Patent Publication Number: US-11665458-B2

Title: Electronic device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This is a Continuation of U.S. Patent Application No. 17/106,664, filed on Nov. 30, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/378,112 filed on Apr. 8, 2019, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,959,000, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 16/013,738 filed Jun. 20, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,299,022, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 14/614,021 filed Feb. 4, 2015, now U.S. Pat No. 10,028,044, which claims the benefit of foreign priority to Korean Application No. 10-2014-0014385, filed Feb. 7, 2014, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to an electronic device and, more particularly, to an electronic device in which a speaker assembly can be configured without being limited to the size of a casing. 
     Discussion of the Related Art 
     As an electronic device, such as TV, a personal computer, a laptop, or a handheld phone, has diverse functions, it is implemented in the form of a multimedia player equipped with complex functions, such as the photographing of photos or moving pictures, the playback of music or moving image files, game, and the reception of broadcasting. 
     An electronic device may be divided into a mobile terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether it is movable. The mobile terminal may be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal depending on whether a user can directly carry the mobile terminal. 
     In order to support and increase the functions of the electronic device, to improve a structural part and/or software part of the electronic device is being taken into consideration. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic device in which a speaker assembly can be configured without being limited to the size of a casing. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, an electronic device includes a body, a display combined with the front of the body, and a speaker assembly embedded on at least one side of the body. The speaker assembly may include a casing configured to form an external appearance and a speaker unit combined with the casing and configured to have at least part of an element of the speaker assembly exposed to an outside of the casing. 
     The speaker assembly may include at least one of cone paper, a frame outside the cone paper, and a magnet configured to operate in response to an electrical signal. The element may include at least one of the cone paper, the frame, and the magnet. 
     The diameter of the element may be substantially identical with the external diameter of the casing. 
     The casing may include a resonant region to which a sound generated by the speaker unit is delivered. At least part of the speaker unit may communicate with the inlet of the resonant region. 
     The casing may further include a spread hole provided on one side of the resonant region and configured to provide a path through which the sound passing through the resonant region is discharged to the outside of the casing. 
     The spread hole may be formed in the casing in a direction substantially identical with the direction of a cone paper of the speaker assembly. 
     The electronic device may further include a cushion provided in at least one of surfaces in which the casing is adjacent to the body and configured to have the casing and the body from having a direct contact with each other. 
     The electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is advantageous in that the speaker assembly can be configured without being limited by the size of the casing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention 
         FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional view of line I-I in the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    illustrates the speaker assembly of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    is a side view of the speaker assembly of  FIG.  3   ; and 
         FIG.  5    is an exploded view of the speaker assembly of  FIG.  3   . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     The above object, characteristics, and merits of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The present invention may be modified in various ways and may have some embodiments. Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in detail. The same reference numerals basically designate the same elements throughout the drawings. Furthermore, a detailed description of known functions or elements relating to the present invention will be omitted if it is deemed to make the gist of the present invention unnecessarily vague. Numbers (for example, the first and the second) used to describe the present invention are merely identification symbols for distinguishing one element from the other element. 
     Hereinafter, an electronic device related to the present invention is described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be noted that the suffixes of the elements used in the following description, such as “module” and “unit,” are assigned or interchangeable with each other by taking only the easiness of writing this specification into consideration, but in themselves are not particularly given importance and roles. 
       FIG.  1    is a perspective view of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  1   , the electronic device  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may include a body  110  and a display  151  combined with the front of the body  110 . 
     The body  110  may be a part that forms an external appearance of the electronic device  100 . If the electronic device  100  is a display device, the body  110  may include a bezel, that is, the outer circumference of the display  151 . The body  110  may have a minimized thickness. That is, this means that a body thickness WD, that is, the thickness of the body  110 , gradually becomes thin as an electronic device becomes slim. 
     A speaker assembly  10  may be placed on at least one side of the body  110 . For example, the speaker assembly  10  may be placed on the lower side of the body  110 . A plurality of the speaker assemblies  10  may be spaced apart from each other at a specific interval. 
     The speaker assembly  10  may have a base reflex type (i.e., a closed box type) which may have a relatively thin thickness. That is, this means that the thickness of the speaker assembly  10  may become thin as the thickness of the electronic device  100  becomes thin as described above. 
     Performance of the speaker assembly  10  may be represented in sound pressure. That is, if the speaker assembly  10  generates high sound pressure, it may mean that it has excellent performance. Sound pressure may be proportional to the magnetic flux density of a magnet ( 16  of  FIG.  2   ) that forms the speaker assembly  10 . The magnetic flux density of the magnet ( 16  of  FIG.  2   ) may be proportional to the size of the magnet ( 16  of  FIG.  2   ). That is, this means that the speaker assembly  10  may have improved performance as the size the magnet ( 16  of  FIG.  2   ) increases. 
     To improve the performance of the speaker assembly  10  may be limited by the body thickness WD of the body  110 . That is, this means that the size of the speaker assembly  10  may be limited due to the body  110  that becomes slim as described above. This may limit the size of the magnet ( 16  of  FIG.  2   ). The speaker assembly  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can minimize the limit. That is, this means specific performance can be secured despite the slim body  110  by optimizing the utilization of the space. 
       FIG.  2    is a cross-sectional view of line I-I in the electronic device of  FIG.  1   . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  2   , the electronic device  100  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may include the speaker assembly  10  inside the body  110 . For example, this means that the speaker unit  14  of the speaker assembly  10  may be downward placed at the bottom of the body  110 . In such a state, a sound generated by the speaker unit  14  may be spread to the lower side of the electronic device  100  and delivered to a user. 
     A speaker assembly thickness T, that is, the thickness of the speaker assembly  10 , may be smaller than the body thickness WD. That is, this means that a thickness obtained by subtracting casing thicknesses C 1  and C 2  and the thickness of a cushion  18  from the body thickness WD may be a pure speaker assembly thickness T. The speaker unit  14  may be placed inside the body  110  for a design reason. Accordingly, the size of the speaker unit  14  may be limited by the body thickness WD. 
     The casing thicknesses C 1  and C 2  may be determined by taking into consideration the entire stiffness of the electronic device  100 . The casing thicknesses C 1  and C 2  do not need to be uniform in the entire electronic device  100 . In this case, the casing thicknesses C 1  and C 2  may require stiffness. Accordingly, the size of the speaker unit  14  may be limited by the casing thicknesses C 1  and C 2 . 
     The cushion  18  may be combined with the outside of the speaker assembly  10 . The cushion  18  may be combined with both sides in which the speaker assembly  10  comes in contact with the casing  12 . The speaker assembly  10  may vibrate in response to an operation. That is, this means that the speaker assembly  10  may vibrate to some extent in a process of generating a sound. The cushion  18  may be used to prevent a phenomenon in which the casing  12  is shaken due to the vibration of the speaker assembly  10 . 
     The cushion  18  may be made of materials having specific elasticity. The cushion  18  may be made of rubber or sponge. 
     The magnet  16  may be placed in the rear of the speaker unit  14 . The magnet  16  may generate an electromagnetic force in response to an electrical signal. The speaker unit  14  may generate a sound due to vibration attributable to the electromagnetic force generated by the magnet  16 . 
     The magnet  16  operates based on the electromagnetic force the electrical signal as described above. Accordingly, the size of the magnet  16  and the amount of the electromagnetic force may have a specific correlation. The sound pressure of the speaker assembly  10  may be increased in proportion to the size of the magnet  16 . 
     The magnet  16  may be substantially the same as the speaker assembly thickness T, that is, the thickness of the speaker assembly  10 . That is, this means that in the speaker assembly  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the magnet  16  may be configured to be substantially the same as the outside thickness of the speaker assembly  10  by increasing space utilization irrespective of the thickness of the casing  12  that forms the speaker assembly  10 . The magnet  16  may be configured as great as possible because it can be configured irrespective of the thickness of the casing  12  that forms the speaker assembly  10 . 
       FIG.  3    illustrates the speaker assembly of the electronic device of  FIG.  1   . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  3   , the speaker assembly  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention may include the magnet  16  having substantially the same thickness as the speaker assembly thickness T. 
     In order for the width of the magnet  16  to be substantially the same as the thickness of the speaker assembly  10 , the casing  12  may have been removed from a part that belongs to the speaker assembly  10  and that corresponds to the magnet  16 . Accordingly, the magnet  16  may be increased by CW 1  and CW 2 , that is, the thicknesses of the casing  12 . This may be clearly understood when considering that the magnet  16  may have a thickness of about TI if the casing  12  is present. 
     The rear of the speaker unit  14  of the casing  12  may function as a resonant region (VR of  FIG.  4   ). That is, this means that a space in which a sound generated by the speaker unit  14  is amplified and/or spread may have been provided. 
       FIG.  4    is a side view of the speaker assembly of  FIG.  3   . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  4   , in the speaker assembly  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the magnet  16  may be externally exposed. 
     The speaker unit  14  may be placed on one side of the speaker assembly  10 . The magnet  16  of the speaker unit  14  may be exposed to the outside of the casing  12 . Heat generated from the magnet  16  can be easily spread to the outside because the magnet  16  is externally exposed. Accordingly, a phenomenon in which the casing  12  is deformed by the heat generated from the magnet  16  can be prevented. 
     The size of the magnet  16  can be maximized within a limited space because the casing  12  covering the magnet  16  is removed and the magnet  16  can be increased that much. Furthermore, a cost for materials corresponding to the removed part of the casing  12  can be reduced. The resonant region VR may be provided in the rear of the speaker assembly  10 . 
     The resonant region VR may be at least some region within the casing  12 . The resonant region VR may be a state in which at least some of the inside of the casing  12  is empty. 
     The resonant region VR may communicate with the speaker unit  14 . A sound generated by the speaker unit  14  may be amplified and spread through the resonant region VR configured to communicate with the speaker unit  14 . 
     The cushion  18  may be combined with the outside of the casing  12 . The cushion  18  may prevent vibration attributable to the operation of the speaker assembly  10  from being delivered to the body  110  of the electronic device  100 . The cushion  18  may be combined with both sides of the casing  12  that comes in contact with the body  110 . 
       FIG.  5    is an exploded view of the speaker assembly of  FIG.  3   . 
     As illustrated in  FIG.  5   , in the speaker assembly  10  in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a part of the speaker unit  14  may communicate with the resonant region VR. 
     The speaker assembly  10  may include a first casing  12   a  and a second casing  12   b.  The first and the second casings  12   a  and  12   b  may be combined to form the casing  12 . The inside of the casing  12  may be empty in a specific form because the first and the second casings  12   a  and  12   b  are combined. The empty internal space of the casing  12  may form the resonant region VR. 
     The resonant region VR may communicate with some region of the speaker unit  14 . For example, a frame outside cone paper that forms the speaker unit  14  may be combined with through holes  17 . Accordingly, a sound attributable to the operation of the speaker unit  14  may be spread to the inside of the resonant region VR through the through holes  17 . The sound spread through the through holes  17  may pass through the resonant region VR and may be spread to the outside of the speaker assembly  10  through a spread hole VO. 
     In the aforementioned embodiment, an example in which the magnet  16  of the elements of the speaker assembly  10  has been exposed to the outside of the casing  12  has been described. In some embodiments, however, another part of the speaker assembly  10  may be exposed to the outside of the casing  12 . For example, the cone paper that forms the speaker unit  14  and/or a frame outside the cone paper may be exposed to the outside of the casing  12 . That is, this means that the present invention may be applied to an element whose size is limited by the casing  12  in the speaker unit  14 . 
     The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiments, and it is evident to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be modified and changed in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, those changes and modifications should be construed as belonging to the scope of the present invention.