Audio speakers with integrated sealing and assembly features for “caseless” installation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9888306-B2
Application number	US-201715605946-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2017
Priority date	Sep 26, 2015
Publication date	Feb 6, 2018
Grant date	Feb 6, 2018

Abstract

Small-scale audio speakers of various shapes are installed in parent devices. Inner casings, and the surrounding vibration-damping zone often required between such casings and the surrounding parent-device walls, are omitted from the assembly. During integration with the parent device, each un-encased speaker and its signal lines are sealed into a single-walled enclosure that incorporates a parent-device wall as at least one side. The entire interior of the single-walled enclosure becomes a back volume for the speaker. The single-walled enclosure may incorporate seals at the speaker's audio-output aperture, at the pass-through for the signal lines, and at the interface between the parent-device wall(s) and the added side(s) constituting the single-walled enclosure. Optional adhesive-free sealing options include sliding tabs held by a snap-lock latch.

First claim

We claim:

1. A system, comprising:
a parent device having a speaker placement on a parent-device wall;
an uncased audio speaker positioned at the speaker placement;
a signal line coupling the uncased audio speaker to a source of an electrical signal;
a speaker cover coupled to the parent-device wall;
a first seal between a front surface of the uncased audio speaker and an acoustic output aperture in the parent-device wall or in the speaker cover;
a second seal around the signal line in an opening by which the signal line exits the parent-device wall or the speaker cover; and
a third seal between the parent-device wall and the speaker cover;
wherein the speaker cover and the parent-device wall define a single-walled enclosure of the uncased audio speaker; and
wherein the single-walled enclosure comprises a back volume of the uncased audio speaker.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the back volume is airtight.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the back volume is ported.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, or the third seal is resilient to compression.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, or the third seal comprises an elastomer.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first seal, the second seal, or the third seal is applied as a liquid and cured.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parent-device wall forms only one side of the single-walled enclosure.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parent-device wall forms all but one side of the single-walled enclosure.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the parent-device wall and the speaker cover each form a plurality of sides of the single-walled enclosure.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a bracket having a notch in an edge;
wherein the second seal is positioned in the notch with the signal line held inside the second seal.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the speaker cover is retrofitted to a speaker placement arranged to fit a cased audio speaker.

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Worrell Devon
• Rittenhouse David A

Classifications

• H04R9/06

  Loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R1/023

  Screens for loudspeakers · CPC title

• H04R2201/021

  Transducers or their casings adapted for mounting in or to a wall or ceiling · CPC title

• H04R2499/11

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

• H04R1/2826

  for loudspeaker transducers · CPC title