Taiyo Yuden Co., Ltd.

Shigeo Ishii

Yoshiyuki Watanabe

Hiroshi Hamada

Takashi Tomita

Yutaka Doshida

Norikazu Sashida

Hiroshi Kishi

Yukihiro Matsui

Fumihisa Ito

Hiroyuki Shimizu

Yasuyuki Inomata

Sumiaki Kishimoto

Takayuki Goto

Yukihiro Konishi

Keiichi Kobayashi

Yuichi Namikawa

Humihisa Itoh

Yasukazu Tokuhisa

Tomohiro Harada

Hiroaki Uenishi

Hisayoshi Matsui

Tatsuyuki Ogawa

Mitsuya Tsujikawa

Daisuke Kaino

A multilayer piezoelectric element includes a ceramic body formed by a piezoelectric ceramic, and having first and second end face facing a longitudinal direction, first and second principal faces facing a thickness direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. A pair of external electrodes cover the first and second end faces, extend from the first and second end faces onto the first principal face via ridge parts connecting the end faces with the principal faces, and project in the thickness direction on the first principal face. Multiple internal electrodes are stacked inside the ceramic body and are connected alternately to the pair of external electrodes along the thickness direction. A surface electrode is provided on at least one of the first and second principal faces, and connected to the external electrode different from the one to which the internal electrode adjacent in the thickness direction is connected.

Multilayer piezoelectric element, piezoelectric vibration apparatus, and electronic device

A driving device generates a driving signal and outputs the driving signal to a piezoelectric element, the driving signal having a waveform obtained by using, as a first modulated wave, a first low-frequency wave having a frequency of 1 Hz or more and less than 100 Hz, using, as a second modulated wave, a waveform obtained by modulating an amplitude of a second low-frequency wave having a frequency of 100 Hz or more and 300 Hz or less with the first modulated wave, and modulating a high-frequency wave having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 100 kHz or less with the second modulated wave.

Driving device, tactile sensation providing apparatus, and driving method

Provided is a driving apparatus that sets a signal wave in a low-frequency region having a frequency of 10 Hz or more and 250 Hz or less as a modulating wave and outputs to a piezoelectric actuator a driving signal having a waveform obtained by modulating an amplitude of a sine wave in a high-frequency region having a frequency of 20 kHz or more and 40 kHz or less with the modulating wave.

Driving apparatus, vibration generating apparatus, electronic apparatus, and driving method

Provided is a vibration panel including an inner member, a first outer member, a second outer member, a piezoelectric actuator, an actuator bonding layer, and a filler. The inner member includes first and second main surfaces. The first outer member includes third and fourth main surfaces, the third main surface including a first region and a second region. The second outer member includes fifth and sixth main surfaces, the fifth main surface including a third region and a fourth region. The piezoelectric actuator causes vibration. The actuator bonding layer is disposed between the piezoelectric actuator and the second region and bonds the piezoelectric actuator to the second region. The filler fills a space between the second region and the fourth region and covers the piezoelectric actuator.

Vibration panel and electronic apparatus

An electroacoustic transducer includes a piezoelectric speaker and a housing. The piezoelectric speaker has: a first vibration plate with a periphery; a piezoelectric element placed on at least one face of the first vibration plate; and multiple openings that are provided around the piezoelectric element and penetrate through the first vibration plate in its thickness direction that is a first axis direction. The housing has: a supporting part that directly or indirectly supports the periphery; and a sound introduction port that faces the piezoelectric speaker in the first axis direction. The sound introduction port is provided at a position where it does not overlap, in the first axis direction, a first opening having the largest open area among the multiple openings. The electroacoustic transducer can improve the acoustic characteristics of a piezoelectric speaker.

Electroacoustic transducer

In an embodiments, an electronic devicehas a panelof roughly rectangular shape, a housingthat holds the panel, and a piezoelectric elementinstalled on the rear face side of the panel, wherein the panelis bonded to the housingwith its edges supported on the housing, and it also has at least one sidenot bonded to the housing(non-bonded side). The electronic device is capable of causing an entire panel to vibrate in a stable manner.

Electronic device

An electroacoustic transducer includes a dynamic speaker that generates a first acoustic sound, and a piezoelectric speaker that generates a second acoustic sound. The sum of the sound pressures of the first and second acoustic sounds in a crossover frequency range of the sound pressure of the first acoustic sound and the sound pressure of the second acoustic sound, is adjusted to be equal to or greater than 0.5 times the sound pressure of the first acoustic sound in the crossover frequency range so as to improve the acoustic properties in the crossover frequency range.

An electroacoustic transducer that can improve acoustic characteristics has a housing and a piezoelectric speaker. The piezoelectric speaker has a first vibration plate with a periphery part supported directly or indirectly on the housing, as well as a piezoelectric element placed at least on one side of the first vibration plate, and is constituted in such a way that its rigidity is asymmetric with respect to the center axis of the first vibration plate.

Electroacoustic transducer with dual vibration plate

In an embodiment, an electronic devicehas a panel, a housingthat holds the panel, and a piezoelectric elementinstalled on the rear side of the panel, wherein the piezoelectric elementis installed at a position that allows for the vibration amplitude of the panelto become the highest on the side closer to the center of the panelin the longitudinal direction from the installed position of the piezoelectric element. The electronic device is capable of causing an entire panel to vibrate in a stable manner.

An electroacoustic transducer includes: a polygonal-shaped laminated piezoelectric element including alternately stacked piezoelectric layers and electrode layers, with the piezoelectric layers placed between at least one pair of electrode layers having different polarities; and a circular vibration plate on which the laminated piezoelectric element is placed. Of the piezoelectric layers sandwiched between the at least one pair of electrode layers, the total volume (V) of those effective layers that overlap the at least one pair of electrode layers as viewed from the stacking direction satisfies the condition below:0.2&#x3c0;&#x2264;2.0&#x3c0;wherein &#x3c0; represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, R represents the radius of the vibration plate, and ts represents the thickness of the vibration plate.

A piezoelectric speaker has a piezoelectric element and vibration plate. The piezoelectric element has a base body with a mounting surface, as well as first and second terminals that are formed on the mounting surface with a distance between them. The vibration plate has a conductive body joined to the piezoelectric element and having a principle surface facing the mounting surface, as well as a first hole with or without a bottom which is formed on the principle surface in a region facing the first terminal to form a space between the body and first terminal. The piezoelectric speaker is capable of preventing the external electrodes of the piezoelectric element from shorting to each other.

Piezoelectric speaker and electroacoustic transducer

In an embodiment, a surface of a smartphoneis covered with a transparent protective panelsupported by rimsof a housing, and a display deviceand touch panelare placed in a storage partof the housing. The protective panelis constituted by joining a glass plateA and resin plateB together, and concave partsA,B are provided on the joining surface side of the resin plateB, with piezoelectric vibrating elementsplaced therein and joined to the glass plateA, wherein vibration is transmitted to the surface of the protective panelas surface acoustic waves, demonstrating a haptic function, and also, audible vibration is generated because the modulus of elasticity of the resin plateB is lower than that of the glass plateA, achieving an operation as a speaker (or receiver).

Vibrating device and electronic device using same

A piezoelectric drive element includes piezoelectric layers, electrode layers between the piezoelectric layers, and electrode layers as the surfaces of the laminated layers. The piezoelectric layers are arranged on the upper side and on the lower side with reference to the center in the thickness direction, and are polarized in opposite directions. The thicknesses of piezoelectric layers at the center which have the least displacement are the thickest. The thicknesses of the piezoelectric layers above and under the thickest piezoelectric layers decrease gradually in an outward direction. A piezoelectric sound-generating body is constructed by affixing the piezoelectric driving element to a support plate and supporting the piezoelectric driving element with a frame.

Piezoelectric sound-generating body and electronic device using the same

An electroacoustic transducer has a housing, piezoelectric speaker, dynamic speaker, and support member. The piezoelectric speaker includes a vibration plate having a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, as well as a piezoelectric element joined to at least one of the first surface and second surface, and divides the interior of the housing into a first space facing the first surface and a second space facing the second surface. The dynamic speaker is placed in the first space. The support member is constituted by a part of the housing or by a member different from the housing, has a supporting part facing the first surface or second surface, and supports the periphery of the first surface or second surface with the supporting part.

In an embodiment, an electroacoustic transducer has a piezoelectric speaker, housing, and support member. The piezoelectric speakerhas a vibration platewith a periphery, and a piezoelectric elementjoined to the vibration plate. The housing houses the piezoelectric speaker. The support memberis constituted by a part of the housing or by a separate member, and supports the vibration platein multiple areas along the periphery. The electroacoustic transducer can offer excellent high-frequency characteristics.

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Takasaki, Japan

Shigeo Ishii