Dual function transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11070920-B2
Application number	US-201916586130-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2019
Priority date	Sep 27, 2019
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A dual function transducer assembly comprising: a magnet motor assembly comprising a first magnet plate and a second magnet plate arranged in parallel to one another along a first axis; a sound output assembly coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the sound output assembly comprising a piston and a voice coil, and wherein the voice coil is arranged to cause a vibration of the piston in a direction parallel to the first axis; and a shaker assembly coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the shaker assembly comprising a first shaker coil and a second shaker coil arranged to cause a vibration of the magnet assembly in a direction parallel to a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A dual function transducer assembly comprising:
a magnet motor assembly comprising a first magnet plate and a second magnet plate arranged in parallel to one another along a first axis;
a sound output assembly coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the sound output assembly comprising a piston and a voice coil, and wherein the voice coil is arranged to cause a vibration of the piston in a direction parallel to the first axis; and
a shaker assembly coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the shaker assembly comprising a first shaker coil and a second shaker coil arranged to cause a vibration of the magnet motor assembly in a direction parallel to a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis.

2. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the magnet motor assembly is movably coupled to a transducer frame by a leaf spring.

3. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the voice coil is rotated ninety degrees relative to the first shaker coil and the second shaker coil.

4. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein inward facing surfaces of the first magnet plate and the second magnet plate are attached to a center plate, and a pair of outer plates are attached to outward facing surfaces of the first magnet plate and the second magnet plate.

5. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 4 wherein the center plate and the pair of outer plates form at least three different magnetic gaps for receiving the voice coil, the first shaker coil and the second shaker coil.

6. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 5 wherein the at least three different magnetic gaps comprise regions of high magnetic flux density and, upon application of a current to the voice coil, the first shaker coil and the second shaker coil, the voice coil, the first shaker coil and the second shaker coil all move in directions that are parallel to a same plane.

7. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein, upon application of a current, the sound output assembly and the shaker assembly are independently actuated.

8. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 1 wherein the piston and the voice coil comprise a first piston and first voice coil, and the sound output assembly further comprises a second piston and a second voice coil arranged along another end of the magnet motor assembly and operable to vibrate in a direction parallel to the first axis.

9. A dual function transducer assembly comprising:
a magnet motor assembly;
a first transducer component coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the first transducer component operable to move in a direction parallel to a first axis to produce a first transducer function; and
a second transducer component coupled to the magnet motor assembly, the second transducer component operable to move in a direction parallel to a second axis to produce a second transducer function, the second axis is perpendicular to the first axis, and the first axis and the second axis are within a same plane.

10. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the first transducer function is a sound output.

11. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the first transducer component comprises a voice coil coupled to a piston, and actuation of the voice coil vibrates the piston in the direction parallel to the first axis.

12. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 11 wherein the voice coil is positioned within a voice coil gap formed at a length side of the magnet motor assembly.

13. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the second transducer function is a haptic output.

14. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the second transducer component comprises a shaker coil, and actuation of the shaker coil vibrates the magnet motor assembly in a direction parallel to the second axis.

15. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 14 wherein the shaker coil is positioned within a shaker coil gap formed at a width side of the magnet motor assembly.

16. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 14 wherein the shaker coil is a first shaker coil, and the tranducer further comprises a second shaker coil.

17. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the magnet motor assembly is configured to direct a magnetic field into a first region of high magnetic field density and a second region of high magnetic field density, and wherein the first region of high magnetic field density actuates the first transducer component and the second region of high magnetic field density actuates the second transducer component.

18. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 17 wherein the first region of high magnetic field density is along a length side of the magnet motor assembly and the second region of high magnetic field density is along a width side of the magnet motor assembly.

19. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the first transducer component and the second transducer component are operable to be driven independently upon application of a current.

20. The dual function transducer assembly of claim 9 wherein the first transducer component and the second transducer component are operable to be driven together upon application of a current.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mikolajczyk Rebecca J
• Ilkorur Onur I
• Wilkes Jr David S
• Wilk Christopher
• Newman Michael J

Classifications

• H04R13/00

  Transducers having an acoustic diaphragm of magnetisable material directly co-acting with electromagnet · CPC title

• H04R9/025 Primary

  Magnetic circuit · CPC title

• H04R2440/07

  Loudspeakers using bending wave resonance and pistonic motion to generate sound · CPC title

• H04R9/046

  Construction · CPC title

• H04R2400/07

  Suspension between moving magnetic core and housing · CPC title