Apparatus for reducing fabric dimpling in electronic devices and associated methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11787164-B2
Application number	US-202217682188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 28, 2022
Priority date	Aug 3, 2020
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

The present document describes an apparatus for reducing fabric dimpling in electronic devices and associated methods. The apparatus is used during assembly to prevent fabric, which is stretched over a perforated part (e.g., speaker housing), from dimpling into the holes (e.g., perforations) of the perforated part. The apparatus includes protrusions (e.g., pins), which act as a negative of the holes in the perforated part, to support the fabric as it is stretched over the perforated part. In particular, the protrusions are inserted through the perforations via an interior surface of the perforated part such that the protrusions are “proud” (slightly projecting from a surface) with respect to an exterior surface of the perforated part. The proudness of the protrusions may vary based on a degree of curvature of the perforated part at a location corresponding to a respective protrusion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for forming fabric layers on electronic devices, the method comprising:
assembling a housing component onto an apparatus including a plurality of protrusions, where each protrusion of the plurality of protrusions is configured to extend into an opening of a plurality of openings in an exterior surface of the housing component;
stretching fabric over the exterior surface of the housing component and the plurality of protrusions projecting from the exterior surface of the housing component;
bonding the stretched fabric to the housing component; and
removing the housing component from the apparatus.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the housing component is a perforated housing component.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of protrusions extend past the exterior surface of the housing component a predefined distance between the exterior surface of the housing component and a respective protrusion defined based on a degree of curvature of the exterior surface of the housing component within a region of the exterior surface of the housing component corresponding to the respective protrusion.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the assembling the housing component onto the apparatus causes a first subset of the plurality of protrusions to extend past the exterior surface of the housing component by a first distance and a second subset of the plurality of protrusions to extend past the exterior surface of the housing component by a second distance that is different than the first distance.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of protrusions project from the exterior surface of the housing component by a greater distance at corner regions of the housing component than at a center region of the housing component.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of protrusions are configured to support the fabric when the fabric is stretched over the exterior surface of the housing component.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the fabric is stretched over the exterior surface of the housing component and the plurality of protrusions projecting from the exterior surface of the housing component subsequent to the housing component being assembled onto the apparatus.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the bonding of the stretched fabric to the housing component comprises applying heat to a bonding material positioned between the fabric and the housing component to adhere the fabric to the housing component.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the bonding material is dry when stretching the fabric over the exterior surface of the housing component and the plurality of protrusions projecting from the exterior surface of the housing component.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of protrusions extend longitudinally in a first direction that is substantially parallel to a second direction in which the fabric is assembled to the exterior surface of the housing component.

11. An apparatus for forming fabric layers on electronic devices, the apparatus comprising:
a body having an outer surface, the body configured to support a housing component for assembly of a fabric onto an exterior surface of the housing component; and
a plurality of protrusions longitudinally extending from the outer surface of the body in a first direction that is substantially parallel to a second direction in which the fabric is to be stretched over the housing component, wherein a first subset of the plurality of protrusions are located in a central region of the body that is substantially planar, and wherein a second subset of the plurality of protrusions are located proximate to a periphery of the body that is curved, and one or more protrusions of the second subset of the plurality of protrusions have greater longitudinal lengths than one or more protrusions of the first subset.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the housing component is a perforated housing component.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the fabric traveling on a fabric press is pressed onto the housing component that is supported by the body and wherein the plurality of protrusions is configured to be inserted into a plurality of holes in an interior surface of the housing component and project past the exterior surface of the housing component to support the fabric as the fabric is stretched over the housing component.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein a respective protrusion of the plurality of protrusions has a longitudinal length sufficient to project past the exterior surface of the housing component by a predefined distance that is defined based on a degree of curvature of the exterior surface of the housing component within a region of the exterior surface of the housing component corresponding to the respective protrusion.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the predefined distance of the respective protrusion of the plurality of protrusions is defined to prevent the fabric from sagging into a corresponding hole of the plurality of holes when the fabric is stretched over the exterior surface of the housing component.

16. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the respective protrusion has a first end that is connected to the body and a second end that is opposite the first end and that has a surface having a compound curvature that is offset from the exterior surface of the housing component at the region corresponding to the respective protrusion.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the second end is configured to support the fabric when the fabric is stretched over the exterior surface of the housing component.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first subset of the plurality of protrusions project past the exterior surface of the housing component by a first distance when the housing component and the apparatus are assembled together, wherein the second subset of the plurality of protrusions extend past the exterior surface of the housing component by a second distance when the housing component and the apparatus are assembled together, and wherein the second distance is different than the first distance.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the first distance is correlated to a curvature of the exterior surface of the housing component at a first region corresponding to the first subset of the plurality of protrusions, wherein the second distance is correlated to the curvature of the exterior surface of the housing component at a second region corresponding to the second subset of the plurality of protrusions, and the second distance is greater than the first distance based on the exterior surface of the housing component having a greater degree of curvature at the second region in comparison to another degree of curvature at the first region.

20. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of protrusions project past the exterior surface of the housing component by different predefined distances when the housing component and the apparatus are assembled together, and wherein the different predefined distances include greater distances at corner regions of the housing component in comparison to a center region of the housing component.

21. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the body and the plurality of protrusions are formed using injection molding.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Ancha Phanindraja
• Chen Yu Wei
• Huynh Brian

Classifications

• B32B37/0023 Primary

  around holes, apertures or channels present in at least one layer · CPC title

• B32B37/1207

  Heat-activated adhesive (B32B37/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R31/00

  Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor {(manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182)} · CPC title

• H04R2231/001

  Moulding aspects of diaphragm or surround · CPC title

• H04R1/023 Primary

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title