Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.

Ryo Motohashi

Hiroaki Shimizu

Hidekazu Yabuuchi

Takahiro Nishinaka

Noboru Kobayashi

Takeshi Shiba

Yuya Hasegawa

Katsuhiro Hirata

Masashi Moriguchi

Masao Tanahashi

Ryuji Otani

Yasuo Suzuki

Kensaku Kanada

Tetsuo Kawamoto

Masaaki Sato

Claude Oudet

Hideaki Abe

Daniel Prudham

Yasuo Ibuki

Masanobu Yamasaki

Tomohiro Ota

Fumio Taniguchi

Rokusaburo Kimura

Toyokatsu Okamoto

Tomohiro Kunita

Hidetoshi Amaya

Yoshio Mitsutake

Naohiro Taniguchi

Takio Maekawa

Toshihiro Sakamoto

Katsumi Takegawa

Masato Nagai

In a rolling driving actuator used as a drive source of a power toothbrush, permanent magnets are formed flat plate shape, and constituting a moving object by being attached to grooves formed on an outer peripheral face of a yoke which is press-fitted to and fixed on a shaft. On the other hand, a tubular shaped stator, which is constituted by a coil wound around a bobbin and stationary yokes provided on both side of the bobbin in axial direction of the shaft, is provided to face an outer face of the permanent magnet or an outer face of the yoke of the moving object with a predetermined clearance so that a center axis thereof becomes coaxial with the center axis of the shaft. By supplying an alternating current to the coil, the moving object is driven in rolling driving around the axis of the shaft.

Rolling driving actuator and power toothbrush using the same

An electric razor including an actuator, an outer cutter and an inner cutter. The actuator has a first vibrator and a second vibrator. The outer cutter and the inner cutter are respectively supported at the first vibrator and the second vibrator so that the cutters can slide against each other. The actuator vibrates the first vibrator and the second vibrator so that the vibrators slide in reciprocation toward opposite directions to each other. Even though vibration of the first vibrator is interrupted by external force through the outer cutter, the second vibrator relatively vibrates so as to slide in reciprocation with respect to the first vibrator and therefore it is easy to meet specified shaving performance.

Electric razor

A vibratory linear actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention is comprised of a stator having a through hole therein and a winding wire therearound, a movable member having a through hole therein and a member made of a magnetic material, said movable member being provided inside said through hole of said stator, so as to reciprocate in an axis direction upon an application of electric current to said winding wire, a shaft inserted into said through hole of said movable member so as to be movable reciprocally in relation to said movable member, and a coordinating member that enables said shaft to reciprocate in opposite phase to said movable member.

Vibratory linear actuator and electric toothbrush using the same

In a reciprocal linear driving actuator used as a drive source of a power toothbrush, two permanent magnets are formed substantially disc shape or substantially tubular shape, and fitted to and fixed on a shaft directly or via a spacer with a predetermined distance in axial direction of the shaft, so that a moving object is constituted by the shaft and the permanent magnets. On the other hand, a tubular shaped stator, which is constituted by a coil wound around a bobbin and stationary yokes and so on, is provided to face side faces of the permanent magnets of the moving object via a predetermined clearance so that a center axis thereof becomes coaxial with the center axis of the shaft. By supplying alternating current to the coil, the moving object is driven reciprocally and linearly in the axial direction of the shaft.

Reciprocation type linear driving actuator and power toothbrush using the same

A reciprocal linear driving unit and a rolling driving unit are adjacently provided on a common single shaft in axial direction thereof, so that the reciprocal linear driving in the axial direction and the rolling driving around the axis are performed by the single shaft, simultaneously. Permanent magnets constituting the reciprocal linear driving unit and the rolling driving unit are respectively provided on moving object side instead of stator, in other words, they are provided around the axis of the shaft, thereby respective permanent magnets can be miniaturized and light-weighted. Following to this, miniaturization, light-weighting and cost reduction of an actuator and a power toothbrush using the same can be realized.

Actuator capable of reciprocal linear driving and rolling driving and power toothbrush using the same

The linear actuator for both vibrating and rolling movement according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention is comprised of a shaft supported so as to be movable reciprocally in an axis direction and a rotation direction about the axis, a first linear driver including a cylindrical stator having a winding wire thereon and a movable member arranged inside the stator so as to reciprocate the shaft linearly in the axis direction, a second linear driver including a cylindrical stator having a winding wire thereon and a movable member arranged inside the stator so as to reciprocate the shaft rollingly in the rotation direction, one of the movable members being secured on the shaft and another one of the movable members being movable relative to the shaft, and a coordinating member for enabling the shaft and the one of the movable member to move in opposite phase to the another one of the movable member.

Linear actuator for both vibrating and rolling movement and electric toothbrush using the same

A reciprocatory dry shaver has a shaving head carrying an outer cutter, and an inner cutter. An actuator is mounted in the shaving head for driving the inner cutter. The actuator includes an oscillator which carries a joint for driving connection to the inner cutter. Resilient coupling links are provided to support the oscillator to the shaving head in order to allow the oscillator to reciprocate relative to the shaving head. The resilient coupling link has its upper end coupled to the oscillator and has its lower end which is farther away from the inner cutter than the oscillator and is anchored to the shaving head. Thus, the oscillator is supported as being floated or lifted with respect to the shaving head, thereby being allowed to travel along a path which is somewhat arcuate in coincidence with the arc of the outer cutter.

Reciprocatory dry shaver

An actuator includes a casing, a stationary member having a coil member and mounted in the casing and a movable member having a moving element and supported by the casing. The moving element has a shaft and is supported by the casing so as to be moved in an axial direction of the shaft and in a rotational direction having the axial direction of the shaft as its rotational axis and the moving element is moved in the axial direction and in the rotational direction by causing electric current to flow through the coil member. The stationary member includes a first stationary member for imparting to the movable member a force oriented in the axial direction and a second stationary member for imparting to the movable member a force oriented in the rotational direction, while the coil member includes a first coil member for exciting a first magnetic path passing through the first stationary member and a second coil member for exciting a second magnetic path passing through the second stationary member.

Actuator

A linear oscillating actuator system which is capable of canceling out the stator vibrations for driving a load with a minimum of vibrations. The system includes an oscillator carrying a permanent magnet as well as an output shaft for connection to the load. A stator assembly is incorporated within a housing and is configured to movably support the oscillator and to carry an electromagnet. The electromagnet generates a magnetic field which interacts with the permanent magnet to reciprocate the oscillator relative to the stator assembly in a linear path. A balancer is added to the system for canceling out undesired stator vibrations. The balancer are commonly supported to the stator assembly to be driven thereby in parallel with the oscillator. The balancer is configured to have a mass generally equal to that of the oscillator and to be devoid of any output member. Thus, the oscillator and the balancer are driven in a counter reciprocating manner, thereby keeping the stator assembly free from counter-vibrations and therefore driving the output shaft with a maximum output power.

Linear oscillating actuator system

A dry shaver has a cradle head carrying shaving units as well as a motor for driving the shaving units. The cradle head is supported to a hand grip such that it is allowed to tilt about at least one tilt axis parallel to a thickness direction of the hand grip. At least one portion of the motor projects upwardly of the tilt axis, whereby the cradle head is given overall mass center which is located upwardly of the tilt axis with respect to the height axis of the hand grip. Accordingly, the motor of heavy nature can be best utilized to locate the overall mass center of the cradle head above the tilt axis for generating a torque acting to tilt the cradle head from a neutral position about the tilt axis when the hand grip is held upright.

Dry shaver with a cradle shaving head

A reciprocating electric shaver () is provided. This reciprocating electric shaver () includes a main body block () and a head block (), the head block () having four rotary connecting portions () at the front and the rear positions on the upper left and the upper right ends, the main body block () having four head support members (), each of which can move up and down independently, and head floating springs () biasing upward each of the head support members () for floating, each of the head support members () of the main body block () being connected at the upper ends with each of the four rotary connecting portions () in a manner such that the head block () can rotate back and forth about the transverse direction of the shaver, thus allowing the head block () to rock back and forth relative to the main body block (). As a result, even when the head block () is pressed against a skin with a small force, the head block () can excellently rock back and forth to conform to the contour of the skin.

Reciprocation type electric shaver

In an oscillation type linear actuator for reciprocally moving a plurality of moving members held in parallel with each other in a predetermined direction owing to electromagnetic action between a stator and them, two moving members reciprocally moving in opposite phases with each other are coupled by a coupling member having spring function, and a non-displacing portion of a plate spring portion of the coupling member which is not displaced substantially is restricted by a stopper. Even when an external force is applied to one of two moving members reciprocally moving in the opposite phases each other, motion of the other moving member is transmitted to the moving member via the coupling member, so that reduction of amplitude of the moving member to which the external force is applied can be restricted, and a balance of amplitudes of two moving members is maintained.

Vibration type linear actuator

An oscillatory linear actuator including a plurality of movable elements configured to move in a linear direction, a stationary component configured to drive the plurality of movable elements to move in the linear direction, and a plurality of connecting devices elastically connecting the plurality of movable elements with each other and positioned on at least one end portion of the plurality of movable elements in the linear direction, each of the plurality of connecting devices being extending away from the plurality of movable elements in opposite directions.

Oscillatory linear actuator

An improved linear oscillating actuator is capable of minimizing the undesired vibrations while moving first and second oscillators in parallel paths. The first and second oscillators carry first and second drive elements respectively for driving connection to individual reciprocating loads. The first and second drive elements project upwardly respectively from the first and second oscillators such that the first drive element is disposed immediately upwardly of the second oscillator and the second drive elements is disposed immediately upwardly of the first oscillator. With this reverse arrangement of the first and second drive elements relative to the first and second oscillators, the individual oscillating systems each including the oscillator, the drive element and the corresponding reciprocating load can have its mass center disposed in close proximity to a mass center of the actuator, thereby enabling to reduce undesired vibrations which would otherwise occur around the mass center of the actuator.

Linear oscillating actuator

A linear oscillating motor capable of assuring a consistent and effective feedback control of keeping a constant oscillation amplitude with varying load conditions. The linear oscillating motor comprises an oscillator carrying a permanent magnet, and a stator with an electromagnet. The electromagnet is supplied with an electric power to develop an electromagnetic drive force of moving the oscillator in a linear direction relative to the stator. A spring is provided to apply a restoring force to the oscillator for providing a linear oscillating motion to the oscillator. A photo-sensor monitors the linear motion of the oscillator and outputs a signal to a reverse-point detector which determines right and left reverse points of the oscillator. A controller applies the electric power to the electromagnet at the drive points respectively defined subsequent in time to the reverse points and in a varying amount for keeping a constant oscillation amplitude of the oscillator. The photo-sensor outputs a train of pulses appearing each time the oscillator passes its oscillation center. The reverse-point detector determines the reverse points based upon a time period between the two preceding pulses. Since the photo-sensor can monitor an oscillation cycle of the oscillator without being affected by the magnetic field developed by the electromagnet for driving the oscillator, it provides a reliable basis for accurately determining the reverse points and therefore the drive points. Accordingly, the driving force can be applied at an optimum timing to make the feedback control accurately and reliably.

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Hikone, Japan

Ryo Motohashi