Liquid-resistant modules, acoustic transducers and electronic devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10848864-B2
Application number	US-201816125532-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2018
Priority date	Sep 7, 2018
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A liquid-resistant module can be formed as a laminated construct having a housing, a cap, and a port membrane to inhibit liquid from passing across the membrane. The housing defines an internal duct extending from an inlet port to an outlet region. The cap defines an acoustic port and extends across the outlet region of the housing. The port membrane is attached to the cap and extends across the acoustic passage. The port membrane inhibits passage of liquid water through the membrane at differential pressures across the membrane less than a threshold pressure differential, and yet is gas permeable. The module can provide a liquid-resistant seal with an enclosure of an electronic device, and an enclosed microphone transducer or an enclosed loudspeaker transducer can be attached to the cap such that a port opening to or from the transducer is aligned with the acoustic port.

First claim

We currently claim:

1. A liquid-resistant port module comprising:
a housing defining an acoustic channel and extending from a first end to an opposed second end, wherein each end has a corresponding aperture open to the acoustic channel;
a cap defining a gas-permeable region and spanning the aperture corresponding to the first end of the housing;
a liquid-resistant port membrane positioned between the acoustic channel and the gas-permeable region of the cap, wherein the port membrane is gas permeable and prevents movement of water across the port membrane for hydrostatic pressure gradients below a threshold hydrostatic pressure gradient across the port membrane.

2. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , wherein the port membrane comprises a membrane formed of one or more of PTFE and ePTFE.

3. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , further comprising a protective barrier spanning across the channel at a position between the port membrane and the second end of the housing.

4. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , wherein the housing defines an interior surface facing the channel and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, wherein the exterior surface defines a recess extending around the housing at a position adjacent the second end of the housing.

5. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 4 , further comprising a gasket seated in the recess.

6. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , wherein the housing further defines an abutment positioned adjacent the first end of the channel, the module further comprising an adhesive positioned between the cap and the abutment, wherein the adhesive affixes the cap to the abutment.

7. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , wherein the port module further comprises an adhesive positioned between the liquid-resistant port membrane and the cap, wherein the adhesive affixes the liquid-resistant port membrane to the cap.

8. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 7 , wherein the adhesive defines an aperture positioned between the liquid-resistant port membrane and the gas-permeable region of the cap.

9. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 1 , wherein the housing defines a floor recessed from the first end of the housing, wherein the housing further defines an abutment extending around a periphery of the floor and defining the aperture corresponding to the first end of the housing, wherein the cap is adhesively coupled with the abutment, and wherein the port module further comprises liquid-impermeable gasket member positioned in compression between the port membrane and the floor.

10. The liquid-resistant port module according to claim 9 , wherein the channel extends through the floor and the liquid-impermeable gasket member defines an aperture coupling the channel with a region of the port membrane overlying the gas-permeable region of the cap.

11. A microphone assembly, comprising:
a microphone module defining a first acoustic port and a periphery extending around the first acoustic port, the microphone module having a packaged microphone transducer with an exposed sensitive region, the microphone module further having an electrical substrate comprising a plurality of electrical conductors and defining a first major surface, an opposed second major surface, and an aperture extending through the electrical substrate from the first major surface to the second major surface, wherein the packaged microphone transducer is electrically coupled with the plurality of electrical conductors and the aperture through the electrical substrate opens to the sensitive region of the packaged microphone transducer; and
a liquid-resistant port module comprising a duct extending from a first end to a second end, wherein the port module defines a liquid-resistant port adjacent the first end of the duct and positioned opposite the first acoustic port, wherein the second end of the duct defines a second acoustic port positioned distally of the first end relative to the microphone module, wherein the periphery of the microphone module is adhesively coupled with a corresponding region of the port module.

12. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the port module further comprises a protective mesh spanning across the duct at a position between the first end and the second end of the duct.

13. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the microphone module further comprises a stiffener substrate defining a first major surface, an opposed second major surface, and an aperture extending through the stiffener from the first major surface to the second major surface, wherein the aperture through the stiffener substrate is positioned opposite the aperture through the electrical substrate.

14. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the microphone module and the port module are coupled with each other such that the sensitive region of the microphone transducer is positioned opposite the liquid-resistant port of the port module relative to the electrical substrate and the stiffener substrate.

15. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the microphone module and the port module are coupled with each other such that the liquid-resistant port of the port module and the sensitive region of the microphone transducer are acoustically coupled with each other.

16. The microphone assembly according to claim 11 , wherein the port module comprises:
a plate spanning across the duct and defining a port region;
a liquid-resistant port membrane spanning across the port region and sealably affixed with the plate; and
a housing adhesively coupled with the plate at a region outward of the port membrane, wherein the housing defines the second end of the port module and extends distally from a proximal end positioned adjacent the plate to the second end of the port module.

17. The microphone assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the proximal end of the housing defines a recessed floor surrounded by a peripheral wall extending proximally of the floor, wherein the peripheral wall and the plate are adhesively coupled with each other, and wherein the port membrane is positioned laterally inwardly of the peripheral wall.

18. The microphone assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the port membrane defines a peripheral region positioned laterally outwardly of the port region of the plate, wherein the microphone assembly further comprises gasket compressed between the peripheral region of the port membrane and the recessed floor.

19. An electronic device, comprising:
an electrical substrate having a plurality of electrical conductors;
a packaged microphone transducer electrically coupled with the plurality of electrical conductors, wherein the packaged microphone transducer defines a sensitive transducer region and a microphone port opening to the sensitive transducer region; and
a liquid-resistant port module comprising a housing defining an external port and an acoustic pathway open to the microphone port, wherein the liquid-resistant port module further comprises a liquid-resistant membrane spanning across the acoustic pathway.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 , wherein the port module further comprises:
a plate spanning across the acoustic pathway defined by the housing and defining a perforated region, wherein the liquid-resistant membrane spans across the perforated region of the plate and is sealably affixed to the plate, wherein the p

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Lippert Jesse A
• Vitt Nikolas T
• Yang Shannon X
• Lukens William
• Ness Trevor J

Classifications

• H04R2400/11

  Aspects regarding the frame of loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R1/086 Primary

  Protective screens, e.g. all weather or wind screens · CPC title

• H04R3/00

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

• H04R1/44 Primary

  Special adaptations for subaqueous use, e.g. for hydrophone · CPC title