Plane-type speaker and AV apparatus

• US 9,332,353 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Ando, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kaufman, Joshua A
• Application Number:
  US14/081,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20140079255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• Field of Search: 381/190, 381/191, 381/423, 381/426, 381/430, 381/431, 381386-388, 381/394, 381/395, 381/173, 181/157, 181/161, 181167-173, 310/311, 310/321, 310/322, 310/328, 310/334
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/005 using a piezoelectric polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2307/025 Diaphragms comprising polymeric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/10 comprising superposed layers in contact
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/18 at the periphery

Abstract

A plane-type speaker where, on one of the main surfaces of an exciter film, there are placed piezoelectric films which are expanded and contracted by sound-releasing driving signals applied thereto. An oscillation plate is secured to the excited film through frame members. The oscillation plate has a flat-plate shape and is secured to the exciter film while having a warped shape such that it is gradually spaced further away from the exciter film, with decreasing distance from the secured ends to a center area, when viewed at a side surface. This realizes a state where the exciter film is pulled outwardly with respect to the secured ends due to bending stresses therein. If sound-releasing driving signals are applied to the piezoelectric films in this state, the exciter film contracts and expands along with the expansion and contraction of the piezoelectric films, thereby causing the oscillation plate to oscillate.

Claims

1. A plane-type speaker comprising:

a piezoelectric resin film having electrodes on opposed surfaces thereof;

an exciter film having a planar main surface upon which the piezoelectric resin film is mounted; and

an oscillation plate spaced from and secured to the exciter film, the oscillation plate being secured to the exciter film in a state of being warped in a direction orthogonal to the planar main surface of the exciter film and under a constant stress in a non-operated state such that a pulling tension is applied to the exciter film when the plane-type speaker is in the non-operated state.

2. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric resin film comprises a plurality of individual piezoelectric resin films, the plurality of individual piezoelectric resin films being divided in a direction parallel to the planar main surface of the exciter film and secured along opposite end sides of the exciter film.

3. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, wherein the piezoelectric resin film is PolyVinylidene DiFluoride.

4. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, wherein the exciter film, the oscillation plate and the electrodes are made of a material with optical transparency, and the piezoelectric resin film is a polylactic acid.

5. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, further comprising a sound-absorption member between the oscillation plate and the exciter film.

6. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, further comprising a touch panel on the oscillation plate.

7. An AV apparatus comprising:

the plane-type speaker according to claim 1; and

an image reproduction apparatus on the oscillation plate.

8. An AV apparatus comprising:

the plane-type speaker according claim 1; and

an image reproduction apparatus between the exciter film and the oscillation plate of the plane-type speaker.