Speaker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9438973-B2
Application number	US-201414579596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2014
Priority date	Nov 5, 2014
Publication date	Sep 6, 2016
Grant date	Sep 6, 2016

Abstract

A speaker includes a hollow casing, a vibration plate, a vibrator, a wireless communication unit, and a processor. The casing defines a receiving space. The vibration plate is secured to the casing, and includes a first portion received in the receiving space and a second portion protruding out of the casing. The vibrator is received in the receiving space and attached to the first portion. The processor is configured to control the vibrator to vibrate when the speaker receives a wireless signal via the wireless communication unit, thereby allowing the vibration plate to vibrate and output sound.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A speaker comprising:
a hollow casing defining a receiving space;
a vibration plate secured to the casing, the vibration plate having a first portion received in the receiving space and a second portion protruding out of the casing;
two clamping members fixedly received in the receiving space, each of the two clamping members clamping one edges of the first portion to secure the vibration plate in the receiving space;
at least one vibrator each received in the receiving space and attached to the first portion;
a wireless communication unit; and
a processor electrically coupled to each vibrator, and configured to control each vibrator to vibrate when the speaker receives a wireless signal via the wireless communication unit, thereby allowing the vibration plate to vibrate and output sound.

2. The speaker of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to compare an intensity of the wireless signal with an intensity threshold when the speaker receives the wireless signal, determine whether the intensity of the wireless signal is greater than the intensity threshold, and control each vibrator to vibrate if the intensity of the wireless signal is greater than the intensity threshold.

3. The speaker of claim 1 , wherein the casing comprises a base, a front cover, a back cover, and a top cover; the front cover and the back cover are connected to each other and are located between the base and the top cover; the receiving space are cooperatively defined by the base, the front cover, the back cover, and the top cover.

4. The speaker of claim 3 , wherein the top cover defines a groove; the second portion protrudes out of the casing via the groove.

5. The speaker of claim 3 , wherein the base, the front cover, the back cover, and the top cover are integrally formed together.

6. The speaker of claim 3 , wherein at least one anti-vibration member is attached at a bottom of the base, and is able to absorb a major portion of the vibration from each vibrator.

7. The speaker of claim 3 , wherein the back cover defines a through hole; a hollow protrusion extends from an interior surface of the through hole away from the front cover.

8. The speaker of claim 7 , wherein a mesh screen is covered to an end of the protrusion away from the front cover; a woofer is fixedly received in the protrusion and faces the mesh screen; the processor is electrically coupled to the woofer, and is further configured to control the woofer to generate sound of low frequency.

9. The speaker of claim 7 , wherein the protrusion is capable of being rotated relative to the back cover; a volume of the sound output by the speaker is capable of being controlled based on an interaction with the protrusion.

10. The speaker of claim 8 , wherein the protrusion is connected to a potentiometer; the potentiometer rotates with the protrusion to vary a resistance thereof; the processor is further configured to detect the resistance of the potentiometer when the processor controls each vibrator to vibrate, and vary vibration data of the vibration from each vibrator according to the detected resistance, thereby varying the volume of the sound output by the speaker.

11. The speaker of claim 10 , wherein the vibration data of the vibration is an amplitude or frequency of the vibration.

12. The speaker of claim 7 , wherein the protrusion is fixedly connected to the back cover, and includes a first touch-sensitive panel on a surface thereof; the first touch-sensitive panel is capable of identifying a first touch operation on the protrusion; the processor is further configured to determine a direction of the first touch operation when the processor controls each vibrator to vibrate, and vary vibration data of the vibration from each vibrator according to the determined direction.

13. The speaker of claim 7 , wherein a top of the second portion comprises a second touch-sensitive panel capable of identifying a second touch operation on the top; the processor is further configured to identify a direction of the second touch operation on the top when the processor controls each vibrator to vibrate, and vary vibration data of the vibration from each vibrator according to the identified direction.

14. The speaker of claim 7 , wherein each edge of the second portion comprises a second touch-sensitive panel capable of identifying a second touch operation on the top; the processor is further configured to identify a direction of the second touch operation on the top when the processor controls each vibrator to vibrate, and vary vibration data of the vibration from each vibrator according to the identified direction.

15. The speaker of claim 1 , wherein the second portion further comprises a third touch-sensitive panel on at least one surface thereof; the third touch-sensitive panel is capable of identifying a third touch operation on the second portion in real-time; the processor is further configured to determine a trajectory of the identified third touch operation when the processor controls each vibrator to vibrate, compare the identified trajectory with a first preset trajectory, and control each vibrator to stop vibrating if the identified trajectory is similar to the first preset trajectory.

16. The speaker of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to compare the indentified trajectory of the third touch operation with a second preset trajectory after the processor controls each vibrator to stop vibrating, and control each vibrator to vibrate again if the identified trajectory is similar to the second preset trajectory.

17. The speaker of claim 1 , wherein the vibration plate is made of transparent material; at least one LED is received in the receiving space, and is electrically coupled to the processor; the processor is further configured to control each LED to emit lights according to illumination data associated with vibration data of the vibration.

18. The speaker of claim 17 , wherein the illumination data of the lights is the intensity of the lights; the vibration data of the vibration is the amplitude of the vibration; the intensity of the lights is proportional to the amplitude of the vibration.

19. A speaker comprising:
a hollow casing comprising a base, a front cover, a back cover, and a top cover, the base, the front cover, the back cover, and the top cover cooperatively defining a receiving space;
a sound emitting vibration plate passing through the top cover of the casing, and having a first portion within the receiving space and a second portion protruding out of the top cover;
a communication unit configured to receive a speaker signal;
at least one vibrator within the receiving space and coupled to the first portion, the at least one vibrator being configured to vibrate in response to the speaker receiving the speaker signal via the communication unit;
wherein the second portion of the vibration plate is configured to vibrate and output sound in response to vibration of the at least one vibrator.

Assignees

• Hon Hai Prec Ind Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Yi-Cheng
• Ho Chang-Da
• Liao ting-yi
• Lin Shih-Pin
• Louh Sei-Ping
• Chang Jen-Tsorng

Classifications

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R19/02

  Loudspeakers (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2400/03

  Transducers capable of generating both sound as well as tactile vibration, e.g. as used in cellular phones · CPC title

• 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

• H04R7/045 Primary

  using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion · CPC title