Audio component drainage system for image capture device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11665457-B2
Application number	US-202017073727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 19, 2020
Priority date	Apr 2, 2019
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

A device includes an audio assembly and a housing defining an aperture that interfaces with the audio assembly at an interior surface of the housing. The device includes stanchions coupled to an exterior surface of the housing at a location of the aperture and a cover coupled to the stanchions and free of contact with the housing. The device includes a drainage channel extending between the cover, the exterior surface of the housing, and the stanchions. The drainage channel includes a first portion defining an inlet of the drainage channel, and the first portion has a first width defined by the stanchions. The drainage channel includes a second portion defining an outlet of the drainage channel, and the second portion has a second width defined by the stanchions. The stanchions are tapered in shape so that the first width is wider than the second width.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
an audio assembly;
a housing defining an aperture that interfaces with the audio assembly at an interior surface of the housing;
stanchions coupled to an exterior surface of the housing at a location of the aperture;
a cover coupled to the stanchions and free of contact with the housing; and
a drainage channel extending between the cover, the exterior surface of the housing, and the stanchions, the drainage channel comprising:
a first portion defining an inlet of the drainage channel, the first portion having a first width defined by the stanchions; and
a second portion defining an outlet of the drainage channel, the second portion having a second width defined by the stanchions,
wherein the stanchions are tapered in shape so that the first width is wider than the second width.

2. The device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion includes flanges proximate to the outlet, the flanges configured to direct liquid out of the outlet.

3. The device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion are separated by a third portion, the third portion positioned between the audio assembly and the cover.

4. The device of claim 3 , wherein the second portion is sloped from the third portion to the outlet so that liquid drains from the third portion to the outlet along the second portion.

5. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion form the drainage channel that is continuous and has a height, the height being uniform throughout the drainage channel.

6. The device of claim 3 , wherein the first portion is tapered from the inlet to the third portion, and wherein the second portion is tapered from the third portion to the outlet.

7. The device of claim 3 , wherein the audio assembly comprises:
an audio device housed within the interior surface of the housing at the aperture; and
a waterproof membrane spaced a distance from the audio device and contacting the exterior surface of the housing, the waterproof membrane separating the third portion and the audio device.

8. The device of claim 3 , wherein the cover includes apertures patterned over the audio assembly to improve audio projection and reception and to drain liquid from the third portion.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the cover includes apertures that are detents.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the inlet and the outlet are perpendicular relative to each other.

11. A drainage system, comprising:
a cover depression having an upper level and a lower level defined in a housing of a device, the upper level extending across an aperture defined through the housing and being staggered in depth into the housing relative to the lower level, wherein the device comprises an audio assembly positioned at a location of the aperture; and
a cover extending over the cover depression to define a drainage channel that extends from an inlet, over the audio assembly, across the upper level and the lower level of the cover depression, and to an outlet to drain moisture from the audio assembly,
wherein the inlet interfaces with the upper level, and the outlet interfaces with the lower level.

12. The drainage system of claim 11 , wherein the cover depression includes a connecting level positioned between the upper level and the lower level, the connecting level configured as a slope between the upper level and the lower level.

13. The drainage system of claim 11 , wherein the drainage channel includes a first portion associated with the upper level and a second portion associated with the lower level, the first portion having a width, and the second portion having a width, and wherein the width of the first portion is wider than the width of the second portion.

14. The drainage system of claim 13 , wherein the cover includes apertures that are patterned over the audio assembly and the first portion so that the apertures and the outlet drain liquid in combination from the audio assembly.

15. The drainage system of claim 11 , further comprising:
stanchions coupling the cover to the cover depression, the stanchions having a tapered structure from the inlet to the outlet.

16. An image capture device, comprising:
a housing including an exterior surface defining a depression, an opening within the depression, and a sloped structure along the depression;
an audio assembly disposed adjacent to the opening;
a cover coupled with the housing over the depression;
an inlet positioned between a first edge of the cover and the housing and configured to facilitate a flow of liquid within the depression and over the audio assembly;
an outlet positioned between a second edge of the cover and the housing and configured to facilitate the flow of the liquid across the audio assembly and out of the depression; and
a drainage channel fluidly connecting the inlet and the outlet between the housing and the cover, a shape of the drainage channel tapering from the inlet to the outlet.

17. The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the sloped structure is positioned between the audio assembly and the outlet.

18. The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the cover is coupled to the housing by stanchions, and wherein the stanchions have a tapered structure at sides of the drainage channel so that liquid is directed downstream from the audio assembly.

19. The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the cover includes a sloped surface, and wherein the sloped surface of the cover is parallel with the sloped structure of the exterior surface.

20. The image capture device of claim 16 , wherein the drainage channel has a height measured between the cover and the exterior surface of the housing, and wherein the height of the drainage channel is substantially uniform between the outlet and the inlet.

Assignees

• Gopro Inc

Inventors

• Penrod Eric
• Vitale Nicholas
• Santos Adrian

Classifications

• H04R1/44 Primary

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

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R1/086

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

• H04R1/028 Primary

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R2201/029

  Manufacturing aspects of enclosures transducers · CPC title