VIBRATION CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD

• US 20110260657A1
• Filed: 04/21/2011
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHEON, Ka-won, KUK, Sung-bin, YOON, Yeo-jun, CHOI, Young-joon, EUN, Dong-jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,928,258 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/114
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/162 Making use of masses with adjustable amount of eccentricity
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 31/00 Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors not provided for in groups H02P1/00 - H02P5/00, H02P7/00 or H02P21/00 - H02P29/00

Abstract

A vibration control device and method, wherein the vibration control device includes a first driving unit for vibrating the vibration control device up and down, a second driving unit for moving the vibration control device left or right, and a control unit for controlling the first driving unit and the second driving unit, upon an occurrence of an event. The controller controls the second driving unit to move the vibration control device at a time when the first driving unit vibrates the vibration control device off of a surface.

Claims

1. A vibration control device comprising:

a first driving unit for vibrating the vibration control device up and down;

a second driving unit for moving the vibration control device left or right; and

a control unit for controlling the first driving unit and the second driving unit, upon an occurrence of an event,

wherein the controller controls the second driving unit to move the vibration control device at a time when the first driving unit vibrates the vibration control device off of a surface.

4. The vibration control device of claim 1, wherein the first driving unit generates a force that moves the vibration control device according to torque.

5. The vibration control device of claim 4, wherein the first driving unit comprises a rotation axis, and the first driving unit and the second driving unit are positioned such that the rotation axis lies in parallel with a vibration direction of the second driving unit.

6. The vibration control device of claim 1, wherein the second driving unit comprises a linear vibrator.

7. The vibration control device of claim 1, wherein the control unit controls at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit using an accelerometer.

8. The vibration control device of claim 7, wherein the control unit uses the accelerometer to determine that the first driving unit vibrates the vibration control device off of the surface.

9. The vibration control device of claim 1, wherein the event comprises at least one of

a signal generated in the vibration control device;

a signal received from outside of the vibration control device; and

a signal generated by a user input.

10. The vibration control device of claim 9, wherein the control unit outputs a control signal corresponding to the event to at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit using a parameter input from a user or a predetermined value.

2. The vibration control device of claim 2, wherein the first driving unit moves the vibration control device in a same plane as the second driving unit, in a first direction perpendicular to the left and the right, or in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

3. The vibration control device of claim 2, wherein the control signal determines a driving direction of at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit.

11. A vibration control device comprising:

a first vibrator for vibrating the vibration control device in a first direction;

a second vibrator for vibrating the vibration control device in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

a control unit for controlling at least one of the first vibrator and the second vibrator according to an event,

wherein the controller controls the second vibrator to vibrate the vibration control device at a time when the first vibrator vibrates the vibration control device off of a surface.

12. The vibration control device of claim 11, wherein the first vibrator generates vibration according to a rotary motion.

13. The vibration control device of claim 11, wherein the second vibrator generates vibration according to a linear motion.

14. The vibration control device of claim 11, wherein the control unit controls the second vibrator using at least one of a first signal output from the first vibrator and a second signal output from an accelerometer.

15. The vibration control device of claim 11, wherein the control unit determines that the first vibrator vibrates the vibration control device off of the surface using the signal output from the accelerometer.

16. The vibration control device of claim 11, further comprising:

a sound source storage unit for storing a sound source,

wherein the control unit controls at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit using the sound source stored in the sound source storage unit.

17. A method for controlling vibration of a vibration control device, comprising:

detecting an event;

identifying a vibration pattern corresponding to the event; and

controlling a first driving unit and a second driving unit to move the vibration control device according to the vibration pattern,

wherein the second driving unit moves the vibration control device at a time when the first driving unit vibrates the vibration control device off of a surface.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein identifying the vibration pattern corresponding to the event comprises reading at least one vibration pattern from a storage unit that stores a plurality of vibration patterns.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining that the time when the first driving unit vibrates the vibration control device off of the surface using an accelerometer that senses acceleration of the vibration control device.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining a driving direction of at least one of the first driving unit and the second driving unit