Enhancing the power output of moving coil actuators by incorporating soft polymers

A novel design of an actuator coupled with a low-hardness silicone elastomer called “the gel surround” is presented. It means that the output power of a conventional moving coil-type actuator can be greatly enhanced by applying the novel mechanism of the gel surround. This device is termed a “gel-type transducer”. The transducer delivers a wide frequency range from 40 Hz to 10,000 Hz and is integrated into any solid surface with both optimized impedance matching and minimized wave collisions. This effect was demonstrated by the laser scanning measurement, DMA (dynamic mechanical analyzer) and acoustic test. Furthermore COMSOL multiphysics simulation software was used to calculate the force factor, BL, electrical force, Fe and the sound pressure level (SPL) of the transducer as well as vibrating modes of a panel that the transducer is attached. The results were verified by experiment. It was demonstrated that the gel-type transducer can be used as a micro-subwoofer speaker. Future work will involve developing an active vibration cancellation and energy harvesting system by applying the operating principle of the gel-type transducer.