Apparatus having varying geometry

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538293-B2
Application number	US-201414448942-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2014
Priority date	Jul 31, 2014
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Embodiments for a speaker spider of a loudspeaker are provided. The speaker spider may include a central opening and a plurality of concentric corrugations. Dimensions of the speaker spider may substantially homogenize stress on the speaker spiders during operation of the loud speaker. Dimensions of such a speaker spider that substantially homogenizes stress on the speaker spider during operation may involve one or more of (i) corrugations having azimuthally varying depths, (ii) corrugations having azimuthally varying crest and/or trough curvature radii, and (iii) corrugations having angularly varying distances from the central opening of the speaker spider, among other possibilities.

First claim

I claim:

1. A speaker assembly comprising:
a voice coil; and
a flexible speaker spider coupled to the voice coil to allow movement of the voice coil relative to a speaker frame while maintaining position of the voice coil relative to a magnetic assembly when the voice coil is driven, the speaker spider comprising:
a central opening; and
a cloth material that is more flexible along a first set of angular positions relative to the central opening than along a second set of angular positions relative to the central opening, wherein the cloth material comprising a plurality of corrugations, and wherein a depth of each corrugation azimuthally varies based on an angular position relative to the central opening such that a minimal depth of each corrugation is at the first set of angular positions relative to the central opening, and a maximal depth of each corrugation is at the second set of angular positions relative to the central opening.

2. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the depth of each corrugation azimuthally varies between the minimum depth and the maximum depth, and wherein the maximum depth is greater than the minimum depth by a factor within a range of 1.1 to 1.5.

3. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the depth of each corrugation azimuthally varies linearly between the minimum depth and the maximum depth at a period of n/2 radians about the central opening.

4. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the depth of each corrugation azimuthally varies sinusoidally between the minimum depth and the maximum depth at a period of n/2radians about the central opening.

5. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cloth material comprises two sets of fabric interwoven at right angles, and wherein the depth of each corrugation is at the minimum depth where an angle between the azimuthal position of each corrugation relative to the central opening and a direction of one of the sets of fabric is 90 degrees.

6. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cloth material comprises two sets of fabric interwoven at right angles, and wherein the depth of each corrugation is at the maximum where an angle between the azimuthal position of each corrugation relative to the central opening and a direction of one of the sets of fabric is 45 degrees.

7. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the cloth material comprises one or more of cotton, poly cotton, and nomex.

8. The speaker assembly of claim 1 , wherein the azimuthally varying depth of each corrugation substantially homogenizes a stress on the cloth material when a driving force is applied to the speaker spider.

9. A speaker assembly comprising:
a voice coil; and
a flexible speaker spider coupled to the voice coil to allow movement of the voice coil relative to a speaker frame while maintaining position of the voice coil relative to a magnetic assembly when the voice coil is driven, the speaker spider comprising:
a central opening; and
a cloth material that is more flexible along a first set of angular positions relative to the central opening than along a second set of angular positions relative to the central opening, wherein the cloth material comprising a plurality of corrugations, and wherein a crest curvature radius of the corrugation azimuthally varies based on an angular position relative to the central opening such that a minimal crest curvature radius of each corrugation is at the first set of angular positions relative to the central opening, and a maximal crest curvature radius of each corrugation is at the second set of angular positions relative to the central opening.

10. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the crest curvature radius of each corrugation azimuthally varies between the minimum crest curvature and the maximum crest curvature, and wherein the maximum crest curvature radius is greater than the minimum crest curvature radius by a factor within a range of 1.1 to 1.5.

11. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the crest curvature radius of each corrugation azimuthally varies linearly between the minimum crest curvature radius and the maximum crest curvature radius at a period of n/2 radians about the central opening.

12. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the crest curvature radius of the corrugation azimuthally varies sinusoidally between the minimum crest curvature radius and the maximum crest curvature radius at a period of n/2 radians about the central opening.

13. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the cloth material comprises two sets of fabric interwoven at right angles, and wherein the crest curvature radius of each corrugation is at the minimum crest curvature radius where an angle between the azimuthal position of each corrugation relative to the central opening and a direction of one of the sets of fabric is 90 degrees.

14. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the cloth material comprises two sets of fabric interwoven at right angles, and wherein the crest curvature radius of each corrugation is at the maximum depth where an angle between the azimuthal position of the corrugation relative to the central opening and a direction of one of the sets of fabric is 45 degrees.

15. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the cloth material comprises one or more of cotton, poly cotton, and nomex.

16. The speaker assembly of claim 9 , wherein the azimuthally varying crest curvature of each corrugation substantially homogenizes a stress on the cloth material when a driving force is applied to the speaker spider.

17. A speaker assembly comprising:
a voice coil; and
a flexible speaker spider coupled to the voice coil to allow movement of the voice coil relative to a speaker frame while maintaining position of the voice coil relative to a magnetic assembly when the voice coil is driven, the speaker spider comprising:
a central opening; and
a cloth material that is more flexible along a first set of angular positions relative to the central opening than along a second set of angular positions relative to the central opening, wherein the cloth material comprising a plurality of corrugations, and wherein a distance of the corrugation from the central opening varies based on an angular position relative to the central opening such that a minimal distance of each corrugation from the central opening is at the first set of angular positions relative to the central opening, and a maximal distance of each corrugation from the central opening is at the second set of angular positions relative to the central opening.

18. The speaker assembly of claim 17 , wherein the distance of each corrugation from the central opening varies between the minimum distance and the maximum distance, and wherein the maximum distance is greater than the minimum distance by a factor within a range of 1.1 to 1.5.

19. The speaker assembly of claim 17 , wherein the distance of each corrugation from the central opening varies between the minimum distance and the maximum distance at a period of n/2 radians about the central opening.

20. The speaker assembly of claim 17 , wherein the cloth material comprises two sets of fabric interwoven at right angles, and wherein the distance of each corrugation from the central opening is at the maximum where an angle between the angular position of the corrugation relative to the central opening and a direction of one of the sets of fabric is 45 degrees.

Assignees

• Sonos Inc

Inventors

• Danovi Benny

Classifications

• H04R9/06

  Loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R9/025

  Magnetic circuit · CPC title

• H04R7/127

  dome-shaped · CPC title

• H04R2307/204

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

• H04R9/043 Primary

  Inner suspension or damper, e.g. spider (outer suspension or surround H04R7/16) · CPC title