Internal control leak integrated in a driver frame

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11240591-B2
Application number	US-201916583795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2019
Priority date	Sep 26, 2019
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A driver assembly including a driver module having a driver frame and a diaphragm coupled to the driver frame, the driver frame defining a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber; an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; and a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber, wherein a centroid of the first driver vent is aligned with a centroid of the second driver vent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driver assembly comprising:
a driver module having a driver frame and a diaphragm coupled to the driver frame, the driver frame defining a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber;
an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; and
a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber, wherein the first driver vent or the second driver vent comprises an asymmetrical shape and a centroid of the first driver vent is aligned with a centroid of the second driver vent.

2. The driver assembly of claim 1 wherein the internal control leak, the first driver vent and the second driver vent are formed through a same wall of the driver frame that the diaphragm is coupled to.

3. The driver assembly of claim 1 wherein the internal control leak is a first internal control leak, the assembly further comprising a second internal control leak.

4. The driver assembly of claim 3 wherein the first internal control leak and the second internal control leak are radially outward to the first driver vent and the second driver vent.

5. The driver assembly of claim 1 wherein the first driver vent and the second driver vent have a same shape.

6. The driver assembly of claim 1 wherein a shape of the first driver vent and the second driver vent is asymmetrical.

7. The driver assembly of claim 1 wherein the centroid of the first driver vent and the centroid of the second driver vent are aligned with a center of the diaphragm.

8. The driver assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
a single piece of acoustic mesh acoustically coupled to the internal control leak and one of the first driver vent or the second driver vent.

9. The driver assembly of claim 1 further comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port to an ambient environment, wherein the driver module is positioned within the interior chamber and the acoustic outlet port couples the front volume chamber to the ambient environment.

10. An ear bud having a driver assembly comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment;
a driver module positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber;
an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber;
a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm that faces the magnet assembly to the back volume chamber; and
a rear vent formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment.

11. The driver assembly of claim 10 wherein the internal control leak is positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially outward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to.

12. The driver assembly of claim 10 wherein the first driver vent and the second driver vent are positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially inward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to.

13. The driver assembly of claim 10 wherein a centroid of the first driver vent and a centroid of the second driver vent are arranged at diametrically opposed locations around the diaphragm.

14. The driver assembly of claim 10 wherein the first driver vent, the second driver vent and the internal control leak each comprise an elongated shape.

15. The driver assembly of claim 10 further comprising:
a first mesh and a second mesh, the first mesh is coupled to the internal control leak and the first driver vent, and the second mesh is coupled to the second driver vent.

16. The driver assembly of claim 10 wherein the enclosure comprises a top wall and a bottom wall connected by a side wall, the rear vent is formed through the bottom wall and an external control leak coupling the front volume chamber to the ambient environment is formed through the top wall.

17. A driver assembly comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment;
a driver module positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber that couples a first side of the diaphragm to the acoustic outlet port and a back volume chamber;
an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber;
a driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber;
an external control leak formed through the enclosure to couple the front volume chamber to the ambient environment; and
a rear vent formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment.

18. The driver assembly of claim 17 wherein the diaphragm is coupled to a portion of the driver frame positioned between the internal control leak and the driver vent.

19. The drive assembly of claim 17 wherein the driver vent comprises an elongated shape having a first end and a second end, and the first end is wider than the second end.

20. The driver assembly of claim 17 wherein the driver vent is a first driver vent, the assembly further comprising a second driver vent, and wherein a centroid of the first driver vent, a centroid of the second driver vent and a center of the diaphragm are arranged within a same vertical plane that passes through the center of the diaphragm.

21. The driver assembly of claim 17 wherein the internal control leak and the rear vent are coupled such that the rear vent also couples the front volume chamber to the ambient environment.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Grinker Scott C
• Notarangelo Claudio
• Mccaughan Cole A
• Huwe Ethan L
• Twehues Brian R

Classifications

• H04R1/2849

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R3/00

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

• H04R1/2811 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/2826

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R2460/11

  Aspects relating to vents, e.g. shape, orientation, acoustic properties in ear tips of hearing devices to prevent occlusion · CPC title