Digital acoustic device with increased sound power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016205478-A1
Application number	US-201414915749-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 4, 2014
Priority date	Sep 4, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A digital acoustic device including: at least one suspended diaphragm facing a support and at least one actuator associated with the diaphragm, the associated actuator being configured to move the diaphragm away from and/or closer to the support; a stop mechanism configured to interrupt movement of the diaphragm further to activating the actuator when the diaphragm has a non-zero speed, the stop mechanism being sized to interrupt the movement of the diaphragm when the movement of the diaphragm is greater than or equal to 50% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm and lower than or equal to 95% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm.

First claim

1 - 28 . (canceled)

29 . A digital acoustic device comprising:
at least one suspended diaphragm facing a support; at least one actuator associated with the diaphragm, the associated actuator being configured to move the diaphragm away from and/or closer to the support; and at least one stopper configured to interrupt movement of the diaphragm further to activating the actuator, when the diaphragm has a non-zero speed, the stopper being sized to interrupt the movement of the diaphragm when the movement of the diaphragm is greater than or equal to 50% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm and lower than or equal to 75% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm.

30 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , wherein the stopper is sized to interrupt the movement of the diaphragm when the movement of the diaphragm is between 50% and 60% the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm.

31 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , wherein the stopper is sized to interrupt the movement of the diaphragm when the diaphragm moves at its maximum speed or at a speed close to its maximum speed.

32 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , wherein the stopper comprises at least one stop member protruding from the support towards the diaphragm and/or protruding from the diaphragm towards the support, and having a free end separated by a non-zero distance from the diaphragm and/or the support at rest, respectively.

33 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the stop member is located facing a central area of the diaphragm or is fixed in a central area of the diaphragm.

34 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the distance separating the free end from the stop member and the diaphragm or the free end from the stop member and the support is between 50% and 75% of the theoretical maximum stroke of the diaphragm.

35 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , wherein the stopper comprises a plurality of stop members protruding from the support towards the diaphragm and/or protruding from the diaphragm towards the support, and having a free end separated by a non-zero distance from the diaphragm and/or the support at rest, respectively.

36 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 35 , wherein the stop members are distributed on an area corresponding to a surface representing between 10% and 50% of the diaphragm surface.

37 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the at least one stop member is in a shape of a column with a circular, square, ellipsoidal, or trapezoidal cross-section.

38 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the at least one stop member is integral with the support and/or the diaphragm.

39 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the at least one stop member is formed by one or more layers of materials inserted on a substrate and/or the diaphragm.

40 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 32 , wherein the actuator is carried by the diaphragm and is facing the free end of the at least one stop member,
the device further comprising a protective layer deposited on the actuator to protect the actuator from contact with the free end of the at least one stop member.

41 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , further comprising:
a gaseous fluid between the diaphragm and the support; and at least one passageway in the support for flow of the gaseous fluid to reduce viscous damping.

42 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 41 , wherein the stop means comprise a plurality of stop members protruding from the support towards the diaphragm and/or protruding from the diaphragm towards the support, and having a free end separated by a non-zero distance from the diaphragm and/or the support at rest, respectively, the passageway being formed between two stop members.

43 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , wherein at least one actuator is formed by a piezoelectric actuator.

44 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , further comprising a first actuator in contact with the diaphragm configured to exert a strain on the diaphragm along a first direction, and a second actuator in contact with the diaphragm configured to exert a strain on the diaphragm along a second direction opposite to the first direction.

45 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 44 , wherein the first and second actuators comprise a ferroelectric piezoelectric material, each of the first and second actuators being configured to deform the diaphragm in an opposite direction.

46 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 44 , wherein the first actuator bounds an outer periphery of the diaphragm and the second actuator is substantially located in a central area of the diaphragm.

47 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 44 , further comprising a second support facing the diaphragm opposite to the first support, the second support comprising further stop means configured to interrupt movement of the diaphragm further to activating the second actuator.

48 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , comprising a plurality of diaphragms and actuators associated with each of the diaphragms.

49 . The digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , forming a digital loudspeaker.

50 . A manufacturing method for manufacturing a digital acoustic device according to claim 29 , comprising:
a) creating the diaphragm and the actuator; b) creating the at least one stopper on the support and/or on the diaphragm; c) assembling the diaphragm and the actuator with the support so that the at least one stopper is facing the diaphragm and/or the support respectively, at a given distance when the diaphragm is at rest.

51 . The manufacturing method according to claim 50 , wherein the at least one stopper is created simultaneously to at least one electric connection of the actuator, between the support and the actuator.

52 . The manufacturing method according to claim 51 , wherein, prior to creating the at least one stopper and the electric connection, an electric line is created, the electric connection being formed on the electric line, so that a height of the electric line connection assembly is greater than the one of the at least one stopper.

53 . The manufacturing method according to claim 51 , wherein, prior to creating the at least one stopper, a recess is created in an area of the support where the at least one stopper is formed so that a height of the support and electric connection assembly is greater than the one of the support and at least one stopper assembly.

54 . The manufacturing method according to claim 52 , wherein the at least one stopper is created in a substrate and/or the diaphragm by etching.

55 . The manufacturing method according to claim 50 , wherein assembling the support to the diaphragm is made by thermocompression and/or gluing, or by molecular gluing.

56 . The manufacturing method according to claim 50 , wherein the a) and b) are carried out by microelectronic techniques.

Assignees

• Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives
• Commissariat Energie Atomique

Inventors

• Casset Fabrice
• Dejaeger Remy
• Fanget Stephane
• Henry David
• Leclere Quentin

Classifications

• H04R17/00

  Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers (piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners {H10N30/00}) · 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

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R2307/207

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

• H04R1/005

  using digitally weighted transducing elements · CPC title