JP7700552B2 - Vibration Generator - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a vibration generating device.

Conventionally, there is known a vibration generating device that supports a movable body so that it can vibrate using a spring member disposed between the movable body and a fixed body (housing). In such a vibration generating device, the spring member is compressed when the movable body moves from its initial position due to the electromagnetic force generated by the drive magnet and drive coil, and generates a restoring force that attempts to return the movable body to its initial position.

However, this type of vibration generating device has the problem that the spring members have a limited lifespan due to metal fatigue.

To solve this problem, a linear vibration actuator is known that is configured to return the movable body to its initial position without using a spring member (see Patent Document 1). This linear vibration actuator is equipped with a magnetic spring that utilizes the repulsive force between a movable magnet attached to the movable body and a fixed magnet attached to the housing, separate from the drive magnet attached to the movable body. The magnetic spring, like the spring member, is configured to generate a restoring force that attempts to return the movable body to its initial position when the movable body is moved from its initial position by electromagnetic force.

International Publication No. 2019/151232

However, in the linear vibration actuator described above, the drive magnet is magnetized with two poles along a direction perpendicular to the vibration direction, while the movable magnet and the fixed magnet are both magnetized with two poles along the vibration direction. As a result, the movable magnet reduces the amount of magnetic flux that passes through the drive coil among the magnetic flux generated by the drive magnet, which may reduce the drive force, which is the electromagnetic force generated by the drive magnet and the drive coil.

Therefore, it is desirable to provide a vibration generating device that can suppress such a decrease in driving force.

A vibration generator according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a fixed body, a movable body accommodated within the fixed body, guide means for guiding the movable body so that it can reciprocate in a left-right direction within the fixed body, a movable magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the movable body so that an N-pole portion and an S-pole portion are aligned in the up-down direction and generates a magnetic flux along the up-down direction, a coil that is made of conductive wires extending in the front-rear direction and arranged in parallel in the left-right direction and is fixed to the fixed body so as to intersect with the magnetic flux generated by the movable magnetic flux generating member, and a coil that ... the N-pole portion and the S-pole portion. a fixed-side magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the fixed body so that the movable-side magnetic flux generating member and the movable-side magnetic flux generating member are aligned in the vertical direction and generate a magnetic flux along the vertical direction, the N-pole portion of the movable-side magnetic flux generating member is arranged to face the N-pole portion of the fixed-side magnetic flux generating member in the horizontal direction, and the S-pole portion of the movable-side magnetic flux generating member is arranged to face the S-pole portion of the fixed-side magnetic flux generating member in the horizontal direction, the coils are arranged in a row in the horizontal direction, and the movable-side magnetic flux generating member includes a plurality of movable-side magnets aligned in the horizontal direction. the plurality of movable-side magnets include a left movable-side magnet, a central movable-side magnet, and a right movable-side magnet, the fixed-side magnetic flux generating member includes a left fixed-side magnet that faces in the left-right direction the left movable-side magnet that is arranged at the left end of the plurality of movable-side magnets, and a right fixed-side magnet that faces in the left-right direction the right movable-side magnet that is arranged at the right end of the plurality of movable-side magnets, the N pole portion of the left movable-side magnet is arranged to face the N pole portion of the left fixed-side magnet in the left-right direction, and the S pole portion of the left movable-side magnet is arranged to face the N pole portion of the left fixed-side magnet in the left-right direction the right movable-side magnet is arranged to face the south pole portion of the left fixed-side magnet, the north pole portion of the right movable-side magnet is arranged to face the north pole portion of the right fixed-side magnet in the left-right direction, and the south pole portion of the right movable-side magnet is arranged to face the south pole portion of the right fixed-side magnet in the left-right direction, each of the multiple movable-side magnets is a permanent magnet magnetized with two poles in the up-down direction, and the width of the left movable-side magnet and the width of the right movable-side magnet in the left-right direction is approximately half the width of the central movable-side magnet .

The vibration generating device described above can suppress the decrease in driving force.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vibration generating device. FIG. 2 is a top view of the vibration generating device. FIG. FIG. FIG. FIG. 4 is a top view of the movable body attached to the side case. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the upper case, the lower case, the side case, and the magnetic flux source holding member in a disassembled state. FIG. 2 is a left side view of the upper case, the lower case, and the magnetic flux source holding member in an assembled state. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration generating device. 3 is a cross-sectional view of components constituting the vibration generating device. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the upper case, the lower case, and the magnetic flux source holding member in an assembled state. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the lower case and the magnetic flux source holding member in an assembled state. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a lower coil fixed to a lower case. FIG. 4 is a top view of the lower coil fixed to the lower case. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration generator when the movable body is located at the center of the movable range. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the case, the coil, the magnetic flux source, and the fixed-side magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the right end of the movable range. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the case, the coil, the magnetic flux source, and the fixed-side magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the left end of the movable range. FIG. 11 is a top view of the lower case, the lower coil, and the magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the center of the movable range. FIG. 13 is a top view of the lower case, the lower coil, the magnetic flux source, and the fixed magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the right end of its movable range. FIG. 11 is a top view of the lower case, the lower coil, the magnetic flux source, and the fixed magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the left end of its movable range. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the coil, the magnetic flux source, and the fixed-side magnetic flux source when the movable body is located at the center of the movable range. FIG.

The vibration generator 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Figs. 1A and 1B are external views of the vibration generator 101. Specifically, Fig. 1A is a perspective view of the vibration generator 101, and Fig. 1B is a top view of the vibration generator 101. Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the vibration generator 101.

1A, 1B, and 2, X1 represents one direction of the X axis constituting the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and X2 represents the other direction of the X axis. Furthermore, Y1 represents one direction of the Y axis constituting the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Y2 represents the other direction. Similarly, Z1 represents one direction of the Z axis constituting the three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system, and Z2 represents the other direction of the Z axis. In this embodiment, the X1 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the front side (front side) of the vibration generator 101, and the X2 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the rear side (rear side) of the vibration generator 101. Furthermore, the Y1 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the left side of the vibration generator 101, and the Y2 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the right side of the vibration generator 101. The Z1 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the upper side of the vibration generator 101, and the Z2 side of the vibration generator 101 corresponds to the lower side of the vibration generator 101. This is the same in the other figures.

The vibration device VE has a control unit CTR and a vibration generator 101. The vibration generator 101 has a housing HS as a fixed body, a movable body MB housed in the housing HS, and a coil 4 attached to the housing HS. The control unit CTR is connected to an input terminal (not shown) provided on an insulating substrate (not shown) fixed to the housing HS. The dashed line shown in FIG. 1A shows a schematic diagram of an electrical connection between the control unit CTR and the input terminal provided on the insulating substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the housing HS has a generally rectangular parallelepiped shape and is configured so that the areas of the faces parallel to the XY plane (top and bottom faces) are the widest. In this embodiment, the housing HS is composed of a case 1 and a side case 2.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the case 1 includes an upper case 1U that forms the top surface of the housing HS, and a lower case 1D that forms the bottom surface of the housing HS. The upper case 1U and the lower case 1D are both flat plate-shaped members. In this embodiment, the upper case 1U and the lower case 1D have the same shape and size. In other words, the upper case 1U and the lower case 1D are configured as the same part.

The upper case 1U is formed to be symmetrical from front to back and left to right. The same is true for the lower case 1D. The upper case 1U and the lower case 1D are arranged to be symmetrical from top to bottom.

Specifically, the upper case 1U includes an upper magnetic member 1UM and an upper frame body 1UW. Similarly, the lower case 1D includes a lower magnetic member 1DM and a lower frame body 1DW. In the following, the upper magnetic member 1UM and the lower magnetic member 1DM are also referred to as magnetic member MG, and the upper frame body 1UW and the lower frame body 1DW are also referred to as frame body FB.

The magnetic member MG is a member disposed away from the magnetic flux source 5 so as to be magnetically attracted to the magnetic flux source 5. In this embodiment, the magnetic member MG is fixed to the frame body FB so as not to come into contact with the magnetic flux source 5 constituting the movable body MB, and so as to magnetically hold the magnetic flux source 5 at a predetermined position. When the magnetic flux source 5 is displaced from the predetermined position, the magnetic member MG acts to pull the magnetic flux source 5 back to the predetermined position due to the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG based on the magnetic force generated by the magnetic flux source 5. The predetermined position is, for example, the position of the magnetic flux source 5 when the movable body MB is located at the center of the movable range. Note that in this embodiment, the movable body MB is configured to be located at the center of the movable range when power is not supplied to the vibration generating device 101.

The frame body FB is a non-magnetic member for supporting the magnetic member MG. In this embodiment, the frame body FB is made of austenitic stainless steel. However, the frame body FB may be made of synthetic resin. The magnetic member MG is joined to the frame body FB by an adhesive.

The side case 2 is formed to constitute the side surface of the housing HS. In this embodiment, the side case 2 is a non-magnetic member and is formed of austenitic stainless steel. However, the side case 2 may be formed of synthetic resin. Specifically, the side case 2 has four side plate portions 2A formed in a flat plate shape. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the side plate portion 2A has a first side plate portion 2A1 and a third side plate portion 2A3 that face each other, and a second side plate portion 2A2 and a fourth side plate portion 2A4 that are perpendicular to the first side plate portion 2A1 and the third side plate portion 2A3 and face each other.

The case 1 is fastened to the side case 2 by fastening members 3. Specifically, the fastening members 3 include an upper fastening member 3U and a lower fastening member 3D. In this embodiment, the fastening members 3 are male screws configured to be operated with a Phillips screwdriver, and are configured to engage with female screw holes 2T formed in the four corners of the side case 2. The female screw holes 2T formed in the four corners of the side case 2 are formed to penetrate the corners of the side case 2 along the Z-axis direction, and include the first female screw hole 2T1 to the fourth female screw hole 2T4. The upper case 1U (upper frame 1UW) is fastened to the side case 2 by four upper fastening members 3U (the first upper male screw 3U1 to the fourth upper male screw 3U4). Specifically, the first upper male screw 3U1 is screwed into the upper opening of the first female screw hole 2T1 formed in the right front corner of the side case 2, the second upper male screw 3U2 is screwed into the upper opening of the second female screw hole 2T2 formed in the left front corner of the side case 2, the third upper male screw 3U3 is screwed into the upper opening of the third female screw hole 2T3 formed in the left rear corner of the side case 2, and the fourth upper male screw 3U4 is screwed into the upper opening of the fourth female screw hole 2T4 formed in the right rear corner of the side case 2. Similarly, the lower case 1D (lower frame 1DW) is fastened to the side case 2 by four lower fastening members 3D (the first lower male screw 3D1 to the fourth lower male screw 3D4). Specifically, the first lower male screw 3D1 is screwed into the lower opening of the first female screw hole 2T1 formed in the right front corner of the side case 2, the second lower male screw 3D2 is screwed into the lower opening of the second female screw hole 2T2 formed in the left front corner of the side case 2, the third lower male screw 3D3 is screwed into the lower opening of the third female screw hole 2T3 formed in the left rear corner of the side case 2, and the fourth lower male screw 3D4 is screwed into the lower opening of the fourth female screw hole 2T4 formed in the right rear corner of the side case 2.

The coil 4 is a member constituting the driving means DM. In this embodiment, the coil 4 is a wound coil formed by winding a conductive wire whose surface is coated with an insulating material, and is fixed to the case 1. For clarity, FIG. 2 omits the detailed winding state of the conductive wire. The same is true for other figures illustrating the coil 4. The coil 4 may be a laminated coil or a thin film coil, etc. Specifically, the coil 4 includes an upper coil 4U fixed to the lower (Z2 side) surface of the upper case 1U (upper magnetic member 1UM) and a lower coil 4D fixed to the upper (Z1 side) surface of the lower case 1D (lower magnetic member 1DM). The upper coil 4U includes a first upper coil 4U1, a second upper coil 4U2, and a third upper coil 4U3 that are arranged in parallel and connected in series along the Y-axis direction, and the lower coil 4D includes a first lower coil 4D1, a second lower coil 4D2, and a third lower coil 4D3 that are arranged in parallel and connected in series along the Y-axis direction. In the following, the first upper coil 4U1 and the first lower coil 4D1 are also referred to as the left coil 4L, the second upper coil 4U2 and the second lower coil 4D2 are also referred to as the center coil 4C, and the third upper coil 4U3 and the third lower coil 4D3 are also referred to as the right coil 4R.

The control unit CTR is configured to be able to control the movement of the movable body MB. In this embodiment, the control unit CTR is a device including an electronic circuit and a non-volatile memory device, and is configured to be able to control the direction and magnitude of the current flowing through the coil 4. The control unit CTR may be configured to control the direction and magnitude of the current flowing through the coil 4 in response to a control command from an external device such as a computer, or may be configured to control the direction and magnitude of the current flowing through the coil 4 without receiving a control command from an external device. Note that, although the control unit CTR is installed outside the housing HS in this embodiment, it may also be installed inside the housing HS.

The movable body MB is configured to be able to vibrate the housing HS. In this embodiment, the movable body MB is configured to be able to vibrate the housing HS by reciprocating while attached inside the housing HS.

Next, the details of the movable body MB will be described with reference to Figures 3A, 3B, and 4. Figures 3A, 3B, and 4 are external views of the movable body MB. Specifically, Figure 3A is an overall perspective view of the movable body MB, and Figure 3B is an exploded perspective view of the movable body MB. Figure 4 is a top view of the movable body MB attached to the side case 2.

The movable body MB is configured to include a magnetic flux source 5 and a magnetic flux source holding member 6. Specifically, the movable body MB is configured to be able to reciprocate (vibrate) relative to the housing HS (side case 2) along a vibration axis VA (see FIG. 3A) that extends in a predetermined direction.

The magnetic flux source 5 is a member constituting the driving means DM and is configured to generate magnetic flux. In this embodiment, the magnetic flux source 5 is a permanent magnet and includes a left magnet 5L, a central magnet 5C, and a right magnet 5R. The central magnet 5C includes a first central magnet 5C1 and a second central magnet 5C2. The left magnet 5L, the first central magnet 5C1, the second central magnet 5C2, and the right magnet 5R are all permanent magnets magnetized into two poles along the Z-axis direction and are arranged side by side along the Y-axis direction. Note that in Figures 2, 3A, 3B, and 4, for clarity, the permanent magnets serving as the magnetic flux source 5 have a coarse cross pattern on the N-pole portion and a fine cross pattern on the S-pole portion.

The magnetic flux source holding member 6 is configured to hold the magnetic flux source 5. In this embodiment, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is a rectangular frame-shaped member made of synthetic resin, and is configured to hold the left magnet 5L, the first central magnet 5C1, the second central magnet 5C2, and the right magnet 5R at approximately equal intervals along the Y-axis direction.

The driving means DM is configured to vibrate the movable body MB along the vibration axis VA. In this embodiment, the driving means DM is composed of a coil 4 and a magnetic flux source 5, and is configured to vibrate the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) along the vibration axis VA by utilizing the electromagnetic force acting between the coil 4 and the magnetic flux source 5 according to the direction and magnitude of the current supplied to the coil 4 through the control unit CTR.

The fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 is a member constituting the magnetic spring MS, and is configured to generate magnetic flux while being fixed to the side case 2. In this embodiment, the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 is a permanent magnet fixed to the side case 2, and includes a left fixed-side magnet 7L and a right fixed-side magnet 7R. The left fixed-side magnet 7L and the right fixed-side magnet 7R are both permanent magnets magnetized with two poles along the Z-axis direction. The left fixed-side magnet 7L is fixed to the inner surface of the second side plate portion 2A2 of the side case 2 with adhesive, and the right fixed-side magnet 7R is fixed to the inner surface of the fourth side plate portion 2A4 of the side case 2 with adhesive. In FIG. 4, for clarity, the permanent magnets as the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 have a coarse cross pattern on the N-pole portion and a fine cross pattern on the S-pole portion.

Specifically, the N pole of the left magnet 5L is arranged to face the N pole of the left fixed magnet 7L in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), and the S pole of the left magnet 5L is arranged to face the S pole of the left fixed magnet 7L in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction). In addition, the N pole of the right magnet 5R is arranged to face the N pole of the right fixed magnet 7R in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction), and the S pole of the right magnet 5R is arranged to face the S pole of the right fixed magnet 7R in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction).

The magnetic spring MS is configured to generate a restoring force that attempts to return the movable body MB to its initial position when the movable body MB is moved from its initial position (the center of the movable range) by the driving means DM. In this embodiment, the magnetic spring MS is composed of a part of the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7, and is configured to be able to return the movable body MB to its initial position.

Specifically, the magnetic spring MS includes a left magnetic spring MSL and a right magnetic spring MSR. The left magnetic spring MSL is composed of a left magnet 5L and a left fixed side magnet 7L, and is configured so that the movable body MB that has moved leftward from its initial position can be returned to its initial position by the repulsive force between the left magnet 5L and the left fixed side magnet 7L. Similarly, the right magnetic spring MSR is composed of a right magnet 5R and a right fixed side magnet 7R, and is configured so that the movable body MB that has moved rightward from its initial position can be returned to its initial position by the repulsive force between the right magnet 5R and the right fixed side magnet 7R.

Next, the guide means GM will be described with reference to Figures 5A, 5B, 6A, 6B, 7A, and 7B. Figures 5A and 5B are detailed views of the members constituting the guide means GM. Specifically, Figure 5A is a left side view of the upper case 1U, the lower case 1D, the side case 2, and the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in a disassembled state. Figure 5B is a left side view of the upper case 1U, the lower case 1D, and the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in an assembled state. In Figures 5A and 5B, for clarity, the case 1 and the side case 2 are given fine dot patterns, and the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is given a coarse dot pattern. In addition, in Figure 5B, for clarity, the illustration of the side case 2 shown in Figure 5A is omitted. Figures 6A and 6B are cross-sectional views of the members constituting the vibration generator 101. Specifically, FIG. 6A is a cross-section of the vibration generator 101 in a plane parallel to the XZ plane including the cutting line (dashed line VIA-VIA) shown in FIG. 1B, as viewed from the Y1 side. FIG. 6B is a diagram in which the coil 4 and the magnetic flux source 5 in FIG. 6A are omitted. FIGS. 7A and 7B are perspective views of members constituting the guide means GM. Specifically, FIG. 7A is a perspective view of the upper case 1U, the lower case 1D, and the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in an assembled state. FIG. 7B is a perspective view of the lower case 1D and the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in an assembled state. In FIGS. 7A and 7B, a rough dot pattern is applied to the magnetic flux source holding member 6 for clarity. In addition, in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 is illustrated to show the positional relationship between the magnetic flux source holding member 6 and the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7. Also, in FIG. 7B, the upper case 1U in FIG. 7A is omitted, and the magnetic flux source 5 is shown held by the magnetic flux source holding member 6.

The guide means GM is configured to guide the movable body MB so that it can reciprocate along the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) within the housing HS as a fixed body. In this embodiment, the guide means GM includes an upper guide portion 1UG formed integrally with the upper case 1U and extending downward (Z2 direction) from the upper case 1U, and a lower guide portion 1DG formed integrally with the lower case 1D and extending upward (Z1 direction) from the lower case 1D. The guide means GM is configured so that the guided portion 6G, which is a protrusion formed on the magnetic flux source holding member 6 constituting the movable body MB, is guided slidably along the left-right direction by the upper guide portion 1UG and the lower guide portion 1DG.

Specifically, the upper guide portion 1UG includes an upper front guide portion 1UGF that extends in the Y-axis direction facing the first side plate portion 2A1 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2, and an upper rear guide portion 1UGB that extends in the Y-axis direction facing the third side plate portion 2A3 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2. Similarly, the lower guide portion 1DG includes a lower front guide portion 1DGF that extends in the Y-axis direction facing the first side plate portion 2A1 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2, and a lower rear guide portion 1DGB that extends in the Y-axis direction facing the third side plate portion 2A3 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2.

The guided portion 6G formed on the magnetic flux source holding member 6 includes a front guided portion 6GF that faces the first side plate portion 2A1 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2 and extends in the Y-axis direction, and a rear guided portion 6GB that faces the third side plate portion 2A3 (see FIG. 2) of the side case 2 and extends in the Y-axis direction.

As shown in FIG. 5B, the tip of the upper front guide portion 1UGF and the tip of the lower front guide portion 1DGF are combined so as to face each other with the front guided portion 6GF in between, and the tip of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB and the tip of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB are combined so as to face each other with the rear guided portion 6GB in between.

In this embodiment, the tip of the upper front guide part 1UGF and the tip of the lower front guide part 1DGF are combined so as to come into contact with the front guided part 6GF. That is, the front guided part 6GF is configured to have approximately the same shape as the space formed between the tip of the upper front guide part 1UGF and the tip of the lower front guide part 1DGF. Specifically, the front guided part 6GF is formed as a single approximately rectangular parallelepiped-shaped protrusion that extends continuously over most of the entire length of the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in the longitudinal direction. However, the front guided part 6GF may be a combination of multiple protrusions that are intermittently arranged along the longitudinal direction of the magnetic flux source holding member 6. The same applies to the rear guided part 6GB. In this embodiment, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is formed to be symmetrical in the front and rear directions. That is, the front guided part 6GF and the rear guided part 6GB are formed to have the same shape and size. However, the front guided portion 6GF and the rear guided portion 6GB may have different shapes.

5, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is configured such that, when combined with the case 1 and the side case 2, the upper surface FS1 of the front guided portion 6GF contacts the tip surface FS2 of the upper front guide portion 1UGF, and the lower surface FS3 of the front guided portion 6GF contacts the tip surface FS4 of the lower front guide portion 1DGF. The magnetic flux source holding member 6 is also configured such that the upper front surface FS5 (the part of the front surface located above the front guided portion 6GF) contacts the inner surface FS6 of the upper front guide portion 1UGF, and the lower front surface FS7 (the part of the front surface located below the front guided portion 6GF) contacts the inner surface FS8 of the lower front guide portion 1DGF. On the other hand, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is configured such that the front surface FS9 of the front guided portion 6GF does not contact the inner surface FS10 of the first side plate portion 2A1 of the side case 2 (see FIG. 6A). The case 1 is configured so that the outer surface FS11 of the upper front guide portion 1UGF contacts the inner surface FS10 of the first side plate portion 2A1 of the side case 2, and the outer surface FS12 of the lower front guide portion 1DGF contacts the inner surface FS10 of the first side plate portion 2A1 of the side case 2.

Similarly, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is configured such that, when combined with the case 1 and the side case 2, the upper surface BS1 of the rear guided portion 6GB contacts the tip surface BS2 of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB, and the lower surface BS3 of the rear guided portion 6GB contacts the tip surface BS4 of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB. The magnetic flux source holding member 6 is also configured such that the upper rear surface BS5 (the portion of the rear surface located above the rear guided portion 6GB) contacts the inner surface BS6 of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB, and the lower rear surface BS7 (the portion of the rear surface located below the rear guided portion 6GB) contacts the inner surface BS8 of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB. On the other hand, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 is configured such that the rear surface BS9 of the rear guided portion 6GB does not contact the inner surface BS10 (see FIG. 6A) of the third side plate portion 2A3 of the side case 2. The case 1 is configured so that the outer surface BS11 of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB contacts the inner surface BS10 of the third side plate portion 2A3 of the side case 2, and the outer surface BS12 of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB contacts the inner surface BS10 of the third side plate portion 2A3 of the side case 2.

As described above, the guided portion 6G is configured to be able to slide between the upper guide portion 1UG and the lower guide portion 1DG in the direction indicated by the bidirectional arrow AR1 in each of Figures 7A and 7B. Specifically, the guided portion 6G is configured to be able to reciprocate in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) with its upper surface in contact with the tip surface of the upper guide portion 1UG and its lower surface in contact with the tip surface of the lower guide portion 1DG.

This configuration limits the movement of the magnetic flux source holding member 6 in the front-rear and up-down directions, while allowing smooth movement in the left-right direction.

Next, the details of the driving means DM and the magnetic spring MS will be described with reference to Figures 8A, 8B, 9A to 9C, and 10A to 10C. Figures 8A and 8B are detailed views of the coil 4 fixed to the housing HS as a fixed body. Specifically, Figure 8A is a perspective view of the lower coil 4D fixed to the lower case 1D. Figure 8B is a top view of the lower coil 4D fixed to the lower case 1D. In Figures 8A and 8B, a dot pattern is applied to the lower coil 4D for clarity. Figure 9A is a view of a cross section of the vibration generator 101 in a virtual plane parallel to the YZ plane including the cutting line (dotted line IXA-IXA) shown in Figure 1B, as viewed from the X1 side. 9B and 9C are diagrams showing cross sections of the case 1, the coil 4, and the magnetic flux source 5 in a virtual plane parallel to the YZ plane including the cutting line (dash line IXB-IXB) shown in FIG. 7A, as viewed from the X1 side. Specifically, FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view of the vibration generator 101 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the center of the movable range. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the case 1, the coil 4, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the right end of the movable range. FIG. 9C is a cross-sectional view of the case 1, the coil 4, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the left end of the movable range. In FIGS. 9A to 9C, for clarity, instead of a pattern showing a cross section, a coarse cross pattern is applied to the N-pole portion of the permanent magnets constituting each of the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7, and a fine cross pattern is applied to the S-pole portion. 10A to 10C are top views of the magnetic flux source 5 that can move in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) above the lower coil 4D fixed to the lower case 1D. Specifically, FIG. 10A is a top view of the lower case 1D, the lower coil 4D, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed magnetic flux source 7 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the center of the movable range. FIG. 10B is a top view of the lower case 1D, the lower coil 4D, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed magnetic flux source 7 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the right end of the movable range. FIG. 10C is a top view of the lower case 1D, the lower coil 4D, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed magnetic flux source 7 when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the left end of the movable range.

The coil 4, which is one of the components of the driving means DM, includes an upper coil 4U fixed to the lower (Z2 side) surface of the upper case 1U, and a lower coil 4D fixed to the upper (Z1 side) surface of the lower case 1D, as shown in FIG. 2.

The lower coil 4D includes three coils (first lower coil 4D1, second lower coil 4D2, and third lower coil 4D3) that are fixed with adhesive to the upper surface (Z1 side surface) of the lower case 1D, as shown in Figures 8A and 8B. Note that the following description with reference to Figures 8A and 8B relates to the lower coil 4D, but also applies to the upper coil 4U. This is because the upper case 1U and the lower case 1D have the same shape and size, and the upper coil 4U and the lower coil 4D have the same shape and size.

Each of the three coils constituting the lower coil 4D is wound to surround the lower internal space 1DP. Specifically, the first lower coil 4D1 is wound to surround the lower left internal space 1DPL, the second lower coil 4D2 is wound to surround the central lower internal space 1DPC, and the third lower coil 4D3 is wound to surround the lower right internal space 1DPR.

The first lower coil 4D1 includes a left bundled wire portion 4D1L located on the left side (Y1 side) of the lower left internal space 1DPL and extending along the lower left internal space 1DPL, and a right bundled wire portion 4D1R located on the right side (Y2 side) of the lower left internal space 1DPL and extending along the lower left internal space 1DPL. The bundled wire portion refers to the portion where the conductive wires that make up the coil extend linearly in the front-to-rear direction (X-axis direction).

In FIG. 8B, for clarity, the left bundled wire portion 4D1L and the right bundled wire portion 4D1R of the first lower coil 4D1 are given a finer dot pattern than the dot pattern given to other parts of the first lower coil 4D1. The same is true for the second lower coil 4D2 and the third lower coil 4D3.

The second lower coil 4D2 includes a left bundled wire portion 4D2L located on the left side (Y1 side) of the central lower internal space 1DPC and extending along the central lower internal space 1DPC, and a right bundled wire portion 4D2R located on the right side (Y2 side) of the central lower internal space 1DPC and extending along the central lower internal space 1DPC.

Similarly, the third lower coil 4D3 includes a left bundled wire portion 4D3L located on the left side (Y1 side) of the lower right internal space 1DPR and extending along the lower right internal space 1DPR, and a right bundled wire portion 4D3R located on the right side (Y2 side) of the lower right internal space 1DPR and extending along the lower right internal space 1DPR.

The left side wire portion 4D1L and the right side wire portion 4D1R of the first lower coil 4D1 are the portions through which the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic flux source 5 passes, i.e., the portions that generate a driving force based on the Lorentz force for moving the movable body MB in the left-right direction. The same is true for the left side wire portion 4D2L and the right side wire portion 4D2R of the second lower coil 4D2, and the left side wire portion 4D3L and the right side wire portion 4D3R of the third lower coil 4D3.

The magnetic flux source 5, another component of the drive means DM, is disposed in the space between the upper coil 4U and the lower coil 4D so as to be movable in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) as shown in Figures 9A to 9C. Specifically, the magnetic flux source 5 includes a left magnet 5L, a first central magnet 5C1, a second central magnet 5C2, and a right magnet 5R. The left magnet 5L, the first central magnet 5C1, the second central magnet 5C2, and the right magnet 5R are each held at a predetermined distance from each other by a magnetic flux source holding member 6 (see Figure 9A).

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9A, the left magnet 5L is configured so that its width W1 is approximately the same as the width W2 of the right magnet 5R. The first central magnet 5C1 is configured so that its width W3 is approximately the same as the width W4 of the second central magnet 5C2. The left magnet 5L is configured so that its width W1 is approximately half the width W3 of the first central magnet 5C1.

In this embodiment, the six coils constituting the coil 4 are configured to have the same shape and size. That is, as shown in FIG. 9B, the width W5 of the left bundled wire portion 4U1L of the first upper coil 4U1, the width W6 of the right bundled wire portion 4U1R of the first upper coil 4U1, the width W7 of the left bundled wire portion 4U2L of the second upper coil 4U2, the width W8 of the right bundled wire portion 4U2R of the second upper coil 4U2, the width W9 of the left bundled wire portion 4U3L of the third upper coil 4U3, the width W10 of the right bundled wire portion 4U3R of the third upper coil 4U3, The width W11 of the left bundled wire portion 4D1L of the lower coil 4D1, the width W12 of the right bundled wire portion 4D1R of the first lower coil 4D1, the width W13 of the left bundled wire portion 4D2L of the second lower coil 4D2, the width W14 of the right bundled wire portion 4D2R of the second lower coil 4D2, the width W15 of the left bundled wire portion 4D3L of the third lower coil 4D3, and the width W16 of the right bundled wire portion 4D3R of the third lower coil 4D3 are all the same size.

The left magnet 5L is configured so that its width W1 is approximately the same as the width W5 of the left bundled wire portion 4U1L of the first upper coil 4U1. The first central magnet 5C1 is configured so that its width W3 is approximately the same as the sum of the width W6 of the right bundled wire portion 4U1R of the first upper coil 4U1 and the width W7 of the left bundled wire portion 4U2L of the second upper coil 4U2.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the vibration generating device 101 is configured so that the width WD1 of the magnetic flux source 5 is greater than the width WD2 of the magnetic member MG.

With this configuration, in the vibration generating device 101, even when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the center of the movable range, the magnetic member MG can magnetically hold the magnetic flux source 5 so that the magnetic flux source 5 does not move from the center of the movable range due to the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG. This effect is also achieved when the width WD1 of the magnetic flux source 5 and the width WD2 of the magnetic member MG are the same.

The left magnet 5L, the first central magnet 5C1, the second central magnet 5C2, and the right magnet 5R are each arranged so that an imaginary plane parallel to the XY plane including the center line CL passing through the center of the vibration generator 101 is the boundary surface between the north pole portion and the south pole portion. The same is true for the left fixed side magnet 7L and the right fixed side magnet 7R.

The left fixed magnet 7L is configured so that its width W21 is smaller than the width W1 of the left magnet 5L, and the right fixed magnet 7R is configured so that its width W22 is smaller than the width W2 of the right magnet 5R.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the vibration generating device 101 is configured so that the height H1 of the central magnet 5C, the height H2 of each of the left magnet 5L and the right magnet 5R, and the height H3 of each of the left fixed side magnet 7L and the right fixed side magnet 7R are the same.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the vibration generating device 101 is configured so that the depth DP1 of the central magnet 5C, the depth DP2 of each of the left magnet 5L and the right magnet 5R, and the depth DP3 of each of the left fixed magnet 7L and the right fixed magnet 7R are the same.

When the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) is located at the center of the movable range, as shown in FIG. 9A, the left magnet 5L is arranged so that the N-pole portion (upper portion) faces the left bundle portion 4U1L of the first upper coil 4U1 and the S-pole portion (lower portion) faces the left bundle portion 4D1L of the first lower coil 4D1. The first central magnet 5C1 is arranged so that the S-pole portion (upper portion) faces each of the right bundle portion 4U1R of the first upper coil 4U1 and the left bundle portion 4U2L of the second upper coil 4U2, and the N-pole portion (lower portion) faces each of the right bundle portion 4D1R of the first lower coil 4D1 and the left bundle portion 4D2L of the second lower coil 4D2. The second central magnet 5C2 is arranged so that its N-pole portion (upper portion) faces the right bundled portion 4U2R of the second upper coil 4U2 and the left bundled portion 4U3L of the third upper coil 4U3, and its S-pole portion (lower portion) faces the right bundled portion 4D2R of the second lower coil 4D2 and the left bundled portion 4D3L of the third lower coil 4D3. The right magnet 5R is arranged so that its S-pole portion (upper portion) faces the right bundled portion 4U3R of the third upper coil 4U3, and its N-pole portion (lower portion) faces the right bundled portion 4D3R of the third lower coil 4D3.

Also, as shown in FIG. 9A, the left magnet 5L is arranged so that its N-pole portion (upper portion) faces the N-pole portion (upper portion) of the left fixed magnet 7L across a gap G1L, and its S-pole portion (lower portion) faces the S-pole portion (lower portion) of the left fixed magnet 7L across a gap G1L. Similarly, the right magnet 5R is arranged so that its S-pole portion (upper portion) faces the S-pole portion (upper portion) of the right fixed magnet 7R across a gap G1R, and its N-pole portion (lower portion) faces the N-pole portion (lower portion) of the right fixed magnet 7R across a gap G1R.

When a current flows through the lower coil 4D as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 10B, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) slides to the right (Y2 direction) while being guided by the guide means GM. Specifically, when a current flows counterclockwise in a top view through the first lower coil 4D1, a current flows clockwise in a top view through the second lower coil 4D2, and a current flows counterclockwise in a top view through the third lower coil 4D3, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) slides to the right (Y2 direction).

The Lorentz force acts on the charged particles moving within the conductive wire that constitutes the lower coil 4D fixed to the lower case 1D, and the reaction force causes the left magnet 5L, first central magnet 5C1, second central magnet 5C2, and right magnet 5R, which serve as the magnetic flux source 5, to move to the right.

Similarly, when a current flows through the lower coil 4D as shown by the dashed arrow in Figure 10C, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) slides leftward (Y1 direction) while being guided by the guide means GM. Specifically, when a current flows clockwise in a top view through the first lower coil 4D1, a current flows counterclockwise in a top view through the second lower coil 4D2, and a current flows clockwise in a top view through the third lower coil 4D3, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) slides leftward (Y1 direction).

When the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves to the right (Y2 direction), as shown in FIG. 9B, a part of the right magnet 5R protrudes to the right of the right end RE of the inner surface (the surface facing the coil 4) of the magnetic member MG. Specifically, a part of the right magnet 5R protrudes to the right of the right end URE of the inner surface of the upper magnetic member 1UM, and protrudes to the right of the right end DRE of the inner surface of the lower magnetic member 1DM. Since an attractive force acts between the right magnet 5R and the magnetic member MG, the part 5Ra of the right magnet 5R that protrudes to the right of the right end RE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG is attracted to the left by the right end RE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG. In this state, the right end RE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG is the part of the magnetic member MG that is closest to the part 5Ra. In addition, in FIG. 9B, some of the magnetic field lines (magnetic field lines extending between portion 5Ra and right end RE) that represent the magnetic field that generates the attractive force that attracts right-side magnet 5R to magnetic member MG are shown by dotted lines. Also, in FIG. 9B, for clarity, the magnetic field lines that represent other parts of the magnetic field generated by magnetic flux source 5 are omitted from the illustration.

When the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves to the right (Y2 direction), as shown in FIG. 9B, the left end portion of the magnetic member MG protrudes to the left of the left end of the left magnet 5L. Specifically, the left end portions of the upper magnetic member 1UM and the lower magnetic member 1DM protrude to the left of the left end of the left magnet 5L. Since an attractive force acts between the left magnet 5L and the magnetic member MG, the portion MGLa of the magnetic member MG that protrudes to the left of the left end of the left magnet 5L attracts the left magnet 5L to the left. In this state, the left end of the left magnet 5L is the portion of the left magnet 5L that is closest to the portion MGLa of the magnetic member MG. Note that in FIG. 9B, a portion of the magnetic field lines (magnetic field lines extending between the portion MGLa and the left end of the left magnet 5L) that represent the magnetic field that generates the attractive force that attracts the left magnet 5L to the magnetic member MG are shown by dotted lines.

Also, as shown in Figures 9B and 10B, when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves to the right (Y2 direction), the gap G1L (see Figures 9A and 10A) between the left magnet 5L and the left fixed side magnet 7L widens to gap G2L, while the gap G1R (see Figures 9A and 10A) between the right magnet 5R and the right fixed side magnet 7R narrows to gap G2R. As a result, the repulsive force acting between the right magnet 5R and the right fixed side magnet 7R strengthens, and the right fixed side magnet 7R pushes the right magnet 5R to the left when the electromagnetic force (driving force) weakens.

In this way, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) displaced to the right from the center of the movable range is subjected to forces (attraction and repulsion) that attempt to return the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) to the center of the movable range. Then, when the force (electromagnetic force) that attempts to move the movable body MB to the right disappears, that is, when the current flowing through coil 4 disappears, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) displaced to the right from the center of the movable range moves to the left by the forces (attraction and repulsion) and returns to the center of the movable range.

On the other hand, when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves leftward (Y1 direction), as shown in FIG. 9C, a part of the left magnet 5L protrudes leftward from the left end LE of the inner surface (the surface facing the coil 4) of the magnetic member MG. Then, because an attractive force acts between the left magnet 5L and the magnetic member MG, the part 5La of the left magnet 5L protruding leftward from the left end LE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG is attracted rightward by the left end LE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG. In this state, the left end LE of the inner surface of the magnetic member MG is the part of the magnetic member MG that is located closest to the part 5La. Note that in FIG. 9C, a part of the magnetic field lines (magnetic field lines extending between the part 5La and the left end LE) that represent the magnetic field that generates the attractive force that attracts the left magnet 5L to the magnetic member MG are shown by dotted lines. Also, in FIG. 9C, for clarity, the magnetic field lines representing other parts of the magnetic field generated by magnetic flux source 5 have been omitted.

When the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves leftward (Y1 direction), as shown in FIG. 9C, the right end portion of the magnetic member MG protrudes to the right of the right end of the right-side magnet 5R. Specifically, the right end portions of the upper magnetic member 1UM and the lower magnetic member 1DM protrude to the right of the right end of the right-side magnet 5R. Since an attractive force acts between the right-side magnet 5R and the magnetic member MG, the portion MGRa of the magnetic member MG that protrudes to the right of the right end of the right-side magnet 5R attracts the right-side magnet 5R to the right. In this state, the right end of the right-side magnet 5R is the portion of the right-side magnet 5R that is closest to the portion MGRa of the magnetic member MG. Note that in FIG. 9C, a portion of the magnetic field lines (magnetic field lines extending between the portion MGRa and the right end of the right-side magnet 5R) that represent the magnetic field that generates an attractive force that attracts the right-side magnet 5R to the magnetic member MG is shown by a dotted line.

Also, as shown in Figures 9C and 10C, when the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) moves leftward (Y1 direction), the gap G1R (see Figures 9A and 10A) between the right-side magnet 5R and the right fixed-side magnet 7R widens to gap G3R, while the gap G1L (see Figures 9A and 10A) between the left-side magnet 5L and the left fixed-side magnet 7L narrows to gap G3L. As a result, the repulsive force acting between the left-side magnet 5L and the left fixed-side magnet 7L strengthens, and the left fixed-side magnet 7L pushes the left-side magnet 5L to the right when the electromagnetic force (driving force) weakens.

In this way, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) displaced leftward from the center of the movable range is subjected to forces (attraction and repulsion) that attempt to return the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) to the center of the movable range. Then, when the force (electromagnetic force) that attempts to move the movable body MB leftward disappears, that is, when the current flowing through coil 4 disappears, the movable body MB (magnetic flux source 5) displaced leftward from the center of the movable range moves rightward due to the forces (attraction and repulsion) and returns toward the center of the movable range.

Therefore, when the supply of current to the coil 4 is stopped, the movable body MB, which is in a position shifted from the center of the movable range, is returned to the center of the movable range by the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG. In this way, the driving means DM can vibrate the movable body MB in the left-right direction.

As described above, the vibration generating device 101 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, as shown in, for example, Figures 1A and 2, a housing HS as a fixed body, a movable body MB accommodated in the housing HS, a guide means GM that guides the movable body MB so that it can move back and forth in the left-right direction within the housing HS, a coil 4 consisting of conductive wires extending in the front-rear direction (X-axis direction) and arranged in parallel in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) and fixed to the housing HS so as to intersect with the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic flux source 5, a magnetic flux source 5 as a movable magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the movable body MB (magnetic flux source holding member 6) so that the N-pole portion and the S-pole portion are aligned in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and generates a magnetic flux along the vertical direction, and a fixed magnetic flux source 7 as a fixed magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the housing HS (side case 2) so that the N-pole portion and the S-pole portion are aligned in the vertical direction and generates a magnetic flux along the vertical direction. The N-pole portion of the left-side magnet 5L, which is one of the magnetic flux sources 5, is arranged to face the N-pole portion of the left fixed-side magnet 7L, which is one of the fixed-side magnetic flux sources 7, in the left-right direction, and the S-pole portion of the left-side magnet 5L is arranged to face the S-pole portion of the left fixed-side magnet 7L in the left-right direction. The N-pole portion of the right-side magnet 5R, which is another of the magnetic flux sources 5, is arranged to face the N-pole portion of the right fixed-side magnet 7R, which is another of the fixed-side magnetic flux sources 7, in the left-right direction, and the S-pole portion of the right-side magnet 5R is arranged to face the S-pole portion of the right fixed-side magnet 7R in the left-right direction.

The magnetic flux source 5 as the movable magnetic flux generating member is also called the "movable driving magnet" constituting the driving means DM. The fixed magnetic flux source 7 as the fixed magnetic flux generating member is also called the "fixed restricting magnet" that restricts the movement of the movable body MB in the left-right direction.

With this configuration, the vibration generator 101 can use a magnetic spring (the repulsive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed-side magnetic flux source 7) to return the movable body MB, which has been moved by electromagnetic force, toward the center of the movable range. Therefore, the vibration generator 101 can return the movable body MB, which has been moved by electromagnetic force, toward the center of the movable range without using a spring member.

The magnetic flux source 5 as the movable magnetic flux generating member may be configured to include multiple movable magnets (left magnet 5L, center magnet 5C, and right magnet 5R) arranged in the left-right direction as shown in FIG. 9A. The fixed magnetic flux source 7 as the fixed magnetic flux generating member may be configured to include a left fixed magnet 7L that faces the left movable magnet (left magnet 5L) located at the left end of the multiple movable magnets in the left-right direction, and a right fixed magnet 7R that faces the right movable magnet (right magnet 5R) located at the right end of the multiple movable magnets in the left-right direction.

In this case, the north pole portion of the left magnet 5L is arranged to face the north pole portion of the left fixed magnet 7L in the left-right direction, and the south pole portion of the left magnet 5L is arranged to face the south pole portion of the left fixed magnet 7L in the left-right direction. Also, the north pole portion of the right magnet 5R is arranged to face the north pole portion of the right fixed magnet 7R in the left-right direction, and the south pole portion of the right magnet 5R is arranged to face the south pole portion of the right fixed magnet 7R in the left-right direction.

Specifically, in the vibration generator 101, the magnetic spring MS is formed by a magnetic flux source 5 and a fixed side magnetic flux source 7 arranged so that the north pole portion and the south pole portion are aligned in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) as shown in the upper part of Fig. 11. Therefore, the vibration generator 101 can suppress the decrease in driving force compared to a case in which the magnetic spring MSA is formed by a movable side magnet 50 and a fixed side magnet 70 arranged so that the north pole portion and the south pole portion are aligned in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction) as shown in the lower part of Fig. 11.

11 is a diagram explaining the difference between the magnetic spring MS and the magnetic spring MSA. Specifically, the upper part of FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the coil 4, the magnetic flux source 5, and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7, and corresponds to FIG. 9A. The upper part of FIG. 11 shows the magnetic spring MS, which is configured by a combination of the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 arranged so that the N pole portion and the S pole portion are adjacent to each other in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) in the vibration generating device 101. The lower part of FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the coil 4, the magnetic flux source 5, the movable side magnet 50, and the fixed side magnet 70. The lower part of FIG. 11 shows the magnetic spring MSA, which is configured by a combination of the movable side magnet 50 and the fixed side magnet 70 arranged so that the N pole portion and the S pole portion are adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction (Y-axis direction). Specifically, the magnetic spring MSA includes a left magnetic spring MSAL and a right magnetic spring MSAR. The left magnetic spring MSAL is composed of a combination of a left movable side magnet 50L and a left fixed side magnet 70L, and the right magnetic spring MSAR is composed of a combination of a right movable side magnet 50R and a right fixed side magnet 70R.

In the upper and lower parts of FIG. 11, some of the magnetic field lines representing the magnetic field generated by the left magnet 5L are shown by dotted lines. Specifically, the upper part of FIG. 11 shows how the magnetic field lines representing the magnetic field generated by the left magnet 5L cross vertically the left bundled portion 4U1L of the first upper coil 4U1 and the left bundled portion 4D1L of the first lower coil 4D1. On the other hand, the lower part of FIG. 11 shows how some of the magnetic field lines representing the magnetic field generated by the left magnet 5L are distorted by the influence of the magnetic field of the left movable magnet 50L and cross diagonally the left bundled portion 4U1L and the left bundled portion 4D1L.

In other words, the configuration shown in the lower part of FIG. 11 has fewer magnetic fluxes that vertically cross the left wiring section 4U1L and the left wiring section 4D1L compared to the configuration shown in the upper part of FIG. 11. In other words, the movable magnet 50 shown in the lower part of FIG. 11 reduces the number of magnetic fluxes that vertically cross the drive coils (left wiring section 4U1L and left wiring section 4D1L) among the magnetic fluxes generated by the drive magnet (left magnet 5L), thereby reducing the drive force, which is the electromagnetic force generated by the drive magnet and the drive coil.

In contrast, the configuration shown in the upper part of Figure 11 does not reduce the number of magnetic fluxes generated by the drive magnet (left magnet 5L) that cross the drive coils (left wire section 4U1L and left wire section 4D1L) vertically, and does not reduce the drive force.

In addition, the vibration generating device 101 can omit the movable magnet 50 that is required in the configuration shown in the lower part of Figure 11, thereby reducing the number of parts.

Each of the multiple movable side magnets (left side magnet 5L, first central magnet 5C1, second central magnet 5C2, and right side magnet 5R) is preferably a permanent magnet magnetized with two poles along the vertical direction. In the above embodiment, the magnetic flux source 5 is composed of four movable side magnets (permanent magnets), but it may be composed of two or three movable side magnets (permanent magnets), or may be composed of five or more movable side magnets (permanent magnets). The multiple movable side magnets may be electromagnets.

The height H3 of the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) may be the same as the height of the magnetic flux source 5 in the vertical direction (height H1 of the central magnet 5C, and each of the heights H2 of the left magnet 5L and right magnet 5R), as shown in FIG. 9A. In addition, the length (depth DP3) of the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 in the front-to-back direction (X-axis direction) may be the same as the length of the magnetic flux source 5 in the front-to-back direction (depth DP1 of the central magnet 5C, and each of the depths DP2 of the left magnet 5L and right magnet 5R), as shown in FIG. 10A.

This configuration has the effect that the areas of the opposing faces of the pair of magnets that make up the magnetic spring MS are the same, i.e., the area of the left side face of the left magnet 5L is the same as the area of the right side face of the left fixed magnet 7L, which in turn has the effect of allowing a repulsive force to act efficiently between the left magnet 5L and the left fixed magnet 7L.

The width of the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) (width W21 of the left fixed side magnet 7L and width W22 of the right fixed side magnet 7R) may be smaller than the width of the magnetic flux source 5 in the left-right direction (width W1 of the left side magnet 5L, width W2 of the first central magnet 5C1, width W3 of the second central magnet 5C2, and width W4 of the right side magnet 5R), as shown in FIG. 9A.

This configuration has the effect of reducing the width of the vibration generating device 101 in the left-right direction.

The vibration generating device 101 may include a magnetic member MG that is fixed to the housing HS and disposed outside the coil 4. In this case, the magnetic member MG may be disposed so as to generate an attractive force that attracts the movable body MB, which is in a position offset from the center of the movable range of the movable body MB, toward the center of the movable range.

With this configuration, the vibration generator 101 can use the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG in addition to the repulsive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 to return the movable body MB moved by the electromagnetic force toward the center of the movable range. Therefore, the vibration generator 101 can more reliably return the movable body MB moved by the electromagnetic force toward the center of the movable range without using a spring member.

Furthermore, compared to a configuration having a magnetic member MG but not a magnetic spring MS, the vibration generator 101 can suppress the occurrence of the stick-slip phenomenon between the movable body MB and the housing HS. In other words, the vibration generator 101 can suppress distortion of the acceleration waveform of the reciprocating movable body MB. This is because the likelihood of the stick-slip phenomenon occurring (probability of occurrence) decreases as the spring constant of the virtual spring (corresponding to the combined force of the repulsive force and attractive force) caused by the repulsive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 and the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG increases.

The vibration generating device 101 may be configured such that, when the movable body MB is located at the center of the movable range, the left end of the magnetic member MG is located to the left of the left end of the magnetic flux source 5, and the right end of the magnetic member MG is located to the right of the right end of the magnetic flux source 5.

The vibration generating device 101 may be configured such that when the movable body MB is located at the left end of the movable range, the left end of the magnetic member MG is located to the right of the left end of the magnetic flux source 5 (left end of the left magnet 5L), and when the movable body MB is located at the right end of the movable range, the right end of the magnetic member MG is located to the left of the right end of the magnetic flux source 5 (right end of the right magnet 5R).

With this configuration, when the movable body MB moves left or right from the center of the movable range, the vibration generating device 101 can urge the movable body MB toward the center of the movable range by the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG.

The coil 4 may include an upper coil 4U arranged above the movable body MB and a lower coil 4D arranged below the movable body MB, as shown in FIG. 2. The magnetic member MG may also include an upper magnetic member 1UM arranged above the movable body MB and a lower magnetic member 1DM arranged below the movable body MB.

With this configuration, the vibration generator 101 can increase the driving force of the driving means DM while effectively utilizing the space inside the housing HS. However, either one of the upper coil 4U or the lower coil 4D may be omitted. Also, either one of the upper magnetic member 1UM or the lower magnetic member 1DM may be omitted.

The guide means GM may include a guide portion that has a guide surface that is provided on the housing HS and extends in the left-right direction and that slidably guides the guided portion 6G. In this case, the guided portion 6G may have a guided surface that is provided on the movable body MB and extends in the left-right direction.

Specifically, in the vibration generator 101, the guide means GM includes an upper front guide portion 1UGF and an upper rear guide portion 1UGB provided on the upper case 1U, and a lower front guide portion 1DGF and a lower rear guide portion 1DGB provided on the lower case 1D, as shown in FIG. 5A. The guided portion 6G includes a front guided portion 6GF and a rear guided portion 6GB provided on the magnetic flux source holding member 6 constituting the movable body MB. As shown in FIG. 5B, the front guided portion 6GF is assembled to the case 1 so that the upper surface FS1 as the guided surface contacts the tip surface FS2 of the upper front guide portion 1UGF as the guide surface, and the lower surface FS3 as the guided surface contacts the tip surface FS4 of the lower front guide portion 1DGF as the guide surface. The same is true for the rear guided portion 6GB.

With this configuration, the vibration generator 101 can realize the guide means GM that can guide the left-right movement of the guided portion 6G with a small number of parts. Specifically, the vibration generator 101 can realize the guide means GM using the upper case 1U and the lower case 1D.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vibration generating device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a housing HS (see FIG. 1A) as a fixed body having an upper case 1U and a lower case 1D, a movable body MB accommodated in the space between the upper case 1U and the lower case 1D, guide means GM that guides the movable body MB so that it can move back and forth in the left-right direction within the housing HS, and drive means DM that includes a magnetic flux source 5 fixed to the movable body MB and a coil 4 fixed to the housing HS and applies a drive force in the left-right direction to the movable body MB.

The guide means GM includes an upper guide portion 1UG formed integrally with the upper case 1U and extending downward from the upper case 1U, and a lower guide portion 1DG formed integrally with the lower case 1D and extending upward from the lower case 1D, as shown in FIG. 5A, for example. The guide means GM is configured such that the guided portion 6G formed on the movable body MB (magnetic flux source holding member 6) is guided by the upper guide portion 1UG and the lower guide portion 1DG so as to be slidable in the left-right direction.

This vibration generator 101 uses a part of the upper case 1U and a part of the lower case 1D to form the guide means GM, which guides the movable body MB so that it can reciprocate left and right within the housing HS, while preventing an increase in the number of parts. This configuration also prevents the vibration generator 101 from becoming too large.

As shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the guide means GM may be configured so that the guided portion 6G is guided so as to be slidable in the left-right direction in the space between the upper guide portion 1UG and the lower guide portion 1DG.

Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the upper guide portion 1UG may include an upper front guide portion 1UGF located in front of the upper case 1U and an upper rear guide portion 1UGB located in the rear of the upper case 1U. The lower guide portion 1DG may include a lower front guide portion 1DGF located in front of the lower case 1D and a lower rear guide portion 1DGB located in the rear of the lower case 1D. The guided portion 6G may include a front guided portion 6GF located in front of the magnetic flux source holding member 6 constituting the movable body MB, and a rear guided portion 6GB located in the rear of the magnetic flux source holding member 6 constituting the movable body MB.

More specifically, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 may have a convex front guided portion 6GF formed to protrude forward from its front surface so as to be fitted into a concave space, which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space formed between the tip of the upper front guide portion 1UGF and the tip of the lower front guide portion 1DGF. The magnetic flux source holding member 6 may also have a convex rear guided portion 6GB formed to protrude rearward from its rear surface so as to be fitted into a concave space, which is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped space formed between the tip of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB and the tip of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB.

In this configuration, the guide means GM can prevent the guided portion 6G from moving in any direction other than the left-right direction (Y-axis direction). In other words, the guide means GM can prevent the movable body MB from moving in the front-back direction (X-axis direction) and the up-down direction (Z-axis direction).

The housing HS may include a cylindrical side case 2 that is open at the top and bottom. In this case, the housing HS may be configured such that the upper case 1U is positioned by abutting against the upper end of the side case 2 from above, and the lower case 1D is positioned by abutting against the lower end of the side case 2 from below, as shown in Figures 5A and 6A.

This configuration allows the desired size of the concave space formed between the tip of the upper rear guide part 1UGB and the tip of the lower rear guide part 1DGB to be achieved with high precision. This configuration therefore allows the movable body MB to slide smoothly in the left-right direction.

The upper case 1U and the lower case 1D are preferably configured to have the same shape and size. This configuration can further reduce the number of parts that make up the vibration generating device 101.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vibration generating device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a housing HS (see FIG. 1A) as a fixed body, a movable body MB housed in the housing HS, a guide means GM for guiding the movable body MB so that it can move back and forth in the left-right direction within the housing HS, a magnetic flux source 5 fixed to the movable body MB and generating a magnetic flux along the up-down direction, and a coil 4 made of a conductive wire that is fixed to the housing HS so as to intersect with the magnetic flux generated by the magnetic flux source 5, extends in the front-rear direction, and is arranged in parallel in the left-right direction.

The magnetic flux source 5 includes a left magnet 5L, at least one central magnet 5C, and a right magnet 5R, as shown in, for example, Figures 3A and 3B. The left magnet 5L, at least one central magnet 5C, and the right magnet 5R are arranged side by side in the left-right direction.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the coil 4 is configured to include a left coil 4L consisting of a left flux portion that intersects with the magnetic flux from the left magnet 5L and a right flux portion that intersects with the magnetic flux from the central magnet 5C, and a right coil 4R consisting of a left flux portion that intersects with the magnetic flux from the central magnet 5C and a right flux portion that intersects with the magnetic flux from the right magnet 5R.

Furthermore, the magnetic flux source 5 may be configured such that the central magnet 5C has a width dimension in the left-right direction that is approximately twice that of the left magnet 5L, and generates magnetic flux toward the right-side flux portion of the left-side coil 4L and the left-side flux portion of the coil adjacent to the right of the left-side coil 4L (right-side coil 4R).

This configuration reduces the number of components that make up the vibration generator 101 compared to when the central magnet 5C is constructed by arranging two magnets that have the same left-right width as the left coil 4L.

The above describes preferred embodiments of the present invention in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Various modifications or substitutions may be applied to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, each of the features described with reference to the above-described embodiments may be combined as appropriate, provided that there is no technical contradiction.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the lower case 1D, the upper case 1U, and the side case 2 are formed as separate members independent of each other. However, the side case 2 may be integrated with the lower case 1D or the upper case 1U. For example, the upper case 1U and the side case 2 may be integrated and formed as a single part.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 has a convex front guided portion 6GF formed to protrude forward from its front surface so as to be fitted into a concave space, which is a space of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape formed between the tip of the upper front guide portion 1UGF and the tip of the lower front guide portion 1DGF. The magnetic flux source holding member 6 also has a convex rear guided portion 6GB formed to protrude rearward from its rear surface so as to be fitted into a concave space, which is a space of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape formed between the tip of the upper rear guide portion 1UGB and the tip of the lower rear guide portion 1DGB. However, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 may have a concave guided portion instead of the convex guided portion 6G. For example, the magnetic flux source holding member 6 may have a concave front guided portion instead of the convex front guided portion 6GF. In this case, the tip of each of the upper front guide portion 1UGF and the lower front guide portion 1DGF may be bent inward and formed to engage with the concave front guided portion. The same applies to the rear guided portion 6GB.

In the above embodiment, the vibration generator 101 is configured to use the attractive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the magnetic member MG in addition to the repulsive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 to return the movable body MB moved by the electromagnetic force toward the center of the movable range. However, the magnetic member MG may be omitted. In this case, the vibration generator 101 may be configured to use only the repulsive force between the magnetic flux source 5 and the fixed side magnetic flux source 7 to return the movable body MB moved by the electromagnetic force toward the center of the movable range.

In the above embodiment, the guide means GM is composed of the upper guide portion 1UG and the lower guide portion 1DG. However, the guide means GM may be composed of balls. For example, the guide means GM may be composed of a plurality of balls arranged between a groove formed on the tip surface of the upper guide portion 1UG and a groove formed on the upper surface of the guided portion 6G, and a plurality of balls arranged between a groove formed on the tip surface of the lower guide portion 1DG and a groove formed on the lower surface of the guided portion 6G.

In the above embodiment, the magnetic flux source 5 is composed of four permanent magnets magnetized along two poles in the vertical direction, but it may be composed of two four-pole permanent magnets, or one four-pole permanent magnet and two two-pole permanent magnets. The N-pole portion of the left magnet 5L and the S-pole portion of the first central magnet 5C1 may be composed of one two-pole permanent magnet, and the S-pole portion of the left magnet 5L and the N-pole portion of the first central magnet 5C1 may be composed of one two-pole permanent magnet. In this case, the N-pole portion of the right magnet 5R and the S-pole portion of the second central magnet 5C2 may be composed of one two-pole permanent magnet, and the S-pole portion of the right magnet 5R and the N-pole portion of the second central magnet 5C2 may be composed of one two-pole permanent magnet.

1...Case 1D...Lower case 1DG...Lower guide section 1DGB...Lower rear guide section 1DGF...Lower front guide section 1DM...Lower magnetic member 1DW...Lower frame 1DP...Lower internal space 1DPC...Central lower internal space 1DPL...Lower left internal space 1DPR...Lower right internal space 1U...Upper case 1UG...Upper guide section 1UGB...Upper rear guide section 1UGF...Upper front guide section 1UM...Upper magnetic member 1UW...Upper frame 2...Side case 2A...Side plate section 2A1...First side plate section 2A2...Second side plate section 2A3...Third side plate section 2A4...Fourth side plate section 2T...Female screw hole 2T1...First female screw hole 2T2...Second female screw hole 2T3...Third female screw hole 2T4...Fourth female screw hole 3...Fastening member 3D...Lower fastening member 3D1...First lower male screw 3D2...Second lower male screw 3D3...Third lower male screw 3D4...Fourth lower male screw 3U...Upper fastening member 3U1...First upper male screw 3U2...Second upper male screw 3U3...Third upper male screw 3U4...Fourth upper male screw 4...Coil 4C...Central coil 4D...Lower coil 4D1...First lower coil 4D1L...Left side bundling section 4D1R...Right side bundling section 4D2...Second lower coil 4D2L...Left side bundling section 4D2R...Right side bundling section 4D3...Third lower coil 4D3L...Left side bundling section 4D3R...Right side bundling section 4L...Left side coil 4R...Right side coil 4U...Upper coil 4U1...First upper coil 4U2...Second upper coil 4U3...Third upper coil 5...Magnetic flux source 5C...Center magnet 5C1...First center magnet 5C2...Second center magnet 5L...Left side magnet 5La...Part 5R...Right side magnet 5Ra...Part 6...Magnetic flux source holding member 6G...Guided part 6GB...Rear side guided part 6GF... Front guided part 7... Fixed side magnetic flux source 7L... Left fixed side magnet 7R... Right fixed side magnet 50... Movable side magnet 50L... Left moving side magnet 50R... Right moving side magnet 70... Fixed side magnet 70L... Left fixed side magnet 70R... Right fixed side magnet 101... Vibration generator BS1... Top surface BS2... Tip surface BS3...Bottom surface BS4...Tip surface BS5...Upper rear surface BS6...Inner surface BS7...Lower rear surface BS8: Inner surface BS9: Rear surface BS10: Inner surface BS11: Outer surface BS12: Outer surface CTR: Control unit DLE: Left end DM: Drive means DRE: Right end FB: Frame body FS1: Top surface FS2: Tip surface FS3: Bottom surface FS4: Tip surface FS5: Upper front surface FS6: Inner surface FS7: Lower front surface FS8: Inner surface FS9: Front surface FS10: Inner surface FS11: Outer surface FS12: Outer surface GM: Guide means HS: Housing LE: Left end MB: Movable body MG: Magnetic member MGLa, MGRa: Parts MS, MSA: Magnetic spring MSL, MSAL: Left magnetic spring MSR, MSAR: Right magnetic spring RE: Right end ULE: Left end URE: Right end VA...Vibration axis VE...Vibration device

Claims (5)

A fixed body;
A movable body accommodated in the fixed body;
a guide means for guiding the movable body so that the movable body can reciprocate in the left-right direction within the fixed body;
a movable magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the movable body so that an N pole portion and an S pole portion are aligned in the vertical direction and that generates a magnetic flux along the vertical direction;
a coil including conductive wires extending in a front-rear direction and arranged in parallel in a left-right direction, the coil being fixed to the fixed body so as to intersect with the magnetic flux generated by the movable magnetic flux generating member;
a fixed-side magnetic flux generating member that is fixed to the fixed body so that an N-pole portion and an S-pole portion are aligned in the vertical direction and that generates a magnetic flux along the vertical direction,
The N-pole portion of the movable magnetic flux generating member is disposed so as to face the N-pole portion of the fixed magnetic flux generating member in the left-right direction, and
the S pole portion of the movable magnetic flux generating member is disposed so as to face the S pole portion of the fixed magnetic flux generating member in the left-right direction,
The coils are arranged in a row in the left-right direction,
The movable magnetic flux generating member includes a plurality of movable magnets aligned in the left-right direction,
The plurality of movable side magnets include a left movable side magnet, a central movable side magnet, and a right movable side magnet,
the fixed-side magnetic flux generating member includes a left fixed-side magnet that faces in the left-right direction the left movable-side magnet that is arranged at the left end of the plurality of movable-side magnets, and a right fixed-side magnet that faces in the left-right direction the right movable-side magnet that is arranged at the right end of the plurality of movable-side magnets,
the N-pole portion of the left movable magnet is disposed to face the N-pole portion of the left fixed magnet in the left-right direction,
the south pole portion of the left movable magnet is disposed opposite to the south pole portion of the left fixed magnet in the left-right direction,
The N-pole portion of the right movable magnet is disposed so as to face the N-pole portion of the right fixed magnet in the left-right direction, and
the S pole portion of the right movable magnet is disposed to face the S pole portion of the right fixed magnet in the left-right direction,
Each of the plurality of movable-side magnets is a permanent magnet magnetized with two poles in the up-down direction,
In the left-right direction, the width of the left movable magnet and the width of the right movable magnet are approximately half the width of the central movable magnet .
A vibration generating device characterized by: In the left-right direction, the width of the left movable magnet and the width of the right movable magnet are approximately the same as the width of the bundled wire portion of the coil.
The vibration generating device according to claim 1 . The height of the fixed magnetic flux generating member in the vertical direction is the same as the height of the movable magnetic flux generating member in the vertical direction, and/or
The length of the fixed magnetic flux generating member in the front-rear direction is the same as the length of the movable magnetic flux generating member in the front-rear direction, and/or
the width of the fixed magnetic flux generating member in the left-right direction is smaller than the width of the movable magnetic flux generating member in the left-right direction;
The vibration generating device according to claim 1 or 2 . The coil includes an upper coil disposed above the movable body and a lower coil disposed below the movable body.
4. The vibration generating device according to claim 1 . a magnetic member fixed to the fixed body and disposed outside the coil;
the magnetic member is disposed so as to generate an attractive force that attracts the movable body, which is located at a position shifted from the center of the movable range of the movable body, to the center of the movable range.
5. The vibration generating device according to claim 1 .

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