portion 15 of the vibration actuator 100.

The vibration actuator 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is different from the vibration actuator 1 according to the first embodiment in that a convex portion 15 h is provided on the outer peripheral side surface of the weight portion 15 as a movable portion, and the upper case portion 11. The concave portion 11h (2h) is formed on the inner peripheral surface of (2).
Specifically, the upper case portion 11 (2) as the housing has a recess 11h (2h) formed on the inner peripheral surface with respect to the weight portion 15 (weight) as the mover. On the outer peripheral surface of the weight portion 15 (weight) as the mover, a convex portion 15h that is loosely fitted in the concave portion 11h (2h) of the upper case portion 11 (2) as the housing is provided. The concave portion 11h (2h) of the upper case portion 11 (2) is formed by, for example, drawing processing, press processing, or the like. In addition, the convex part 15h provided in the outer peripheral surface of the weight part 15 may be comprised by another member. And by the uneven | corrugated loose fitting structure, it is comprised so that rotation of the needle | mover more than the specified angle (theta) a within the surface orthogonal to the vibration direction may be controlled. Specifically, the concave and convex loose-fitting structure is configured to restrict the mover from rotating more than a specified angle θa around the axis L parallel to the vibration direction of the mover.

  The convex portion 15h is formed in a protruding shape having a size LT15 that is twice or more the distance of the gap P1 from the outer peripheral surface of the weight portion 15 to the radially outer side. For this reason, even if it is a case where a needle | mover approaches the rotation direction to the maximum, it can prevent that the convex part 15h moves beyond the recessed part 11h (2h).

  As described above, the concave portion 11h (2h) is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the upper case portion 11 (2), and the convex portion 15h is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the weight portion 15 (weight) as the mover. Since the mover is configured to restrict the rotation of the mover by a specified angle θa or more about the axis L parallel to the vibration direction of the mover, an impact force is applied from the outside, and the mover is centered on the axis L. The vibration actuator 100 can be provided with a simple structure and capable of preventing the rotation of the movable element beyond the specified angle θa even if it is rotated. That is, it is possible to prevent the leaf spring 17 serving as the urging member from being damaged and unnecessary deformation.

  Moreover, the vibration actuator 100 according to the present embodiment has a power supply terminal 19c protruding in a radial direction from the housing, and a recess 11h (2h) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the upper case portion 11 (2) that is the housing. Is provided on the power supply terminal side of the inner peripheral surface of the upper case portion 11 (2) which is a casing. Therefore, a relatively small vibration actuator 100 can be provided.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a portable information terminal 500 having the vibration actuator 1 (100).
In the embodiment of the present invention, the portable information terminal 500 includes the small vibration actuator 1 (100). For this reason, a small portable information terminal 500 can be provided. Further, even when an impact force is applied to the portable information terminal 500 from the outside and the mover of the vibration actuator 1 (100) rotates about the axis L, the leaf spring 17 as a biasing member has a simple structure. Damage and unnecessary deformation can be prevented.

  As described above, in the vibration actuator 1 (100) according to the present invention, the upper case portion 11 (2) as a housing has a convex portion 11g (2g) protruding toward the mover on the inner peripheral surface with respect to the mover. Alternatively, the movable element has a concave portion 11h (2h), and the movable element has a concave portion 15g loosely fitted to the convex portion 11g (2g) of the housing or a convex portion loosely fitted to the concave portion 11h (2h) of the housing. Part 15h.

Specifically, in the vibration actuator 1 (100), a coil 24 is provided on a shaft 20 as a support provided in a casing (case 2), and an annular magnet 13 as a mover and an annular shape are provided on the outer peripheral side thereof. A weight portion 15 (weight) is disposed, and a plate spring 17 as the biasing member is fixed to the mover and the case 2 by welding or an adhesive, so that the mover can vibrate in the vibration direction (in the axis L direction of the shaft 20). Is provided.
The vibration actuator 1 (100) is configured such that the movable element rotates by a predetermined angle θa or more in a plane orthogonal to the vibration direction of the movable element by the uneven loose fitting structure. Specifically, the concave and convex loose-fitting structure is configured to restrict the movable element from rotating more than the specified angle θa around the axis L parallel to the vibration direction of the movable element. As an example, the leaf spring 17 can be prevented from being damaged or undesirably deformed.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and there are design changes and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. Is included in the present invention.
Further, the embodiments described in the above drawings can be combined with each other as long as there is no particular contradiction or problem in the purpose and configuration.
Moreover, the description content of each figure can become independent embodiment, respectively, and embodiment of this invention is not limited to one embodiment which combined each figure.

In the vibration actuator of the above embodiment, one convex portion 11g (2g) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing (case 2) and one concave portion 15g formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mover, or the housing Although it was the structure provided with one recessed part 11h (2h) formed in the internal peripheral surface of a body (case 2) and one convex part 15h formed in the outer peripheral surface of a needle | mover, it is restricted to this form is not.
For example, the structure which formed the 1 or several convex part in the inner peripheral surface of the housing | casing (case 2), and provided the one or several convex part in the outer peripheral surface of the needle | mover may be sufficient. What is necessary is just to be comprised so that a needle | mover may be controlled to rotate more than the specified angle (theta) a centering on the axis line L parallel to the vibration direction of the needle | mover.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,100 ... Vibration actuator, 2 ... Case (casing), 11 ... Upper case part, 11g (2g) ... Convex part (1st convex part), 11h (2h) ... Concave part (1st recessed part), 12 ... lower case part, 13 ... magnet, 15 ... weight part, 15g ... concave part (second concave part), 15h ... convex part (second convex part), 17 ... leaf spring (biasing member), 19 ... flexible circuit Substrate (substrate), 20 ... shaft (support), 21 ... bobbin, 24 ... coil, 500 ... portable information terminal.

Claims (4)

A stator having a casing and a coil; a mover having a magnet and a weight housed in the casing; and a biasing member provided between the casing and the mover. The movable element linearly vibrates in the vibration direction with respect to the stator by the cooperation of the coil and the magnet,
The housing has a first convex portion or a first concave portion that protrudes toward the movable element on an inner peripheral surface with respect to the movable element,
The movable element has, on its outer peripheral surface, a second concave portion that is loosely fitted to the first convex portion of the casing, or a second convex portion that is loosely fitted to the first concave portion of the casing. And a vibration actuator.   The first convex portion or the second convex portion is a distance between the outer peripheral surface of the movable element and the inner peripheral surface of the housing toward the first concave portion or the second concave portion. The vibration actuator according to claim 1, wherein the vibration actuator is formed in a protruding shape having a size twice or more. A power supply terminal protruding radially from the housing;
3. The vibration actuator according to claim 1, wherein the first recess is provided on the power supply terminal side of the inner peripheral surface of the housing.   The portable information terminal which has a vibration actuator as described in any one of Claim 1 to 3.

Images