An actuator for exciting a component of a motor vehicle with vibrations. The actuator has a housing, an electrical coil and a magnet that is movable to a limited extent in the housing.

An operation on a vibration device presenting a force sense based on vibration to a human body is simplified. The vibration device includes: a base mechanism; an actuator configured to perform a physical motion based on a supplied control signal; a slide mechanism configured to perform a periodic reciprocating slide motion in a predetermined direction and an opposite direction to the predetermined direction with respect to the base mechanism based on the physical motion of the actuator and to give a force based on the reciprocating slide motion to a part of a human body with which the slide mechanism comes into direct or indirect contact; and a detection unit located in the predetermined direction with respect to the slide mechanism and configured to detect displacement of a specific portion included in the slide mechanism. The specific portion is movable in the predetermined direction by a width greater than an amplitude at the time of the reciprocating slide motion when a force is given to the slide mechanism from the part of the human body with which the slide mechanism comes into direct or indirect contact. Driving control is performed on the actuator when the detection unit detects the specific portion moved in the predetermined direction by the width greater than the amplitude at the time of the reciprocating slide motion.

Provided is an actuator that lends itself to a reduction in size.

An actuator S1 is provided with an elastic support body 16 including attachment member-side fixing portions 92 fixed to an attachment member 12, a movable element-side fixing portion 94 fixed to a movable element 14, and a deformable portion 80 positioned between the attachment member-side fixing portions 92 and the movable element-side fixing portion 94. Finish ends 80E of the deformable portion 80 (ends on the attachment member-side fixing portion 92 sides of the deformable portion 80) are only positioned in a region on one side in an X direction with respect to the movable element-side fixing portion 94 and a region on another side in the X direction with respect to the movable element-side fixing portion 94 (X direction outside regions).

Embodiments described herein relate to methods and apparatuses for controlling an operation of a vibrational output system and/or an operation of an input sensor system, wherein the controller is for use in a device comprising the vibrational output system and the input sensor system. A controller comprises an input configured to receive an indication of activation or de-activation of an output of the vibrational output system; and an adjustment module configured to adjust the operation of the vibrational output system and/or the operation of the input sensor system based on the indication to reduce an interference expected to be caused by the output of the vibrational output system on the input sensory system.

A method for manufacturing a millimeter scale electromechanical device includes coupling a stainless steel ply to a polymer carrier ply, coating the stainless steel ply in a photo resist material, masking the photoresist material, exposing the photoresist material to cure a portion of the photoresist material, developing the photoresist material to remove uncured photoresist material from the stainless steel ply, chemically etching the stainless steel ply to remove a patterned portion of the stainless steel ply, dissolving the polymer carrier ply to release unwanted chips of the stainless steel ply, and adhering the patterned stainless steel ply to a flexible material ply to form a sub-laminate.

An actuator may include a movable body; a support body; a connecting body arranged where the movable body and the support body face each other to contact both of the movable body and the support body; and a magnetic drive circuit. The magnetic drive circuit may include an air-core coil provided on a first-side member among the movable body and the support body; and a permanent magnet provided on a second-side member among the movable body and the support body to face the coil in a first direction, the magnetic drive circuit being configured to vibrate the movable body with respect to the support body in a second direction crossing the first direction. In the first-side member, the coil may be fixed by an adhesive to a surface of a plate-shaped coil holder on a first side in the first direction while an air-cores is directed in the first direction.

For a resonator system such as a (haptic) LRA, a methodology for resonant frequency (F0) tracking/control with continuous resonator drive, based on estimating back-emf, including estimating resonator resistance based at least in part on the sensed resonator drive signals, with back-emf estimated based at least in part on the sensed resonator drive signals and the estimated resonator resistance. A phase difference is detected between the resonator drive signals, and the estimated back-emf signals, generating control for resonator drive frequency, which can be used to iteratively adjust the resonator drive frequency until phase coherent with the estimated back-emf signals (F0 lock), such as for driving the resonator at or near a resonant frequency. An amplitude control loop can be used to iteratively adjust resonator drive amplitude based on a difference between estimated back-emf and a target back-emf derived from a rated back-emf and the resonator frequency resonant frequency.

A vibration actuator that can prevent reduction of vibration performance and durability of the vibration actuator and that can prevent occurrence of operation failure and noise when the vibration actuator had impact from the outside is provided. The vibration actuator includes a cylindrical casing having a first coil and a second coil, a movable element arranged inside the casing and having a magnet, and a first inner guide and a second inner guide arranged between the first coil and the second coil, and the movable element 4 and having extending portions and which sandwich and hold a part of the first coil and the second coil together with the casing.

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a linear vibration motor including a base with an accommodation space a vibrating unit, an elastic part suspending the vibrating unit, and a coil assembly fixed to the base. The vibrating unit includes a weight block with a through hole, a pole plate accommodated in the through hole, and at least one magnet fixed at the pole plate. The pole plate includes first side walls and second side walls. The at least one magnet is fixed to the first side wall, and a thickness of the second side wall is greater than a thickness of the first side wall. The linear vibration motor partially enlarges the pole plate so as to improve the magnetic field intensity, and then the magnetic flux is increased correspondingly so as to make the vibrating performance of the linear vibration motor better.

An oscillating device includes a vibrating table to which an oscillated object is to be attached, and an oscillating unit that oscillates the vibrating table in a predetermined direction. The vibrating table includes a hollow part in which the oscillated object is accommodated, a bottom plate, a frame part that protrudes perpendicularly from an edge portion of the bottom plate, and an intermediate plate arranged inside the frame part. The intermediate plate has a shape of a lattice protruding perpendicularly from the bottom plate.