Patent Application
20190028809
This invention relates to apparatuses for generating vibration. More particularly, the present invention relates to inducing changes in a magnetic field between a surface and a base of an apparatus to generate vibration.
Apparatuses for generating vibration are used in many different places to produce vibration such as sound. Integrating apparatuses for generating vibration into other devices and structures may be practical.
According to an aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising: a surface arranged to be mechanically displaced; a first permanent magnet coupled with the surface; at least one supporting member for supporting the surface; a base; a second permanent magnet coupled with the base; a coil; and a signal port electrically coupled with the coil, wherein an electrical signal is configured to travel between the signal port and the coil, wherein a magnetic field between the first magnet and the second magnet causes a force to the surface, wherein an entity, comprising the surface and the at least one supporting member, comprises at least one elastic element providing a supporting counterforce acting as a counterforce to the force caused by the magnetic field, causing the surface to be in a force equilibrium state, and wherein the electrical signal in the coil is proportional to mechanic displacement of the surface when the force equilibrium state is broken either by the electrical signal in the coil or the mechanic displacement of the surface from a position of the force equilibrium state, wherein the coil is arranged at least partially between the first magnet and the second magnet or around one of the first magnet, the second magnet, and wherein either the same or different polarities of the first and second magnets are arranged to directly face each other at a distance. Some further embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.
In the following the invention will be described in greater detail by means of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which
The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to “an”, “one”, or “some” embodiment(s) in several locations, this does not necessarily mean that each such reference is to the same embodiment(s), or that the feature only applies to a single embodiment. Single features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments. Furthermore, words “comprising” and “including” should be understood as not limiting the described embodiments to consist of only those features that have been mentioned and such embodiments may contain also features/structures that have not been specifically mentioned.
In an embodiment, the electrical signal is be fed from the signal port 130 to the coil 122. Thus it may travel from the signal port 130 to the coil 122.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 of
The loudspeaker 100 may comprise a surface 102 configured to produce sound from vibration of the surface 102 and a first magnet 110 coupled with the surface. The first magnet 110 may be fixed to the surface 102. In an embodiment, the surface 102 comprises the first magnet 110. The loudspeaker 100 may further comprise at least one supporting member 106 for supporting the surface 102. The loudspeaker 100 may also comprise a base 104 comprising a second magnet 120, wherein the second magnet 120 may be arranged, at least partially, to face the first magnet 110, and a coil 122 coupled with the second magnet 120. In an embodiment, the coil 122 is fixed to the second magnet 120.
The loudspeaker 100 may further comprises an audio signal input 130 electrically coupled with the coil 122, wherein the audio signal input 130 may be configured to receive an electrical audio signal and transmit the electrical audio signal into the coil 122, and wherein a magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 causes a force to the surface 102, wherein an entity, comprising the surface 102 and the at least one supporting member 106, comprises at least one elastic element providing a supporting counterforce acting as a counterforce to the force caused by the magnetic field, causing the surface 102 to be in a force equilibrium state, and wherein the electrical audio signal provided into the coil 122 induces changes in the magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120, thus changing the strength of the force, and thus making the surface 102 vibrate according to the electrical audio signal. The elastic element may comprise at least one of the surface 102 and the at least one supporting member 106. The induced changes to the magnetic field, by the coil 122, may break the force equilibrium state and make the surface vibrate according to the electrical audio signal, and thus produce sound from the vibration. In an embodiment, the supporting counterforce is caused by at least one of bending the surface 102 and elasticity of the at least one supporting member 106. In an embodiment, the surface 102 is arched.
In an embodiment, the at least one supporting member 106 is pre-tensioned by the magnetic force between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120. The pre-tensioning may cause the at least one supporting member 106 to produce a supporting counterforce and thus cause the surface 102 to be in a force equilibrium state.
In an embodiment, the magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 causes a magnetic force to the first magnet 110, wherein at least some of the magnetic force is transferred to the surface 102 as a mechanical force. In an embodiment, the magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 causes a magnetic force to the first magnet 110 causing a mechanical force to the surface 102.
In an embodiment, the majority of the supporting counterforce is caused by the at least one supporting member 106.
The first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 described above may be permanent magnets or electromagnets. The magnets 110, 120 may be made of neodymium, iron, nickel, cobalt and their alloys, for example. In an embodiment, the magnets 110, 120 comprise an adjustment mechanism, wherein the adjustment mechanism may be used to change the amount of magnetic flux between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120. The adjustment mechanism may be, for example, a mechanical knob or an electrical device which can be used to change the amount of magnetic flux. The adjustment mechanism may be used to change polarities of the magnets 110, 120. The adjustment mechanism may work, for example, by controlling the amount and/or direction of current through the magnets 110, 120. In an embodiment, the adjustment mechanism may control the alignment and/or position of the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120.
In an embodiment, the surface 102 is made of glass, plastic, metal or wood. The surface 102 may comprise a combination of the said mentioned materials, such as composite. The surface 102 may be a shape of rectangle, square or circle, for example. The surface's 102 shape may also be something else than listed above. In an embodiment, the surface 102 is a part of a display of an electronic apparatus, such as mobile phone, tablet, computer, television or other devices comprising a display. The surface 102 may be, for example, the cover glass or plastic of the display. In an embodiment, the surface 102 is comprised in a panel, a board, a painting, a window, a wall, a floor or a ceiling. The surface 102 may produce sound into or outside a room or a space comprising some of the above mentioned room elements. In an embodiment, the surface 102 is made of non-elastic and/or non-bendable material. This may mean that the surface 102 may not provide any significant part of the supporting counterforce. The surface 102 may be arranged so that there is a gap between the surface 102 and the base 104.
In an embodiment, the surface is at least 1 mm thick. In an embodiment, the surface is at least 10 mm thick. In an embodiment, the surface is at least 10 cm thick.
The equilibrium state of the surface 102 may be achieved with magnets of different capacity. The heavier the surface 102 is, the more magnetic force may be needed. Stronger magnetic force may be achieved by bringing the magnets 110, 120 closer to each other and/or using more powerful magnets 110, 120. The at least one supporting member 106 may be arranged and/or designed so that the supporting counterforce is optimised for the current magnetic force. The force equilibrium state may be thus achieved as the magnetic force and the supporting counterforce may be optimized for different scenarios. The different scenarios may mean, for example, the surface 102 being made of different materials and dimensions.
In an embodiment, the distance between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 is between 0.3 millimetres (mm) and 1.0 mm when the surface 102 is in the force equilibrium state. In an embodiment, the distance between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 is between 1.0 mm and 2.0 mm when the surface 102 is in the force equilibrium state. In an embodiment, the first magnet 110 and/or the second magnet 120 are made of samarium and/or cobalt. In such case, the kJ/m3 value of the first and/or second magnets 110, 120 may be between 143-159 kJ/m3, for example. In an embodiment, the first magnet 110 and/or the second magnet 120 are made of neodymium and/or ferrite. In such case, the kJ/m3 value of the first and/or second magnets 110, 120 may be between 250-400 kJ/m3, for example.
In an embodiment, at least one of the following is made of iron: the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120.
The magnetic flux between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 may not change, as the magnets' magnetic properties are not changed, when the loudspeaker 100 is being used. However, by conducting current, such as electrical audio signal, to the coil 122, the coil 122 may produce a further magnetic component inside the magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120. This extra magnetic component may increase or decrease the magnetic field, and thus the magnetic force, depending on the setup of the magnets 110, 120 and the direction of the current, and cause the displacement of the surface 102 with respect to the base 104, and sound generation. The supporting counterforce may increase as the magnetic force increases. The supporting counterforce may increase in an effort to try restoring the equilibrium state. The supporting counterforce may increase with a delay compared to the magnetic force thus enabling the surface's 102 vibration. The supporting counterforce may decrease as the magnetic force decreases similarly to the increasing of the forces.
In an embodiment, the coil 122 is arranged between the first magnet 110 and second magnet 120. This may improve the effectiveness of the electrical audio signal to the magnetic field between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120, because the magnetic component caused by the coil 122 may be physically closer to the magnetic field between the magnets 110, 120. The coil 122 may be arranged between the magnets 110, 120 so that the primary magnetic component caused by the coil 122 is parallel to the magnetic field between the magnets 110, 120.
In an embodiment, the apparatus 100 comprises a loudspeaker configured to produce sound, wherein the mechanical displacement of the surface 102 comprises sound producing vibration, wherein the electrical signal comprises an electrical audio signal configured to travel from the signal port 130 to the coil 122, and wherein the electrical audio signal provided into the coil 122 induces changes in the magnetic field between the first and the second magnets 110, 120, thus breaking the force equilibrium state and making the surface 102 vibrate according to the electrical audio signal.
Let us now look a bit closer on the arrangement of the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 and the coil 122.
As shown in
Referring again to
The at least one supporting member 106 may be disposed between the surface 102 and the base 104. The disposing may mean fixing first area of the at least one supporting member 106 to the surface 102 and a second area to the base 104. The increasing magnetic force, between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120, may further tension the at least one supporting member 106, thus increasing the supporting counterforce.
The loudspeaker may comprise an adjustment member for adjusting the distance between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120. The adjustment member may comprise a first adjustment screw 410 mechanically coupled with the second magnet 120, wherein by tuning the first adjustment screw 410 the distance of the second magnet 120 to the first magnet 110 can be changed. The adjustment member may further comprise at least one second adjustment screw 420 for adjusting the distance between surface 102 and the base 104. The at least one second adjustment screw 420 may be mechanically coupled with the at least one foamy supporting member 402, wherein by tuning the at least one second adjustment screw 420 the distance between the surface 102 and the base 104 can be changed. In an embodiment, by decreasing the distance between the surface 102 and the base 104, the supporting counterforce increases. In another embodiment, by increasing the distance between the surface 102 and the base 104, the supporting counterforce increases.
The second magnet 120 may comprise a first connection member 412. In an embodiment, the first connection member 412 is fixed to the second magnet 120. The at least one foamy supporting member 402 may comprise at least one second connection member 422. In an embodiment, the at least one second connection member 422 is fixed to the at least one foamy supporting member 402. The first adjustment screw 410 may be fixed to the first connection member 412. The base 104 may contain a hole or an opening for the first adjustment screw 410. Similarly, the base 104 may contain a hole or an opening for the at least one second adjustment screw 420. The at least one second adjustment screw 420 may be fixed to the at least one second connection member 422.
The connection members 412, 422 may comprise a counterpart for the screws 410, 420. The counterparts may be screw holes, for example. The connection members 412, 422 may be metal or plastic plates, for example. In an embodiment, the at least one second connection member 422 compresses or stretches the at least one foamy supporting member 402 as the at least one second adjustment screw 420 is adjusted. In an embodiment, the adjustment member is arranged to change the position of the first magnet 110. The adjustment member may be used to control both the first and second magnets' 110, 120 positions. Although not shown in
In an embodiment, the at least one supporting member 106 is arranged on edge areas of the surface and the distance between the first magnet 110 and a centre of the surface 102 is smaller than the distance between the at least one supporting member 106 and the centre of the surface 102.
In an embodiment, the first magnet 110 is arranged to a centre area of the surface 102.
In an embodiment, there is a gap between the first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120. The gap may be airy. The first magnet 110 and the second magnet 120 may face each other. The first magnet 110 may be fixed to a side of the surface 102 facing the base 104. Similarly, the second magnet 120 may be fixed to a side of the base 104 facing the surface 102.
In an embodiment, the coil 122 is arranged on the side of the second magnet 120.
In an embodiment, the coil 122 is fixed to the first magnet 110.
In an embodiment, the coil 122 is arranged so that there is a gap between the first magnet and the coil 122, and so that there is a gap between the second magnet 120 and the coil 122. The coil may be fixed to the base 104 or the surface 102, for example.
The coil may be electrically coupled to the audio signal input 130. The
In an embodiment, the magnetic field and thus the magnetic force gets weaker as the audio signal 510 is transmitted to the coil 122. The supporting counterforce may then get smaller according to the changes of the magnetic force. This may cause the surface 102 to vibrate according to the audio signal 510.
In an embodiment, the magnetic force and the supporting counterforce are of equal size when there is no electrical audio signal input into the coil 122.
The loudspeaker may comprise fixing member 604 to fix the first magnet 110 to the surface 102. Similar fixing member may be used in other embodiments of the invention as well. The fixing member 604 may provide a wider range for the surface 102 to bend and create supporting counterforce to the magnetic force.
In an embodiment, the primary supporting counterforce is caused by the bending surface 102. The surface 102 may be made of elastic material to enhance the produced supporting counterforce by the bending surface 102.
Even though the invention has been described above with reference to an example according to the accompanying drawings, it is clear that the invention is not restricted thereto but can be modified in several ways within the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly and they are intended to illustrate, not to restrict, the embodiment. It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. Further, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that the described embodiments may, but are not required to, be combined with other embodiments in various ways.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1420483.8 | Nov 2014 | GB | national |
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/526,281, filed May 11, 2017, which is a National Stage application of International Application No. PCT/FI2015/050799, filed Nov. 18, 2015, which claims priority to Great Britain Application No. 1420483.8, filed Nov. 18, 2014, which are incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15526281 | May 2017 | US |
| Child | 16138993 | US |
