Electronic device having L-shaped sound channel and method for manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10219058-B2
Application number	US-201816049825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An electronic device with a full-screen display and L-shaped sound channel is disclosed. The device includes a display, a cover, a frame and a sound assembly. The frame includes bottom and side walls, and the sound assembly includes a sound output hole, a sound channel and a sound generating module. The sound output hole is defined between a notch of the cover and the side wall. The sound channel is formed in the frame and includes first and second channels. The first channel is formed by horizontal cutting and the second channel is formed by vertical cutting. The first and second channels are interconnected and communicate with the sound output hole. Sound generated by the sound generating module is transmitted to the sound output hole through the sound channel. A method for manufacturing the electronic device is also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device, comprising:
a display;
a cover, attached to the display and defining a notch;
a frame, comprising:
a bottom wall, comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the bottom wall defines a through hole, and the first surface defines a first recess corresponding to the through hole; and
a side wall, extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall;

a sound assembly, comprising:
a sound output hole, defined and surrounded by the notch and the side wall;
a sound channel, formed in the frame and comprising a first channel and a second channel, wherein the first channel is formed by horizontally cutting from an inner surface of the first recess towards the side wall, the second channel is formed by vertically cutting from an upper surface of the side wall towards the bottom wall, and the second channel communicates with the first channel to form an L-shaped sound channel communicating with the sound output hole;
a sealing member, positioned on the first recess and sealing the first recess; and
a sound generating module, positioned on the second surface and corresponding to the through hole, wherein sound generated by the sound generating module is transmitted to the sound output hole through the through hole and the L-shaped sound channel.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sound output hole is positioned at a gap between a side edge of the display and the side wall of the frame, a width of the gap is less than 1.5 mm, and a width of the sound output hole is less than 1 mm.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein an upper surface of the sealing member is substantially coplanar with the first surface of the bottom wall, and the display is disposed on the first surface and covers the sealing member.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the first channel is substantially parallel to the display.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sound channel further comprises a third channel formed between the sound generating module and the sealing member via the through hole, the third channel communicates with the first channel, and sound generated by the sound generating module is transmitted to the L-shaped sound channel through the third channel.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sound assembly further comprises a dust screen, and the dust screen is assembled to the through hole.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the side wall comprises an inner side wall made of non-metallic material and an outer side wall made of metal material, the inner side wall is combined with the outer side wall by an injection molding process to form the side wall, the bottom wall is integrally connected to the inner side wall by the injection molding process, the second channel is formed in the inner side wall made of the non-metallic material.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first recess is formed on the first surface by the injection molding process using the non-metallic material.

9. A method for manufacturing an electronic device with an L-shaped sound channel, comprising:
providing a frame comprising a bottom wall and a side wall extending from a peripheral edge of the bottom wall, wherein the bottom wall comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and defines a through hole, and the first surface defines a first recess corresponding to the through hole;
horizontally cutting from an inner surface of the first recess towards the side wall to form a first channel;
vertically cutting from an upper surface of the side wall towards the bottom wall to form a second channel, wherein the second channel communicates with the first channel to form the L-shaped sound channel; and
providing a sound generating module and disposing the sound generating module on the second surface to correspond to the through hole, wherein sound generated by the sound generating module is transmitted to the sound output hole through the through hole and the L-shaped sound channel.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:
closely attaching a sealing member to the first recess; and
forming a third channel between the sound generating module and the sealing member via the through hole, wherein the third channel communicates with the first channel.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
disposing a display on the first surface with the display covering the sealing member, wherein the display has a cover attached thereon, and the cover has a notch formed in an edge thereof; and
forming a sound output hole between the notch and the side wall, wherein the sound output hole is positioned above the second channel to communicate with the L-shaped sound channel.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the step of providing the frame further comprising:
seamlessly combining non-metallic material with a metal substrate by an injection molding process to form the frame and the side wall, wherein the second channel is formed in the inner side wall made of the non-metallic material.

Assignees

• Chiun Mai Communication Systems Inc

Inventors

• Hung Ching-Ming
• Miao Yi-Chieh

Classifications

• H04R1/2857

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R1/025 Primary

  Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture · CPC title

• H04R2400/11

  Aspects regarding the frame of loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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