Resonance damping for audio transducer systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9813802-B2
Application number	US-201214432358-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 18, 2012
Priority date	Oct 18, 2012
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus ( 10 ) comprising: an audio transducer ( 201 ) configured to at least one of: generate sound upon receiving an audio signal provided by the apparatus ( 10 ); and convert sound into an audio signal to be processed by the apparatus ( 10 ); a housing component ( 301 ) comprising one or more sound apertures ( 303 ) configured to allow the transmission of sound through the one or more sound apertures ( 303 ); and an acoustic cavity ( 203 ) inside the apparatus ( 10 ) being acoustically coupled to the audio transducer ( 201 ) using the one or more sound apertures ( 303 ) wherein the one or more sound apertures ( 303 ) are configured to provide an acoustic damping.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a speaker system wherein the speaker system comprises:
an audio transducer configured to generate sound;
a housing component of the apparatus comprising one or more sound outlets configured to allow the transmission of sound in a first direction out of the apparatus, a second housing component comprising one or more sound apertures comprising capillaries configured to allow the transmission of sound from the audio transducer in a second direction different from the first direction and through the one or more sound apertures, wherein the audio transducer is located between the one or more sound outlets and the one or more sound apertures; and
an acoustic cavity of the speaker system inside the apparatus being acoustically coupled to the audio transducer using the one or more sound apertures wherein the one or more sound apertures are configured to provide an acoustic damping;
wherein the apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to execute operations of the apparatus.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second housing component is one of: a printed wiring board; a chassis component; a rigid or semi-rigid structure; a sintered material structure; and adjacent to the acoustic cavity forming a cavity wall for the acoustic cavity and wherein the housing component is one of: a cover; a cover structure; a display window.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the one or more sound apertures have a diameter smaller than 0.5 mm.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the one or more sound apertures comprising capillaries are configured to provide characteristics that are selected to provide a predetermined acoustic characteristic.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the one or more sound apertures characteristics selected include one or more of: diameter; area; pitch; thickness; pitch/diameter ratio; and total open area.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the acoustic cavity is formed as at least one of: a front cavity volume extending from the audio transducer in the first direction; and a rear cavity volume extending from the audio transducer in the second direction different from the first direction, for the audio transducer.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the rear cavity volume is substantially sealed inside the apparatus in such a way that air inside the rear cavity volume is prevented from mixing with the frontal sound waves produced by the audio transducer.

8. The apparatus as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the sealed rear cavity volume comprises sealing the acoustic coupling surface of the audio transducer around the one or more sound apertures.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the acoustic cavity comprises two parts bisected by a wall of the second housing component, such that a first part of the acoustic cavity is acoustically coupled to the audio transducer using the one or more sound apertures and a second part of the acoustic cavity is directly coupled to the audio transducer.

10. A method comprising:
providing a speaker system within an apparatus wherein the speaker system comprises an audio transducer;
providing a housing component of the apparatus comprising one or more sound outlets configured to allow the transmission of sound in the first direction out of the apparatus, and providing a second housing component comprising one or more sound apertures configured to allow the transmission of sound from the audio transducer in a second direction different from the first direction and through the one or more sound apertures, the one or more sound apertures comprising capillaries wherein the audio transducer is located between the one or more sound outlets and the one or more sound apertures; and
providing an acoustic cavity of the speaker system inside the apparatus being acoustically coupled to the audio transducer using the one or more sound apertures wherein the one or more sound apertures are configured to provide an acoustic damping;
wherein the apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to execute operations of the apparatus.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the second housing component is at least one of: a PWB; a chassis component; a rigid or semi-rigid structure; and a sintered material structure; and wherein the housing component is one of a cover; a cover structure; and a display window.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising locating the second housing component adjacent to the acoustic cavity forming a wall for the acoustic cavity.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein at least one of the one or more sound apertures have a diameter smaller than 0.5 mm.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising selecting at least one characteristic of the one or more sound apertures comprising capillaries to provide a predetermined acoustic characteristic.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 , wherein the at least one characteristic comprises one or more of: diameter; area; pitch; thickness; pitch/diameter ratio; and total open area.

16. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein providing the acoustic cavity comprises forming the acoustic cavity as at least one of: a front cavity volume extending from the audio transducer in the first direction; and a rear cavity volume extending from the audio transducer in the second direction different from the first direction for the audio transducer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 , further comprising sealing substantially the rear cavity volume inside the apparatus in such a way that air inside the rear cavity volume is prevented from mixing with the frontal sound waves produced by the audio transducer.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 , wherein sealing substantially the rear cavity volume comprises sealing the acoustic coupling surface of the audio transducer around the one or more sound apertures.

19. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein providing the acoustic cavity comprises forming the acoustic cavity in two parts bisected by a wall of the second housing component, such that a first part of the acoustic cavity is acoustically coupled to the audio transducer using the one or more sound apertures and a second part of the acoustic cavity is directly coupled to the audio transducer.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein inner surfaces of the capillaries are plated with a conductive material.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 20 , wherein the conductive material is copper.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transmission of sound from the audio transducer in the second direction different from the first direction is further vented out of the apparatus by a vent.

23. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein inner surfaces of the capillaries are plated with a conductive material.

24. The method as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising venting the transmission of sound from the audio transducer based on the second direction out of the apparatus.

Assignees

• Nokia Technologies Oy

Inventors

• Shi Shengrong

Classifications

• H04R1/2888

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/2842 Primary

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R1/20 Primary

  Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics (for stereophonic purpose H04R5/00) · CPC title

• H04R1/2819

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title