Systems for increased drying of speaker and sensor components that are exposed to moisture

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10767927-B2
Application number	US-201916252152-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Sep 7, 2018
Publication date	Sep 8, 2020
Grant date	Sep 8, 2020

Abstract

This application relates to a portable electronic device including a processor and an operational component assembly, the operational component assembly including a frame. The frame carries a sensor that is coupled to the frame, where the sensor is capable of (i) receiving an environmental stimulus, and (ii) subsequently, generating an environmental parameter based on the environmental stimulus. The operational components further include a speaker that includes a magnetic driver that is capable of generating a magnetic field in response to receiving the instructions, and a diaphragm that is capable of actuating in response to the magnetic field being generated by the magnetic driver. An opening is disposed at an external surface of the frame such that when an amount of moisture is present within the volume, the magnetic driver receives the instructions from the processor to generate a magnetic field that actuates the diaphragm so as to expel the moisture.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a housing having walls that define a cavity, wherein the housing is capable of carrying operational components within the cavity that include:
a processor capable of providing instructions; and
a moisture removal system in communication with the processor, the moisture removal system including:
a sensor capable of (i) detecting an amount of moisture within the cavity, and (ii) generating a moisture parameter based on the detected amount of moisture,
a magnetic coil element capable of generating a magnetic field in response to receiving the instructions from the processor,
a diaphragm that is capable of actuating in response to the magnetic field being generated by the magnetic coil element, and
an opening disposed at an external surface of the housing, wherein the opening defines a passage such that when moisture is present within the cavity, the magnetic coil element receives the instructions from the processor to generate the magnetic field that causes the diaphragm to actuate so as to remove at least some of the moisture within the cavity via the passage.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil element is based on the detected amount of moisture.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an environmental sensor capable of generating an environmental parameter, wherein an accuracy of the environmental parameter is affected by the amount of moisture within the cavity.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is a barometric pressure sensor, an altimeter or a strain gage.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm is a semi-rigid membrane.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an acoustic mesh barrier that separates the diaphragm from the magnetic coil element.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the opening is aligned with the diaphragm.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm includes an air—permeable membrane that is capable of preventing the moisture from reaching the magnetic coil element.

9. A sensor assembly comprising:
a frame coupled to a housing of a portable electronic device, the housing having an external opening at an external surface, the external opening in communication with an internal opening at an internal surface by way of a through-hole, the internal surface defining, at least in part, an internal cavity, the frame includes walls (i) that define a sensor cavity separate from the internal cavity, and (ii) that carry a moisture impermeable membrane between the sensor cavity and the internal cavity; and
a sensor module within the sensor cavity capable of (i) detecting an amount of moisture in contact with the moisture impermeable membrane, the amount of moisture corresponding to an amount of moisture within the internal volume, and (ii) generating an environmental parameter based on the detected amount of moisture.

10. The sensor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the portable electronic device includes:
a processor in communication with the sensor module that (i) receives the environmental parameter and (ii) generates an instruction in accordance therewith, and
a moisture expelling element in communication with the processor that uses the instruction from the processor to expel moisture from the internal cavity.

11. The sensor assembly of claim 10 , wherein the moisture expelling element is a hydrophobic layer.

12. The sensor assembly of claim 9 , wherein the sensor module is a barometric pressure sensor.

13. The sensor assembly of claim 9 , further comprising:
a mesh lining that covers the external opening.

14. The sensor assembly of claim 10 , wherein the moisture is expelled from the internal cavity by way of the through-hole.

15. The sensor assembly of claim 10 , wherein the moisture expelling element is a speaker assembly having a transducer element driven by a magnetic coil, the transducer element providing an inaudible acoustic energy capable of causing at least some of the amount of moisture into the through-hole at the internal opening and out of the through-hole at the external opening.

16. A portable electronic device, comprising:
a housing having walls that define a cavity, wherein an external surface of at least one of the walls includes an opening that extends into the cavity, and the walls are capable of carrying operational components within the cavity that include:
a processor capable of providing instructions,
a sensor in communication with the processor, wherein the sensor is capable of (i) determining moisture within the cavity, and (ii) providing a corresponding detection signal to the processor, and
a speaker assembly in communication with the processor, the speaker assembly including a magnetic coil capable of generating a variable magnetic field in response to receiving the instructions from the processor that are based on the corresponding detection signal, wherein the variable magnetic field removes at least some of the moisture within the cavity by way of the opening.

17. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a speaker diaphragm coupled to the magnetic coil, wherein the speaker diaphragm separates the cavity into first and second cavities.

18. The portable electronic device of claim 17 , further comprising:
an acoustic mesh barrier that prevents metallic particles within the first cavity from reaching the second cavity.

19. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the magnetic coil generates an amount of heat that is sufficient to evaporate the moisture within the cavity.

20. The portable electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a mesh lining that covers the opening.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Argyres Brian A
• Donarski Matthew A
• Nyland Eric N
• Cater Tyler B
• Leonhardt Oliver

Classifications

• F26B9/003

  Small self-contained devices, e.g. portable · CPC title

• F26B3/28

  by radiation, e.g. from the sun · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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

• F26B5/02

  by using ultrasonic vibrations {(using sonic energy generated by pulse jet combustion F26B23/026)} · CPC title

• G01L9/0041

  Transmitting or indicating the displacement of flexible diaphragms · CPC title