Audio speakers with integrated sealing and assembly features for “caseless” installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11006195-B2
Application number	US-201715605951-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2015
Publication date	May 11, 2021
Grant date	May 11, 2021

Abstract

Small-scale audio speakers of various shapes are installed in parent devices. Inner casings, and the surrounding vibration-damping zone often required between such casings and the surrounding parent-device walls, are omitted from the assembly. During integration with the parent device, each un-encased speaker and its signal lines are sealed into a single-walled enclosure that incorporates a parent-device wall as at least one side. The entire interior of the single-walled enclosure becomes a back volume for the speaker. The single-walled enclosure may incorporate seals at the speaker's audio-output aperture, at the pass-through for the signal lines, and at the interface between the parent-device wall(s) and the added side(s) constituting the single-walled enclosure. Optional adhesive-free sealing options include sliding tabs held by a snap-lock latch.

First claim

We claim:

1. A device, comprising:
a wall;
an audio speaker positioned on a first side of the wall, having a front part defined by a maximum audio output and having at least one non-front part uncovered by the wall;
a speaker aperture through the wall from the first side to a second side, wherein the front of the audio speaker faces the speaker aperture; and
a resilient layer between a frame of the audio speaker and a surface of the first side of the wall,
wherein the frame of the audio speaker comprises cutouts or cog teeth that extend radially outward from the frame in a plane parallel to the wall and are arranged to be pushed toward the wall and rotated or translated in a plane parallel to the wall, to engage with corresponding wall tabs that extend radially inward from the wall towards the speaker aperture in a plane parallel to the wall on the first side of the wall.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer comprises a gasket.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer comprises an O-ring.

4. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer is airtight.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer is between a front-facing surface of the frame and an opposing surface of the first side of the wall.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer is between an outward-facing surface of the frame and an opposing surface of the first side of the wall.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer is between an inward-facing surface of the frame and an opposing surface of the first side of the wall.

8. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer has an aperture coinciding with the speaker aperture.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer extends across the speaker aperture and comprises a plurality of through-holes inside a perimeter of the speaker aperture.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer is integrated into the front part of the speaker.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein a speaker rim and a speaker diaphragm are made of the same material.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the resilient layer, the frame, and a speaker diaphragm are formed as a single piece.

13. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cutouts or cog teeth are engageable by a tool to be simultaneously pushed and rotated.

14. The device of claim 1 , wherein the device further comprises a seal around a signal line of the audio speaker in an opening where the signal line exits the wall.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Worrell Devon
• Rittenhouse David A

Classifications

• H04R31/006 Primary

  Interconnection of transducer parts (of diaphragm and outer suspension by moulding H04R31/003) · CPC title

• H04R7/14

  corrugated, pleated or ribbed · CPC title

• H04R1/2896

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R7/20

  Securing diaphragm or cone resiliently to support by flexible material, springs, cords, or strands · CPC title

• H04R9/063

  using a plurality of acoustic drivers (H04R1/24 and H04R1/403 take precedence) · CPC title