Vibrating device provided with mechanical shock protection means for a portable object

Abstract

The vibrating device (1) is mounted in a portable object, such as a wristwatch, to act in particular as a silent alarm. The device includes a moving mass (3a, 3b, 6, 15) formed in part by a magnetic structure connected to a fixed structure (5) via a spring element (4), and a coil (2) connected to the fixed structure without any mechanical contact with the moving mass. The coil is electro-magnetically coupled to the moving mass to enable it to oscillate in at least one direction of oscillation (X) when it is being powered by alternating electrical signals at a determined frequency. A fixed part of the vibrating device includes a part (4d) forming part of the spring element, which is mounted on the fixed structure. This part includes a longitudinal aperture (14) in the direction of oscillation combined with a surface of the fixed structure to define guide means in which a projecting element (16) of the moving mass is placed. This longitudinal aperture is dimensioned so as to allow the moving mass to oscillate freely in a normal operating mode of the vibrating device (1) at least up to a determined maximum amplitude value. However, the aperture limits the movement amplitude of the moving mass in a determined manner in all directions, to protect the vibrating device from mechanical shocks.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.