Highly compliant miniature transducer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12375857-B2
Application number	US-202418654405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 3, 2024
Priority date	Aug 21, 2019
Publication date	Jul 29, 2025
Grant date	Jul 29, 2025

Abstract

Various implementations include miniature loudspeaker drivers. In some aspects, an electro-acoustic driver includes: a diaphragm having a surface area configured to radiate acoustic energy; a suspension coupled to the diaphragm, wherein the suspension is non-planar in a resting position; and a support structure coupled to the suspension and having an outer linear dimension in a plane of the support structure of approximately 6.0 millimeters (mm) or less, wherein the surface area of the diaphragm is at least 49% of an overall cross-sectional area of the electro-acoustic driver in the plane of the support structure; and wherein the suspension between an inner side wall of the support structure and the diaphragm has a rounded shape in the resting position.

First claim

We claim:

1. An electro-acoustic driver, comprising:
a diaphragm having a surface area configured to radiate acoustic energy;
a suspension coupled to the diaphragm, wherein the suspension is non-planar in a resting position; and
a support structure coupled to the suspension and having an outer linear dimension in a plane of the support structure of approximately 6.0 millimeters (mm) or less,
wherein the surface area of the diaphragm is at least 49% of an overall cross-sectional area of the electro-acoustic driver in the plane of the support structure; and
wherein the suspension between an inner side wall of the support structure and the diaphragm has a rounded shape in the resting position.

2. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension has a half-rolled shape in the resting position.

3. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension is coupled with the inner side wall of the support structure.

4. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension provides a stiffness of approximately 10 N/m or less, or approximately 8 N/m or less.

5. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the support structure is circular, and wherein the outer linear dimension comprises a diameter of the support structure as measured in a direction perpendicular to an axis of motion of diaphragm while radiating acoustic energy.

6. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension provides a stiffness of approximately 35 Newton/meter (N/m) or less, and wherein the stiffness enhances a spectral output of the electro-acoustic driver.

7. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension comprises an elastomer.

8. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 7 , wherein the elastomer is molded.

9. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 7 , wherein the surface area of the diaphragm has a portion that is not covered by the elastomer.

10. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the suspension provides a stiffness of approximately 25 Newton/meter (N/m) or less, and wherein the surface area is from approximately 7 square millimeters (mm 2 ) to approximately 40 mm 2 .

11. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 10 , wherein an outer dimension of the suspension is from approximately 2 mm to approximately 10 mm.

12. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 11 , wherein the driver defines an acoustic volume of approximately 45-90 cubic millimeters, and wherein the stiffness of the suspension is maintained at or below approximately 25 N/m while the electro-acoustic driver radiates acoustic energy at up to approximately 130 decibels of sound pressure level (dBSPL) to approximately 145 dBSPL.

13. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 11 , wherein the surface area is less than approximately 40 mm 2 .

14. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the surface area to a stiffness of the suspension is at least approximately 50 dB relative to 1 millimeter cubed per Newton (1 mm 3 /N).

15. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein a ratio of the surface area to the stiffness of the suspension is 360 mm 3 /N or greater.

16. The electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 , wherein the surface area of the diaphragm is non-planar and acts as a piston in radiating acoustic energy, wherein the non-planar diaphragm is dome-shaped.

17. An earphone with in-ear active noise cancelation comprising the electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 .

18. A high-fidelity earphone or a hearing aid comprising the electro-acoustic driver of claim 1 .

19. An in-ear audio device, comprising:
a controller; and
an electro-acoustic driver coupled with the controller, the electro-acoustic driver comprising:
a diaphragm having a surface area configured to radiate acoustic energy;
a suspension coupled to the diaphragm, wherein the suspension is non-planar in a resting position; and
a support structure coupled to the suspension and having an outer linear dimension in a plane of the support structure of approximately 6.0 millimeters (mm) or less,
wherein the surface area of the diaphragm is at least 49% of an overall cross-sectional area of the electro-acoustic driver in the plane of the support structure; and
wherein the suspension between an inner side wall of the support structure and the diaphragm has a rounded shape in the resting position.

20. The in-ear audio device of claim 19 , wherein the suspension has a half-rolled shape in the resting position.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Cheng Lei
• Munro Andrew D
• Hayner Mark A

Classifications

• H04R7/127

  dome-shaped · CPC title

• H04R1/1075

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R1/1041

  Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements (switches in general H01H) · CPC title

• H04R1/1016

  Earpieces of the intra-aural type · CPC title

• H04R2307/204

  Material aspects of the outer suspension of loudspeaker diaphragms · CPC title