Valve for acoustic port

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10469940-B2
Application number	US-201715499775-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	Sep 23, 2016
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A portable electronic device including an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber. A speaker module is positioned within the interior chamber and includes a speaker and a module wall forming a back volume chamber of the speaker. The back volume chamber includes an acoustic vent port formed through the module wall to acoustically couple the back volume chamber to the interior chamber. The device further including an electromechanical valve for regulating the acoustic coupling of the back volume chamber to the interior chamber. The electromechanical valve is operable to transition between an open configuration in which the acoustic vent port is open to the interior chamber and a closed configuration in which the acoustic vent port is closed off from the interior chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic port to an ambient environment;
a speaker module positioned within the interior chamber, the speaker module having a speaker and a module wall forming a front volume chamber acoustically coupling a sound output side of the speaker to the acoustic port and forming a back volume chamber around a back side of the speaker, wherein the back volume chamber comprises an acoustic vent port formed through the module wall to acoustically couple the back volume chamber to the interior chamber; and
an electromechanical valve for regulating the acoustic coupling of the back volume chamber to the interior chamber, wherein the electromechanical valve is in an open configuration when the speaker is closer to a user's ear, in the open configuration the acoustic vent port is open to the interior chamber, and the electromechanical valve is in a closed configuration when the speaker is farther from a user's ear, in the closed configuration the acoustic vent port is closed off from the interior chamber.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the speaker is in a receiver mode when the speaker is closer to the user's ear and a speaker mode when the speaker is farther from the user's ear, and the electromechanical valve automatically transitions between the open configuration and the closed configuration based on whether the speaker is in the receiver mode or the speaker mode.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the device further comprises a proximity sensor for detecting a proximity of the speaker to a user's ear, and the electromechanical valve automatically transitions between the open configuration and the closed configuration based on the proximity of the speaker to the user's ear.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the device further comprises a pressure sensor for detecting a pressure input on the enclosure, and the electromechanical valve is operable to transition between the open configuration and the closed configuration based on the detecting of the pressure input.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 4 wherein the electromechanical valve is in the open configuration when the pressure input is below a predetermined pressure input threshold value and transitions to the closed configuration when the pressure input is above the predetermined pressure input threshold value.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electromechanical valve is a piezoelectric valve.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the electromechanical valve is an electroactive polymer actuated valve.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein the enclosure is a mobile communications device enclosure or a portable time piece enclosure.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber, and the interior chamber is sealed from a surrounding environment outside of the enclosure wall;
a speaker module positioned within the interior chamber, the speaker module having a speaker and a module wall forming a back volume chamber of the speaker, wherein the back volume chamber comprises an acoustic vent port formed through the module wall to acoustically couple the back volume chamber to the interior chamber; and
a valve for regulating the acoustic coupling of the back volume chamber to the interior chamber depending on whether the speaker is in a receiver mode or a speaker mode, wherein in the receiver mode, the speaker is closer to a user's ear, the valve is in an open configuration and the acoustic vent port is open to the interior chamber, and in the speaker mode, the speaker is farther from a user's ear, the valve is in a closed configuration and the acoustic vent port is closed to the interior chamber.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the valve is electromechanically actuated.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the valve is a piezoelectric valve.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the valve comprises a piezoelectric member coupled to a valve flap by a flexure linkage, and the valve flap is aligned with the acoustic vent port.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 12 wherein application of a voltage to the piezoelectric member drives movement of the valve flap between the open configuration and the closed configuration, wherein in the open configuration.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the valve comprises an electroactive polymer operable to actuate the valve to move between an open configuration and a closed configuration.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the valve is bistable.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein in the receiver mode, the speaker is closer to a user's ear than in the speaker mode.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 9 wherein the device further comprises a proximity sensor to detect whether the speaker is in the receiver mode or the speaker mode based on a proximity of the speaker to a user's ear, and the valve transitions between the open configuration and the closed configuration based on the detection of the receiver mode or the speaker mode by the proximity sensor.

18. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber;
a speaker module positioned within the interior chamber, the speaker module having a speaker and a module wall forming a back volume chamber of the speaker, wherein the back volume chamber comprises an acoustic vent port formed through the module wall to acoustically couple the back volume chamber to the interior chamber;
a valve for regulating the acoustic coupling of the back volume chamber to the interior chamber based on a pressure input to a surface of the enclosure wall, wherein the valve is operable to transition between an open configuration in which the interior chamber is open to the back volume chamber and a closed configuration in which the interior chamber is closed to the back volume chamber; and
a pressure sensor operable to detect a pressure change within the interior chamber that is caused by the pressure input to the enclosure wall, and wherein the valve transitions to the closed configuration when the pressure change is detected and the open configuration when the pressure change is not detected.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 18 wherein the speaker is a micro-speaker.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Taylor Martin D
• Tao Hongdan
• Notarangelo Claudio
• Brown Suzanne C
• Pope Benjamin J
• Porter Scott P
• Tan Tang Y
• Wilk Christopher

Classifications

• H04R1/2826 Primary

  for 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

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H04M1/035

  Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities · CPC title

• H04R29/001

  for loudspeakers (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title