Vibration motor

The present disclosure generally relates to vibration motors, and more particularly to a vibration motor used in a portable consumer electronic device.

Consumer products, such as mobile phones and portable multi-media players, generally include vibrators for generating tactile feedback. For example, a mobile phone has a vibrator for generating vibration while a call is called in, and a portable multi-media player has a touch screen having vibrators for getting tactile feedback.

A related vibration motor generally includes a magnet assembly and a stator assembly. The stator assembly includes a coil support opposed to the magnet assembly for carrying a coil. The coil support surrounds the magnet assembly. It is desired to provide a new vibration motor which can provide a novel and improved electrical connection between the coil and the external circuit.

Many aspects of the embodiment can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawing are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a vibration motor in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is an isometric and exploded view of the vibration motor of the exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 a is an isometric view of a first weight of the vibration motor.

FIG. 3 b is a top view of the first weight in FIG. 3 a.

FIG. 4 a is an isometric view of a second weight of the vibration motor.

FIG. 4 b is a front view of the second weight in FIG. 4 a.

FIG. 5 is a top view of an assembly of the second weight, a housing, and elastic members of the vibration motor.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration motor taken along a longitudinal axis thereof, wherein the housing thereof has been removed.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of an assembly of the weight and a coil support of the vibration motor.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the vibration motor taken along a transverse axis thereof, wherein the housing thereof has been removed.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an FPC mounted on a substrate of the vibration motor.

The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings and an exemplary embodiment thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2 , a vibration motor 10 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a housing 11 and a substrate 12 forming an enclosure of the motor. The housing 11 provides protection to other components of the motor, and the substrate 12 provides a mounting surface mountable to an external device. Both of the housing 11 and the substrate 12 are elongated and have a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis.

Further, the vibration motor 10 includes a first magnet assembly 13 , a second magnet assembly 14 , a plurality of elastic members 15 , a coil assembly 16 , and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 17 . The first magnet assembly 13 and the second magnet assembly 14 form cooperatively a vibration unit suspended by the elastic members 15 in the housing 11 . In fact, the first magnet assembly 13 and the second magnet assembly 14 are assembled together as a whole for generating vibration by virtue of the elastic support provided by the elastic members 15 . The first magnet assembly 13 includes a first weight 131 and a first magnet 132 carried by the first weight 131 . The second magnet assembly 14 includes a second weight 141 and a second magnet 142 carried by the second weight 141 . The coil assembly 16 is used for interacting with the first and second magnet assemblies 13 , 14 for producing Ampere Force to drive the vibration unit to vibrate. The coil assembly 16 includes a coil 161 and a coil support 162 for carrying the coil 161 . The FPC 17 is electrically connected with the coil 161 of the coil assembly 16 for providing electrical signals to the coil 161 .

Referring to FIGS. 3 a -3 b , together with FIG. 2 , the first weight 131 of the first magnet assembly 13 is elongated, corresponding to the shapes of the housing and the substrate. The first weight 131 includes a pair of engagement parts 131 a and a pair of sidewalls 131 c . The engagement parts 131 a respectively connect two ends of the sidewalls 131 c for forming a first through hole 131 b . A width of the engagement part 131 a along the transverse axis is smaller than a distance between the two sidewalls 131 c along the same direction, thus a plurality of avoidances 131 d is accordingly formed.

Referring to FIGS. 4 a -4 b , together with FIG. 2 , the second weight 141 is also elongated. The second weight 141 includes a body 141 a and a second through hole 141 b . The body 141 a forms a first recess 141 d recessed from a lower surface thereof to a first bottom 141 d , and a second recess 141 e recessed from the first bottom 141 d to a second bottom 141 f . The second through hole 141 b is form in the second bottom 141 f . In addition, the second bottom 141 f further forms a pair of slots 141 g for engaging with the elastic members 15 . And, the slot 141 g includes a volume 30 . As an improvement, the second weight 141 further includes a pair of pits 141 h each provided at an edge of the second weight 141 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the housing 11 forms a plurality of sides 11 a for forming a receiving space for accommodating necessary components therein. The second weight 141 is suspended in the receiving space by the elastic members 15 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the elastic member 15 includes a first fixing part 151 fixed on one of the sides 11 a of the housing 11 , a second fixing part 152 received in the slot 141 g and fixed to the second weight 141 , and an elastic arm 153 connecting the first fixing part 151 to the second fixing part 152 . By virtue of the elastic members 15 , the second weight 141 is capable of vibrating in the housing along a deforming direction of the elastic arm 153 . In this embodiment, the second weight 141 is capable of vibrating along the transverse axis X-X. In addition, the volume 30 is recessed toward a direction far away from the second fixing part 152 of the elastic member 15 for forming an extra space for a tool to fix the second fixing part to the second weight 141 .

Referring to FIG. 6 , together with FIGS. 3 a , 3 b , 4 a , and 4 b , while assembled, the engagement parts 131 a of the first weight 131 fixed on the first bottom 141 d of the second weight 141 , the first magnet 132 is received in the first through hole 131 b , and the second magnet 142 is received in the second through hole 141 b , which cooperatively forms the vibration unit.

Referring to FIGS. 7-8 , the coil support 162 includes a lower part 162 a mounted on the substrate 12 , a middle part 162 b extending vertically from the lower part 162 and an upper part 162 c extending from the middle part 162 b . The upper part 162 c is substantially parallel to the lower part 162 a . The upper part 162 c further includes a carrying part 162 d for carrying the coil 161 thereon. The upper part 162 c is spaced apart from the lower part 162 a by the middle part 162 b for forming an accommodation space 162 e . While assembled, the first weight 131 is accommodated in the accommodation space 162 e with the engagement parts 131 out of the accommodation space 162 e . Referring FIG. 8 , together with FIG. 6 , since the first weight 131 is accommodated in the accommodation space 162 e , the first magnet assembly 13 is also received in the accommodation space 162 e with the engagement parts 131 engaged with the first bottom 141 d of the second weight 141 . Thus, when the vibration unit, i.e., the combination of the first magnet assembly and the second magnet assembly vibrates, the vibration unit could vibrate along the transverse direction X-X with the first magnet assembly 13 moving in the accommodation space 162 e . Referring back to FIG. 6 , while assembled, the upper part 162 c and the coil 161 is located in the second recess 141 e , and the coil 161 will interact with the first magnet 132 and the second magnet 142 for producing Ampere Force to drive the vibration unit to vibrate. Another word, the coil 161 is located between the first magnet 132 and the second magnet 142 .

Referring back to FIG. 7 , the avoidance 131 d of the first weight 131 is arranged corresponding to the middle part 162 b of the coil support 162 . While the vibration unit vibrates along the transverse direction X-X, the avoidance 131 d provides an extra space for preventing the first weight 131 interfering with the middle part 162 b.

Referring to FIG. 9 , the FPC 17 is used for electrically connecting the coil 161 to an external circuit. The FPC includes a first contacting part 171 attached to the upper part 162 c of the coil support 162 , a first connecting part 172 connecting with the first contacting part 171 , a second connecting part 173 connecting with the first connecting part 172 , and a second contacting part 174 electrically connecting to the external circuit. The first connecting part 172 is attached to the middle part 162 b of the coil support 162 , the second connecting part 173 is mounted on the substrate 12 and extends away from the first connecting part 172 , and the second contacting part 174 is connected to the first connecting part 172 via the second connecting part 173 . By the configuration of the FPC 17 , the coil 161 is electrically connected to the external circuit. The FPC is indeed a signal transmission medium for transmitting the signals from the external circuit to the coil.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present embodiment have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structures and functions of the embodiment, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.