Dynamic valve for an electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12081934-B2
Application number	US-202217879417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2022
Priority date	Sep 17, 2021
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

A portable electronic device comprising: an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an opening to an environment surrounding the enclosure wall; and a valve comprising a number of sliding actuators operable to open and close the opening to the environment surrounding the enclosure wall.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an opening to an environment surrounding the enclosure wall; and
a valve comprising a number of sliding actuators operable to open and close the opening to the environment surrounding the enclosure wall, and at least one sliding actuator of the number of sliding actuators is operable to transition between an open configuration and a closed configuration independent of another of the number of sliding actuators.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each of the sliding actuators are arranged around the opening and are operable to slide in a direction parallel to a plane of the enclosure wall to open and close the opening to modify an acoustic performance of the portable electronic device.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each of the sliding actuators comprise a static portion fixed to the enclosure wall and a sliding portion, wherein the sliding portion slides over the opening to the closed configuration in which the opening is covered and slides away from the opening to the open configuration in which the opening is uncovered.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 3 wherein the sliding portion is biased toward the closed configuration by a spring coupled to each of the sliding actuators.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each of the sliding actuators comprise a comb drive operable to transition from the closed configuration in which the opening is covered to the open configuration in which the opening is uncovered upon application of a voltage.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1 wherein each of the sliding actuators of the number of sliding actuators are independently operable to open and close the opening.

7. A portable electronic device comprising:
an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and a sound output port to an ambient environment;
a transducer positioned within the interior chamber and dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber comprising a first side of the transducer and the sound output port and a back volume chamber comprising a second side of the transducer; and
an electromechanical valve comprising a number of rotating actuators operable to open and close a vent to the interior chamber, the front volume chamber or the back volume chamber, and wherein the electromechanical valve comprises a spring member operable to bias the electromechanical valve to an open configuration or a closed configuration in the absence of power.

8. The portable electronic device of claim 7 wherein the number of rotating actuators are operable to rotate about an axis that runs parallel to an axis of the vent.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 7 wherein each of the number of rotating actuators comprise a triangular shaped member having a base portion connected to the enclosure at a pivot point.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 7 wherein the number of rotating actuators are interconnected such that all of the number of rotating actuators rotate together to open or close the vent.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 7 wherein a rotation of the number of rotating actuators is mechanically driven by a lever.

12. A valve assembly for a portable electronic device, the valve assembly comprising:
a number of sliding actuators operable to open and close an opening formed through an enclosure wall, each of the number of sliding actuators comprising:
a static portion fixedly coupled to the enclosure wall; and
a sliding portion slidably coupled to the static portion, and wherein the sliding portion is operable to slide in a direction parallel to a plane of the enclosure wall through which the opening is formed between a closed configuration in which the opening is covered by the sliding portion and an open configuration in which the opening is uncovered by the sliding portion, and wherein at least one sliding portion of the number of sliding actuators is independently operable to slide between the open configuration and the closed configuration.

13. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the sliding portion is biased toward the closed configuration by a spring coupled to each of the sliding actuators.

14. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the sliding portion is operable to slide from the closed configuration to the open configuration upon application of a voltage.

15. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the static portion comprises a first conductive finger structure and the sliding portion comprises a second conductive finger structure complimentary to the first conductive finger structure, and wherein the second conductive finger structure is driven toward the first conductive finger structure upon application of a voltage in the open configuration.

16. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein each of the sliding actuators of the number of actuators comprise a comb drive.

17. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the number of sliding actuators comprise at least four sliding actuators arranged around the opening.

18. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the sliding portion of each of the number of sliding actuators slide toward a center of the opening.

19. The valve assembly of claim 12 wherein the opening is through a portion of the enclosure wall that separates a front volume chamber or a back volume chamber of a transducer from an ambient environment, and wherein opening and closing the opening using the number of sliding actuators opens and closes the front volume chamber or the back volume chamber to the ambient environment.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Hatipoglu Gokhan
• Hrudey Peter C
• Grinker Scott C
• Jain Ankur
• Wright Patrick B

Classifications

• H04R1/2811

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R1/1058 Primary

  Manufacture or assembly · CPC title

• H04R1/2849 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title