Portable communication device with flow through acoustic transducer ports for water management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9510071-B2
Application number	US-201514662364-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 19, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

Communication device includes a housing with a two or more apertures defined therein to form a speaker grille. The apertures are arranged to form one or more aperture sets, each comprised of at least two apertures connected by a fluid channel defined on an internal face of the panel. The fluid channel is comprised of one or more channel segments. Each of the channels segments and the acoustic apertures has a predetermined size and shape which draws fluid through the apertures from an exterior side of the panel, to an interior side of the panel, and then into one of the channel segments. The dimensions and geometry of the channels and apertures are selected to cause the fluid in the channels to exit from the housing at a lowermost one of the acoustic apertures.

First claim

We claim:

1. A communication device, comprising:
a housing formed of a rigid material which encloses a loudspeaker, the housing including a panel with a plurality of apertures defined therein to form a speaker grille which facilitates passage of audio from an interior portion of the housing enclosing the loudspeaker to an environment exterior of the housing;
each aperture defining a passage through the panel and decreasing in cross sectional area along a direction extending from an exterior side of the panel to an interior side of the panel;
the plurality of apertures arranged to form a plurality of aperture sets, each aperture set of the plurality of aperture sets comprised of at least two apertures connected by a respective fluid channel of a plurality of elongate fluid channels having a parallel arrangement and formed on an internal face of the panel, the respective fluid channel comprised of one or more channel segments, each extending along a fluid path between adjacent ones of the apertures comprising a respective aperture set of a plurality of aperture sets;
the respective fluid channel having a predetermined length which facilitates a gravitational head pressure needed to overcome a capillary force associated with at least one drain aperture.

2. A communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more channel segments comprising the respective fluid channel have a cross-sectional profile which is u-shaped or v-shaped.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the one or more channel segments are aligned along a common centerline so that the respective fluid channel defines a linear fluid path on the internal face of the panel.

4. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the respective fluid channel extends in a vertical direction when the communication device is oriented in a predetermined usage orientation in which the communication device is designed to be used.

5. The communication device according to claim 4 , wherein each aperture set includes at least one aperture which is the drain aperture disposed at a lowermost extremity of the aperture set when the portable communication device is in the predetermined usage orientation, wherein fluid droplets which enter any of the apertures in the aperture set from the external side of the panel are guided by the channel segments and the force of gravity toward said drain aperture.

6. The communication device according to claim 5 , wherein the channel segments facilitate movement of the fluid droplets from at least a first one of the apertures to a second one of the apertures in the aperture set.

7. The communication device according to claim 6 , wherein size and shape of the apertures and the channel segments are predetermined to cause the droplets of the fluid increase in fluid mass as they flow from the first one the apertures over the second and subsequent ones of the apertures in the aperture set.

8. The communication device according to claim 7 , wherein the droplets increase in mass by accumulating additional fluid which is trapped in the second and subsequent aperture.

9. The communication device according to claim 7 , wherein the accumulation of additional fluid in the droplet as it moves over the second and subsequent apertures causes extraction of the fluid trapped in one or more of the apertures.

10. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising an interface circuit which couples the loudspeaker to a portable radio transceiver by means of a wired or wireless link.

11. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one radio transceiver coupled to the loudspeaker.

12. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising a second fluid channel defined in an exterior face of the housing and forming a second fluid path; and
a microphone aperture disposed in said housing to facilitate passage of audio between the environment exterior of the housing and a microphone disposed within the interior portion of the housing.

13. A communication device, comprising:
a housing formed of a rigid material which encloses a loudspeaker, the housing including a panel with a plurality of apertures defined therein to form a speaker grille which facilitates passage of audio from an interior portion of the housing enclosing the loudspeaker to an environment exterior of the housing;
each aperture defining a passage through the panel and decreasing in cross sectional area along a direction extending from an exterior side of the panel to an interior side of the panel;
the plurality of apertures arranged to form a plurality of aperture sets, each aperture set of the plurality of aperture sets comprised of at least two apertures connected by a respective fluid channel of a plurality of elongate fluid channels defined on an internal face of the panel, the respective fluid channel comprised of one or more channel segments, each extending a fluid path between adjacent ones of the apertures comprising a respective aperture set of a plurality of aperture sets;
the respective fluid channel having a predetermined length which facilitates a gravitational head pressure needed to overcome a capillary force associated with at least one drain aperture; and
wherein each of the channels segments and the plurality of apertures has a predetermined geometry and size which assists to draws fluid through the apertures from an exterior side of the panel, to an interior side of the panel, into one of the channel segments, and to expel the fluid from the interior side of the panel through the at least one drain aperture.

14. A communication device according to claim 13 , wherein the one or more channel segments comprising the respective fluid channel have a cross-sectional profile which is u-shaped or v-shaped.

15. The communication device according to claim 13 , wherein the one or more channel segments are aligned along a common centerline so that the respective fluid channel defines a linear fluid path on the internal face of the panel.

16. A method for clearing water from a speaker grille of a communication device, comprising:
providing a housing for the communication device formed of a rigid material which encloses a loudspeaker;
including in a panel of the housing a plurality of apertures to form a speaker grille which facilitates passage of audio from an interior portion of the housing enclosing the loudspeaker to an environment exterior of the housing;
causing in said plurality of apertures a difference in capillary pressure which draws an accumulation of fluid through the plurality of apertures from an exterior side of the panel into to at least one of a plurality of channel segments forming at least one fluid channel disposed on an interior side of the panel; and
expelling at least a portion of the fluid from the interior side of the panel to the exterior side of the panel through at least one drain aperture, by using a gravitational head pressure developed in the fluid channel by the force of gravity;
wherein the plurality of apertures are arranged to form a plurality of aperture sets, each aperture set of the plurality of aperture sets comprised of at least two apertures connected by a respective fluid channel of a plurality of fluid channels formed on the interior side of the panel.

17. The method according to claim 16 , further comprising forming the plurality of apertures so that a cross sectional area of each aperture decreases along a direction extending from an exterior side of the panel to an interior side of the panel.

Assignees

• Harris Corp

Inventors

• Jones Kurt E
• Haschmann James D
• Bausch Michael E

Classifications

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R1/023 Primary

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title