Vibration module for portable terminal

• US 8,682,396 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2011
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yang, Tae-Heon, Bae, Yu-Dong, Kwon, Dong-Soo, Lee, Young-Min, Lee, Eun-Hwa, Lee, Jeong-Seok, Pyo, Dong-Bum, Cho, Young-Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHAI MINH
• Application Number:
  US13/279,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20120108299A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 455/567, 455/575.1, 455/347, 455/90.3, 381/128, 381/114, 381/126, 381/127, 381/129, 381/396, 310/15, 310/25, 310/30, 310/36, 310/81, 310/21, 310/12.04, 335/252, 335/90, 335/222, 335/229, 335/235, 335/248, 335/296
• US Class Current: 455/567
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/045 using vibrating magnet, armature or coil system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 33/16 with polarised armatures moving in alternate directions by reversal or energisation of a single coil system
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/00 Substation equipment, e.g. for use by subscribers subscriber services or facilities provided at exchanges H04M3/00; prepayment telephone coin boxes H04M17/00; current supply arrangements H04M19/08

Abstract

Disclosed is a vibration module for a portable terminal that includes a housing, a magnetic moving part movable in a first direction within the housing; an elastic member supported between the opposite ends of the magnetic moving part and inner walls of the housing, and a solenoid coil provided in the housing. The vibration module is positioned at one end of the moving section by the magnetic force of the magnetic moving part and an object around the magnetic moving part, allowing the vibration module to provide a user with a feeling similar to a click feeling via the acceleration produced at a stopping instant. In addition, when vibrating, the vibration module generates sufficient vibration power through acceleration at the instant of changing moving direction at the ends of the moving section, to provide an alarm function, such as an incoming call notification.

Claims

1. A vibration module for a portable terminal, the vibration module comprising:

a housing;

a magnetic moving part movable in a first direction within the housing;

an elastic member supported between opposite ends of the magnetic moving part and inner walls of the housing;

a pair of yokes installed on the inner walls of the housing; and

a solenoid coil provided in the housing,

wherein when any signal is not input to the solenoid coil, the magnetic moving part remains in contact with one of the yokes.

2. The vibration module of claim 1,

wherein, in response to a signal input to the solenoid coil, the magnetic moving part vibrates in the first direction between the yokes while being supported by the elastic member.

3. The vibration module of claim 2, wherein, in response to another signal input to the solenoid coil, the magnetic moving part moves from a position in which magnetic moving part contacts one of the yokes to contact the other one of the yokes.

4. The vibration module of claim 1, wherein the magnetic moving part comprises:

a first magnetic part positioned at one end of the magnetic moving part with a south pole thereof arranged adjacent to the solenoid coil and with a north pole thereof arranged away from the solenoid coil; and

a second magnetic part positioned at the other end of the magnetic moving part with a north pole thereof arranged adjacent to the solenoid coil, and with a south pole thereof arranged away from the solenoid coil.

5. The vibration module of claim 4, wherein each of the first and second magnetic parts has a pair of magnetic bodies arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

6. The vibration module of claim 5, wherein the magnetic moving part further comprises a magnetic path member extending between the pair of magnetic bodies of the first magnetic part, and between the pair of magnetic bodies of the second magnetic part.

7. The vibration module of claim 4, wherein the magnetic moving part further comprises a weight member having seating grooves formed on one side thereof, with the first and second magnetic parts positioned in respective seating grooves.

8. The vibration module of claim 7, wherein the weight member is formed from tungsten.

9. The vibration module of claim 1, wherein the solenoid coil has a core part arranged in the first direction and a coil part wound around the core part, and

wherein a pair of solenoid coils are arranged along the first direction.

10. The vibration module of claim 9, wherein the magnetic moving part comprises:

a first magnetic part positioned at one end of the magnetic moving part with a north pole arranged adjacent to a first solenoid coil of the solenoid coils and a south pole arranged away from the first solenoid coil; and

a second magnetic part positioned at an other end of the magnetic moving part with a south pole arranged adjacent to a second solenoid coil and a north pole arranged away from the second solenoid coil.

11. The vibration module of claim 9, further comprising an iron piece arranged between the solenoid coils.

12. The vibration module of claim 9, wherein the first solenoid coil and the second solenoid coil are arranged to generate oppositely acting electromagnetic forces when a same input signal is applied to each of the first solenoid coil and the second solenoid coil.

13. The vibration module of claim 1, further comprising an equilibrium member installed on a first inner wall of the housing along the first direction, wherein an attraction force between the magnetic moving part and the equilibrium member attenuates another attraction force between the magnetic moving part and the solenoid coil.

14. The vibration module of claim 1, wherein the magnetic moving part comprises a weight member surrounding the solenoid coil and a pair of first magnetic bodies provided on the weight member.

15. The vibration module of claim 14, wherein the magnetic moving part further comprises a first magnetizable member provided on the weight member surrounding the solenoid coil and the weight member, and

wherein the first magnetic bodies positioned on the first magnetizable member.

16. The vibration module of claim 14, wherein the solenoid coil comprises a core part arranged along the first direction and a coil part wound around the core part, and

wherein the core part has a second magnetic body and second magnetizable members provided at opposite ends of the second magnetic body, the second magnetic body and the second magnetizable members being arranged along the first direction.

17. The vibration module of claim 14, wherein the magnetic moving part further comprises a first magnetizable member provided on the weight member to wrap the solenoid coil together with the weight member, and

wherein when a signal is not input to the solenoid coil, one side inner wall of the weight member comes into contact with one end of the solenoid coil by the attraction force between the second magnetic body and the first magnetizable member.

18. The vibration module of claim 16, wherein the magnetic moving part further comprises a first magnetizable member provided on the weight member to wrap the solenoid coil together with the weight member, the first magnetizable member having protrusions extending inwardly of inner walls of the weight member to face opposite ends of the solenoid coil,

wherein when a signal is not input to the solenoid coil, one of the protrusions of the first magnetizable member comes into contact with one of the opposite ends of the solenoid coil by an attraction force between the second magnetic body and the first magnetic member.