Piezoelectrically driven tuning fork with damping means

• US 4,328,442 A
• Filed: 11/30/1979
• Issued: 05/04/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Toshiharu, Arase, Kazuhide, Tsuda, Naoteru
• Primary Examiner(s): Budd, Mark O.
• Application Number:
  US06/098,898
• Time in Patent Office: 886 Days
• Field of Search: 310/25, 310/370, 310/321, 310/326, 310/345, 310/351-353, 84/409, 84/457, 333/200
• US Class Current: 310/326
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/09 Elastic or damping supports
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/24 Constructional features of resonators of material which is not piezoelectric, electrostrictive, or magnetostrictive
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 9/48 Coupling means therefor

Abstract

In a piezoelectric tuning fork of the type which is used as an electro-mechanical filter and wherein a tuning fork is directly supported by a supporting member extended from a terminal plate, the supporting member is surrounded with a vibration isolation or absorbing member which in turn is bonded or otherwise joined to both the supporting member and the terminal plate, whereby the noise output due to the transmission of external vibrations or impacts may be considerably suppressed.

Claims

1. A piezoelectric tuning fork comprising:

a terminal plate;

a supporting member erected on said terminal plate;

a tuning fork securely joined to said supporting member by welding or the like;

two piezoelectric transducers mounted on said tuning fork;

an input terminal and an output terminal mounted on said terminal plate;

lead wires interconnecting said piezoelectric transducers and said input and output terminals;

a vibration isolation or absorbing member surrounding said supporting member and securely fixed to both said terminal plate and said supporting member, the portion of said supporting member which is surrounded with the vibration isolation member being reduced in width as compared with other portions thereof;

and

horizontal arms extending from said supporting member between the portion thereof which is joined to said tuning fork and said reduced-width portion thereof, said arms being supported on said terminal plate at the free end portions thereof by soft resilient members.

3. A piezoelectric tuning fork according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the free end portions of said horizontal arms are bent in parallel with the axis of said tuning fork.

2. A piezoelectric tuning fork comprising:

a terminal plate;

a supporting member erected on said terminal plate;

a tuning fork securely joined to said supporting member by welding or the like;

two piezoelectric transducers mounted on said tuning fork;

an input terminal and an output terminal mounted on said terminal plate;

lead wires interconnecting said piezoelectric transducers and said input and output terminals;

a vibration isolation or absorbing member surrounding said supporting member and securely fixed to both said terminal plate and said supporting member, the portion of said supporting member which is surrounded with the vibration isolation member being reduced in thickness as compared with other portions thereof; and

horizontal arms extending from said supporting member between the portion thereof which is joined to said tuning fork and said reduced thickness portion thereof, said arms being supported on said terminal plate at the free end portions thereof by soft resilient members.

4. A piezoelectric tuning fork comprising:

a terminal plate;

a supporting member erected on said terminal plate;

a tuning fork securely joined to said supporting member by welding or the like;

two piezoelectric transducers mounted on said tuning fork;

an input terminal and an output terminal mounted on said terminal plate;

lead wires interconnecting said piezoelectric transducers and said input and output terminals;

a vibration isolation or absorbing member surrounding said supporting member and securely fixed to both said terminal plate and said supporting member;

horizontal arms extending from said supporting member adjacent to the portion thereof which is joined to said tuning fork,

the portions of said supporting member below said horizontal arms being embedded into said vibration isolation member.