Patent Description:
Personal computer devices that support various functions are provided. These electronic devices are requested to support various functions of a high performance while being miniaturized in terms of design.

For example, there is a need for various speaker designs to improve a sound output performance by mounting a high-end speaker in an electronic device, but not to increase a size and weight of the electronic device.

<CIT>discloses a speaker apparatus which comprises a front housing, a vibration part, a magnet part, an enclosure upper case, an enclosure lower case, and a rear housing. The vibration part, the magnet part, the enclosure upper case and the enclosure lower case are fixed to the front housing by means of at least one rib extending from the enclosure and a rubber damper. The rib has a through hole for receiving the damper. The damper has a groove for engaging the through hole of the rib. The damper also has a through hole for receiving a cylindrical post formed at the inside of the front housing.

In order to improve a sound output performance, it is necessary to secure an area in which a speaker is disposed, but it is substantially difficult to secure a disposition area of the speaker without reducing a mounting area of other components or increasing a size of the electronic device. Accordingly, it is necessary to secure a disposition area of the speaker without increasing a size of the electronic device through design combination between components that implement other functions unrelated to a sound output in the electronic device.

Various embodiments of the disclosure provide an electronic device capable of fixing a speaker at a designated position inside the electronic device by utilizing a rubber foot configuration disposed at a rear surface of the electronic device so that an outer housing of the electronic device does not directly contact a bottom surface.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an electronic device includes a rear case including at least one hole; a front case disposed to face the rear case; a speaker mounted in a space between the rear case and the front case and configured to output a sound signal to the outside; a speaker screw configured to connect the speaker and the front case; and a fixing member having a portion exposed to the outside through the hole of the rear case, and configured to connect the speaker and the rear case.

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the disclosure integrates a rubber foot configuration of an electronic device that contacts a bottom surface when a rear surface of the electronic device is placed at the bottom surface, and a speaker rubber configuration that fixes a speaker to a housing, thereby maximizing a mounting area of the speaker in the electronic device. Accordingly, a sound output performance can be improved by securing an internal volume (or space) of the speaker without increasing a size and weight of the electronic device.

Further, because one configuration can replace functions of two or more configurations, it is possible to obtain a cost reduction effect by reducing the number of components.

Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of this document will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

In the present disclosure, the terms such as "include" and/or "have" may be construed to denote a certain characteristic, number, step, operation, constituent element, component or a combination thereof, but may not be construed to exclude the existence of or a possibility of addition of one or more other characteristics, numbers, steps, operations, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof.

Furthermore, in the present disclosure, the expression "and/or" includes any and all combinations of the associated listed words. For example, the expression "A and/or B" may include A, may include B, or may include both A and B.

In the present disclosure, expressions including ordinal numbers, such as "first"and "second," etc., may modify various elements. However, such elements are not limited by the above expressions. For example, the above expressions do not limit the sequence and/or importance of the elements. The above expressions are used merely for the purpose to distinguish an element from the other elements. For example, a first user device and a second user device indicate different user devices although both of them are user devices.

In the case where a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "connected" or "accessed" to other component (e.g., a second component), it should be understood that not only the component is directly connected or accessed to the other component, but also there may exist another component (e.g., a third component) between them. Meanwhile, in the case where a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly accessed" to other component, it should be understood that there is no component therebetween. The terms used in the present disclosure are only used to describe specific various embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In this document, "configured to (or set to)" may be interchangeably used in hardware and software with, for example, "appropriate to", "having a capability to", "changed to", "made to", "capable of", or "designed to" according to a situation. In any situation, an expression "device configured to" may mean that the device is "capable of" being configured together with another device or component. For example, a phrase "processor configured to (or set to) perform A, B, and C" may mean an exclusive processor (e.g., an embedded processor) for performing a corresponding operation or a generic-purpose processor (e.g., CPU or application processor) that can perform a corresponding operation by executing at least one software program stored at a memory device.

It should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purpose only.

An electronic device according to various exemplary embodiments of this document may include at least one of, for example, a smart phone, tablet personal computer (PC), mobile phone, video phone, electronic book reader, desktop PC, laptop PC, netbook computer, workstation, server, personal digital assistant (PDA), portable multimedia player (PMP), MP3 player, medical device, camera, and wearable device. The wearable device may include at least one of an accessory type device (e.g., watch, ring, bracelet, ankle bracelet, necklace, glasses, contact lens), head-mounted-device (HMD), textile or clothing integral type device (e.g., electronic clothing), body attachment type device (e.g., skin pad or tattoo), and bio implantable circuit.

In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may include at least one of, for example, a television, Digital Video Disk (DVD) player, audio device, refrigerator, air-conditioner, cleaner, oven, microwave oven, washing machine, air cleaner, set-top box, home automation control panel, security control panel, media box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, AppleTV™, or Google TV™), game console (e.g., Xbox™, PlayStation™), electronic dictionary, electronic key, camcorder, and electronic frame.

In another exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may include at least one of a navigation device, global navigation satellite system (GNSS), event data recorder (EDR), flight data recorder (FDR), vehicle infotainment device, ship electronic equipment (e.g., ship navigation device, gyro compass), avionics, security device, vehicle head unit, industrial or home robot, drone, automatic teller machine (ATM) of a financial institution, point of sales (POS) of store, and Internet of things (e.g., bulb, various sensors, sprinkler, fire alarm, thermostat, street light, toaster, exercise device, hot water tank, heater, boiler).

In various exemplary embodiments, the electronic device may be flexible or may be two or more combinations of the foregoing various devices. An electronic device according to an exemplary embodiment of this document is not limited to the foregoing devices. In this document, a term "user" may indicate a person using an electronic device or a device (e.g., artificial intelligence electronic device) using an electronic device.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an appearance of an electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure.

With reference to <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment may include a display unit and a main body. For example, the main body of the electronic device <NUM> may be formed in a structure in which electronic components are mounted inside a housing enclosed by a front case <NUM> and a rear case <NUM> disposed to face the front case <NUM>. For example, in a partial area of the front case <NUM> of the main body, a component capable of inputting a user input to the electronic device <NUM>, such as a keyboard, may be disposed, but according to another embodiment, in the electronic device <NUM>, the display unit and the main body are integrally configured; thus, the display unit may be disposed on the front case of the main body instead of including a separate display unit.

Hereinafter, one side portion <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> of <FIG> will be described with reference to an enlarged view. For example, a plurality of speakers <NUM>, fixing members <NUM>, and speaker grill portions <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> to be described later may be disposed at various locations, respectively of the electronic device <NUM>.

According to various embodiments, at least one fixing member <NUM> is disposed at a rear surface of the electronic device <NUM>, which is a direction in which the rear case <NUM> faces. The rear case <NUM> includes at least one hole, and the fixing member <NUM> may be partially exposed to the outside through the at least one hole and be disposed to shield the at least one hole. For example, a portion of the fixing member <NUM> exposed to the outside may be configured in various shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, and a polygon, and is not limited to a circular shape illustrated in <FIG>.

The fixing member <NUM> according to various embodiments may be made of a rubber material.

For example, when the electronic device <NUM> is placed at the bottom so that the rear surface of the electronic device <NUM> faces an external bottom surface, the fixing member <NUM> may contact an external bottom surface through the portion exposed to the outside. When the electronic device <NUM> is placed at the external bottom surface, the fixing member <NUM> instead of the rear case <NUM> contacts the external bottom surface; thus, the fixing member <NUM> contacts the external bottom surface with a greater friction than when the rear case <NUM> contacts the external bottom surface, thereby minimizing shaking or slipping of the electronic device <NUM>. Further, because the rear case <NUM> does not directly contact the bottom surface, damage of a surface of the rear case <NUM> may be prevented and an internal heat generated when the electronic device <NUM> is driven through a space spaced from the bottom surface may be easily emitted or unnecessary noise may be prevented from occurring.

The electronic device <NUM> includes a speaker <NUM> inside the housing of the main body. For example, the speaker <NUM> may output a sound signal to the outside under the control of a processor of the electronic device <NUM>.

In order to smoothly output the sound signal from the speaker <NUM> to the outside, the rear case <NUM> may further include a speaker grill portion <NUM> formed with a plurality of holes. For example, the speaker grill portion <NUM> may be integrally formed with the rear case <NUM>.

According to various embodiments of the disclosure, the fixing member <NUM> may be disposed so that the fixing member <NUM> passes through each of a speaker hole of the speaker <NUM> and a hole of the rear case <NUM>, and at least a portion thereof is exposed to the outside. The fixing member <NUM> may physically connect the rear case <NUM> and the speaker <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> to fix the speaker <NUM> so that the speaker <NUM> may be disposed at a designated position of the rear case <NUM>.

<FIG> is an exploded perspective view illustrating an internal structure of a side portion <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure, and <FIG> is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a side portion <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> taken along a plane A-A' of <FIG>.

With reference to <FIG> and <FIG>, an electronic device <NUM> includes a rear case <NUM> and a front case <NUM> disposed to face the rear case <NUM>, and mount an electronic component (e.g., a speaker <NUM>) between the rear case <NUM> and the front case <NUM>.

The rear case <NUM> includes at least one hole <NUM> for penetrating the fixing member <NUM>. The rear case <NUM> may include a speaker grill portion <NUM> serving as an outlet for a sound signal output from the speaker <NUM>.

The speaker <NUM> is an electronic component for outputting a sound signal to the outside, and may be configured with, for example, a speaker component <NUM> of at least one of a vibration plate, a coil, a magnetic body, and a vibration motor, and a space for resonance. For example, the speaker <NUM> may generate a sound signal through resonance of the vibration plate, and in this case, the wider the resonance space inside the speaker <NUM> in which the sound signal may be resonated is designed, the more advantageous a sound output performance of the speaker <NUM> may be.

The speaker grill portion <NUM> of the rear case <NUM> may be formed in an area corresponding to a disposition position of the speaker components <NUM>.

The speaker <NUM> includes a first speaker hole <NUM> for penetrating the fixing member <NUM>. The fixing member <NUM> connects the rear case <NUM> and the speaker while penetrating the hole <NUM> of the rear case <NUM> and the first speaker hole <NUM> of the speaker <NUM>.

The fixing member <NUM> according to various embodiments may have a cylindrical structure including a plurality of grooves. According to another embodiment, the fixing member <NUM> may have an elliptical column shape or a polygonal (e.g., square) column shape in addition to the cylindrical structure.

The fixing member <NUM> includes a first groove of a size corresponding to the hole <NUM> of the rear case <NUM> in order to fix the speaker <NUM> to an area of the rear case <NUM> while passing through each of the rear case <NUM> and the speaker and a second groove having a size corresponding to a first speaker hole <NUM> of the speaker <NUM>. For example, the rear case <NUM> may be coupled to the first groove, and the speaker <NUM> may be coupled to the second groove.

In order to fix the speaker <NUM> to an area of the front case <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may further include a speaker screw <NUM> for connecting the speaker <NUM> and the front case <NUM>.

For example, the speaker <NUM> may further include a second speaker hole <NUM> for penetrating the speaker screw <NUM>. The speaker screw <NUM> may include speaker rubbers 290a and 290b, for example, may be configured with a structure corresponding to a coupling structure <NUM> protruded from the front case <NUM> and a structure (not illustrated) provided inside the second speaker hole <NUM> of the speaker <NUM> to fix the speaker <NUM> to the front case <NUM>.

Unlike the fixing member <NUM>, the speaker screw <NUM> may not be exposed to the outside. For example, the fixing member <NUM> may be disposed in an area corresponding to the hole of the rear case <NUM> to connect the rear case <NUM> and the speaker <NUM>, but the speaker screw <NUM> may connect the speaker <NUM> and the front case <NUM> in an area inside the rear case <NUM> that is not visible from the outside.

In order to support the fixing member <NUM> protruded in a direction of the front case <NUM> by passing through the speaker <NUM>, the front case <NUM> may further include a support member <NUM> protruded in an inner direction of the electronic device <NUM> at a position corresponding to the fixing member <NUM>. The fixing member <NUM> according to various embodiments is made of a rubber material, and when the fixing member <NUM> is pressed by an external object, the fixing member <NUM> may be supported by the support member <NUM> and absorb some external impact.

According to an embodiment, the support member <NUM> may further include a rib structure (not illustrated) at a side portion (e.g., a side portion of a cylindrical surface of the support member <NUM>) in order to effectively absorb an impact from the outside.

According to an embodiment, the support member <NUM> has a detachable separate structure and may have a structure coupled to one surface of the front case <NUM>. According to another embodiment, the support member <NUM> may not be configured as a separate component and may be integrally formed at an inner surface of the front case <NUM>. For example, the support member <NUM> may be implemented in various shapes, such as a polygonal column structure, and a structure formed in only a rib structure without including a column in the center, in addition to the cylindrical structure illustrated in <FIG>. The electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments may include a fastening structure in which the rear case <NUM> and the front case <NUM> are mechanically coupled to each other. For example, as illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG>, each mechanical fastening structure is formed in an outer periphery of the rear case <NUM> and the front case <NUM>; thus, the rear case <NUM> and the front case <NUM> may be coupled to each other through the fastening structure.

The electronic device <NUM> according to various embodiments of the disclosure may serve to protect the rear case <NUM> through a portion of the fixing member <NUM> exposed to the outside while connecting the rear case <NUM> and the speaker <NUM> through the fixing member <NUM>. Because the fixing member <NUM> includes a plurality of grooves to fix the rear case <NUM> and the speaker <NUM> at a designated position, the fixing member may fix the rear case <NUM>, the speaker <NUM>, and the front case <NUM> while minimizing the number of the speaker screw <NUM> penetrating the speaker <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM>. Accordingly, because the speaker <NUM> of the electronic device <NUM> can design an internal resonance space as wide as possible, the maximum performance of the speaker <NUM> can be implemented in a limited space.

According to various embodiments, the electronic device <NUM> may mount a plurality of speakers <NUM> therein. In this case, a plurality of fixing members <NUM> may be provided to correspond to the plurality of speakers <NUM>, and each of the fixing members <NUM> may pass through any one of a plurality of holes of the rear case <NUM> to fix each of the speakers <NUM> to the rear case <NUM>.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating a fixing member <NUM> according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

With reference to <FIG>, the fixing member <NUM> includes a first groove <NUM> formed in a size corresponding to a hole of the rear case <NUM> to insert and couple the rear case <NUM> and a second groove <NUM> formed in a size corresponding to a first speaker hole of the speaker <NUM> to insert and couple the speaker <NUM>.

In the fixing member <NUM> according to an embodiment, an outer diameter of the first groove <NUM> may be larger than that of the second groove <NUM>. For example, by forming an outer diameter of the first groove <NUM> to be larger than that of the second groove <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may secure a resonance space of the speaker <NUM> as wide as possible, while by increasing an area of the fixing member <NUM> exposed to the outside through the hole of the rear case <NUM>, the electronic device <NUM> may increase a contact area with an outer bottom surface of the fixing member <NUM>.

The fixing member <NUM> according to various embodiments may be configured in a substantially cylindrical shape, as illustrated in <FIG>, but may be configured in various shapes such as an elliptical column shape or a polygonal column shape, and in this case, it may be understood that outer diameters of the first groove portion <NUM> and the second groove portion <NUM> are cross-sectional areas of the first groove portion <NUM> and the second groove portion <NUM>, respectively.

The term "module" used in the disclosure may mean, for example, a unit including one of hardware, software, or firmware or a combination of two or more of hardware, software, or firmware. The "module" may be used interchangeably with terms, for example, a unit, logic, logical block, component, or circuit. The "module" may be a smallest unit or part of an integrally configured component. The "module" may be a smallest unit or a part that performs one or more functions. The "module" may be implemented mechanically or electronically. For example, the "module" may include at least one of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chip, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or a programmable-logic device, known or to be developed in the future, that perform any operations.

At least a part of a device (e.g., modules or functions thereof) or a method (e.g., operations) according to various embodiments may be implemented into, for example, instructions stored in a computer-readable storage media in the form of a program module. When the instruction is executed by a processor, the one or more processors may perform a function corresponding to the instruction. The computer-readable storage media may be, for example, a memory.

The computer-readable storage media may include a hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic media (e.g., magnetic tape), optical media (e.g., compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), digital versatile disc (DVD), magneto-optical media (e.g. floptical disk), and a hardware device (e.g., read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM)), or flash memory). Further, the program command may include not only a machine language code generated by a compiler, but also a high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter. The above-described hardware device may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of various embodiments, and vice versa.

A module or a program module according to various embodiments may include at least one of the aforementioned constituent elements, may omit some thereof, or may further include other additional constituent elements. Operations performed by a module, a program module, or other components according to various embodiments may be executed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner. Further, some operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or add other operations.

Claim 1:
An electronic device (<NUM>), comprising:
a rear case (<NUM>) comprising at least one hole (<NUM>);
a front case (<NUM>) disposed to face the rear case (<NUM>);
a speaker (<NUM>) mounted in a space between the rear case (<NUM>) and the front case (<NUM>), configured to output a sound signal to an outside of the electronic device and comprising a speaker hole (<NUM>); and
a fixing member (<NUM>) having a portion exposed to the outside through the hole (<NUM>) of the rear case (<NUM>) and another portion penetrating the speaker hole (<NUM>), the fixing member (<NUM>) configured to connect the speaker (<NUM>) and the rear case (<NUM>) so that the speaker (<NUM>) is fixed to the rear case (<NUM>),
wherein the fixing member (<NUM>) comprises
a first groove (<NUM>) formed in a size corresponding to the hole (<NUM>) of the rear case (<NUM>) and to which a portion of the rear case (<NUM>) around the at least one hole (<NUM>) is inserted and coupled;
a second groove (<NUM>) formed on the another portion and in a size corresponding to the speaker hole (<NUM>) of the speaker (<NUM>) and to which a portion of the speaker (<NUM>) around the speaker hole (<NUM>) is inserted and coupled.