Patent Publication Number: US-9854351-B2

Title: Speaker device comprising structure inside housing

Description:
PRIORITY 
     This application priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) to a Korean Patent Application filed on Jun. 19, 2015, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial number 10-2015-0087789, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates generally to a speaker device, and more particularly, to a speaker device including a structure for controlling the flow of air. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     With the development of digital technology, a conventional analog type sound source may be changed into a digital type sound source and thus, people may store digitally-sampled sound source files in computers and storage media. Accordingly, the transmission of digital sound sources is now possible and portable devices such as MP3 players have emerged. 
     Users are able to listen to digital sound sources anywhere by using the portable devices with earphones, the speakers of the portable devices, or external portable speaker devices, as a means for playing the digital sound sources. 
     However, since the speaker devices require a large cabinet capacity in order to play the bass bands of the digital sound sources, it is difficult to play bass with a small speaker device, such as a portable speaker device. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure has been made to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. 
     Accordingly, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a speaker device for controlling a portion of the flow of air by using a structure therein. 
     Accordingly, another aspect of the present disclosure is to solve a vibration issue occurring from a speaker when a sound source is played by controlling a portion of the flow of air with a structure. 
     Accordingly, another aspect of the present disclosure is to allow a flow of air through a plurality of speakers and a plurality of radiators of a speaker device, thereby reducing the heat generation of the speaker device. 
     In accordance with an aspect of the present disclosure, a speaker device is provided. The speaker device includes a housing, first speaker unit disposed at a front surface of the housing, a second speaker unit disposed at the front surface, a first passive radiator disposed at the front surface, a second passive radiator disposed at a rear surface of the housing, and at least one structure disposed inside the housing, where the one of the at least one structure is disposed between the first passive radiator and the second passive radiator and disposed to form a gap, through which air flows, between the structure and at least one of the housing, the first speaker unit, the second speaker unit, and another of the at least one structure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates inflow of air through a conventional speaker device, 
         FIG. 2  illustrates inflow of air through a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates the inflow of air through a speaker device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of external and internal structures of a speaker device, according to van embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a sectional diagram of a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 6A  illustrates a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIGS. 6B-6C  are graphs illustrating a phase of air in each of a first passive radiator and a second passive radiator of a speaker device, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an electronic device for playing a sound source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a program module of an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 
     Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure are disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this does not limit various embodiments of the present disclosure to a specific embodiment and it should be understood that the present disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and/or alternatives of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. With respect to the descriptions of the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements. 
     The terms “include,” “comprise,” and “have” used herein indicate disclosed functions, operations, or existence of elements, but do not exclude other functions, operations, or elements. 
     For instance, the expressions “A or B”, or “at least one of A or/and B” may indicate include A, B, or both A and B. For instance, the expressions “A or B”, or “at least one of A or/and B” may indicate (1) A, (2) B, or (3) both A and B. 
     Terms such as “1st”, “2nd”, “first”, “second”, and the like used herein may refer to modifying various elements, but do not limit the elements. For instance, “a first user device” and “a second user device” may indicate different user devices regardless of the order or the importance. For example, a first component may be referred to as a second component and vice versa without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     In various embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that when a component (for example, a first component) is referred to as being “(operatively or communicatively) “coupled”” or “connected” with/to” another component (for example, a second component), the first component may be directly connected to the second component or connected through another component (for example, a third component). However, when a component (for example, a first component) is referred to as being “directly “coupled” or “connected” with/to” “ ” another component (for example, a second component), another component (for example, a third component) does not exist between the first component and the second component. 
     The expression “configured to” used in herein may be used interchangeably with expressions such as “suitable for”, “having the capacity to”, “designed to”, “adapted to”, “made to”, or “capable of” according to a situation. The term “configured to” may not necessarily mean “specifically designed to” in terms of hardware. Instead, the expression “a device configured to” in some situations may mean that the device is “capable of”. For example, “a processor configured (or set) to perform A, B, and C” may mean a dedicated processor (for example, an embedded processor) for performing a corresponding operation or a generic-purpose processor (for example, a CPU or application processor) for performing corresponding operations by executing at least one software program stored in a memory device. 
     Terms used herein are to describe specific embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The terms of a singular form may include plural forms unless they have a clearly different meaning in the context. Unless otherwise indicated herein, all the terms used herein, which include technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning that is generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. In general, terms defined in general dictionaries should be considered to have the meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of the related art, and, unless clearly defined herein, should not be interpreted in an idealized or excessively formal manner. In some cases, even the terms defined in this specification should not be interpreted as excluding embodiments of the present disclosure. 
     Hereinafter, a speaker device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The term “user” in this disclosure may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device using an electronic device (for example, an artificial intelligence electronic device). 
       FIG. 1  illustrates inflow of air through a conventional speaker device  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a sectional view of a conventional speaker device  100  is provided. The speaker device  100  includes a first speaker unit  110 , a second speaker unit  120 , a first passive radiator  130 , and a second passive radiator  140 . The convention speaker device  100  may make sound by moving (or vibrating) a diaphragm back and forth included in each of the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120 . Each of the first radiator  130  and the second radiator  140  may be a passive radiator and move back and forth in a bass band. 
     A permanent magnet included in each of the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120  may cause the diaphragm to move back and forth. Additionally, as the diaphragm moves back and forth, air may flow from the inside of the speaker device  100  to the outside through the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120  or may flow from the outside to the inside of the speaker device  100  through the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120 . 
     In  FIG. 1 , air flows from the inside of the speaker device  100  to the outside through the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120 . The flow of air from the outside to the inside of the speaker device  100  through the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120  may be performed in a manner which is the reverse of that illustrated in  FIG. 1 . 
     As the diaphragm of each of the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120  moves back and forth, air flows to the outside. In this case, since air inside the speaker  100  becomes insufficient, air flows from the outside to the inside of the speaker device  100  through the first radiator  130  and the second radiator  140 . The arrows A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , and A 4 , shown in  FIG. 1 , represents the flow of air in each of the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , the first radiator  130 , and the second radiator  140 , respectively. 
     The directions of air in the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140  are the same but the directions of air in the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140  are different from that in the first radiator  130 . Accordingly, since the flowing amount of air in the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140  and the flowing amount of air in the first radiator  130  do not cancelled out each other, vibration may occur in a direction that air moves in the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140  of the speaker device  100 . 
     The vibration occurring in the speaker device  100  becomes larger as the volume of a sound source increases. Additionally, in this case, as a current amount flowing in a voice coil included in each of the first speaker unit  110  and the second speaker unit  120  increases, heat generation may be increased. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates inflow of air through a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a sectional view of a speaker device  200  is provided. As compared to the speaker device  100  of  FIG. 1 , the speaker device  200  of  FIG. 2  may additionally include a structure  250  in a housing of the speaker device  200 . An operation of making sound through vibrations of the first speaker unit  210  and the second speaker unit  220  and an operation of making sound through vibrations of the first passive radiator  230  and the second passive radiator  240  correspond to that of the speaker device  100  of  FIG. 1  and thus, descriptions thereof are omitted. 
     The structure  250  is disposed inside the speaker device  200 . For example, the structure  250  may be connected to at least one surface of the housing of the speaker device  200  such as a bottom surface or a top surface of the housing of the speaker device  200 . For example, the structure  250  may be integrally connected as a portion of the housing of the speaker device  200 , and may contact as a separate object by coupling with the speaker device  200 . The structure  250 , for example, may include a battery for supplying power to the speaker device  200 . The structure  250  may be a removable battery insertable from one surface of the housing of the speaker device  200 . 
     Additionally, the structure  250  is spaced apart from at least one surface of the housing of the speaker device  200 , thereby forming a gap inside the speaker device  200  where air flows between the structure  250  and another component of the speaker device  200 . In more detail, the first surface of the structure  250  may face the first passive radiator  230 , and the second surface of the structure  250  may face the second passive radiator  240 . At least one of the other surfaces of the structure  250  may be spaced apart from the housing of the speaker device  200 , or the first speaker  210 , or the second speaker  210  of the speaker device  200 . As compared to the case where there is no structure  250 , in an embodiment of the present disclosure the structure  250  varies at least a portion of the flow of air. For example, at least a portion of the flow of air may be changed by the gap. 
     As mentioned above, while a sound source is played by the speaker device  100  in  FIG. 1 , the flowing directions of air in the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140  is the same, however, the flowing direction of air in the first passive radiator  130  is opposite from those of the first speaker unit  110 , the second speaker unit  120 , and the second radiator  140 . 
     On the other hand, while a sound source is played by the speaker device  200  in  FIG. 2 , the flowing direction of air in each of the first speaker  210  and the second speaker  220  is the same, and the flowing direction of air in each of the first passive radiator  230  and the second passive radiator  240  is the same. Additionally, the flowing direction of air in each of the first speaker  210  and the second speaker  220  is opposite from the flowing direction of air in each of the first passive radiator  230  and the second passive radiator  240 . When air flows through the gap, the phase of the air may be changed. The phase of the air, for example, may be changed by at least 90°. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates the inflow of air through a speaker device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a sectional view of speaker device  300  is provided. The speaker device  300  includes a first speaker unit  310 , a second speaker unit  320 , a first passive radiator  330 , and a second passive radiator  340 , and a plurality of structures  350  and  355 .  FIG. 3  illustrates the flow of air through the first speaker unit  310 , the second speaker unit  320 , the first passive radiator  330 , and the second passive radiator  340  when air flows out through the first speaker unit  310  and the second speaker unit  120  by the plurality of structures  350  and  355 . 
     A configuration excluding the structures  350  and  355  in the speaker device  300 , shown in  FIG. 3 , may correspond to the configuration of the speaker device  200 , shown in  FIG. 2 . Accordingly, description for the configuration of the speaker device  200  of  FIG. 2 , which is applicable to the speaker device  300 , will be omitted. 
     As compared to the speaker device  200 , shown in  FIG. 2 , the speaker device  300 , shown in  FIG. 3 , includes the plurality of structures  350  and  355 . The first structure  350  and the second structure  355  are disposed parallel to each other. The first structure  350  and the second structure  355  are spaced at a predetermined interval apart from each other. The predetermined interval is a gap through which air flows. As mentioned with reference to  FIG. 2 , the gap prevents at least a portion of the flow of air, thereby changing the phase of the air. 
     The degree that the phase of the air is changed may result from various factors. For example, the factors may include the area A of the gap, the length L of the gap, and the volume V of the gap. In relation to the flow of the air, when resonance occurs, a phase is inverted. As a condition that the resonance occurs, resonant frequency f is defined as Equation (1). 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     Resonant 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       Frequency 
                       ⁡ 
                       
                         ( 
                         f 
                         ) 
                       
                     
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       1 
                       
                         2 
                         × 
                         π 
                       
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     
                       
                         A 
                         
                           L 
                           × 
                           V 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   Equation 
                   ⁢ 
                   
                       
                   
                   ⁢ 
                   
                     ( 
                     1 
                     ) 
                   
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     Through the above equation, the gap, the first passive radiator  330 , and the second passive radiator  340  operate as a mutual resonator. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating external and internal structures of a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIG. 5  is a sectional diagram of a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the speaker device  400  is provided. Speaker device  400  includes a first speaker unit  410 , a second speaker unit  420 , a first passive radiator  430 , a second passive radiator  440 , and a structure  450 . 
     The structure  450  forms a gap through which air flows between the structure  450  and an upper surface housing  405  of the speaker device  400 . The gap, as described above, is designed to have a length and an area, which allow the speaker  400  to have a predetermined resonant frequency. Additionally, a volume between the structure  450  and a front surface housing of the speaker device  400  is designed to allow the speaker device  400  to have a predetermined resonant frequency. 
       FIG. 6A  illustrates a speaker device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.  FIGS. 6B-6C  are graphs illustrating a phase of air in each of a first passive radiator and a second passive radiator of a speaker device, respectively, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6A , the speaker device  400  including the first passive radiator  430  and the second passive radiator  440  is provided. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6B , a graph representing the phase of air in the first passive radiator  430  of the speaker device  400  is provided. 
     Referring to  FIG. 6C , a graph representing the phase of air in the second passive radiator  440  of the speaker device  400  is provided. 
     Additionally, the graphs shown in  FIGS. 6B and 6C  may each represent a time difference of the air. 
     When the speaker device  400  plays a sound source, the first speaker unit  410  and the second speaker unit  420  may vibrate back and forth primarily through a permanent magnet and a coil. In this case, air flows through the first speaker unit  410  and the second speaker unit  420 . As the first speaker unit  410  and the second speaker unit  420  are disposed at the front surface of the speaker device  400 , the flow of the air may primarily affect the first passive radiator  430  disposed at the front surface of the speaker device  400 . Then, the flow of the air may secondarily affect the second passive radiator  440  disposed at the rear surface of the speaker device  400 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 6A-6C , after the flow of air is measured from the first passive radiator  430 , the flow of air is measured from the second passive radiator  440  with a predetermined time difference. 
     Additionally,  FIGS. 6A-6C  show that the phase of air measured from the first passive radiator  430  and the phase of air measured from the second passive radiator  440  are the inversion of one another. This is because the phase of air is inverted at the resonant frequency f. 
     According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the speaker devices  200  to  400  may be connected to an additional electronic device (for example, a smartphone, a CD player, or an MP3 player) for receiving a sound source or a signal to play the sound source. Accordingly, the speaker devices  200  to  400  may include an input/output interface to be connected to the electronic device. The input/output interface, for example, may be a USB connector. Alternatively, the input/output interface may be a BT communication module. 
     Additionally, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the speaker devices  200  to  400  themselves may include a processor and a memory for playing a sound source. The processor may execute a sound source playback program stored in the memory and play a sound source stored in the memory by using the sound source playback program. 
     When the speaker devices  200  to  400  are an electronic device available for playing a sound source, a configuration of the electronic device will be described with reference to  FIGS. 7 and 8 . 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an electronic device for playing a sound source, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an electronic device  701  includes a bus  710 , a processor  720 , a memory  730 , an input/output interface  750 , a display  760 , and a communication interface  770 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device  701  may omit at least one of the components or may additionally include a different component. 
     The bus  710  is a circuit for connecting the components  710  to  770  to each other and delivering a communication (for example, control message and/or data) therebetween. 
     The processor  720  includes at least one of a central processing unit (CPU), an application processor (AP), and a communication processor (CP). The processor  720  executes calculations or data processing for control and/or communication of at least one other component of the electronic device  701 . 
     The memory  730  includes volatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory  730  stores instructions or data relating to at least one another component of the electronic device  701 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory  730  stores software and/or program  740 . The program  740  includes a kernel  741 , a middleware  743 , an application programming interface (API)  745 , and/or an application  747 . At least part of the kernel  741 , the middleware  743 , and the API  745  may be called an operating system (OS). 
     The kernel  741  controls or manages system resources (for example, the bus  710 , the processor  720 , and the memory  730 ) used for performing operations or functions implemented in other programs (for example, the middleware  743 , the API  745 , or the application  747 ). Additionally, the kernel  741  may provide an interface for controlling or managing system resources by accessing an individual component of the electronic device  701  from the middleware  743 , the API  745 , or the application program  747 . 
     The middleware  743  serves as an intermediary role for exchanging data as the API  745  or the application  747  communicates with the kernel  741 . 
     Additionally, the middleware  743  may process at least one job request received from the application  747  according to a priority. For example, the middleware  743  may assign to at least one application  747  a priority for using a system resource (for example, the bus  710 , the processor  720 , or the memory  730 ) of the electronic device  701 . For example, the middleware  743  performs scheduling or load balancing on the at least one job request by processing the at least one job request according to the priority assigned to the at least one job request. 
     The API  745 , is an interface for allowing the application  747  to control a function provided from the kernel  741  or the middleware  743 , and may include at least one interface or function (for example, an instruction) for file control, window control, image processing, or character control. 
     The input/output interface  750  serves as an interface for delivering instructions or data input from a user or an external device  702  or  704  to other components of the electronic device  701 . Additionally, the input/output interface  750  outputs instructions or data received from other components of the electronic device  701  to a user or the external device  702  or  704 . 
     The display  760  may include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or an electronic paper display. The display  760  may display various contents (for example, text, image, video, icon, symbol, and so on) to a user. The display  760  may include a touch screen, and may receive a touch, gesture, proximity, or hovering input by using an electronic pen or a user&#39;s body part. 
     The communication interface  770  sets a communication between the electronic device  701  and the first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , or the server  706 . For example, the communication interface  770  communicates with the second external electronic device  704  or the server  706  in connection to the network  762  through wireless communication or wired communication. 
     The wireless communication, as a cellular communication protocol, may use at least one of long-term evolution (LTE), LTE Advance (LTE-A), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), global system for mobile communications (GSM), and so on. Additionally, the wireless communication includes a short-range communication  764 . The short range communication  764  includes at least one of wireless fidelity (WiFi), Bluetooth (BT), near field communication (NFC), global positioning system (GPS), and so on. The GNSS includes at least one of GPS, Glonass, Beidou navigation satellite system (Beidou) and Galileo, that is, the European global satellite-based navigation system. Hereinafter, GPS and GNSS may be interchangeably used. 
     The wired communication may include at least one of universal serial bus (USB), high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), recommended standard 232 (RS-232), plain old telephone service (POTS), etc. The network  762  is a telecommunications network, for example, at least one of computer network (for example, LAN or WAN), internet, and telephone network. 
     Each of the first and second external electronic devices  702  and  704  may have the same or different type from the electronic device  701 . According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the server  706  may include a group of one or more servers. All or part of operations executed on the electronic device  701  may be executed on the first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , or the server  706 . When the electronic device  701  performs a certain function or service automatically or by a request, it may request at least part of a function relating thereto from the first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , or the server  706  instead of or in addition to executing the function or service by itself. The first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , or the server  706  executes the requested function or an additional function and delivers an execution result to the electronic device  701 . The electronic device  701  provides the requested function or service as it is or by processing the received result additionally. For this cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technology may be used. 
       FIG. 8  is a block diagram of a program module of an electronic device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , a program module  810  (for example, the program  740 ) is provided. The program module  810  includes an operating system (OS) for controlling a resource relating to the electronic device  701  and/or the application  747  running on the OS. The OS may include Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Tizen, or Bada. 
     The program module  810  includes a kernel  820 , a middleware  830 , an application programming interface (API)  860 , and/or an application  870 . At least part of the program module  810  may be preloaded on the electronic device  701  or may be downloaded from the first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , and the server  706 . 
     The kernel  820  includes a system resource manager  821 , or a device driver  823 . 
     The system resource manager  821  performs the control, allocation, or retrieval of a system resource. According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the system resource manager  821  may include a process management unit, a memory management unit, or a file system management unit. 
     The device driver  823  may be a display driver, a camera driver, a Bluetooth driver, a sharing memory driver, a USB driver, a keypad driver, a WiFi driver, an audio driver, or an inter-process communication (IPC) driver. 
     The middleware  830  provides a function that the application  870  requires commonly, or provides various functions to the application  870  through the API  860  in order to allow the application  870  to efficiently use a limited system resource inside the electronic device  701 . According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the middleware  830  includes at least one of a runtime library  835 , an application manager  841 , a window manager  842 , a multimedia manager  843 , a resource manager  844 , a power manager  845 , a database manager  846 , a package manager  847 , a connectivity manager  848 , a notification manager  849 , a location manager  850 , a graphic manager  851 , and a security manager  852 . 
     The runtime library  835  includes a library module that a complier uses to add a new function through a programming language while the application  870  is running. The runtime library  835  performs a function on input/output management, memory management, or an arithmetic function. 
     The application manager  841  manages the life cycle of at least one application among the application  870 . 
     The window manager  842  manages a GUI resource used in a screen. 
     The multimedia manager  843  recognizes a format for playing various media files and encodes or decodes a media file by using the codec corresponding to a corresponding format. 
     The resource manager  844  manages a resource, such as a source code, a memory, or a storage space of at least any one of the applications  870 . 
     The power manager  845  operates together with a basic input/output system (BIOS) to manage the battery or power and provides power information necessary for an operation of the electronic device  701 . 
     The database manager  846  creates, searches, or modifies a database used in at least one application among the application  870 . 
     The package manager  847  manages the installation or update of an application distributed in a package file format. 
     The connectivity manger  848  manages a wireless connection such as WiFi or Bluetooth. 
     The notification manager  849  displays or notifies of an event, such as arrival messages, appointments, and proximity alerts to a user in a manner of not interrupting the user. 
     The location manager  850  manages location information on the electronic device  701 . 
     The graphic manager  851  manages a graphic effect to be provided to a user or a user interface relating thereto. 
     The security manager  852  provides various security functions necessary for system security or user authentication. 
     According to an embodiment, when the electronic device  701  includes a phone function, the middleware  830  may further include a telephony manager for managing a voice or video call function of the electronic device. 
     The middleware  830  may include a middleware module for forming a combination of various functions of the above-mentioned components. The middleware  830  may provide a module specialized for each type of OS to provide differentiated functions. Additionally, the middleware  830  may delete part of existing components or add new components dynamically. 
     The API  860  is a set of API programming functions, and may be provided as another configuration according to OS. For example, in the case of Android or iOS, one API set may be provided for each platform, and in the case of Tizen, at least two API sets may be provided for each platform. 
     The application  870  includes at least one application for providing functions such as a home  871 , a dialer  872 , an SMS/MMS  873 , an instant message  874 , a browser  875 , a camera  876 , an alarm  877 , a contact  878 , a voice dial  879 , an e-mail  880 , a calendar  881 , a media player  882 , an album  883 , and a clock  884 . Additionally or alternatively, health care (for example, measure an exercise amount or blood sugar level), or environmental information provision (for example, air pressure, humidity, or temperature information) applications may be provided. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the application  870  may include an information exchange application for supporting information exchange between the electronic device  701  and the first external electronic device  702  and the second external electronic device  704 . The information exchange application includes a notification relay application for relaying specific information to the external device or a device management application for managing the external electronic device. 
     The notification relay application relays to the first external electronic device  702  or the second external electronic device  704  notification information occurring from another application (for example, an SMS/MMS application, an e-mail application, a health care application, or an environmental information application) of the electronic device  701 . Additionally, the notification relay application may receive notification information from an external electronic device and may then provide the received notification information to a user. 
     The device management application manages (for example, installs, deletes, or updates) at least one function (turn-on/turn off the external electronic device itself (or some components) or the brightness (or resolution) adjustment of a display) of the first external electronic device  702  or the second external electronic device  704  communicating with the electronic device  701 , an application operating in the external electronic device, or a service (for example, call service or message service) provided from the external electronic device. 
     According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the application  870  may include a specified application (for example, a health care application of a mobile medical device) according to the property of the first external electronic device  702  or the second external electronic device  704 . The application  870  may include an application received from the first external electronic device  702 , the second external electronic device  704 , or the server  706 . The application  870  may include a preloaded application or a third party application downloadable from the server  706 . The names of components in the program module  810  according to the shown embodiment may vary depending on the type of OS. 
     According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, at least part of the program module  810  may be implemented with software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. At least part of the program module  810  may be implemented by the processor  720 . At least part of the program module  810  may include a module, a program, a routine, sets of instructions, or a process to perform at least one function, for example. 
     The term “module” used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to a unit including a combination of at least one of hardware, software, and firmware. The term “module” and the term “unit”, “logic”, “logical block”, “component”, or “circuit” may be interchangeably used. A “module” may be a minimum unit or part of an integrally configured component. A “module” may be a minimum unit performing at least one function or part thereof. A “module” may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, “module” may include at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip performing certain operations, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a programmable-logic device, all of which are known or to be developed in the future. 
     According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, at least part of a device (for example, modules or functions thereof) or a method (for example, operations) according to this disclosure as in a form of a programming module, may be implemented using an instruction stored in computer-readable storage media. When at least one processor executes an instruction, a function corresponding to the instruction is performed. The non-transitory computer-readable storage media may include the memory  730 . 
     The non-transitory computer-readable storage media may include hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic media (for example, magnetic tape), optical media (for example, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), and digital versatile disc (DVD)), magneto-optical media (for example, floptical disk), and hardware devices (for example, read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), or flash memory). Additionally, a program instruction may include high-level language code executable by a computer using an interpreter, in addition to machine code created by a complier. The hardware device may be configured to operate as at least one software module to perform an operation of various embodiments of the present disclosure and vice versa. 
     A module or a programming module according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of the above-mentioned components, may not include some of the above-mentioned components, or may further include another component. Operations performed by a module, a programming module, or other components may be executed through a sequential, parallel, repetitive or heuristic method. Additionally, some operations may be executed in a different order, may be omitted, or other operations may be added. Moreover, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are suggested for the description and understanding of technical content but do not limit the range of the present disclosure. 
     Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted as including all modifications or various other embodiments based on the technical idea of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is defined, not by the detailed description and embodiments, but by the following claims and their equivalents.