Ultra-thin linear vibration motor and electronic equipment

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of vibration motors, and discloses an ultra-thin linear vibration motor and electronic equipment, and the linear vibration motor comprises a square housing with an accommodation space, and a vibrator assembly and a stator assembly which are horizontally disposed in the accommodation space side by side at intervals. The elastic pieces are arranged on the left side and the right side of the vibrator assembly and support the vibrator assembly in the accommodating space; the oscillator assembly comprises a mass block with a mounting groove in the center, a flexible circuit board and a support which are fixed to the two sides of the mass block in the thickness direction respectively, and a coil fixed to the support in a matched mode. The stator assembly comprises cuboid first magnetic steel and cuboid second magnetic steel. The first magnetic steels surround the coil at intervals, and the second magnetic steels are arranged at two sides of the coil at intervals; the coil, the first magnetic steel and the second magnetic steel are horizontally arranged in the containing space side by side in the long edge direction of the support, and the distances between the coils, the first magnetic steel and the second magnetic steel are equal. The vibration motor is simple in structure, and the installation height of the vibration motor in light and thin electronic equipment is effectively reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of tactile feedback technology for electronic devices, and particularly to an ultra-thin linear vibration motor and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of electronic technology, portable consumer electronics products have gradually occupied the global consumer market, such as tablets, mobile phones, handheld game consoles, and multimedia entertainment devices. These widely used electronic products generally utilize vibration motors for haptic feedback, such as the vibration feedback in tablets. To meet the increasing demand for thinner designs in these electronic products, the application of linear vibration motors is becoming increasingly common.

[0003] Existing linear vibration motors typically include horizontal linear vibration motors, comprising an oscillator assembly with a mass block housing magnets and a stator assembly with coils and a flexible circuit board. The oscillator assembly and stator assembly are arranged vertically at intervals, with the coils and magnets corresponding vertically. Based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, a magnetic field is generated by energizing the coils, and alternating driving force is generated by alternating the direction of the current in the coils, driving the oscillator assembly with magnets to reciprocate in a cyclical motion. When the alternating frequency is similar to the natural frequency of the motor itself, a resonance effect is produced. However, the vertically spaced structure of the oscillator assembly and stator assembly cannot solve the problem of space utilization in the limited vertical direction of electronic products. At the same time, in order to generate sufficient driving force between the coils and magnets, the magnetic circuit design of existing horizontal linear vibration motors requires a certain thickness, which prevents the height of existing horizontal linear vibration motors from being reduced, thus failing to meet the common trend of thinner and lighter electronic products. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a new horizontal linear vibration motor to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Based on the above problems, this invention proposes an ultra-thin linear vibration motor and electronic device with simple structure and good vibration performance.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides an ultra-thin linear vibration motor, comprising a square housing with a accommodating space, a transducer assembly and a stator assembly horizontally arranged side-by-side and spaced apart within the accommodating space, and elastic members disposed on the left and right sides of the transducer assembly and supporting it within the accommodating space; the transducer assembly includes a mass block with a central mounting groove, a flexible circuit board and a bracket respectively fixed to both sides of the mass block in the thickness direction, and a coil adapted and fixed to the bracket; the stator assembly includes a cuboid first magnet and a second magnet; the first magnet is spaced around the coil, and the second magnet is spaced on both sides of the coil; the coil, the first magnet, and the second magnet are all horizontally arranged side-by-side along the long side of the bracket within the accommodating space and are equally spaced; one end of the elastic member is connected to and fixed to the mass block, and the other end is connected to and fixed to the housing to support the horizontal reciprocating motion of the transducer assembly.

[0006] Preferably, the first magnet is configured to be magnetized in segments, and the upper and lower magnetic poles of the first magnet are opposite along its left and right sides; the magnetic pole on the left side of the first magnet is the same as the magnetic pole of the second magnet on its left side, and the magnetic pole on the right side of the first magnet is the same as the magnetic pole of the second magnet on its right side.

[0007] Preferably, both the mass block and the mounting groove are square in shape, and the mass block has a first groove and a second groove on both sides of its thickness direction to adapt to the flexible circuit board and the bracket, respectively.

[0008] Preferably, the bracket is a thin rectangular frame with a rectangular clearance through hole in the center. The clearance through hole forms the long side and short side of opposite sides of the bracket. The short side is fixed to the mass block, and the long side is located in the mounting groove and is adapted and fixed to the coil.

[0009] Preferably, the housing includes an upper cover plate and a lower cover plate that are clamped and fixed on the upper and lower sides of the stator assembly, and a middle frame connected to the oscillator assembly, wherein the upper cover plate, the lower cover plate, and the middle frame enclose the accommodating space.

[0010] Preferably, both the first magnet and the second magnet are clamped and fixed by the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate.

[0011] Preferably, both the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are provided with through-hole grooves at the center line positions of the coil along the long side.

[0012] Preferably, one end of the elastic element is connected to and fixed to the mass block, and the other end is connected to and fixed to the middle frame.

[0013] Preferably, there are two first magnets arranged horizontally at intervals, with the upper and lower magnetic poles of the first magnets on the left and right sides being opposite; the first magnet on the left side has the same magnetic pole as the second magnet, and the first magnet on the right side has the same magnetic pole as the second magnet.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device comprising an ultra-thin linear vibration motor as described in any of the preceding claims.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the ultra-thin linear vibration motor provided by the present invention has an oscillator assembly with coils and a stator assembly containing magnets arranged on the same horizontal plane. The coils and magnets are arranged horizontally with the same spacing. When the coils are energized, they interact with the magnets to generate a horizontal driving force. The vibration motor of the present invention has a simple and compact structure and is easy to assemble. It reduces the height of the linear vibration motor, making it better suited for use in thinner and lighter electronic devices. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is an assembly perspective view of the first embodiment.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a bottom view of the first embodiment with the lower cover removed.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional view of the support structure according to the first embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view along the X direction of the first embodiment.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the magnetic field lines of the outer casing, coil, and magnet in the first embodiment.

[0021] Figure 6 This is an exploded view of the structure of the second embodiment.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the middle frame, elastic element and oscillator assembly in the second embodiment.

[0023] Figure 8 This is an exploded view of the oscillator assembly in the third embodiment.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional top view of the mass block in the third embodiment.

[0025] in:

[0026] 1-Outer shell; 10-Upper cover plate; 11-Lower cover plate; 12-Middle frame; 100-Through hole groove; 110-Opening;

[0027] 2-Oscillator assembly; 20-Mass block; 200-Mounting slot; 201-First groove; 202-Second groove;

[0028] 21-Bracket; 210-Leaving through hole; 211-Short side; 212-Long side; 22-Coil; 23-Flexible circuit board;

[0029] 3-Stator assembly; 30-First magnet; 31-Second magnet; 4-Elastic element. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0031] The first embodiment of the ultrathin linear vibration motor provided by the first aspect of the present invention has the following structure: Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the device includes a square outer shell 1 with a accommodating space, an oscillator assembly 2 and a stator assembly 3 horizontally arranged side by side and spaced apart within the accommodating space, and elastic members 4 located on the left and right sides of the oscillator assembly 2 and supporting it within the accommodating space. One end of the elastic member 4 is connected to a fixed mass block 20, and the other end is connected to the fixed outer shell 1 to support the horizontal reciprocating motion of the oscillator assembly 2 within the accommodating space. The spacing between the coil 22, the first magnet 30, and the second magnet 31 is used to provide displacement space for the horizontal reciprocating motion of the oscillator assembly 2. The outer shell 1 is made of magnetically conductive material and includes an upper cover plate 10 and a lower cover plate 11 clamped and fixed on the upper and lower sides of the stator assembly 3, and a middle frame 12 elastically connected to the oscillator assembly 2. The upper cover plate 10, the lower cover plate 11, and the middle frame 12 enclose the accommodating space. In the embodiment of the present invention, the X direction is the horizontal short side and vibration direction of the support 21, the Y direction is the horizontal long side direction of the support 21, the Z direction is the vertical height direction of the vibration motor, the side closer to the flexible circuit board 23 is the lower side of the vibration motor, and the opposite side is the upper side of the vibration motor.

[0032] The oscillator assembly 2 includes a mass block 20 with a central mounting groove 200, a flexible circuit board 23 and a bracket 21 fixed to both sides of the mass block 20 in the thickness direction, and a coil 22 adapted and fixed to the bracket 21. The mass block 20 and the mounting groove 200 are both square in shape. The mass block 20 has a first groove 201 and a second groove 202 on both sides in the thickness direction to adapt to the flexible circuit board 23 and the bracket 21, respectively. The bracket 21 is a horizontally arranged thin rectangular frame with a rectangular clearance through hole 210 in the center. The clearance through hole forms the short side 211 and long side 212 of the bracket on opposite sides. The two short sides 211 of the clearance through hole 201 are fixed in the second groove 202 of the mass block 20, and the two long sides 212 of the clearance through hole 210 are located in the mounting groove 200 and are adapted and fixed to the coil 22. The flexible circuit board 23 is fixed in the first groove 201. One end of the elastic member 4 is connected to the fixed mass block 20, and the other end is connected to the fixed middle frame 12. In this embodiment, one V-shaped elastic member 4 is set on each side of the mass block 20.

[0033] The stator assembly 3 includes a cuboid first magnet 30 and a second magnet 31; both the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 are clamped and fixed by the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11; the first magnet 30 is configured to be magnetized in segments, and the upper and lower magnetic poles of the first magnet 30 are opposite along its left and right sides; the magnetic pole on the left side of the first magnet 30 is the same as the magnetic pole of the second magnet 31 on its left side, and the magnetic pole on the right side of the first magnet 30 is the same as the magnetic pole of the second magnet 31 on its right side.

[0034] The assembled vibration motor, such as Figure 4 As shown, the first magnet 30 is spaced around the coil 22, and the second magnet 31 is spaced on both sides of the coil 22. Preferably, the width of the long side 212 is equal to the width of the coil 22 to ensure effective and uniform displacement space, and to prevent the bracket 21 from colliding with the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 during the reciprocating motion of the vibrator assembly 2, which would cause the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 to loosen, reduce the performance of the vibration motor, and generate noise. The first magnet 30 passes through the clearance hole 210 and is tightly fitted and fixed to the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11. The coil 22, the first magnet 30, and the second magnet 31 are all horizontally arranged side by side along the long side of the bracket 21. The space within the enclosure is equal in spacing to ensure uniform distribution of magnetic lines of force. The length directions of the coil 22, the first magnet 30, and the second magnet 31 are perpendicular to the vibration direction. The mounting slot 220 of the mass block 20 not only provides space for accommodating the coil 22, the first magnet 30, and the second magnet 31, but also provides displacement space to prevent the coil 22 from colliding with the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 during the reciprocating motion of the oscillator assembly 2. The distance between the long side of the second magnet 31 and the mass block 20 and the distance between the coil 22 and the long sides of the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 are equal to ensure the balance of the vibration motor and improve vibration performance.

[0035] A schematic diagram of the magnetic field lines of a vibration motor is shown below. Figure 5 As shown, when the current in the coil 22 is vertically downward due to the magnetic field of the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 of the stator assembly 3, the coil 22 will generate a driving force to the left. By alternately changing the direction of the current in the coil 22, the coil 22 is energized to generate a horizontal reciprocating driving force, thereby driving the oscillator assembly 2, which is fixedly set with the coil 22, to perform horizontal reciprocating motion. At the same time, the magnetically conductive outer shell 1 plays a role in magnetic field concentration, preventing magnetic leakage, thereby improving vibration performance.

[0036] The second embodiment of the ultrathin linear vibration motor provided by the first aspect of the present invention has the following structure: Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, based on the first embodiment, to increase the driving force of the vibration motor, the coils 22 inside the vibration motor and the corresponding first magnets 30 and second magnets 31 are arranged in an array. A support 21 is provided, with the number of its long sides 212 and the width of its short sides 211 adapted to the number of coils 22 to ensure that each coil 22 can be effectively fixed. Correspondingly, the second groove 202 of the mass block 20 adapted to the support 21 is one. To accommodate a larger vibration, two V-shaped elastic elements 4 are provided on each side of the mass block 20. Since each elastic element 4 can independently bear a portion of the vibration force, the total vibration force received on one side of the mass block 20 can be distributed to the two elastic elements 4. Therefore, through… The force of the four elastic elements 4 on both sides of the mass block 20 is dispersed and balanced to adapt to different vibration frequencies and amplitudes, reduce the stress on each elastic element 4, avoid the defect of short service life caused by fatigue of the elastic element 4, and improve the vibration performance and reliability of the vibration motor. One end of the elastic element 4 is welded and fixed to the mass block 20. In the limited Z-axis space, in order to avoid the solder protrusion (not shown) caused by the welding process from colliding or rubbing with the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11 during the reciprocating motion of the oscillator assembly 2, the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11 are provided with openings 110 through the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11 corresponding to the welding position to avoid the protrusion, ensure the connection strength between the elastic element 4 and the mass block 20, and ensure vibration performance.

[0037] The third embodiment of the ultrathin linear vibration motor provided by the first aspect of the present invention has the following structure: Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, as an alternative to the second embodiment, the bracket 21 is set separately to save materials and reduce costs, and the number of brackets 21 is the same as the number of coils 22; the second groove 202 of the mass block 20 is set to match the number of brackets 21.

[0038] The fourth embodiment of the ultrathin linear vibration motor provided in the first aspect of the present invention has the following structure: Figure 6 As shown, based on the second embodiment, the upper cover plate 10 and the lower cover plate 11 are respectively provided with through-hole slots 100 at the center line positions of the coil 22 on the long side of the bracket 21 to form a magnetic circuit gap, so as to reduce eddy current loss and prevent magnetic saturation, thereby improving the magnetic field strength and the stability of the vibration motor.

[0039] The fifth embodiment of the ultrathin linear vibration motor provided by the first aspect of the present invention is not shown. As an alternative to the first embodiment, the first magnet 30 is set as two horizontally spaced ones to reduce the processing difficulty and save materials. The upper and lower magnetic poles of the first magnet 30 on the left and right sides are opposite. The first magnet 30 on the left side has the same magnetic pole as the second magnet 31, and the first magnet 30 on the right side has the same magnetic pole as the second magnet 31.

[0040] The second aspect of the present invention provides an electronic device (not shown) including the ultra-thin linear vibration motor provided in the first aspect of the present invention. In particular, under the trend of ultra-thin development of portable tablets or laptops, the ultra-thin linear vibration motor provided by the present invention can increase the array number of coils 22, first magnets 30 and second magnets 31 in the oscillator assembly 2 and stator assembly 3 to achieve a larger vibration amount. By increasing the X and Y dimensions of the vibration motor, the Z dimension of the vibration motor is minimized.

[0041] The assembly steps of the ultra-thin linear vibration motor of the present invention are as follows:

[0042] First, fix brackets 21 and flexible circuit boards 23 on the upper and lower sides of the mass block 20 respectively, and then attach and fix coils 22 on brackets 21 to complete the oscillator assembly 2.

[0043] Then, the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 are fixed parallel to each other on the upper cover plate 10 or the lower cover plate 11, respectively, to complete the fixing of the stator assembly 3 and the upper cover plate 10 or the lower cover plate 11.

[0044] Next, the oscillator assembly 2 and the middle frame 12 are connected and fixed by the elastic member 4, and the upper cover plate 10 or the lower cover plate 11, on which the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 are fixed, are adapted and fixed, so that the first magnet 30 and the second magnet 31 are inserted toward the coil 22 and are in the same plane.

[0045] Finally, fit and fix the lower cover plate 11 or the upper cover plate 10 to complete the vibration motor.

[0046] It should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "horizontal direction," "vertical direction," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0047] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An ultrathin linear vibration motor, characterized in that, The application relates to an ultrathin linear vibration motor, which comprises a square shell with a containing space, a vibrator assembly and a stator assembly horizontally and side by side and spaced in the containing space, and elastic members arranged on the left and right sides of the vibrator assembly and supporting the vibrator assembly in the containing space; the vibrator assembly comprises a mass block with a mounting groove in the center, flexible circuit boards and a support fixed on the two sides of the mass block in the thickness direction, and a coil fixed with the support; the stator assembly comprises first and second magnetic steels in the shape of cuboids; the first magnetic steel is spaced around the coil, and the second magnetic steel is arranged on the two sides of the coil; the coil, the first magnetic steel and the second magnetic steel are horizontally and side by side in the containing space along the long side direction of the support and have equal spacing between each other; one end of the elastic member is connected and fixed to the mass block, and the other end is connected and fixed to the shell to support the horizontal reciprocating movement of the vibrator assembly.

2. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 1, wherein, The first magnetic steel is magnetized in sections, and the magnetic poles on the left and right sides of the first magnetic steel are opposite; the magnetic pole on the left side of the first magnetic steel is the same as that of the second magnetic steel on the left side, and the magnetic pole on the right side of the first magnetic steel is the same as that of the second magnetic steel on the right side.

3. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 2, wherein, The mass block and the mounting groove are both square, and the mass block is provided with first and second recesses on the two sides in the thickness direction, which are matched with the flexible circuit boards and the support respectively.

4. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 3, wherein, The support is a sheet-shaped rectangular frame, the center of the frame is a rectangular clearance through hole, the clearance through hole forms the long side and the short side of the opposite two sides of the support, the short side is fixed on the mass block, and the long side is located in the mounting groove and is matched and fixed with the coil.

5. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 4, wherein, The shell comprises an upper cover plate and a lower cover plate clamped and fixed on the upper and lower sides of the stator assembly and a middle frame connected with the vibrator assembly, and the upper cover plate, the lower cover plate and the middle frame form the containing space.

6. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 5, wherein, The first magnetic steel and the second magnetic steel are clamped and fixed through the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate.

7. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 6, wherein, The upper cover plate and the lower cover plate are provided with through hole grooves corresponding to the center line positions of the coil on the long side.

8. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 7, wherein, One end of the elastic member is connected and fixed to the mass block, and the other end is connected and fixed to the middle frame.

9. The ultrathin linear vibration motor of claim 1, wherein, The first magnetic steel is horizontally and spaced arranged in two, and the magnetic poles on the left and right sides of the first magnetic steel are opposite; the magnetic pole of the first magnetic steel on the left side is the same as that of the second magnetic steel, and the magnetic pole of the first magnetic steel on the right side is the same as that of the second magnetic steel.

10. An electronic device, comprising: The application relates to an ultrathin linear vibration motor, which comprises a square shell with a containing space, a vibrator assembly and a stator assembly horizontally and side by side and spaced in the containing space, and elastic members arranged on the left and right sides of the vibrator assembly and supporting the vibrator assembly in the containing space; the vibrator assembly comprises a mass block with a mounting groove in the center, flexible circuit boards and a support fixed on the two sides of the mass block in the thickness direction, and a coil fixed with the support; the stator assembly comprises first and second magnetic steels in the shape of cuboids; the first magnetic steel is spaced around the coil, and the second magnetic steel is arranged on the two sides of the coil; the coil, the first magnetic steel and the second magnetic steel are horizontally and side by side in the containing space along the long side direction of the support and have equal spacing between each other; one end of the elastic member is connected and fixed to the mass block, and the other end is connected and fixed to the shell to support the horizontal reciprocating movement of the vibrator assembly.

Images