IP Library Granted Patent US 7,271,516
Granted Patent B2
US 7,271,516 · App. 11/412,999 · Granted Sep 18, 2007

Stepping motor for generating vibration

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,271,516
App. No.
11/412,999
Granted
Sep 18, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

A stepping motor for generating vibration is provided and includes a stator and a rotor. The rotor includes a shaft, a ring magnet and a rotor frame, and the rotor frame is formed into a substantial cup-shape including a disk portion having an opening at the center and also including a cylindrical portion continuously arranged at the periphery of the disk portion, and a weight portion is arranged in a portion of the rotor frame so that the gravity center of the rotor frame an be located at a position eccentric with respect to the center of the rotor frame.

Claims (21)

1. A stepping motor for generating vibration, comprising:

a stator, comprising:

an annular stator coil; and

a pair of stator yokes each comprising pole teeth, and the annular stator coil is held between the pair of stator yokes so that the pole teeth of the one of the stator yokes meshes with the pole teeth of the other of the stator yokes in a comb-like arrangement; and

a rotor, comprising:

a shaft;

a magnet; and

a rotor frame, comprising:

a substantial cup-shape comprising a disk portion having an opening at a center thereof, and a cylindrical portion continuously arranged at a periphery of the disk portion; and

a weight portion arranged in a part of the rotor frame so that a gravity center of the rotor frame is located at a position eccentric with respect to a center of the rotor frames,

wherein the stator is disposed in the rotor frame, and

wherein the pole teeth arranged in the comb-like arrangement include a plurality of pairs of pole teeth, with one of the pairs of the plurality of pairs of pole teeth having widths different from each other so that the rotor can always rotate in one direction at the time of starting and at least one of the other pairs of the plurality of pairs of pole teeth having a same width.

2. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is a ring magnet comprising a plurality of pairs of magnetic poles annularly arranged.

3. The stepping motor according to claim 2 , wherein each magnetic pole in at least one pair of the plurality of pairs of magnetic poles has a length in a rotation direction of the rotor, the length being different from a uniform length of each magnetic pole in the other pairs so that the rotor can always rotate in one direction at the time of starting.

4. The stepping motor according to claim 2 , wherein the rotor frame has an auxiliary pole magnet used in a combination with the ring magnet, and the auxiliary pole magnet is arranged so that the rotor can always rotate in one direction at the time of starting.

5. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is disposed inside the rotor frame.

6. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is opposed to the pole teeth, and the magnet is located at an outer side of the pole teeth in a radial direction of the rotor.

7. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet is opposed to the pole teeth, and the magnet is disposed on the shaft and located at an inner side of the pole teeth in a radial direction of the rotor.

8. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , which comprises a cover that covers the stator and the rotor, wherein the magnet comprises a ring magnet and an auxiliary pole magnet, the auxiliary pole magnet is attached to the cover so that the rotor can always rotate in one direction at the time of starting.

9. The stepping motor according to claim 1 , wherein a ratio of a narrow-width pole tooth to a wide-width pole tooth of the pair of pole teeth having widths different from each other is approximately 0.6.

10. The stepping motor according to claim 9 , wherein a gap between the narrow-width pole tooth and the wide-width pole tooth of the pair of pole teeth having widths different from each other is substantially similar to a gap between the narrow-width pole tooth and adjacent pole teeth.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 6, 2008
From: MINEBEA-MATSUSHITA MOTOR CORPORATION
To: MINEBEA MOTOR MANUFACTURING CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 020462/0383 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 28, 2006
From: MATSUBARA, MASAAKI; SATO, KAZUAKI; FURUTA, OSAMU; UMEHARA, MIKIO; TSUZAKI, TOSHIAKI; CHUA, CHEE POH
To: MINEBEA-MATSUSHITA MOTOR CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 017839/0160 →