Patent Description:
Currently, smart phones on the market are increasingly focusing on entertainment experience functions. The demand for stereo sound in mobile phones is getting higher and higher. In scenes such as videos, movies, and games, mobile phones need to have a stereo function to improve audio experience.

During implementation of stereo sound, if a speaker module is used, relatively large space is occupied by the speaker module, thereby affecting arrangement of other devices in the mobile phone, even affecting a battery capacity; and if a speaker is directly mounted and a cavity in the entire machine is used as a sound chamber of the speaker, the working speaker can cause the battery cover and other assemblies to vibrate violently, thus affecting use experience of the phone.

<CIT> discloses a sound cavity structure of a mobile phone receiver. The sound cavity structure comprises a main body, and further comprises an assembling mechanism and a protection mechanism, wherein the main body comprises a rear shell; the assembling mechanism comprises a TP plate and a phone receiver, and is located at one end of a front shell; a front sound cavity is formed in one side of the TP board; one side of the front sound cavity is connected with a PCB; the phone receiver is located at the top of the rear shell; and a rear sound cavity is formed in one side of the phone receiver.

Embodiments of this application are intended to provide an electronic device, so as to solve the problems in the prior art that a loudspeaker occupies too much space, has poor sound performance, and causes components such as a battery cover to vibrate.

To solve the foregoing technical problems, this application is implemented as follows.

An embodiment of this application provides an electronic device, including: a display module, a middle frame, a sounder, a first structural member, a first circuit board, and a rear cover, where the middle frame is provided with an accommodation groove, and the display module is disposed in the accommodation groove; a side of the middle frame away from the display module is provided with a mounting groove, and the sounder is at least partially disposed in the mounting groove; the first structural member and the rear cover are disposed at the side of the middle frame away from the display module, the first structural member is located between the rear cover and the middle frame, and a first gap is present between the first structural member and the rear cover, where.

Optionally, a second gap is present between the display module and the middle frame, where the second gap forms a sound guiding channel, and the sound guiding channel communicates with the mounting groove.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes a first sealing member, where in the case that the first structural member and the middle frame enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, the first structural member and the middle frame are hermetically connected by the first sealing member, and in the case that the first structural member and the first circuit board enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, the first structural member and the first circuit board are hermetically connected by the first sealing member.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes a first connecting member and a second sealing member, where the first structural member is provided with a mounting hole, the middle frame is provided with a connecting portion, the connecting portion is corresponding to the mounting hole, and the first connecting member passes through the mounting hole to connect to the connecting portion; and the second sealing member is disposed at a side of the mounting hole away from the connecting portion, and the second sealing member covers the mounting hole.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes a third sealing member, where in the case that the first structural member and the first circuit board enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, the first circuit board and the middle frame are hermetically connected by the third sealing member.

Optionally, the first structural member is further provided with a leak hole, the leak hole communicates with the first sound chamber, and a damping screen is disposed in the leak hole.

Optionally, a rib is formed at an edge of the first structural member, and in the case that the first structural member and the middle frame enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, the first sealing member is disposed on a contact surface between the rib and the middle frame, and in the case that the first structural member and the first circuit board enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, the first sealing member is disposed on a contact surface between the rib and the first circuit board.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes:
a camera, where the camera is disposed in the first sound chamber, and the first structural member is further provided with a camera through hole, where the camera passes through the camera through hole to protrude from a surface of the first structural member, and a third sealing member is further provided on a contact surface between the camera and the first structural member.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes:
a flexible circuit board, where in the case that the first structural member and the middle frame enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, part of the flexible circuit board passes between the first sealing member and the middle frame to enter the first sound chamber to electrically connect to the first circuit board.

Optionally, the electronic device further includes:
a flexible circuit board, where in the case that the first structural member and the first circuit board enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, a notch is provided on the first structural member, part of the first circuit board is exposed from the first structural member via the notch, and the flexible circuit board is connected to the part of the first circuit board exposed via the notch.

Optionally, the first sealing member and the third sealing member are foam, and the second sealing member is polyester film (Polyester Film, PET).

In embodiments of this application, the first sound chamber is formed by the middle frame, the first structural member, and another part of the electronic device. This increases volume of the sound chamber while reducing the space occupied by the speaker, effectively enhancing speaker performance, improving sound quality, and suppressing the undesirable phenomenon that the speaker causes the battery cover to vibrate.

The terms "first", "second", and the like in this specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish between similar objects rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that a number used in this way may be interchangeable in an appropriate case, so that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in a sequence other than those shown or described herein. Objects distinguished by "first", "second", and the like are usually of one type, and a quantity of objects is not limited. For example, a first object may be one or more than one. In addition, in the specification and the claims, "and/or" represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character "/" usually represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the following describes in detail the electronic device provided in embodiments of this application by using a specific embodiment and an application scenario thereof.

In the prior art, a speaker module is generally disposed at the top of an electronic device. However, the inventors of this application have found: many components are disposed on the top of the electronic device, including a main board, a camera assembly, and the like, and in a case that the speaker module is used, too much space is occupied by the speaker module due to its large volume of the speaker module, and therefore, arrangement of the camera assembly is affected, and even a battery allowed to be mounted needs to have relatively small volume because excessive internal space of the electronic device is occupied, and correspondingly the battery has relatively low capacity; and if a speaker unit is used on the top of the electronic device, in order to ensure a certain sound effect, the internal cavity of the electronic device needs to be used as a sound chamber of the speaker unit, which causes a battery cover to vibrate violently when the speaker unit is working, affecting use experience of the mobile phone.

Refer to <FIG>, which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, an embodiment of this application provides an electronic device. The electronic device <NUM> is provided with a sounder <NUM> at the top, and the sounder <NUM> transmits sound outside through a second gap <NUM> in the electronic device <NUM>. In this embodiment of this application, a cavity with a specified volume is formed by internal components of the electronic device <NUM>, implementing a stereo sound without occupying too much space or causing a battery cover to vibrate. The electronic device <NUM> may specifically be a mobile phone, a tablet, or the like.

In an embodiment of this application, the electronic device may include: a display module, a middle frame, a sounder, a first structural member, a first circuit board, and a rear cover, where the middle frame is provided with an accommodation groove, and the display module is disposed in the accommodation groove; a side of the middle frame away from the display module is provided with a mounting groove, and the sounder is at least partially disposed in the mounting groove; the first structural member and the rear cover are disposed at the side of the middle frame away from the display module, the first structural member is located between the rear cover and the middle frame, and a first gap is present between the first structural member and the rear cover.

In an optional implementation, the first structural member and the middle frame enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder, and the first circuit board is located in the first sound chamber.

In another optional implementation, the first circuit board is located between the first structural member and the middle frame, a fixing groove is provided on the first circuit board, the sounder is partially disposed in the fixing groove, and the first structural member and the first circuit board enclose a first sound chamber of the sounder.

The following describes the foregoing two implementations with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Refer to <FIG>. <FIG> is an exploded view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of this application, and <FIG> is a first sectional view of a sounder according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, specifically, the electronic device <NUM> in the embodiments of this application may include a display module <NUM>, a middle frame <NUM>, a sounder <NUM>, a first structural member <NUM>, a first circuit board <NUM>, and a rear cover <NUM>, where the middle frame <NUM> is provided with an accommodation groove at the front, and the display module <NUM> is disposed in the accommodation groove provided at the front of the middle frame <NUM>; a lateral side of the middle frame <NUM> away from the display module <NUM> is provided with a mounting groove <NUM>, the sounder <NUM> is disposed at the back of the middle frame <NUM>, and the sounder <NUM> is at least partially embedded in the mounting groove <NUM> so as to prevent the sounder <NUM> from sliding; the first structural member <NUM> and the rear cover <NUM> are disposed at a side of the middle frame <NUM> away from the display module <NUM>, the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM> enclose a first sound chamber <NUM> of the sounder <NUM>, and the first circuit board <NUM> is located inside the first sound chamber <NUM>; and in addition, the first structural member <NUM> is located between the rear cover <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>, and a first gap is present between the first structural member <NUM> and the rear cover <NUM>. With the first gap, the first structural member <NUM> and the rear cover <NUM> are separated.

In an embodiment of this application, the sounder <NUM> may be a speaker, the display module <NUM> may include a screen, and the first structural member <NUM> is an internal structural member in the electronic device, and may specifically be a cover, a circuit board, or another component.

Optionally, in an embodiment of this application, a second gap <NUM> is present between the display module <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>, and the second gap <NUM> forms a sound guiding channel, where the sound guiding channel communicates with the mounting groove <NUM>, such that the sounder <NUM> can transmit sound to the outside of the electronic device <NUM> through the sound guiding channel, implementing sound output.

In this way, instead of designing a separate speaker module, embodiments of this application use a single sounder <NUM>, which does not occupy component stacking space at the top of the middle frame <NUM>. Furthermore, the internal space of the electronic device <NUM> is appropriately utilized by using the original components of the electronic device <NUM> to form the first sound chamber <NUM> with a larger volume, such that the sounder <NUM> has more excellent performance and a better stereo effect, avoiding a problem of a large speaker performance difference between the top and the bottom of the electronic device <NUM>. In addition, the first sound chamber <NUM> does not contact the rear cover <NUM> fixed at the back of the middle frame <NUM>, and therefore, sound waves are hardly transmitted to the rear cover <NUM> when the speaker is working, avoiding violent vibration of the rear cover <NUM> and improving user experience.

Refer to <FIG>, which is a first exploded view of a structural assembly according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, in an embodiment of this application, the electronic device includes a structural assembly <NUM>, and the structural assembly <NUM> further includes a first sealing member <NUM> apart from the first structural member <NUM>. In a case that the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM> enclose a first sound chamber <NUM> of the sounder <NUM>, the first sealing member <NUM> is disposed on a contact surface between the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>. In this way, a sealed first sound chamber <NUM> is formed between the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>.

Optionally, the first sealing member <NUM> may be in a same shape as that of an outer periphery of the first structural member <NUM>, for example, a rectangle. A material of the first sealing member <NUM> may be foam, and certainly, can alternatively be elastic rubber or another sealing material.

Refer to <FIG>, which is a sectional view of a connection position between the first structural member and the middle frame according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, <FIG>, and <FIG>, in an embodiment of this application, the structural assembly <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> may further include first connecting members <NUM> and second sealing members <NUM>. The first structural member <NUM> is provided with multiple mounting holes <NUM>, and connecting portions <NUM> are correspondingly provided at the back of the middle frame <NUM>. The first connecting members <NUM> are fastened to the connecting portions <NUM> through the mounting holes <NUM>, so as to implement fixed connection between the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>. As a gap may be present between the first connecting member <NUM> and the connecting portion <NUM>, in order to prevent the first sound chamber <NUM> from communicating with the outside, optionally, the second sealing member <NUM> is attached to a side of each mounting hole <NUM> away from the connecting portion <NUM>, and the second sealing members <NUM> cover the mounting holes <NUM> to seal the connection, thereby achieving better sound quality and reducing vibration interference to components outside the first sound chamber <NUM>. Optionally, the second sealing member <NUM> is a PET film. In an optional implementation, the first connecting members <NUM> may be screws, and correspondingly the mounting holes <NUM> serve as screw holes, and the connecting portions <NUM> serve as screw posts, which are columns provided with a screw hole. In another optional implementation, the first connecting members <NUM> may be buckles, the connecting portions <NUM> serve as catches, and the buckles pass through the mounting holes <NUM> to fit with the catches, so as to implement fixed connection.

Continue to refer to <FIG>. In an embodiment of this application, a leak hole <NUM> is further provided on the first structural member <NUM>, and a damping screen <NUM> is disposed inside the leak hole <NUM> or on at least one of two ends of the leak hole <NUM>. The leak hole <NUM> and the damping screen <NUM> are configured to adjust air pressure in the first sound chamber <NUM>, so as to avoid excessive air pressure which causes a noise problem.

Continue to refer to <FIG>. In an embodiment of this application, a rib <NUM> is formed at an edge of the first structural member <NUM>. With the rib <NUM>, the first structural member <NUM> is in a box shape, such that the first structural member <NUM> can form an enclosed space with the back of the middle frame <NUM>, and the first sound chamber <NUM> is further obtained by sealing the enclosed space. The first sealing member <NUM> is disposed on a contact surface between the rib <NUM> of the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>, and in a case that a pressing force is applied to the first structural member <NUM>, the first sealing member <NUM> can have a good sealing effect.

Refer to <FIG> is a sectional view at a camera according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment of this application, the electronic device <NUM> further includes a camera <NUM>. The camera <NUM> is disposed in the enclosed space, that is, the first sound chamber <NUM>, formed by the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>. In addition, a camera through hole <NUM> is further provided on the first structural member <NUM>, where a collection end of the camera <NUM> passes through the camera through hole <NUM> to protrude from a surface of the first structural member <NUM>, to collect optical signals. To ensure a sealing effect of the first sound chamber <NUM>, a camera sealing member <NUM> is further provided on a contact surface between the camera <NUM> and the first structure member <NUM>. The camera sealing member <NUM> may be annular, and the camera through hole <NUM> is located in an area enclosed by the camera sealing member <NUM>. In a case that the first structural member <NUM> applies a pressing force to the camera <NUM>, the camera sealing member <NUM> can have a good sealing effect. Optionally, the camera sealing member <NUM> may be foam, or may be elastic rubber or another sealing material.

Refer to <FIG> is a first schematic diagram of connection between the first circuit board and a flexible circuit board according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment of this application, the electronic device <NUM> further includes the flexible circuit board <NUM>, and the first circuit board <NUM> is disposed in the space enclosed by the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>, that is, the first sound chamber <NUM>. Generally, the flexible circuit board <NUM> needs to connect to the first circuit board <NUM>. The first circuit board <NUM> is covered by the first structural member <NUM>, and therefore, to seal a connection between the flexible circuit board <NUM> and the first circuit board <NUM>, part of the flexible circuit board <NUM> outside the first structural member <NUM> adheres to the back of the middle frame <NUM>, and another part of the flexible circuit board <NUM> passes between the first sealing member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM> to enter the first sound chamber <NUM> and then climb up to the first circuit board <NUM> to connect to the first circuit board <NUM>. As the flexible circuit board <NUM> is relatively thin, in a case that the first structural member <NUM> applies a pressing force, the first sealing member <NUM> can still have a relatively good sealing effect, thereby solving the leakage problem. Optionally, the first structural member <NUM> may be another circuit board than the first circuit board <NUM>, or may be a shelf board, a shield cover structure of the first circuit board <NUM>, or the like.

Refer to <FIG> is a second sectional view of a sounder according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, in another implementation of this application, different from the structure shown in <FIG>, the first circuit board <NUM> is located between the first structural member <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM>. A fixing groove is provided on the first circuit board <NUM>, and the sounder <NUM> is partially disposed in the fixing groove to reduce assembling thickness of the electronic device <NUM>. In addition, the first structural member <NUM> and the first circuit board <NUM> enclose the first sound chamber <NUM> of the sounder.

In a case that the first structural member <NUM> and the first circuit board <NUM> enclose the first sound chamber <NUM> of the sounder <NUM>, to ensure tightness of the first sound chamber <NUM>, the first sealing member <NUM> is used to hermetically connect the first structural member <NUM> and the first circuit board <NUM>. Specifically, a rib is formed at an edge of the first structural member, and the first sealing member <NUM> is disposed on a contact surface between the rib and the first circuit board <NUM>; and the first circuit board <NUM> and the middle frame <NUM> are hermetically connected by the third sealing member <NUM>. Optionally, the third sealing member <NUM> in use may be foam, or certainly, may also be a component made of elastic rubber or another sealing material.

Refer to <FIG>. <FIG> is a second exploded view of a structural assembly according to an embodiment of this application, <FIG> is a schematic diagram of a notch position of the first structural member according to an embodiment of this application, and <FIG> is a second schematic diagram of connection between the first circuit board and the flexible circuit board according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, in an embodiment of this application, optionally, in the case that the first structural member <NUM> and the first circuit board <NUM> enclose the first sound chamber <NUM> of the sounder <NUM>, a notch <NUM> is further provided on the first structural member <NUM>. Due to the existence of the notch <NUM>, part of the first circuit board <NUM> at the notch <NUM> is not covered by the first structural member <NUM>, that is, the first circuit board <NUM> is partially exposed from the first structural member <NUM> via the notch <NUM>, and in this case, the flexible circuit board <NUM> can directly connect to the first circuit board <NUM> at the notch <NUM>, thereby simplifying an assembly process.

As for other components and connecting manners thereof in this implementation, reference can be made to the descriptions in the previous implementation, and details are not repeated herein.

Refer to <FIG> and <FIG>. <FIG> is a front view of a middle frame according to an embodiment of this application, and <FIG> is a rear view of a middle frame according to an embodiment of this application. As shown in <FIG>, the back of the middle frame <NUM> is divided into three areas, that is, a top area <NUM>, a middle area <NUM>, and a bottom area <NUM>. A speaker module <NUM> is placed in the bottom area <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>, and the speaker module <NUM> transmits sound outside through a speaker outlet <NUM> at the bottom of the electronic device <NUM>. Though occupying relatively large space, the speaker module has little influence due to being arranged at the bottom of the electronic device <NUM>. Both the sounder <NUM> and the first structural member <NUM> are disposed in the top area <NUM> of the middle frame <NUM>, and a single speaker instead of a speaker module is used in this embodiment of this application. Therefore, relatively small space is occupied by the sounder <NUM> in the top area <NUM>, such that the space in the middle area <NUM> is correspondingly increased. Accordingly, a battery <NUM> with a relatively high capacity can be placed in the middle area <NUM>, thereby improving battery life of the electronic device. In addition, the sounder <NUM> in the top area <NUM> cooperates with the speaker module <NUM> in the bottom area <NUM> to generate a stereo sound effect.

In embodiments of this application, components such as the middle frame and the cover assembly of the electronic device form the first sound chamber and a sealed second sound chamber, such that the volume of the sound chamber is enlarged while space occupied by the speaker is reduced. This can effectively enhance speaker performance, improve sound quality, and suppress the undesirable phenomenon that the speaker causes the battery cover to vibrate.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>), comprising a display module (<NUM>), a middle frame (<NUM>), a sounder (<NUM>), a first circuit board (<NUM>), and a rear cover (<NUM>), wherein the middle frame (<NUM>) is provided with an accommodation groove, and the display module (<NUM>) is disposed in the accommodation groove;
characterized in that the electronic device (<NUM>) further comprises a first structural member (<NUM>), a side of the middle frame (<NUM>) away from the display module (<NUM>) is provided with a mounting groove (<NUM>), and the sounder (<NUM>) is at least partially disposed in the mounting groove (<NUM>); the first structural member (<NUM>) and the rear cover (<NUM>) are disposed at the side of the middle frame (<NUM>) away from the display module (<NUM>), the first structural member (<NUM>) is located between the rear cover (<NUM>) and the middle frame (<NUM>), and a first gap is present between the first structural member (<NUM>) and the rear cover (<NUM>), wherein
the first structural member (<NUM>) and the middle frame (<NUM>) enclose a first sound chamber (<NUM>) of the sounder (<NUM>), and the first circuit board (<NUM>) is located in the first sound chamber (<NUM>); or
the first circuit board (<NUM>) is located between the first structural member (<NUM>) and the middle frame (<NUM>), a fixing groove is provided on the first circuit board (<NUM>), the sounder (<NUM>) is partially disposed in the fixing groove, and the first structural member (<NUM>) and the first circuit board (<NUM>) enclose a first sound chamber (<NUM>) of the sounder (<NUM>).