Plane-type speaker and AV apparatus

• US 9,363,607 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2015
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• 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:
  US14/600,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20150131823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 504 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 main surface upon which the piezoelectric film is mounted; and

an oscillation plate having a surface which is warped in a state where the oscillation plate is not secured to the exciter film, and, when the oscillation plate is secured to the exciter film, the surface of the oscillation plate has a flattened shape with respect to the main surface of the exciter film and a constant stress is applied to the oscillation plate 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 oscillation plate comprises a main fiat plate and an auxiliary plate mounted to the main flat plate, the auxiliary plate having a smaller width and a higher rigidity than that of the main flat plate, and

the auxiliary plate having a warped shape in the state where the oscillation plate is not secured to the exciter film.

3. The plane-type speaker according to claim 2, wherein

the piezoelectric resin film comprises a plurality of individual piezoelectric resin films which are divided into a first set of individual piezoelectric resin films in an area which is overlaid on the auxiliary plate, and a second set of individual piezoelectric resin films in an area which is not overlaid on the auxiliary plate, and

a first resin of the first set of individual piezoelectric resin films is different from a second resin of the second set of individual piezoelectric films.

4. The plane-type speaker according to claim 3, wherein

the exciter film, the oscillation plate and the electrodes are made of a material with optical transparency, and

the first resin is a polylactic acid, and the second resin is a PolyVinylidene DiFluoride.

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

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

7. The plane-type speaker according to claim 1, wherein

the exciter film, the oscillation plate and the electrodes arc made of a material with optical transparency, and

the piezoelectric resin film is a polylactic acid.

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

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

10. An AV apparatus comprising:

the plane-type speaker according to claim 1; and

an image reproduction apparatus on the oscillation plate.

11. An AV apparatus comprising:

the plane-type speaker according to claim 1, and

wherein the oscillation plate forms an image reproduction apparatus.

12. An AV apparatus comprising:

the plane-type speaker according to claim 1, and

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