Audio driver assemblies, headphones including the audio driver assemblies, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9800978-B2
Application number	US-201514974815-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

An audio driver assembly comprises a driver housing and an audio driver secured within the driver housing. The audio driver comprises a magnet assembly, a flexible diaphragm overlying the magnet assembly, and a stabilizer extending through the driver housing and into the magnet assembly. A headphone and a method of forming a headphone are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An audio driver assembly, comprising:
a driver housing; and
an audio driver secured within the driver housing and comprising:
a magnet assembly comprising:
a permanent magnet;
a voice coil circumscribing the permanent magnet; and
a yoke cup at least partially surrounding the permanent magnet and the voice coil, and comprising:
a lower portion underlying a lower surface of the permanent magnet; and
an upper portion overlying an upper surface of the permanent magnet and at least partially extending over and surrounding peripheral sidewalls of each of the permanent magnet and the lower portion of the yoke cup;

a flexible diaphragm overlying the magnet assembly; and
a stabilizer extending through the driver housing and into the magnet assembly.

2. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the voice coil is located within a cavity at least partially defined by inner sidewalls of the upper portion of the yoke cup and the peripheral sidewalls of each of the permanent magnet and the lower portion of the yoke cup.

3. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer longitudinally extends from a location outside of the driver housing to a lower surface of the upper portion of the yoke cup.

4. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer is located adjacent central portions of each of the driver housing and the magnet assembly.

5. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer is disposed within substantially aligned, centrally located apertures in the driver housing and the magnet assembly.

6. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer is attached to at least one surface of the magnet assembly.

7. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer is attached to at least one surface of the driver housing.

8. The audio driver assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizer comprises at least one of a metal material and a polymer material.

9. An audio driver assembly, comprising:
a driver housing; and
an audio driver secured within the driver housing and comprising:
a magnet assembly;
a flexible diaphragm overlying the magnet assembly;
a stabilizer extending through the driver housing and into the magnet assembly; and
a vibration dampener disposed laterally between the driver housing and the stabilizer, wherein at least a portion of the vibration dampener is located within an aperture extending through driver housing, and at least a portion of the stabilizer is located within another aperture extending through the vibration dampener.

10. The audio driver assembly of claim 9 , wherein the vibration dampener comprises at least one of silicon, rubber, and foam.

11. The audio driver assembly of claim 9 , wherein the vibration dampener comprises a ferrofluidic vibration dampener comprising:
another magnet assembly adjacent the driver housing; and
a ferrofluid between the another magnet assembly and the stabilizer.

12. A headphone, comprising:
an ear-cup housing; and
an audio driver assembly disposed at least partially within the ear-cup housing, the audio driver assembly comprising:
a driver housing;
a flexible diaphragm suspended from the driver housing;
a magnet assembly underlying the diaphragm and comprising:
a permanent magnet;
a voice coil circumscribing the permanent magnet; and
a yoke cup at least partially surrounding the permanent magnet and the voice coil; and
a stabilizer extending through the driver housing and into the magnet assembly.

13. The headphone of claim 12 , wherein the stabilizer is positioned within each of an aperture extending through the driver housing and another aperture at least partially extending through the permanent magnet of the magnet assembly.

14. The headphone of claim 12 , wherein one end of the stabilizer terminates at a surface of an upper portion of the yoke cup and another end of the stabilizer terminates at a location beyond a lower boundary of the driver housing.

15. The headphone of claim 12 , wherein the audio driver assembly further comprises a vibration dampener at least partially disposed between the driver housing and the stabilizer.

16. The headphone of claim 15 , wherein the vibration dampener comprises:
another magnet assembly laterally adjacent the driver housing; and
a ferrofluid laterally between the magnet assembly and the stabilizer.

17. A method of forming a headphone, comprising:
forming an audio driver assembly, the audio driver assembly comprising:
a driver housing;
a flexible diaphragm suspended from the driver housing;
a magnet assembly underlying the diaphragm and comprising:
a permanent magnet;
a voice coil circumscribing the permanent magnet; and
a yoke cup at least partially surrounding the permanent magnet and the voice coil; and
a stabilizer extending through the driver housing and into the magnet assembly; and
attaching the audio driver assembly within an ear-cup housing.

Assignees

• Skullcandy Inc

Inventors

• Noertker Sam
• Timothy John
• Hull Randall J
• Lepley Sam
• Windt Matthew
• Woolston Gregory R

Classifications

• H04R1/1008

  Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type · CPC title

• H04R9/025 Primary

  Magnetic circuit · CPC title

• H04R1/1075

  Mountings of transducers in earphones or headphones · CPC title

• H04R11/02

  Loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R9/027

  Air gaps using a magnetic fluid · CPC title