Patent Publication Number: US-9838778-B2

Title: Speaker and electronic device having the speaker

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a speaker, more particularly, to a speaker with a cover for diverting the sound from the drive unit such that the sound is transmitted in different directions, and, specifically, to an electronic device equipped with the speaker. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Recently, with rapid developments in technology, portable electronic devices such as tablet computers, smart phones and laptops are designed to be compact and thin to allow users to carry them easily and enjoy the functions provided by the devices. Due to the trend of compact and thin designs, the size of the speakers installed in the above-mentioned devices has to be reduced accordingly in order to comply with the sizes of the above-mentioned devices. Thus, the sound output of the speaker is confined to a certain direction, and users usually have to sit in front of the above-mentioned device to fully enjoy the sound from the speaker. This situation causes a burden to users. Therefore, an improvement is needed. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the present invention to provide a speaker with a cover for diverting the sound from the drive unit, such that the sound is transmitted in different directions, and to provide an electronic device equipped with the speaker. 
     To achieve the abovementioned object, the speaker of the present invention comprises a main body and a cover. The main body comprises a drive unit and a tube. The tube is situated at a side of the drive unit. The cover is situated above the main body for covering the tube and a portion of the drive unit, such that the drive unit has a covered portion and an uncovered portion. The cover comprises a hole. The sound from the covered portion is output via the tube along a first direction. The sound from the uncovered portion is output via the hole along a second direction. 
     The present invention further provides an electronic device comprising at least one of the above-mentioned speaker. Due to the design of the present invention, the directivity and the volume of the sound generated by the speaker of the present invention are increased. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view diagram of the first embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic drawing of the first embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional drawing of the first embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 4  is a top-view drawing of the first embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view diagram of the second embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 6  is a schematic drawing of the second embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional drawing of the second embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional drawing of the third embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 9  is a schematic drawing of the third embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional drawing of the third embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 11  is an exploded view diagram of the fourth embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 12  is a schematic drawing illustrating the operation of the fourth embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates the frequency response curves of the fourth embodiment of the speaker. 
         FIG. 14  is a schematic drawing of the environment according to the fourth embodiment of the speaker. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The technical aspects of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of several preferred embodiments. Please refer to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 , which present an exploded view diagram, a schematic drawing, a cross-sectional drawing, and a top-view drawing of the first embodiment of the speaker. The speaker  1  of the present invention can be installed on an electronic device such as a laptop, a tablet computer, or a liquid-crystal display. As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , in the first embodiment, the speaker  1  comprises a main body  10  and a cover  20 . The cover  20  covers and is situated above the main body  10 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the main body  10  comprises a drive unit  12 , two tubes  13 , an upper surface  14 , two first sound holes  15 , an opening  16 , a plate  17  and a base  18 . The drive unit  12  of the present embodiment can be in a horn or conical shape. Therefore, when the drive unit  12  is operating, the sound generated by the drive unit  12  is uniformly transmitted outward. The sound output surface of the drive unit  12  is circular, and the material of the membrane of the drive unit  12  can be paper, aluminum, or PET. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments. According to the design requirements of the drive unit of the speaker  1 , which is the loudspeaker of the present embodiment, the sound output surface of the drive unit  12  can also be rectangular in shape. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the drive unit  12  is accommodated in an accommodating spaced formed by the base  18 . The plate  17  covers and is situated above the base  18 . In the present embodiment, the upper surface  14  is a surface close to the plate  17 . As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 3 , the drive unit  12  passes through the opening  16 , which is roughly at the same vertical level as the upper surface  14 . Two tubes  13  are situated on the upper surface  14 . The two tubes  13  communicate with the drive unit  12  and are situated at the opposite sides of the drive unit  12 . Two first sound holes  15  are individually situated at the ends of the two tubes  13  that are away from the drive unit  12 . It is noted that the quantity of the tubes  13  can be single or a plurality and that the tubes  13  can be disposed around the drive unit  12 . The quantity of the first sound holes  15  is equal to the quantity of the tubes  13 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 4 , the cover  20  comprises a hole  21 . In the present embodiment, the shape of the hole  21  is circular and matches the sound output surface of the drive unit  12 . However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The cover  20  is situated above the upper surface  14 , such that it covers the two tubes  13  and a portion of the drive unit  12 , thereby forming a Helmholtz resonant cavity between the cover  20  and the two tubes  13 . Meanwhile, because of the hole  21  of the cover  20 , the drive unit  12  has a covered portion  121  and an uncovered portion  122 . The hole  21  overlaps with the uncovered portion  122 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , in the present embodiment, the center axis of the hole  21  of the cover  20  overlaps with the center axis of the drive unit  12 . In other words, as shown in  FIG. 4 , the covered portion  121  and the uncovered portion  122  are covered by the drive unit  12  in a concentric circular alignment; i.e., the covered portion  121  is situated around the surrounding of the uncovered portion  122 , and the uncovered portion  122  is situated at the center of the drive unit  12 . It is noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. The relative positions of the covered portion  121  and the uncovered portion  122  may remain unchanged even when the drive unit  12  is rectangular in shape. 
     It is noted that, as shown in  FIG. 3 , when the drive unit  12  operates, the sound waves generated by the drive unit  12  are diverted along two different expansion paths due to the cover  20 . The sound waves from the uncovered portion  122  overlapping with the hole  21  are output via the hole  21 . The sound waves from the portion covered by the cover  20  are output via the tube  13  through the first sound hole  15  due to the Helmholtz resonant theory. In other words, as shown in  FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4 , the sound output by the drive unit  12  can be diverted along two directions by the cover  20 ; i.e., the sound from the covered portion  121  is output first through the first sound hole  15  along a first direction D 1  via the tube  13  to create a new direction of movement for the sound output by the drive unit  12 . The sound from the uncovered portion  122  is output directly via the hole  21  along a second direction D 2 . Therefore, in addition to the original sound output direction (the second direction D 2 ), a second direction (along tube  13 ) is provide by the speaker  1  due to the Helmholtz resonant theory, such that the directivity and the volume of the sound generated by the speaker  1  are increased. 
     It is noted that the area of the hole  21  (the area of the uncovered portion  122 ) ranges from 30% and 60% of the original sound output area of the drive unit  12 . In order to ensure the quality of the high frequency output and the quantity of the sound from the original output direction of the drive unit  12 , a preferred range of the area of the hole  21  (the area of the uncovered portion  122 ) is between ½ to ⅓ of the original sound output area of drive unit  12 . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first direction D 1  is perpendicular to the original output direction of the drive unit  12 . 
     Please refer to  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 7 , which present an exploded view diagram, a schematic drawing and a cross-sectional drawing of a second embodiment of the speaker. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5  to  FIG. 7 , in the second embodiment, the speaker  1   a  comprises a main body  10 , a cover  20  and a bass reflex box  30 . The structure and the relative positions of the main body  10  and the cover  20  of the second embodiment are the same as those disclosed in the first embodiment. For brevity, the detailed descriptions are omitted, but please refer to the related disclosure in the first embodiment. The bass reflex box  30  comprises a cavity  31 , two second sound holes  32  and a bump  33 . In the second embodiment, the main body  10  is a closed front cavity of the speaker  1   a . The main body  10  is disposed in the bass reflex box  30  and is situated on the bump  33 . The cavity  31  of the bass reflex box  30  communicates with the two tubes  13  of the main body  10 . The two second sound holes  32  are individually situated at the two opposite sides of the bass reflex box  30 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , due to the design of the cover  20  and the tube  13 , when the drive unit  12  operates, the sound waves from the uncovered portion  122  overlapping with the hole  21  are output via the hole  21 . The sound waves from the portion covered by the cover  20  are transmitted via the tube  13 , enter the cavity  31 , and then are output via the second sound hole  32  along the first direction D 1 . As a result, the low frequencies that are output by the speaker  1   a  can be extended, abnormal sound is prevented, and tolerated power is increased. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 8  to  FIG. 10 , which present an exploded view diagram, a schematic drawing, and a cross-sectional drawing of the third embodiment. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 10 , in the third embodiment, the speaker  1   b  comprises a main body  10 , a cover  20  and a bass reflex box  30   a . The structure and the relative positions of the main body  10  and the cover  20  of the third embodiment are same as those disclosed in the first embodiment. For brevity, the detailed descriptions are omitted, but please refer to the related disclosure in the first embodiment. The most distinguishing difference between the bass reflex box  30   a  and the above-mentioned bass reflex box  30  is the location of the second sound hole  32   a . In the present embodiment, there is only one second sound hole  32   a , and the one second sound hole  32   a  is situated at the bottom of the bass reflex box  30   a . It is noted that the number of the second sound holes  32 ,  32   a  can be either one or two, and the invention is not limited by the disposition of the second sound holes  32 ,  32   a  in the bass reflex box  30  or  30   a.    
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , when the drive unit  12  operates, the sound waves from the uncovered portion  122  overlapping with the hole  21  are output via the hole  21 . The sound waves from the portion covered by the cover  20  are transmitted via the tube  13 , enter the cavity  31 , and then are output via the second sound hole  32  situated at the bottom of the bass reflex box  30   a  along the first direction D 1  due to the Helmholtz resonant theory. It is noted that, because the second sound hole  32   a  is situated at the bottom of the bass reflex box  30   a , the first direction D 1  is parallel to the second direction D 2  but faces in the opposite direction. Due to the additional output along the first direction D 1  of the bass reflex box  30   a , the low frequencies output by the speaker  1   a  can be extended to prevent sound distortion and increase the amplitude. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 14 , which present an exploded view diagram, a schematic drawing and a cross-sectional drawing of the fourth embodiment of the speaker. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , in the present embodiment, the speaker  1   c  is a micro-speaker and comprises a main body  10  and a cover  20   a . The cover  20   a  is situated above the main body  10 . The main body  10  comprises a drive unit  12   a , a tube  13  and a sound hole  15   a . The drive unit  12   a  of the present embodiment is a planar type drive unit having a length L and a width W. Specifically, when the drive unit  12   a  operates, the sound generated by the drive unit  12   a  is output along a single direction only. In other words, the sound is output along a direction perpendicular to the sound output surface of the drive unit  12   a . The sound output surface of the drive unit  12   a  is rectangular in shape, and the material of the membrane of the drive unit  12   a  is plastic. 
     In the present embodiment, the quantity of the tube  13  is one, and the tube  13  is disposed along the short axis of the drive unit  12   a . The sound hole  15   a  is situated at the end of the tube  13  that is away from the drive unit  12   a . As shown in  FIG. 11  and  FIG. 12 , the cover  20   a  covers the tube  13  and a portion of the drive unit  12   a , such that the drive unit  12   a  has a covered portion  121  and an uncovered portion  122 . By this design, a Helmholtz resonant cavity is formed between the cover  20   a  and the tubes  13 . The sound from the covered portion  121  is output via the tube  13  and the sound hole  15   a  along the first direction D 1 . The sound from the uncovered portion  122  is output along the second direction D 2 . Due to the design of the cover  20   a , when the drive unit  12   a  operates, the sound waves generated by the drive unit  12   a  are diverted along two different expansion paths. The sound waves from the uncovered portion  122  are still output along the original sound output direction (the second direction D 2 ). The sound waves from the covered portion  121  are output via the tube  13  through the sound hole  15   a  along a first direction D 1  due to the Helmholtz resonant theory. Thus, a new direction of movement of the sound of the speaker  1   c  is created to divert the sound of the speaker  1   c , such that it is output along its original sound output direction (the second direction D 2 ) and along the first direction D 1  for increasing the directivity and the volume of the speaker  1   c.    
     As shown in  FIG. 12 , because the drive unit  12   a  is rectangular in shape, the sound generated by the drive unit  12   a  is output along a single direction. According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to ensure the extension of the sound from the speaker  1   c , the drive unit  12   a  must be covered along a direction parallel to the long axis of the drive unit  12   a  by the cover  20   a  to prevent the sound waves generated by the drive unit  12   a  from interfering with each other and thereby reducing the output quality of the speaker  1   c . Furthermore, the area of the covered portion  121  ranges from 10% to 60% of the original sound output area of the drive unit  12   a . In order to ensure the quality of the high frequency output and the quantity of the sound from the original output direction of the drive unit  12   a , a preferred range of the covered portion  121  is from ½ to ⅓ of the original sound output area of the drive unit  12   a . Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first direction D 1  is perpendicular to the original output direction of the drive unit  12   a  (second direction D 2 ). 
       FIG. 13  illustrates the changes in the frequencies of the various percentages of the covered portion  121  which occupies the sound output area of the drive unit  12  of the speaker  1   c . As shown in  FIG. 13 , the change in the percentages of the covered portion  121  occupying the sound output area of the drive unit  12  extends the low frequencies of the speaker  1   c . It is also indicated in  FIG. 13  that when 40% to 60% (region a) of the drive unit  12  is covered, the speaker  1   c  outputs the sound with relatively better quality, around 7,000 Hz. As shown in  FIG. 14 , the speaker  1   c  can be installed on an electronic device  90  such as a laptop, a tablet computer, or a display. The number of speakers  1   c  thus installed can be one or a plurality. Furthermore, with the design of the cover  20 , the sound of the speaker  1   c  can be output both at the lateral side and in front of the user, and the directivity and the volume of the sound output by the speaker  1   c  can thereby be increased accordingly. 
     As described above, the objectives, means, and effectiveness of the present invention differ from the characteristics of the prior art. It should be noted that the embodiments described above are for illustrating the principles and effects of the present invention and not for limiting the scope of the present invention. Any person skilled in the art should be able to make modifications and changes to the embodiments without departing from the technical principle and spirit of the present invention. The claims of the present invention within the scope of protection are described below.