PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10015573-B2
Application Number: US-201615343020-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Acoustic assembly for an electronic device

Abstract:
A portable electronic device may have acoustic ports such as microphone and speaker ports. Acoustic devices such as microphones and speakers may be associated with the acoustic ports. An acoustic port may have an opening between an interior and exterior of the portable electronic device. The opening may be covered by a metal mesh. An acoustic fabric may be interposed between the metal mesh and the opening. The opening may be formed from a hole in a glass member having outer and inner chamfers. A microphone boot may be provided that forms front and rear radial seals with a housing of the device and a microphone unit respectively. The microphone boot may also form multiple face seals with the microphone unit. A speaker for the speaker port may be enclosed in a sealed speaker enclosure. The speaker enclosure may have a pressure-equalizing vent slit covered with an acoustic mesh.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device comprising:
 a display; 
 a cover glass over the display, wherein the cover glass has an opening with outer and inner chamfers; and 
 an acoustic component mounted adjacent to the opening. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a metal mesh between the opening and the acoustic component. 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising a layer of nonmetallic fabric located between the acoustic component and the metal mesh. 
     
     
       4. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising adhesive that connects the acoustic component to the cover glass and that forms a space between the metal mesh and the cover glass. 
     
     
       5. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 4 , wherein the cover glass comprises a layer of ink to which the adhesive is attached. 
     
     
       6. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the acoustic component comprises a speaker. 
     
     
       7. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 6 , further comprising a microphone port having a metal mesh and a layer of speaker fabric. 
     
     
       8. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 7 , further comprising:
 a speakerphone port having: 
 a metal mesh; and 
 a layer of speaker fabric. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the outer and inner chamfers of the opening help guide air into and out of the portable electronic device. 
     
     
       10. A portable electronic device comprising:
 a housing defining a front opening; 
 a cover glass disposed within the front opening, the cover glass having sidewalls that define a port extending therethrough, the sidewalls being shaped so that a central region of the port is narrower than opposing end regions of the port; 
 an acoustic component mounted to an interior facing surface of the cover glass proximate the port; and 
 a display mounted to the interior facing surface of the cover glass. 
 
     
     
       11. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the acoustic component comprises a speaker. 
     
     
       12. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 11 , wherein the speaker comprises a fully sealed speaker box. 
     
     
       13. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the opposing end regions of the port have a chamfered geometry that change a width of the port. 
     
     
       14. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the acoustic component comprises a microphone. 
     
     
       15. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising a metal mesh and a layer of speaker fabric disposed between the acoustic component and the cover glass. 
     
     
       16. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 15 , wherein the metal mesh and the layer of speaker fabric are adhesively coupled to the cover glass. 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 15 , wherein openings in the metal mesh are substantially larger than openings in the layer of speaker fabric. 
     
     
       18. A display assembly, comprising:
 a cover glass having a first side and a second side opposite the first side, the cover glass having sidewalls that define a port extending therethrough, the sidewalls being shaped so that a central region of the port is narrower than opposing end regions of the port; 
 an electronic display affixed to the first side of the cover glass; and 
 an acoustic component mounted to the first side of the cover glass. 
 
     
     
       19. The display assembly as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the acoustic component is configured to detect audio waves passing through the port. 
     
     
       20. The display assembly as recited in  claim 18 , wherein the acoustic component is configured to generate audio waves and transmit the audio waves through the port.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/943,714, filed Jul. 16, 2013; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/288,386 filed Nov. 3, 2011; which is a Division of Ser. No. 12/119,995 filed May 13, 2008; which claims priority from Provisional Application No. 61/044,347, filed Apr. 11, 2008, 61/041,522 filed Apr. 1, 2008, and 61/041,532 filed Apr. 1, 2008. Each of these references is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to acoustic systems for portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices. 
     Handheld electronic devices and other portable electronic devices are becoming increasingly popular. Examples of handheld devices include handheld computers, cellular telephones, media players, and hybrid devices that include the functionality of multiple devices of this type. Popular portable electronic devices that are somewhat larger than traditional handheld electronic devices include laptop computers and tablet computers. 
     Portable electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices may include acoustic components such as microphones and speakers. For example, cellular telephones have microphones and receiver speakers. Many cellular telephones also have speakerphone speakers. 
     It can be difficult to satisfactorily integrate acoustic components into compact electrical devices. If care is not taken, acoustic performance will suffer and devices will not be sufficiently protected from environmental effects. 
     It would therefore be desirable to be able to provide electronic devices such as portable electronic devices with improved acoustic features. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is provided. The device may have acoustic ports. The acoustic ports may include a microphone port and one or more speaker ports. The speaker ports may be used as speakerphone ports or as ear speakers for a receiver when the device is used as a telephone. 
     The acoustic ports may be formed from openings in the housing for the portable electronic device. The openings may be covered with one or more layers of mesh. For example, the openings may be covered with a metal mesh. A layer of acoustic fabric may be interposed between the metal mesh and each opening. The metal mesh may have larger holes than the acoustic mesh. This may make the metal mesh more attractive in appearance than the acoustic mesh. Because the metal mesh is formed from metal wires rather than nonmetallic threads, the metal mesh may be more resistant to damage than nonmetallic fabrics. The finer holes available in the acoustic mesh may help to prevent intrusion of fine particles that pass through the metal mesh. 
     Layer of adhesive may be used to connect the metal and acoustic meshes to the device. If desired, an acoustic port such as a receiver speaker port may be formed from an opening in a cover glass that is otherwise used to cover a display unit. The opening in the cover glass may have outer and inner chamfers. The lower surface of the cover glass may be covered with ink. A layer of adhesive may be used to connect a speaker to the cover glass. The layer of adhesive may create an air gap between the metal mesh and the ink, so that the ink is not scratched by metal strands in the mesh. 
     A microphone port may have a microphone unit and an elastomeric microphone boot. The microphone boot may have an opening that permits sound to enter the microphone unit from outside of the portable electronic device. A front portion of the microphone boot may form environmental seals with the housing of the portable electronic device. Raised ribs or other engagement features may be used to form a radial seal between the boot and the housing. A rear portion of the microphone boot may form environmental seals with the microphone unit. A front surface of the microphone unit may form a front face seal with the microphone boot. A rear surface of the microphone unit may form a rear face seal with the microphone boot. A surface on the microphone unit that is located between the front and rear surfaces may form a radial seal with the microphone boot. Metal mesh and acoustic fabric may be used to cover the opening. 
     Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantages will be more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of a multilayer mesh arrangement that may be provided in an acoustic port such as a microphone or speaker port in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional side view showing illustrative layers of material that may be included in an acoustic port in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative acoustic port with a chamfered opening in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of an illustrative speaker box with a vent hole in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative vent in a speaker enclosure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative speaker enclosure with a multihole vent structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 10  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative speaker enclosure with a separate vent hole structure that has been attached to one side of the speaker enclosure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 11  is a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative speaker enclosure with a vent hole structure to which a speaker enclosure has been attached using an overmolding process in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 12  is an exploded perspective view of an illustrative speaker enclosure and associated components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 13  is a perspective view of an illustrative speaker enclosure and associated components in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 14  is a cross-sectional side view of a microphone boot structure showing a microphone-boot-to-housing seal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional side view of a microphone boot structure showing a microphone-boot-to-microphone seal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 16  is a cross-sectional view of a sealing arrangement with semicircular recesses that may be used in forming a seal for an acoustic component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 17  is an end view of an illustrative acoustic component having an acoustic opening in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 18  is a cross-sectional view of a sealing arrangement with semicircular protrusions that may be used in forming a seal for an acoustic component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 19  is a cross-sectional view of a sealing arrangement with triangular recesses that may be used in forming a seal for an acoustic component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 20  is a cross-sectional view of a sealing arrangement with square recesses that may be used in forming a seal for an acoustic component in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to acoustic systems for electronic devices. 
     The electronic devices may be portable electronic devices such as laptop computers or small portable computers of the type that are sometimes referred to as ultraportables. Portable electronic devices may also be somewhat smaller devices. Examples of smaller portable electronic devices include wrist-watch devices, pendant devices, headphone and earpiece devices, and other wearable and miniature devices. With one suitable arrangement, the portable electronic devices may be wireless electronic devices. 
     The wireless electronic devices may be, for example, handheld wireless devices such as cellular telephones, media players with wireless communications capabilities, handheld computers (also sometimes called personal digital assistants), remote controllers, global positioning system (GPS) devices, and handheld gaming devices. The wireless electronic devices may also be hybrid devices that combine the functionality of multiple conventional devices. Examples of hybrid portable electronic devices include a cellular telephone that includes media player functionality, a gaming device that includes a wireless communications capability, a cellular telephone that includes game and email functions, and a portable device that receives email, supports mobile telephone calls, has music player functionality and supports web browsing. These are merely illustrative examples. 
     An illustrative portable electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . Device  10  of  FIG. 1  may be, for example, a handheld electronic device that supports 2G and/or 3G cellular telephone and data functions, global positioning system capabilities, and local wireless communications capabilities (e.g., IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth®) and that supports handheld computing device functions such as internet browsing, email and calendar functions, games, music player functionality, etc. 
     Device  10  may have housing  12 . Antennas for handling wireless communications may be housed within housing  12  (as an example). 
     Housing  12 , which is sometimes referred to as a case, may be formed of any suitable materials including, plastic, glass, ceramics, metal, or other suitable materials, or a combination of these materials. In some situations, housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may be formed from a dielectric or other low-conductivity material, so that the operation of conductive antenna elements that are located in close proximity to housing  12  is not disrupted. Housing  12  or portions of housing  12  may also be formed from conductive materials such as metal. An advantage of forming housing  12  from a dielectric material such as plastic is that this may help to reduce the overall weight of device  10  and may avoid potential interference with wireless operations. 
     In scenarios in which housing  12  is formed from metal elements, one or more of the metal elements may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, metal portions of housing  12  may be shorted to an internal ground plane in device  10  to create a larger ground plane element for that device  10 . 
     Housing  12  may have a bezel  14 . The bezel  14  may be formed from a conductive material or other suitable material. Bezel  14  may serve to hold a display or other device with a planar surface in place on device  10  and may serve to form an esthetically pleasing trim around the edge of device  10 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , for example, bezel  14  may be used to surround the top of display  16 . Bezel  14  and/or other metal elements associated with device  10  may be used as part of the antennas in device  10 . For example, bezel  14  may be shorted to printed circuit board conductors or other internal ground plane structures in device  10  to extend the ground plane element for device  10 . 
     Display  16  may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, or any other suitable display. The outermost surface of display  16  may be formed from one or more plastic or glass layers. If desired, touch screen functionality may be integrated into display  16  or may be provided using a separate touch pad device. An advantage of integrating a touch screen into display  16  to make display  16  touch sensitive is that this type of arrangement can save space and reduce visual clutter. 
     Display screen  16  (e.g., a touch screen) is merely one example of an input-output device that may be used with electronic device  10 . If desired, electronic device  10  may have other input-output devices. For example, electronic device  10  may have user input control devices such as button  19 , and input-output components such as port  20  and one or more input-output jacks (e.g., for audio and/or video). Button  19  may be, for example, a menu button. Port  20  may contain a 30-pin data connector (as an example). Openings  22  and  24  may, if desired, form speaker and microphone ports. Speaker port  22  may be used when operating device  10  in speakerphone mode. Opening  23  may also form a speaker port. For example, speaker port  23  may serve as a telephone receiver that is placed adjacent to a user&#39;s ear during operation. In the example of  FIG. 1 , display screen  16  is shown as being mounted on the front face of handheld electronic device  10 , but display screen  16  may, if desired, be mounted on the rear face of handheld electronic device  10 , on a side of device  10 , on a flip-up portion of device  10  that is attached to a main body portion of device  10  by a hinge (for example), or using any other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     A user of electronic device  10  may supply input commands using user input interface devices such as button  19  and touch screen  16 . Suitable user input interface devices for electronic device  10  include buttons (e.g., alphanumeric keys, power on-off, power-on, power-off, and other specialized buttons, etc.), a touch pad, pointing stick, or other cursor control device, a microphone for supplying voice commands, or any other suitable interface for controlling device  10 . Although shown as being formed on the top face of electronic device  10  in the example of  FIG. 1 , buttons such as button  19  and other user input interface devices may generally be formed on any suitable portion of electronic device  10 . For example, a button such as button  19  or other user interface control may be formed on the side of electronic device  10 . Buttons and other user interface controls can also be located on the top face, rear face, or other portion of device  10 . If desired, device  10  can be controlled remotely (e.g., using an infrared remote control, a radio-frequency remote control such as a Bluetooth® remote control, etc.). 
     Electronic device  10  may have ports such as port  20 . Port  20 , which may sometimes be referred to as a dock connector, 30-pin data port connector, input-output port, or bus connector, may be used as an input-output port (e.g., when connecting device  10  to a mating dock connected to a computer or other electronic device). Port  20  may contain pins for receiving data and power signals. Device  10  may also have audio and video jacks that allow device  10  to interface with external components. Ports may include power pins to recharge a battery within device  10  or to operate device  10  from a direct current (DC) power supply, data pins to exchange data with external components such as a personal computer or peripheral, audio-visual jacks to drive headphones, a monitor, or other external audio-video equipment, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card port to authorize cellular telephone service, a memory card slot, etc. The functions of some or all of these devices and the internal circuitry of electronic device  10  can be controlled using input interface devices such as touch screen display  16 . Touch screen display  16  may be, for example, a capacitive multitouch touch screen. 
     Components such as display  16  and other user input interface devices may cover most of the available surface area on the front face of device  10  (as shown in the example of  FIG. 1 ) or may occupy only a small portion of the front face of device  10 . Because electronic components such as display  16  often contain large amounts of metal (e.g., as radio-frequency shielding), the location of these components relative to the antenna elements in device  10  should generally be taken into consideration. Suitably chosen locations for the antenna elements and electronic components of the device will allow the antennas of electronic device  10  to function properly without being disrupted by the electronic components. 
     Examples of locations in which antenna structures may be located in device  10  include region  18  and region  21 . These are merely illustrative examples. Any suitable portion of device  10  may be used to house antenna structures for device  10  if desired. 
     A schematic diagram of an embodiment of an illustrative portable electronic device such as a handheld electronic device is shown in  FIG. 2 . Portable device  10  may be a mobile telephone, a mobile telephone with media player capabilities, a handheld computer, a remote control, a game player, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, an ultraportable computer, a hybrid device that includes the functionality of some or all of these devices, or any other suitable portable electronic device. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , device  10  may include storage  34 . Storage  34  may include one or more different types of storage such as hard disk drive storage, nonvolatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically-programmable-read-only memory), volatile memory (e.g., battery-based static or dynamic random-access-memory), etc. 
     Processing circuitry  36  may be used to control the operation of device  10 . Processing circuitry  36  may be based on a processor such as a microprocessor and other suitable integrated circuits. With one suitable arrangement, processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  are used to run software on device  10 , such as internet browsing applications, voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) telephone call applications, email applications, media playback applications, operating system functions, etc. Processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  may be used in implementing suitable communications protocols. Communications protocols that may be implemented using processing circuitry  36  and storage  34  include internet protocols, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11 protocols—sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi®), protocols for other short-range wireless communications links such as the Bluetooth® protocol, protocols for handling 3G communications services (e.g., using wide band code division multiple access techniques), 2G cellular telephone communications protocols, etc. 
     To minimize power consumption, processing circuitry  36  may include power management circuitry to implement power management functions. During operation, the power management circuitry or other processing circuitry  36  may be used to adjust power supply voltages that are provided to portions of the circuitry on device  10 . For example, higher direct-current (DC) power supply voltages may be supplied to active circuits and lower DC power supply voltages may be supplied to circuits that are less active or that are inactive. 
     Input-output devices  38  may be used to allow data to be supplied to device  10  and to allow data to be provided from device  10  to external devices. Display screen  16 , button  19 , microphone port  24 , speaker port  22 , and dock connector port  20  are examples of input-output devices  38 . 
     Input-output devices  38  can include user input-output devices  40  such as buttons, touch screens, joysticks, click wheels, scrolling wheels, touch pads, key pads, keyboards, microphones, cameras, etc. A user can control the operation of device  10  by supplying commands through user input devices  40 . Display and audio devices  42  may include liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens or other screens, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and other components that present visual information and status data. Display and audio devices  42  may also include audio equipment such as speakers and other devices for creating sound. Display and audio devices  42  may contain audio-video interface equipment such as jacks and other connectors for external headphones and monitors. 
     Wireless communications devices  44  may include communications circuitry such as radio-frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry formed from one or more integrated circuits, power amplifier circuitry, passive RF components, antennas, and other circuitry for handling RF wireless signals. Wireless signals can also be sent using light (e.g., using infrared communications). 
     Device  10  can communicate with external devices such as accessories  46 , computing equipment  48 , and wireless network  49  as shown by paths  50  and  51 . Paths  50  may include wired and wireless paths. Path  51  may be a wireless path. Accessories  46  may include headphones (e.g., a wireless cellular headset or audio headphones) and audio-video equipment (e.g., wireless speakers, a game controller, or other equipment that receives and plays audio and video content), a peripheral such as a wireless printer or camera, etc. 
     Computing equipment  48  may be any suitable computer. With one suitable arrangement, computing equipment  48  is a computer that has an associated wireless access point (router) or an internal or external wireless card that establishes a wireless connection with device  10 . The computer may be a server (e.g., an internet server), a local area network computer with or without internet access, a user&#39;s own personal computer, a peer device (e.g., another portable electronic device  10 ), or any other suitable computing equipment. 
     Wireless network  49  may include any suitable network equipment, such as cellular telephone base stations, cellular towers, wireless data networks, computers associated with wireless networks, etc. For example, wireless network  49  may include network management equipment that monitors the wireless signal strength of the wireless handsets (cellular telephones, handheld computing devices, etc.) that are in communication with network  49 . 
     The antenna structures and wireless communications devices of device  10  may support communications over any suitable wireless communications bands. For example, wireless communications devices  44  may be used to cover communications frequency bands such as cellular telephone voice and data bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as examples). Devices  44  may also be used to handle the Wi-Fi® (IEEE 802.11) bands at 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz (also sometimes referred to as wireless local area network or WLAN bands), the Bluetooth® band at 2.4 GHz, and the global positioning system (GPS) band at 1575 MHz. 
     Device  10  can cover these communications bands and other suitable communications bands with proper configuration of the antenna structures in wireless communications circuitry  44 . Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10 . For example, device  10  may have one antenna or may have multiple antennas. The antennas in device  10  may each be used to cover a single communications band or each antenna may cover multiple communications bands. If desired, one or more antennas may cover a single band while one or more additional antennas are each used to cover multiple bands. As an example, a pentaband cellular telephone antenna may be provided at one end of device  10  (e.g., in region  18 ) to handle 2G and 3G voice and data signals and a dual band antenna may be provided at another end of device  10  (e.g., in region  21 ) to handle GPS and 2.4 GHz signals. The pentaband antenna may be used to cover wireless bands at 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, and 2100 MHz (as an example). The dual band antenna  63  may be used to handle 1575 MHz signals for GPS operations and 2.4 GHz signals (for Bluetooth® and IEEE 802.11 operations). These are merely illustrative arrangements. Any suitable antenna structures may be used in device  10  if desired. 
     To facilitate manufacturing operations, device  10  may be formed from two intermediate assemblies, representing upper and lower portions of device  10 . The upper or top portion of device  10  may sometimes be referred to as a tilt assembly. The lower or bottom portion of device  10  may sometimes be referred to as a housing assembly. 
     The tilt and housing assemblies may each be formed from a number of smaller components. For example, the tilt assembly may be formed from components such as display  16  and an associated touch sensor. The housing assembly may include a plastic housing portion  12  and printed circuit boards. Integrated circuits and other components may be mounted on the printed circuit boards. During manufacturing, one end of the tilt assembly may be inserted into the housing assembly. The tilt assembly may then be rotated (“tilted”) into place so that the upper surface of the tilt assembly lies flush with the upper edges of the housing assembly. 
     An exploded perspective view showing illustrative components of device  10  is shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Tilt assembly  60  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include components such as cover  62 , touch sensitive sensor  64 , display unit  66 , and frame  68 . Cover  62  may be formed of glass or other suitable transparent materials (e.g., plastic, combinations of one or more glasses and one or more plastics, etc.). Display unit  66  may be, for example, a color liquid crystal display. Frame  68  may be formed from one or more pieces. With one suitable arrangement, frame  68  may include metal pieces to which plastic parts are connected using an overmolding process. If desired, frame  68  may be formed entirely from plastic or entirely from metal. 
     Housing assembly  70  (shown in its unassembled state in  FIG. 3 ) may include housing  12 . Housing  12  may be formed of plastic and/or other materials such as metal (metal alloys). For example, housing  12  may be formed of plastic to which metal members are mounted using fasteners, a plastic overmolding process, or other suitable mounting arrangement. 
     As shown in  FIG. 3 , handheld electronic device  10  may have a bezel such as bezel  14 . Bezel  14  may be formed of plastic or other dielectric materials or may be formed from metal or other conductive materials. An advantage of a metal (metal alloy) bezel is that materials such as metal may provide bezel  14  with an attractive appearance and may be durable. If desired, bezel  14  may be formed from shiny plastic or plastic coated with shiny materials such as metal films. 
     Bezel  14  may be mounted to housing  12 . Following final assembly, bezel  14  may surround the display of device  10  and may, if desired, help secure the display onto device  10 . Bezel  14  may also serve as a cosmetic trim member that provides an attractive finished appearance to device  10 . 
     Housing assembly  70  may include battery  74 . Battery  74  may be, for example, a lithium polymer battery having a capacity of about 1300 mA-hours. Battery  74  may have spring contacts that allow battery  74  to be serviced. 
     Housing assembly  70  may also include one or more printed circuit boards such as printed circuit board  72 . 
     Housing assembly  70  may also include components such as microphone  76  for microphone port  24 , speaker  78  for speaker port  22 , and dock connector  20 , integrated circuits, a camera, ear speaker for port  23 , audio jack, buttons, SIM card slot, etc. 
     Acoustic ports such as microphone port  24  and speaker ports  22  and  23  represent an interface between the exterior of device  10  and the interior of device  10 . Acoustic components such as microphone and speaker components are housed in the interior of device  10 . Microphones must receive sound from the exterior of device  10 . Speakers must transmit sound to the exterior of device  10 . At the same time, unwanted incursions of foreign matter into the interior of device  10  should be prevented or at least minimized. 
     To maximize acoustic performance while protecting the interior of device  10  from foreign matter incursions, one or more of the acoustic ports in device  10  may be provided with structures that permit sound to pass while blocking unwanted matter. These structures may help to ensure that acoustic performance is not degraded while providing an attractive appearance to the exterior of device  10 . 
     Components in an illustrative acoustic port arrangement are shown in the exploded perspective view of  FIG. 4 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , port  100  may be formed from one or more holes such as hole  102  in a housing wall or other device structure  80 . Port  100  may be, for example, a microphone port or a speaker port. There may be any suitable number of holes  102  associated with port  100 . In the example of  FIG. 4 , a single hole  102  is associated with port  100 . Structure  80  may be a housing wall (e.g., a portion of housing  12 ), a housing wall and other associated device structures (e.g., a housing wall and structures adjacent to the interior of the housing wall), a cover glass such as cover glass  64  ( FIG. 3 ), or any other suitable structure that separates the interior of device  10  from the exterior of device  10 . Openings such as opening  102  are generally exposed to air, when device  10  is in normal use. 
     Acoustic structures are mounted behind opening  102 . In one suitable arrangement, which is described herein as an example, multiple layers of mesh are mounted behind opening  102 . These layers lie between opening  102  and acoustic component  90 . Acoustic component  90  may be a microphone or a speaker. Region  92  of component  90  may include an opening and an associated speaker or microphone diaphragm. Structures such as these may also be recessed further within acoustic component  90  if desired. 
     The acoustic structures that are mounted between opening  102  and opening  92  may include one or more layers of mesh-type structures that help prevent intrusion of foreign matter. In the illustrative configuration of  FIG. 4 , the outermost layer of acoustic material is mesh  82 . Mesh  82 , which may sometimes be referred to as a grill, may be formed of strands of metal or other suitable material (e.g., plastic). An advantage of using metal to form wires in mesh  82  is that metal tends to be durable and resistant to damage from environmental exposure. Metal also may be used to prevent an attractive appearance to users who are viewing port  100  from the exterior of device  10 . Metal mesh  82  may be robust enough to withstand impact when a user attempts to clean opening  102  of port  100 . 
     Any suitable mesh size may be used for mesh  82 . For example, if mesh  82  is being used to cover a hole  102  that has lateral dimensions of about 2 mm (as an example), mesh  82  may be woven tightly enough to ensure that there are at least 10 or more strands of metal wire across the opening (i.e., the strand density may be a minimum of about 5 wires/mm). Larger strand densities (e.g., 20 wires/mm) may also be used, although care should be taken to maintain the strand density low enough to permit sound to readily pass through metal mesh  82  during operation of acoustic device  90 . With one particularly suitable arrangement, mesh  82  is a #100 mesh having about a wire diameter of about 0.11 mm and a mesh hole size of about 0.14 mm (as an example). 
     If desired, the appearance of mesh  82  may be tailored by coating wires  94  or by using wires  94  with a particular appearance. Wires  94  may, for example, be formed from a shiny substance such as brass or stainless steel or may be coated with a color (e.g., colored paint or colored plastic jacket materials). Combinations of colored and shiny wires may also be used. 
     One or more layers of acoustic mesh may be included in the acoustic structures between opening  102  and region  92 . In the example of  FIG. 4 , a single layer  86  of acoustic mesh is shown. Acoustic mesh  86 , which may sometimes be referred to as speaker fabric, may be used to adjust the acoustic impedance properties of metal mesh  82  and may help to block fine particles such as those that might not otherwise be blocked by metal mesh  82 . Illustrative acoustic mesh materials that may be used for acoustic mesh layer  86  include the woven polyester and woven polyester/PVC-on-polyester fabrics referred to as AcousTex® fabric available from AcousTex Fabrics of Burlington, Mass. In general, acoustic mesh material may be formed from any suitable fabric material that exhibits satisfactory acoustic performance (e.g., sound transparency of 90% or more, etc.). Such acoustic fabrics generally have mesh openings that are smaller than the openings of the cosmetic metal mesh  82 . Such acoustic fabrics are also generally formed from nonmetallic (e.g., nonconductive) materials. 
     When both metal mesh  82  and acoustic mesh  86  are used together in port  100 , performance may be enhanced. For example, acoustic mesh  86  may help improve the acoustics of port  100 . At the same time, metal mesh  82  may improve the appearance and robustness of port  100  beyond what would otherwise be achieved using only acoustic mesh  86 . 
     Any suitable fastening arrangement may be used to secure the layers of mesh for port  100 . For example, layers of adhesive film (double-sided tape) may be interposed between the mesh layers. The adhesive film may be based on a metal film or plastic foil or any other suitable backing material coated with a pressure sensitive adhesive. These layers may be provided in the form of strips surrounding the periphery of port openings such as opening  102 , may be provided in the form of rings that surround each port opening, or may be provided in any other suitable shape. In the example of  FIG. 4 , adhesive film layers are provided in the form of ring-shaped layers that surround opening  102 . Adhesive film layer  104  may help secure metal mesh  82  to the interior surface of device structure  80 . Adhesive ring  84  may be used to adhere acoustic mesh  86  to metal mesh  82 . Adhesive ring layer  88  may be used to attach acoustic mesh layer  86  to acoustic device  90 . The openings in these rings (e.g., openings  106 ,  96 , and  98 ) may be aligned with opening  102  and region  92 . If desired, adhesive may be used to secure component  90  to structure  80  (e.g., in addition to or instead of using adhesive  104 ). 
     If desired, other fastening mechanisms may be used to secure the layers of mesh for port  100 . For example, mesh layers may be held in place by screws or other fasteners, by liquid adhesive (e.g., adhesive not associated with layers of film), by confining the layers between structure  80  and component  90  using pressure, or using any other suitable arrangement. The use of adhesive film layers is merely illustrative. 
     An advantage of using layers of adhesive film is that such layers may help to prevent damage to device structures from contact with wires  94  of mesh  82 . For example, in configurations in which structure  80  forms a glass cover (e.g., cover glass  62  of  FIG. 3 ), adhesive film such as adhesive film  104  of  FIG. 4  may help prevent wires  94  from scratching the underside of the glass. 
     A cross-sectional view of an illustrative port  100  that has layers of mesh is shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , metal mesh layer  82  may be located adjacent to opening  102  in structure  80 . Opening  102  may be associated with microphone port  24  ( FIG. 1 ), speakerphone speaker port  22  ( FIG. 1 ), receiver speaker port  23  ( FIG. 1 ), or any other suitable acoustic port. Acoustic mesh layers such as layer  86  of  FIG. 5  may be interposed between metal mesh  82  and a microphone or speaker (acoustic device  90 ). 
     If desired, an opening may be provided in a structure such as cover glass  62  ( FIG. 2 ). This type of opening may be used, for example, to form a receiver port such as receiver port  23 . As shown in  FIG. 6 , receiver port  23  may be formed from an opening  110  in cover glass  62  that is aligned with acoustic structure  92  of acoustic device  90 . Acoustic structure  92  may be, for example, a microphone diaphragm or a speaker cone. Structures  114  may include a durable protective outer mesh such as wire mesh  82  of  FIG. 4  and a less durable and more finely woven inner mesh such as mesh  86  of  FIG. 4 . Because the holes of the inner mesh are smaller than the holes of the outer mesh, the inner mesh helps to trap particles that might otherwise pass through the holes of the outer mesh. The inner mesh may also be chosen for its acoustic impedance properties (e.g., to tune the acoustic impedance properties of the acoustic port). 
     As shown in  FIG. 6 , opening  100  in glass  62  may have associated chamfers such as outer surface chamfers  108  and inner surface chamfers  112 . Chamfers  108  may be used to guide sound in and out of port  23 . Chamfers  112  may also be used to guide sound into and out of port  23  and may improve the acoustics of port  23 . Moreover, inner chamfers  112  may help to lower stress in structure  62 , thereby reducing the likelihood of chips in structure  62  in the vicinity of opening  110 . 
     Adhesive layers such as double-sided adhesive film layer  116  may be used to help prevent metal mesh  82  from damaging structure  62 . For example, structure  62  may be a clear glass cover that is coated on its underside with a somewhat fragile layer of black ink  117  or other coating. To prevent the wires of mesh  82  ( FIG. 4 ) in structure  114  from scratching ink  117 , adhesive film layer  116 , which may be interposed between acoustic component  90  and the lower surface of structure  62  may be used to create a vertical offset between ink  117  and structure  114 . If desired, adhesive film (e.g., adhesive film  104  of  FIG. 4 ) may be interposed between metal mesh  82  and ink  117  in addition to or instead of relying on the space created by the thickness of layer  116  to protect ink  117 . 
     Device  10  may include a fully sealed speaker box. Fully enclosed speakers may have improved acoustic performance relative to speakers that are not enclosed. However, speakers that are mounted within sealed speaker enclosures may be susceptible to damage. In particular, upon exposure to air pressure changes such as the pressure changes associated with airplane travel, the diaphragm of a speaker that is mounted in a completely sealed speaker box may be damaged from excessive internal air pressure. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, damage of this type may be avoided by forming a thin slit or other air vent opening in the speaker box. The air vent may allow air to escape from the speaker box so that air pressures on either side of the speaker diagram are equalized and damage from overpressuring one side of the speaker relative to the other is avoided. 
     An illustrative speaker enclosure  118  that may be used in device  10  is shown in  FIG. 7 . Enclosure  118  may be formed from plastic or other suitable materials. For example, enclosure  118  may be formed from an upper plastic half  122  and a lower plastic half  124  which are joined along seam  126  during manufacturing. 
     The interior of enclosure  118  may be hollow. Microphone  76  and speaker  78 , which are shown in  FIG. 3 , may be mounted to enclosure  118 . For example, microphone  76  may be mounted to an exterior portion of enclosure  118  in the vicinity of microphone port  20 . Speaker  78  may be mounted in the hollow interior of enclosure  118  under region  120  in the vicinity of speaker port  22 . Speaker  78  may have electrical terminals that are connected to audio circuitry in device  10 . Speaker  78  may also have an actuator and a diaphragm that is driven by the actuator to produce sound. The diaphragm may be formed from paper, plastic film, or any other suitable material or combinations of such materials. When mounted within enclosure  118 , one side of the speaker diaphragm may be exposed to the exterior of enclosure  118  through the opening of speaker port  22  and the opposing side of the speaker diaphragm may be exposed to the sealed interior of enclosure  118 . 
     The substantially sealed nature of enclosure  118  forms a “closed-box” speaker architecture. In this type of architecture, the enclosed air serves as a spring that helps to drive the speaker accurately during use. The use of sealed enclosure  118  therefore helps to improve acoustic performance for speaker  78 . However, the sealed nature of enclosure  118  poses a challenge as device  10  is placed in environments of varying pressure. If a sealed speaker box is maintained at sea level for an extended period of time, the pressure inside the box will equilibrate to atmospheric pressure at sea level. If the sealed speaker box is then rapidly taken to a lower pressure environment (e.g., in an airplane), the diagram of the speaker may be damaged by the high internal pressure of the box relative to the lower environmental pressure outside of the box. 
     Enclosure  118  of  FIG. 7  avoids this potentially damaging situation by use of a vent such as vent slit  128 . Vent slit  128  may be provided in the form of a relatively long and narrow opening between the interior and exterior of enclosure  118 . When atmospheric pressure is reduced outside of enclosure  118 , air can escape through vent slit  128 . This equalizes the pressure on both sides of the speaker diaphragm and prevents damage. At the same time, vent slit  128  is preferably not too large, so that acoustically enclosure  118  continues to operate as a closed speaker box. 
     Vent  128  may be formed in any suitable shape. For example, vent  128  may be formed from a circular opening, an oval opening, a polygonal opening, multiple holes, etc. An advantage of using a slit-shaped (substantially rectangular) opening is that this allows vent  128  to be formed by creating mating recesses in enclosure housing portions  122  and  124 . These recesses may be formed as part of a plastic molding process used to fabricate speaker box housing portions  122  and  124 , thereby avoiding the necessity for machining vent  128 . 
     Vent  128  may be covered with an acoustic mesh  134 . Acoustic mesh  124  may help to raise the acoustic impedance of vent  128 , so that speaker enclosure  118  acts as a completely closed speaker box, while permitting air to flow in and out of the interior of enclosure  118  to accommodate environmental pressure changes. Mesh  124  may be mounted to enclosure  118  within recessed region  130  using a ring of adhesive film (double-sided tape)  132  or other suitable attachment mechanism. 
     A cross-sectional side view of an enclosure such as enclosure  118  in the vicinity of vent opening  128  is shown in  FIG. 8 . Narrow vent dimension W may be, for example, 0.2 mm. The vent length (perpendicular to dimension W) may be 10 mm (as an example). Speaker enclosure housing wall  210  may have a hole such as hole  212 . Hole  212  may form an opening for speaker port  22  ( FIG. 7 ). Speaker  214  may be mounted within enclosure  118  so that one side of speaker diaphragm  216  is exposed to the exterior of speaker enclosure  118  and device  10  (e.g., exterior location  218 ) and the other side of speaker diaphragm  216  is exposed to the interior of speaker diaphragm  216  (e.g., interior location  220 ). 
     In the example of  FIGS. 7 and 8 , opening  128  is formed from a vent slit in enclosure  118  that is covered by a separate air-permeable structure (mesh  134 ). In this type of arrangement, the opening between the interior of enclosure  118  and the exterior of enclosure  118  is formed both by the outline of the vent slit and by the holes in mesh  134 . If desired, opening  128  may be formed exclusively from holes that are formed as an integral part of enclosure  118 . This type of arrangement is shown in  FIG. 9 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , enclosure  118  may have holes  136  that are formed directly though the walls of enclosure  118 . There may be any suitable numbers of holes  136  (e.g., tens of holes or more). Each hole may have a cross-section that is relatively small in area (e.g., 0.1 mm 2  or less as an example). An opening formed from holes such as these may sometimes be referred to as a microperf opening. Holes  136  may be formed by mechanical drilling, by molding, by laser drilling, or using any other suitable technique. 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , vent opening  128  may be formed from a separate structure  140  into which a number of discrete holes  138  have been formed. Structure  140  may, for example, be a metal plate or a plastic structure. Holes  138  may be relatively small in area (e.g., 0.1 mm 2  or less as an example) and may be formed by mechanical drilling, molding, laser drilling, etc. Structure  140  may be attached to the housing walls of enclosure  118  using adhesive  142  or other suitable attachment mechanisms. 
     If desired, a structure such as structure  140  may be connected to enclosure  118  using a plastic overmolding process. This type of arrangement is shown in the cross-sectional view of  FIG. 11 . As with holes  138  of  FIG. 10 , holes  138  of  FIG. 11  may be relatively small in area (e.g., 0.1 mm 2  or less as an example) and may be formed by mechanical drilling, molding, laser drilling, etc. Structure  140  may be formed from metal, plastic, or other suitable material. 
     An exploded perspective view of speaker enclosure  118  and associated components in device  10  is shown in  FIG. 12 . As shown in  FIG. 12 , components such as antenna flex  147  and dock connector  20  (and associated flex paths and circuit components) may be mounted on speaker enclosure  118 . In this capacity, speaker enclosure  118  may serve as a unifying structure for multiple parts of device  10 . This can ease the task of assembling device  10 . 
     Speaker box  118  may have portions defining an opening for speaker port  22 . A mesh cover  148  (e.g., metal mesh) may be placed over opening  22 . If desired, a layer of acoustic mesh such as mesh  86  of  FIG. 4  may be placed behind mesh  148 . Mesh  146  (e.g., a metal mesh) may be used to cover microphone  76 . If desired, a layer of acoustic mesh such as mesh  86  may also be placed behind mesh  146 . 
     Microphone  76  may have an associated elastomeric structure  152  (sometimes referred to as a “boot”). Structure  152  may be formed of any suitable material. With one suitable arrangement, structure  152  is formed from a soft material such as silicone, which allows structure  152  to form good environmental seals with portions of device  10 . 
     During assembly, microphone boot  152  may be mounted in a mating hole  144  within speaker enclosure  118 . Hole  144  may have features that engage boot  152  and that help to form seals between boot  152  and device  10 . These seals and associated seals formed between boot  152  and the walls of housing  12  may help prevent intrusion of moisture or particles into the interior of device  10 . Region  158  of boot  152  may have one or more sealing features such as raised ribs. These sealing features may help to enhance the quality of the seal formed between boot  152  and plastic housing  12 . One or more holes such as hole  156  may be used to allow sound to enter microphone  76 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , microphone boot  152  may have sealing features such as raised ribs  160 . There are two ribs  160  in the example of  FIG. 13 . In general, boot  152  may have any suitable number of ribs. Moreover, these sealing features may have any suitable shape. It may be desirable (as shown in  FIG. 13 ) to form ribs  160  completely around boot  152  to completely seal the inner surface of port  24 . 
     At its front end  186  ( FIG. 14 ), microphone boot  152  may form environmental seals with housing  12 . At rear end  192  ( FIG. 15 ), microphone boot  152  may form environmental seals with microphone unit  190 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , housing  12  may have an opening  194  that forms microphone port  24 . Metal mesh  146  may be mounted to an inner surface of housing  12  using a ring of adhesive film  168  or other suitable attachment arrangement. As described in connection with  FIG. 4 , a layer of acoustic mesh such as acoustic mesh  147  may be mounted behind metal mesh  146 . Boot  152  may bear against acoustic mesh  147  in regions  170 , thereby forming a face seal within housing  12  that helps to prevent intrusion of foreign matter into the interior of housing  12 . A radial seal is formed by raised ribs  160  and adjacent portions of boot  152  in region  172 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 14 , bezel  14  may be connected to housing  12 . A gasket  162  may help to separate cover glass  62  from bezel  14 . Cover glass  62  may be mounted on frame  166  using adhesive  164 . 
     At the rear of microphone boot  152 , boot  152  forms seals with microphone unit  190  as shown in  FIG. 15 . Microphone unit  190  may include microphone element  188 , terminal support structure  184 , stiffener  180  (e.g., polyimide), and flex printed circuit  182 . Terminals  178  may protrude through support  184 , stiffener  180 , and flex circuit  182 . Flex printed circuit  182  may include conductive traces for routing microphone signals to and from the terminals of microphone unit  190 . 
     To prevent intrusion of foreign matter, microphone unit  190  may form environmental seals with boot  152 . In particular, the front face, rear face, and the surfaces between the front and rear faces of microphone element  188  may form front face seal  172 , radial seal  174 , and rear face seal  176 , respectively. These seals between microphone unit  190  and boot  152  ensure that end  192  is well sealed. 
     To ensure that the front radial seal formed using sealing features such as raised ribs  160  is satisfactory, housing  12  may have recesses that mate with the sealing features of boot  152 . As shown in  FIG. 16 , when boot  152  has semicircular raised ribs, housing  12  may be provided with mating semicircular recesses  196  (as an example).  FIG. 17  shows an illustrative exit hole  156  through boot  152  and shows how ribs  160  may surround boot  152 . 
     If desired, other shapes may be used for the radial seal sealing features of boot  152 .  FIG. 18  shows an arrangement in which boot  152  has semicircular recesses  200  and housing  12  has mating semicircular protrusions  198 .  FIG. 19  shows an arrangement in which boot  152  has raised triangular features  204  and housing  12  has triangular recesses. In  FIG. 20 , boot  208  has a protrusion with a square profile  208  that mates with a square-profile recess  206  in housing  12 . If desired, arrangements such as the arrangements of  FIGS. 19 and 20  may be inverted (e.g., with triangular recesses in boot  152  or square recesses in boot  152 ). The arrangements of  FIGS. 16-20  may be used in any combination and any suitable number of radial seal sealing features of this type may be used to help form environmental seals for boot  152 . Sealing features such as these may also be used in rear portion  192  (e.g., to form seals between microphone unit  190  and boot  152 ). 
     The foregoing is merely illustrative of the principles of this invention and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20161103
Publication Date: 20180703
Grant Date: 20180703
Priority Date: 20080401
Inventors: MITTLEMAN, ADAM
HOWARTH, RICHARD P.
SEGUIN, CHAD
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R1/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/023", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/026", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/026", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2807", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/035", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/026", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/18", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/28", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2807", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/023", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/035", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/086", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 41117261