Patent Publication Number: US-2015086056-A1

Title: Speaker Device

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to a closed type speaker device having a housing (casing) to which a speaker unit is attached. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     A closed type speaker device is known where a speaker unit is attached to a housing having sealability. The housing is generally called an enclosure as well. Moreover, a speaker device is known that has a plurality of speaker units taking charge of different frequency bands assigned thereto. 
     Such a closed type speaker device is hermetically closed so that the air inside the housing (enclosed space) does not leak to the outside, and various contrivances are made on the structure of the electric signal connection between the inside of the housing and the outside of the housing. 
     For example, Patent Document 1 discloses to use a printed circuit board as the structure of the electric signal connection between the inside of a box body and the outside of the box body and enable an electric signal to be transmitted between the inside and outside of the box body with the sealability of the box body being maintained irrespective of warpage of the printed circuit board by pinching the printed circuit board in part of the box body having sealability vertically to the lid closing direction thereof (the direction in which the lid is engaged with the box body). 
     In this case, it is described that the shapes of the cross section of the printed circuit board and an angular hole formed on the box body are made the same to thereby maintain the sealability. By doing this, even if warpage occurs on the printed circuit board, the warpage of the printed circuit board can be corrected by fixing the lid, which enables the electric connection between the inside of the box body and the outside of the box body while maintaining the sealability. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 
     Patent Document 1: JP-A-5-268689 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Problems that the Invention is to Solve 
     However, when a speaker device is structured as described in Patent Document 1, if the dimension accuracy of the angular hole of the box body and the printed circuit board is low, it is difficult to secure sealability. Moreover, if vibrations of the box body are transmitted to the printed circuit board, an abnormal noise (a vibrating noise, a resonant noise, etc.) can be caused by the vibrations. Further, since the warpage of the printed circuit board is corrected by pressing it by the box body, an excessive load is applied to the printed circuit board, which is a cause of solder peeling and the like. 
     The present disclosure is made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a speaker device capable of easily securing the sealability of the housing and avoiding problems such as the occurrence of an abnormal noise (a vibrating noise, a resonant noise, etc.) and solder peeling. 
     Means for Solving the Problem 
     To attain the above-mentioned object, according to the present disclosure, there is provided a speaker device provided with: a housing having a box body and a lid for closing the box body; a partition wall configured to separate an inside of the housing to form a plurality of spaces; a plurality of speaker units accommodated in the spaces, respectively; a wiring board configured to electrically connect the speaker units to an outside; and an elastic member provided between the partition wall and the lid, and closing a gap with a periphery of the wiring board in a state that the elastic member holds the wiring board. 
     Advantage of the Invention 
     According to the present disclosure, by closing the gap around the wiring board by the elastic member, the sealability of the spaces where the speaker units are disposed, respectively, can be easily secured, and since the wiring board is supported by being pinched between the elastic members, problems such as the occurrence of an abnormal noise and solder peeling can be avoided. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an external perspective view showing a speaker device of a first embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is an external perspective view showing a condition of the speaker device shown in  FIG. 1  where a lid is closed. 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view explaining a box body. 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view in which the inside surface of the lid is disposed so as to face upward. 
         FIG. 5  is a relevant part cross-sectional view of the speaker device taken on line A-A of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 6(   a ) to  FIG. 6(   c ) are external perspective views showing another embodiment of an elastic member of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 7(   a ) to  FIG. 7(   c ) are external perspective views showing still another embodiment of the elastic member of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 8  is an external perspective view showing a speaker device of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 9  is an external perspective view showing a speaker device of a third embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION 
     Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described by using the drawings. 
       FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2  are views showing a speaker device  1  of a first embodiment, a wall (bottom portion  31 ) having a sound emitting surface of the speaker is placed on the lower side and the back side of the speaker device  1  is placed on the upper side. The speaker device  1  is, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a closed type speaker device having speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  provided with a voice coil, a magnet and the like. 
     A housing  5  of the speaker device  1  is made of a rigid body such as plastic, and has a box body  3  to which the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  are attached and a lid  4  closing the box body  3 . In two spaces  6   a  and  6   b  formed inside the housing  5 , the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  are separately accommodated. 
     In  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the speaker unit  2   a  taking charge of intermediate and high frequency bands is disposed in the left side space  6   a  of the housing  5 , and the speaker unit  2   b  taking charge of a low frequency band is disposed in the right side space  6   b.    
     These speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  are electrically connected to a non-illustrated external apparatus through a wiring board  7 . Although not shown, the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  and the wiring board  7  are connected by a signal line (wiring) or the like to input an electric signal for vibrating the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b.    
     The box body  3  is provided with, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the bottom portion  31  bonded with cone portions  21  of the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  being exposed to the outside, a side wall  32  vertically provided upward from the periphery of the bottom portion  31  so as to surround it, and a partition wall  33  separating into two the internal space surrounded by the side wall  32 . The box body  3  is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box body shape where the back side of the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  is opened. 
     Moreover, the partition wall  33  separating the spaces  6   a  and  6   b  is provided with a mount portion  34  where a lower elastic member  81  is mounted. The mount portion  34  is wider than the remaining part of the partition wall  33  when viewed from above. This mount portion  34  is provided with guide portions  35  that hold both side portions of the lower elastic member  81  so as to be removably insertable along the partition wall  33  (in a direction of attachment and detachment of the lid  4  to and from the housing  5 ), so that the lower elastic member  81  can be mounted on the mount portion  34  in a stable state. 
     In  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the mount portion  34  is provided in a lower part between opposed parts of the guide portions  35 , and the rectangular parallelepiped lower elastic member  81  is mounted on the mount portion  34 . 
     Moreover, the lid  4  is provided with, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , a ceiling portion  41  covering the back surfaces of the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b , a side wall  42  vertically provided from the periphery of the ceiling portion  41  so as to surround it, and a partition wall (partition wall portion)  43  separating into two the internal space surrounded by the side wall  42 . By closing the opening of the box body  3  by the lid  4 , the spaces  6   a  and  6   b  partitioned by the partition walls  33  and  43  are formed inside the housing  5 . Reference numeral  49  shown in  FIG. 4  represents an opening formed in the ceiling portion  41  of the lid  4  in order to expose to the outside a connector  71  for external connection provided on the wiring board  7 . 
     Moreover, on the partition wall  43  of the lid  4 , a mount portion  44  and guide portions  45  are provided in a similar structure to that of the mount portion  34  of the partition wall  33  of the box body  3 , and a rectangular parallelepiped upper elastic member  82  is provided on the mount portion  44 . The lower elastic member  81  of the box body  3  and the upper elastic member  82  of the lid  4  are disposed so as to be opposed to each other with the wiring board  7  in between. These lower elastic member  81  and upper elastic member  82  are made of, for example, urethane resin. 
     The wiring board  7  is disposed vertically to the partition walls  33  and  43  of the box body  3  and the lid  4 , and as shown in  FIG. 5 , is disposed in a state of being pinched between the lower elastic member  81  provided on the partition wall  33  of the box body  3  and the upper elastic member  82  provided on the partition wall  43  of the lid  4 . In that case, the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  are in contact with the wiring board  7  at the central parts thereof and are in contact with each other at both end parts thereof, thereby closing the gap around the wiring board  7 . 
     Moreover, on the wiring board  7 , the connector  71  for external connection is placed, and most part (first part) of the connector  71  is disposed, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , on the left side of the partition walls  33  and  43 , that is, in the space  6   a  where the speaker unit  2   a  taking charge of the high frequency band is disposed. On the other hand, the remaining part (second part) of the connector  71  is disposed, as shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , on the right side of the partition walls  33  and  43 , that is, in the space  6   b  where the speaker unit  2   b  taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed. Around the connector  71 , a gasket  83  is pasted. Under a condition where the box body  3  is closed by the lid  4 , although the connector  71  is exposed to the outside from the opening  49 , the peripheral wall of the opening  49  formed in the ceiling portion  41  of the lid  4  is in contact with the gasket  83  provided around the connector  71 , so that the sealability of the space  6   a  can be secured. 
     In the speaker device  1  structured as described above, by pinching the wiring board  7  between the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , the gap between the wiring board  7  and the partition walls  33  and  43  where the wiring board  7  is placed can be closed. Since a slight size difference and warpage of the wiring board  7  can be absorbed by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , the sealability of the spaces  6   a  and  6   b  where the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  are disposed, respectively, can be easily secured. 
     Moreover, since the wiring board  7  is in contact with the housing  5  (the partition wall  33  of the box body  3  and the partition wall  43  of the lid  4 ) through the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , vibrations of the housing  5  are not readily transmitted to the wiring board  7 . Consequently, the occurrence of an abnormal noise by the vibrations can be prevented. Further, regarding the wiring board  7  held by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , since the warpage of the wiring board  7  is not forcibly corrected, the occurrence of solder peeling and the like can be avoided. 
     Moreover, the mount portions  34  and  44  are wider than the remaining parts of the partition walls  33  and  43 , and further, the guide portions  35  and  45  holding the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  are provided on the mount portions  34  and  44 . For this reason, the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  can be mounted on the partition walls  33  and  34  in a stable state. And the wiring board  7  can be held in a stable state also when the wiring board  7  is mounted on the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  provided in this manner. Consequently, the workability of assembly can be improved, and the tolerance of the wiring board  7  to vibrations can be enhanced. Moreover, since the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  are removably insertable into the guide portions  35  and  45 , when wear and the like occur on the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  can be changed. 
     Moreover, in the speaker device  1 , the connector  71  for external connection is provided in the space  6   a  where the speaker unit  2   a  taking charge of the high frequency band is disposed, whereas no connector for external connection is provided in the space  6   b  where the speaker unit  2   b  taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed, so that the sealability of the space  6   b  where the speaker unit  2   b  taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed can be secured with reliability. 
     In the speaker device  1  of the above-described embodiment, the gap around the wiring board  7  is closed by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  to thereby secure the sealability of the spaces  6   a  and  6   b  where the speaker units  2   a  and  2   b  are disposed, respectively. However, as substitutes for the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , a single elastic member  85  shown in  FIG. 6(   a ) to  FIG. 6(   c ) or a single elastic member  86  shown in  FIG. 7(   a ) to  FIG. 7(   c ) may be used. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6(   a ), in the elastic member  85 , a slit  85   a  extending in a direction parallel to the wiring board  7  is formed. As shown in  FIG. 6(   b ), a part of the wiring board  7  is inserted or press-fitted into the slit  85   a  of the elastic member  85 . As shown in  FIG. 6(   c ), by assembling the wiring board  7  between the box body  3  and the lid  4  under the condition where it is inserted or press-fitted in the slit  85   a  of the elastic member  85  and pinched by the elastic member  85 , the gap around the wiring board  7  can be easily closed. As the material for the elastic member  85 , a cushion material having moderate hardness or elastomer or the like that is easy to shape with a mold is used since the slit  85   a  is easily formed. 
     Moreover, as shown in  FIG. 7(   a ), the elastic member  86  is elongated, and the cross section thereof is, for example, square. As shown in  FIGS. 7(   b ) and  7 ( c ), the elastic member  86  is disposed on either the mount portion  34  or the mount portion  44 , and further, the wiring board  7  is disposed on the elastic member  86 . Then, by folding both end portions of the elastic member  86  so as to cover the upper surface of the wiring board  7 , the end portions of the elastic member  86  are laid one over the other on the top surface of the wiring board  7  so that the wiring board  7  is pinched by the elastic member  86 , whereby the gap around the wiring board  7  can also be closed. The elastic member  86  may be not only provided on the mount portion  34  on the side of the box body  3  as shown in  FIG. 7(   c ) but also provided, although not shown, on the mount portion  44  on the side of the lid  4 . The gap around the wiring board  7  may be closed by providing the elastic member  86  on either the box body  3  or the lid  4  as described above. The elastic member  86  is made of, for example, a cushion material having flexibility and restorability so that the sealability of the overlaid part of the elastic member  86  is not impaired. 
       FIG. 6  ( c ) shows a speaker device  101  of a second embodiment of the present disclosure. This speaker device  101  is, like the speaker device  1  of the first embodiment, a closed type speaker device having two speaker units  102   a  and  102   b.    
     In the speaker device  101 , a housing  105  has a box body  103  and a lid  104  closing the box body  103 . In the housing  105 , two spaces  106   a  and  106   b  separated by a partition wall  133  are formed. The speaker unit  102   a  taking charge of intermediate and high frequency bands and the speaker unit  102   b  taking charge of a low frequency band are separately accommodated in the spaces  106   a  and  106   b  of the housing  105 , respectively. Moreover, a bass reflex port  109  is placed in the space  106   b  where the speaker unit  102   b  taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed, and a bass reflex type speaker system is provided. Moreover, an opening (not shown) for the bass reflex port is provided in a bottom portion  131  of the box body  103 . 
     In  FIG. 6(   c ), in order that the internal structure of the speaker device  101  can be checked, regarding the box body  103 , a wall (bottom portion  131 ) having a sound emitting surface of the speaker is disposed on the lower side and the back side of the speaker device  101  is disposed so as to face upward, whereas regarding the lid  104 , the inner surface side of the lid  104  is disposed so as to face upward. 
     The bass reflex type speaker system intensifies the low pitch sound of the speaker unit  102   b  by Helmholtz resonance by phase-inverting the low pitch sound generated by the speaker unit  102   b  by passing it through the bass reflex port  109 . In order to dispose the elongated bass reflex port  109 , the space  106   b  is formed so as to elongate toward the side opposite to the space  106   a . Moreover, parts such as the connector  71  for external connection and a capacitor (not shown) mounted on a wiring board  107  are disposed on the side of the adjoining space  106   a , so that the space  106   b  can be secured without affected by the parts such as the connector  71  and the capacitor. 
     The rest of the structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, and common parts are denoted by the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof are omitted. 
     In the speaker device  101 , the sealability of the spaces  106   a  and  106   b  where the speaker units  102   a  and  102   b  are disposed, respectively, can also be secured with ease by closing the gap around the wiring board  107  by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82  as in the speaker device  1  of the first embodiment. 
     Moreover, regarding the wiring board  107 , since the parts such as the connector  71  and the capacitor are unevenly distributed in the space  106   a  where the speaker unit  102   a  taking charge of the high frequency band is disposed, most of the substrate area is situated in the space  106   a . For this reason, the arrangement of the wiring board  107  is unbalanced with respect to the support portion by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 . However, since the wiring board  107  is supported by being pinched by the lower elastic member  81  and the upper elastic member  82 , the occurrence of vibrations can be suppressed, so that problems such as the occurrence of an abnormal noise and solder peeling can be avoided. 
     As described above, the present disclosure is also applicable to a speaker device having a bass reflex port. 
     While in the second embodiment, description is given by using a speaker unit having two speaker units, a structure having three or more speaker units may be adopted such as a structure having three speaker units  202   a  to  202   c  for high pitch sounds, for intermediate pitch sounds and for low pitch sounds, respectively, like a speaker device  201  shown in  FIG. 8 . 
     For example, in the speaker device  201  shown in  FIG. 9 , the speaker units  202   a  to  202   c  are accommodated in a plurality of spaces  206   a  to  206   c  lined up inside a box body  203 , respectively, and these speaker units  202   a  to  202   c  are electrically connected to a wiring board  207  disposed along the longitudinal direction of the box body  203 , whereby electric connection with the outside is secured through this wiring board  207 . In this case, by disposing the connector  71  in the space  206   a  accommodating the speaker unit  202   a  for high pitch sounds taking charge of the highest frequency band, the sealability of the space  206   c  accommodating the speaker unit  202   c  for low pitch sounds taking charge of the low frequency band and the space  206   b  accommodating the speaker unit  202   b  for intermediate pitch sounds which spaces require high sealability is ensured, and high reliability can be maintained. 
     The embodiments of the present disclosure will be summarized below. 
     The speaker device of the present disclosure is provided with: the housing having the box body and the lid for closing the box body; the partition wall configured to separate an inside of the housing to form a plurality of spaces; a plurality of speaker units accommodated in the spaces, respectively; the wiring board configured to electrically connect the speaker units to the outside; and the elastic member provided between the partition wall and the lid, and configured to close the gap with the periphery of the wiring board in a state that the elastic member holds the wiring board. 
     For example, the wiring board is disposed vertically to the partition wall. 
     By pinching the wiring board by the elastic members, the gap between the partition wall formed for placing the wiring board and the lid can be closed. Moreover, since a certain degree of size difference and warpage (of the cross section) of the wiring board can be absorbed by the elastic members, the sealability of the spaces where the speaker units are disposed, respectively, can be easily secured. 
     Moreover, since the wiring board is in contact with the housing (the partition wall of the box body and the lid) through the elastic members, vibrations of the housing are not readily transmitted to the wiring board, so that the occurrence of an abnormal noise by the vibrations can be prevented. Further, since the wiring board held by the elastic members is not forcibly corrected, the occurrence of solder peeling and the like can be avoided. 
     For example, the partition wall has the mount portion formed so as to be wider than the remaining part of the partition wall and where the elastic member is mounted and a guide portion that holds both side portions of the elastic member, mounted on the mount portion, so as to be removably insertable along the partition wall. 
     By providing the mount portion wider than the remaining part of the partition wall and further providing the guide portion holding the elastic member on the mount portion, the elastic member can be mounted on the partition wall in a stable state. Moreover, since the wiring board can be held in a stable state also when the wiring board is mounted on the elastic members provided in this manner, the workability of assembly can be improved, and the tolerance of the wiring board to vibrations can be enhanced. Moreover, since the elastic members are removably insertable into the guide portions, when wear and the like occur, the elastic members can be changed. 
     In the speaker device of the present invention, for example, the elastic member has the lower elastic member provided on the partition wall and the upper elastic member provided on the lid, and the wiring board is disposed in a state of being pinched between the lower elastic member and the upper elastic member. 
     In this case, by pinching the wiring board between the lower elastic member provided on the partition wall side (box body side) and the upper elastic member provided on the lid side, the gap around the wiring board can be easily closed. 
     Moreover, in the speaker device of the present invention, a structure may be adopted in which the elastic member is provided on either the partition wall or the lid and the wiring board is disposed in a state of being pinched by the elastic member. 
     For example, the speaker units take charge of different frequency bands, respectively, the connector for external connection is provided on the wiring board, and the connector for external connection is disposed in the space accommodating the speaker unit taking charge of the high frequency band. 
     The space where the speaker unit taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed is higher in sound pressure level than the space where the speaker unit taking charge of the high frequency band is disposed, and is required to have a high sealability accordingly. Therefore, by providing the connector for external connection in the space where the speaker unit taking charge of the high frequency band is disposed, the sealability of the space where the speaker unit taking charge of the low frequency band is disposed can be secured with reliability. 
     For example, the first part of the wiring board extending in the space, of the housing, accommodating the speaker taking charge of the high frequency band is larger in mounting area than the second part of the wiring board extending in the space accommodating the speaker, of the speakers, taking charge of another frequency band. 
     While the present disclosure has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments, it is obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit, scope or scope of the intension of the present disclosure. 
     The present invention is based upon Japanese Patent Application (Patent Application No. 2012-203853) filed on Sep. 18, 2012 and Japanese Patent Application (Patent Application No. 2013-188305) filed on Sep. 11, 2013 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     A speaker device capable of easily securing the sealability of the housing and avoiding problems such as the occurrence of an abnormal noise (a vibrating noise, a resonant noise, etc.) and solder peeling, particularly, a closed type speaker can be provided. 
     DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS AND SIGNS 
       1 ,  101 ,  201  Speaker device;  2   a ,  2   b ,  102   a ,  102   b ,  202   a  to  202   c  speaker unit;  3 ,  103 ,  203  box body;  4 ,  104  lid;  5 ,  105  housing;  6   a ,  6   b ,  106   a ,  106   b ,  206   a  to  206   c  space;  7 ,  107 ,  207  wiring board;  21  cone portion;  31 ,  131  bottom portion;  32 ,  42  side wall;  33 ,  133  partition wall;  43  partition wall (partition wall portion);  34 ,  44  mount portion;  35 ,  45  guide portion;  41  ceiling portion;  49  opening;  71  connector;  81  lower elastic member;  82  upper elastic member;  83  gasket;  109  bass reflex port