Electronic device including acoustic module

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11917347-B2
Application number	US-202217971733-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2022
Priority date	Jul 2, 2019
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device may include: a housing including a cover and at least one first opening; a first acoustic module comprising a speaker disposed in an internal space of the housing; and at least one path configured to guide sound signals generated by the first acoustic module to an outside, the at least one path including: a first space defined by the first acoustic module and at least a portion of the housing; a second space connecting the first space to the first opening and configured to guide a sound signal having a first frequency band toward the first opening; and a third space connecting the first space to a second opening at least partially provided between the housing and the cover and configured to guide a sound signal having a second frequency band lower than the first frequency band toward the second opening.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a lateral member forming at least a part of a lateral side of the electronic device;
a cover at least partially disposed on the lateral member;
an acoustic module disposed in an internal space of the electronic device;
at least one first opening provided through at least a portion of the lateral side in the lateral member;
a second opening provided through a space between the lateral member and the cover;
an electronic component disposed in the internal space adjacent to the second opening; and
an acoustic path configured to guide sound generated from the acoustic module to an outside through the at least one first opening and the second opening,
wherein the acoustic path includes:
a first space at least partially disposed proximate the electronic component, when the cover is viewed from above;
a second space that connects the first space to the at least one first opening, wherein at least part of the second space and the first space are arranged to form a first acoustic path, when the cover is viewed from above; and
a third space that is branched from the first acoustic path to be connected to the second opening and is configured to change direction of sound from the first acoustic path toward the electronic component along the lateral member so as to bypass the electronic component, when the cover is viewed from above.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic component is disposed at a top center, when the cover is viewed from above.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , comprising a separation member configured to spatially separate at least a boundary region between the first space and the second space, and to allow the sound to reach the first opening and blocks foreign substances and/or moisture from the outside.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the separation member is inclined in the boundary region.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a display at least partially disposed in the internal space to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the cover.

6. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the first space is formed substantially parallel to a surface of the display.

7. The electronic device of claim 5 , wherein the second space is spaced further from the display than are the first space and the third space.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second space includes an inclined portion moving away from the cover as it goes toward the first opening.

9. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the third space includes a portion substantially perpendicular to a surface of the cover.

10. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein a size of the at least one first opening is greater than a size of the second opening.

11. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic component includes a camera module and/or at least one sensor module.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising a display at least partially disposed in the internal space to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the cover,
wherein the camera module and/or at least one sensor module is disposed under the display so as to detect an external environment of the electronic device through the display and the cover.

13. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the acoustic module includes a speaker.

14. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one first opening is disposed in a direction facing the lateral side of the lateral member; and
the second opening is disposed in a direction that the cover faces.

15. An electronic device comprising:
a lateral member forming at least a part of a lateral side of the electronic device;
a cover at least partially disposed on the lateral member;
a speaker disposed in an internal space of the electronic device;
a camera module, comprising a camera, disposed in the internal space;
at least one first opening provided through a portion of the lateral side in the lateral member;
a second opening provided through a space between the lateral member and the cover; and
an acoustic path configured to guide sound generated from the speaker to an outside through the at least one first opening and the second opening,
wherein the acoustic path includes:
a first space at least partially disposed proximate the camera module, when the cover is viewed from above;
a second space that connects the first space to the at least one first opening; wherein at least part of the second space and the first space are arranged, to form a first acoustic path, when the cover is viewed from above; and
a third space that is branched from the first acoustic path to be connected to the second opening and is configured so as to bypass the camera module, when the cover is viewed from above,

wherein more of a sound signal of a higher frequency band is to be output through the at least one first opening than through the second opening.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein:
the at least one first opening is disposed in a direction facing the lateral side of the lateral member; and
the second opening is disposed in a direction that the cover faces.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , further comprising a display at least partially disposed in the internal space to be visible from the outside through at least a portion of the cover,
wherein the camera module is disposed under the display so as to detect an external environment of the electronic device through the display and the cover.

18. The electronic device of claim 17 , wherein the first space is formed substantially parallel to a surface of the display.

19. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the second space includes an inclined portion moving away from the cover as it goes toward the first opening.

20. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the third space includes a portion substantially perpendicular to a surface of the cover.

21. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the sound signal output through the at least one first opening includes frequencies in the range of 800 Hz to 10000 Hz, and
wherein, the sound signal output through the second opening includes frequencies in the range of 800 Hz or less.

22. The electronic device of claim 15 , wherein the second opening is disposed between the camera module and the lateral member at a center of the electronic device, when the cover is viewed from above, and
wherein the acoustic path is configured to guide more of sound of a lower frequency band corresponding to a human voice to be output through the second opening than through the at least one opening.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Moon Heecheul
• Seok Sangyoup
• Son Kwonho
• Choi Jongchul

Classifications

• H04R1/02 Primary

  Casings; Cabinets {; Supports therefor;} Mountings therein (H04R1/28 takes precedence {; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075}) · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title

• H04N23/57

  Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R2499/15

  Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops · CPC title