Acoustic device with passive radiators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10110990-B2
Application number	US-201715463535-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 20, 2017
Priority date	Mar 20, 2017
Publication date	Oct 23, 2018
Grant date	Oct 23, 2018

Abstract

An acoustic device includes an enclosure defining an internal cavity. A first passive radiator arrangement including a first passive radiator diaphragm is arranged along a first side of the internal cavity and a second passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a second, opposite side. The first passive radiator arrangement is mounted such that the first passive radiator diaphragm and the second passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure, and the first and second passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together such that there is substantially no relative movement therebetween. A second passive radiator arrangement includes a third passive radiator diaphragm. The second passive radiator arrangement is mounted such that the third passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure. An active electro-acoustic transducer arranged to radiate acoustic energy into the internal cavity and thereby excite vibration of the first, second, and third passive radiator diaphragms.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An acoustic device, comprising:
an enclosure defining an internal cavity;
a first passive radiator arrangement comprising a first passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a first side of the internal cavity and a second passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a second side of the internal cavity opposite the first side, wherein the first passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the first passive radiator diaphragm and the second passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure;
a second passive radiator arrangement comprising a third passive radiator diaphragm, wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the third passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure; and
an active electro-acoustic transducer arranged to radiate acoustic energy into the internal cavity and thereby excite vibration of the first, second, and third passive radiator diaphragms,
wherein the first and second passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together such that there is substantially no relative movement therebetween as the first and passive radiator diaphragm are excited into motion relative to the enclosure via operation of the active electro-acoustic transducer.

2. The acoustic device of claim 1 , wherein the first passive radiator arrangement has an effective radiating area, and the second passive radiator arrangement has substantially the same effective radiating area as the first passive radiator arrangement.

3. The acoustic device of claim 2 , wherein the first passive radiator arrangement has a first effective mass and the second passive radiator arrangement has a second effective mass that is different from the first effective mass.

4. The acoustic device of claim 3 , wherein the acoustic transducer is mounted to the second passive radiator diaphragm such that the mass of the active electro-acoustic transducer contributes to the first effective mass.

5. The acoustic device of claim 3 , wherein the first effective mass is at least two times greater than the second effective mass.

6. The acoustic device of claim 3 , wherein the first passive radiator arrangement has a first effective stiffness, and the second passive radiator arrangement has a second effective stiffness, and wherein the ratio of the first effective stiffness to the first effective mass is equal to the ratio of the second effective stiffness to the second effective mass.

7. The acoustic device of claim 1 , wherein the active electro-acoustic transducer is mounted to second passive radiator diaphragm such that the active electro-acoustic transducer moves when the second passive radiator diaphragm vibrates.

8. The acoustic device of claim 7 , wherein the first and second passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together via the active electro-acoustic transducer.

9. The acoustic device of claim 1 , wherein the second passive radiator arrangement further comprises a fourth passive radiator diaphragm, and wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the fourth passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure.

10. The acoustic device of claim 9 , wherein the third and fourth passive radiator diaphragms are configured to support a portable audio source such that vibrations of the third and fourth passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together via portable audio source.

11. The acoustic device of claim 10 , wherein the mass of the portable audio source contributes to the effective mass of the second passive radiator arrangement.

12. An acoustic device, comprising:
an enclosure defining an internal cavity;
a first passive radiator arrangement comprising a first passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a first side of the internal cavity and a second passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a second side of the internal cavity opposite the first side, wherein the first passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the first passive radiator diaphragm and the second passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure, and wherein the first and second passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together such that there is substantially no relative movement therebetween;
a second passive radiator arrangement comprising a third passive radiator diaphragm, wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the third passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure; and
an active electro-acoustic transducer arranged to radiate acoustic energy into the internal cavity and thereby excite vibration of the first, second, and third passive radiator diaphragms,
wherein the second passive radiator arrangement further comprises a fourth passive radiator diaphragm, and wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the fourth passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure, and
wherein the third and fourth passive radiator diaphragms include features for locking engagement with mating features on the portable audio source.

13. The acoustic device of claim 9 , wherein the third and fourth passive radiators arranged on opposite sides of the enclosure, each being arranged such that their respective motion axes are at a non-zero and non-right angle relative to a motion axis of the first and second passive radiator diaphragms.

14. An acoustic device, comprising:
an enclosure defining an internal cavity;
a first passive radiator arrangement comprising a first passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a first side of the internal cavity and a second passive radiator diaphragm arranged along a second side of the internal cavity opposite the first side, wherein the first passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the first passive radiator diaphragm and the second passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure, and wherein the first and second passive radiator diaphragms are coupled together such that there is substantially no relative movement therebetween;
a second passive radiator arrangement comprising a third passive radiator diaphragm, wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the third passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure; and
an active electro-acoustic transducer arranged to radiate acoustic energy into the internal cavity and thereby excite vibration of the first, second, and third passive radiator diaphragms,
wherein the second passive radiator arrangement further comprises a fourth passive radiator diaphragm, and wherein the second passive radiator arrangement is mounted to the enclosure such that the fourth passive radiator diaphragm can vibrate relative to the enclosure,
wherein the third and fourth passive radiators arranged on opposite sides of the enclosure, each being arranged such that their respective motion axes are at a non-zero and non-right angle relative to a motion axis of the first and second passive radiator diaphragms, and
wherein the second passive radiator arrangement has an effective radiating area (A eff2 ), which satisfies to the following equation:
A eff2 =( A 3+ A 4)cos(θ),

where,
A3 is the radiating area of the third passive radiator diaphragm; and
A4 is the radiating area of the fourth passive radiator diaphragm.

15. The acoustic device of claim 1 , further comprising a housing which defines the enclosure, wherein the housing is configured to support a portable audio source.

16. The acoustic

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Litovsky Roman N
• Tiene Michael

Classifications

• H04R1/02

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

  Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's · CPC title

• H04R1/2834 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/24

  Structural combinations of separate transducers or of two parts of the same transducer and responsive respectively to two or more frequency ranges · CPC title

• H04R9/06

  Loudspeakers · CPC title