PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9811121-B2
Application Number: US-201514747642-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Liquid-resistant acoustic device gasket and membrane assemblies

Abstract:
A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device includes an acoustic device positioned in a housing, a gasket compressed between the acoustic device and the housing, and a liquid-resistant membrane. The liquid-resistant membrane is disposed such that it is isolated from a non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. The liquid-resistant membrane may be uncompressed by compression of the gasket or compressed by a different compressive force than the gasket. For example, the liquid-resistant membrane may not be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device, may be separated from the gasket, may be mounted to a shelf of the gasket or within a gap defined by the gasket, mounted to a stiffener positioned within the gasket, and mounted using other similar configurations.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device, comprising:
 an acoustic device positioned in a housing; 
 a gasket positioned between the housing and the acoustic device and having a portion subject to a first compressive force, wherein the gasket has an inner surface; and 
 a liquid-resistant membrane having an outer edge, disposed between the housing and the acoustic device, that is subject to a second compressive force different from the first compressive force, wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is separated from the gasket by a gap between the outer edge and the inner surface, and wherein the gap mechanically isolates the liquid-resistant membrane from the first compressive force. 
 
     
     
       2. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the second compressive force is zero. 
     
     
       3. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 a surface of the gasket facing the housing includes a protrusion that extends from the surface and contacts the housing; and 
 the liquid-resistant membrane is disposed within an area encircled by the protrusion. 
 
     
     
       4. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is not positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device. 
     
     
       5. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the liquid-resistant membrane occupies an opening defined by the gasket. 
     
     
       6. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the gasket defines a space; and the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly further comprises: a ring positioned within the space and having a higher elastic modulus than the gasket. 
 
     
     
       7. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is bonded to the ring. 
     
     
       8. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a circuit substrate coupled to the acoustic device; wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is adhesively bonded to the circuit substrate. 
 
     
     
       9. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device, comprising:
 an acoustic device positioned in a housing; 
 a bracket coupled to the acoustic device; 
 a seal compressed by the bracket toward an internal surface of the housing, wherein the seal has a first perimeter; and 
 a membrane located between the housing and the acoustic device that resists passage of liquid but allows passage of air and is uncompressed by the compression of the seal, wherein the membrane has a second perimeter, and wherein the second perimeter is smaller than the first perimeter such that the membrane is mechanically isolated from the seal. 
 
     
     
       10. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 9 , wherein the membrane is located within a space defined by the seal. 
     
     
       11. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 10 , further comprising a stiffener mounted within the space. 
     
     
       12. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the membrane is mounted to at least one of: a first surface of the stiffener that faces the internal surface of the housing; or a second surface of the stiffener that faces the acoustic device. 
     
     
       13. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 11 , wherein the stiffener comprises at least one of plastic, polyimide, metal, steel, or stainless steel. 
     
     
       14. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the seal includes a shelf facing the internal surface of the housing; and the membrane is mounted to the shelf. 
 
     
     
       15. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device, comprising:
 an acoustic device; 
 a gasket that is compressed between a housing of the electronic device and the acoustic device, resulting in a non-uniform compressive distribution; and 
 a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the housing and the acoustic device; wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is isolated from the non-uniform compressive distribution, wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is separated from the gasket by a stiffener such that the liquid-resistant membrane does not contact the gasket. 
 
     
     
       16. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the stiffener comprises a rigid plate positioned between the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane. 
     
     
       17. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the rigid plate uniformly transfers force from the gasket to the liquid-resistant membrane, thereby resulting in the liquid-resistant membrane being isolated from the non-uniform compressive distribution. 
     
     
       18. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 15 , wherein the non-uniform compressive distribution is due to an uneven surface of the gasket. 
     
     
       19. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the gasket resists passage of liquid into an internal volume of the electronic device beyond the acoustic device; and 
 the liquid-resistant membrane resists passage of the liquid into the acoustic device. 
 
     
     
       20. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device, comprising:
 an acoustic device disposed within a housing; 
 a gasket positioned between the acoustic device and the housing, wherein the gasket has an opening and an inner surface that surrounds the opening; 
 a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the gasket and the acoustic device; and 
 a ring-shaped rigid member positioned between at least part of the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane that prevents non-uniform distribution of compressive force between the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane, wherein the ring-shaped rigid member is located in the opening and mounted to the inner surface of the gasket, and wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is mounted to the ring-shaped rigid member.

Description:
FIELD 
     The described embodiments relate generally to acoustic devices. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to acoustic devices having a membrane. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Electronic devices (such as phones, media players, computing devices, and so on) may include acoustic devices (such as microphones or speakers) in order to provide the capability to produce or record sound. The electronic devices may provide some kind of exposure (such as an opening in a housing) to an external environment in order for sound waves to pass to and/or from an acoustic device in order for the acoustic device to function. However, such exposure may make the electronic device and/or the acoustic device vulnerable to contaminants from the external environment such as liquid, dust, and so on. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present disclosure relates to liquid-resistant acoustic device gasket and membrane assemblies. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include an acoustic device positioned in a housing, a gasket compressed between the acoustic device and the housing, and a liquid-resistant membrane. The liquid-resistant membrane may be isolated from a non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. In some implementations, the liquid-resistant membrane may be positioned such that it may be uncompressed by compression of the gasket or compressed by a different compressive force than the gasket. For example, the liquid-resistant membrane may not be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device, may be separated from the gasket, may be mounted to a shelf of the gasket or within a gap defined by the gasket, mounted to a stiffener positioned within the gasket, and so on. 
     In various embodiments, a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include an acoustic device positioned in a housing; a gasket positioned between the housing and the acoustic device and having a portion subject to a first compressive force; and a liquid-resistant membrane, disposed between the housing and the acoustic device, that is subject to a second compressive force (which may be zero) different from the first compressive force. 
     In some examples, the liquid-resistant membrane may not be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device. In some implementations, a surface of the gasket facing the housing may include a protrusion that extends from the surface and contacts the housing, and the liquid-resistant membrane may be disposed within an area encircled by the protrusion. In various implementations, the liquid-resistant membrane may occupy a gap defined by the gasket. 
     In various examples, the gasket may define a space and the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly may further include a ring positioned within the space and having a higher elastic modulus than the gasket. The liquid-resistant membrane may be bonded to the ring. 
     In some examples, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly may further include a circuit substrate coupled to the acoustic device wherein the liquid-resistant membrane is adhesively bonded to the circuit substrate. 
     In some embodiments, a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include an acoustic device positioned in a housing, a bracket coupled to the acoustic device, a seal compressed by the bracket toward an internal surface of the housing, and a membrane located between the housing and the acoustic device that resists passage of liquid but allows passage of air and is uncompressed by the compression of the seal. 
     In various examples, the membrane may be located within a space defined by the seal. In some examples, the seal may include a shelf facing the internal surface of the housing and the membrane may be mounted to the shelf. 
     In various examples, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly may further include a stiffener (which may be formed of plastic, polyimide, metal, steel, or stainless steel) mounted within the space. The membrane may be mounted to a first surface of the stiffener that faces the internal surface of the housing or a second surface of the stiffener that faces the acoustic device. 
     In various embodiments, a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include an acoustic device, a gasket that is compressed between a housing of the electronic device and the acoustic device resulting in a non-uniform compressive distribution, and a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the housing and the acoustic device. The liquid-resistant membrane may be isolated from the non-uniform compressive distribution. 
     In some examples, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly may further include a rigid plate positioned between the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane. The rigid plate may uniformly transfer force from the compressible material to the liquid-resistant membrane, thereby resulting in the liquid-resistant membrane being isolated from the non-uniform compressive distribution. 
     In various examples, the non-uniform compressive distribution may be due to an uneven surface of the gasket. In some examples, the gasket may resist passage of liquid into an internal volume of the electronic device beyond the acoustic device, and the liquid-resistant membrane may resist passage of the liquid into the acoustic device. 
     In some embodiments, a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include an acoustic device disposed within a housing, a gasket positioned between the acoustic device and the housing, a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the gasket and the acoustic device, and a rigid member positioned between at least part of the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane that prevents non-uniform distribution of compressive force between the gasket and the liquid-resistant membrane. 
     In various examples, the rigid member may be disposed on a surface of the gasket or a surface of the liquid-resistant membrane. In some examples, the rigid member may be positioned inside the gasket. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements. 
         FIG. 1  shows an electronic device that may include a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly. 
         FIG. 2A  shows a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of  FIG. 1  illustrating an example liquid-resistant acoustic assembly, taken along A-A of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 2B  shows a detail view of the indicated portion of  FIG. 2A . 
         FIGS. 3-9  show cross-sectional views of additional examples of liquid-resistant acoustic assemblies. 
         FIG. 10  shows a flow chart illustrating a method for constructing a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly. This method may construct the liquid-resistant acoustic assemblies of  FIGS. 2A-9 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments to one preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by the appended claims. 
     Some electronic devices may include a gasket, seal, or other compressible material that is compressed between the acoustic device and a housing. Such a gasket may block liquid and/or other contaminants from entering an internal volume of the electronic device. Various electronic devices may include a membrane that resists the passage of liquid but allows the passage of air and sound waves. Such a membrane may block liquid and/or other contaminants from entering the acoustic device. 
     The present disclosure relates to liquid-resistant acoustic device gasket and membrane assemblies. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include a housing, an acoustic device positioned in the housing, a gasket compressed between the acoustic device and the housing, and a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the housing and the acoustic device. The liquid-resistant membrane may not be compressed by the compression of the gasket. 
     The liquid-resistant membrane may isolated from a non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. In some implementations, the liquid-resistant membrane may be disposed such that it may be uncompressed by compression of the gasket or compressed by a different compressive force than compression of the gasket. For example, the liquid-resistant membrane may not be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device, may be separated from the gasket by a stiffener, may be mounted to a shelf of the gasket or within a gap defined by the gasket, mounted to a stiffener positioned within the gasket, and so on. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-10 . However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these Figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  shows an electronic device  100 . The electronic device  100  may be a portable electronic device, such as a wearable electronic device. The electronic device  100  may include various internal components, including, for example, one or more acoustic devices and circuitry for controlling and/or driving the one or more acoustic devices. The electronic device may also include non-transitory storage media, processing units (which may execute instructions stored in the storage media to perform various functions such as receiving and/or producing sound waves using an acoustic device), communication components, input/output components, and so on. 
     Because the electronic device  100  may be subjected to various environmental conditions, it may be advantageous that the electronic device be at least partially water or liquid resistant. In some cases, the internal components of the electronic device  100  may be susceptible to damage and/or impaired operation if liquid enters the housing  101  of the electronic device  100 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the housing includes an acoustic opening  102  formed in an exterior surface of the housing  101 . While the acoustic opening  102  may be necessary for the transmission of sound into or out of an internal acoustic device, it may serve as a potential ingress point for water or other liquid. 
     It may be advantageous that the electronic device  100  include a moisture/liquid barrier to prevent or reduce liquid ingress at the acoustic opening  102 . One potential solution is to use a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly that includes a water-resistant membrane or other similar element to reduce or prevent an ingress of liquid. In general, it may be beneficial that the water-resistant membrane be able to transmit acoustic signals (e.g., audible sounds) while also blocking water or other liquids. 
     An example of such a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  is shown in  FIG. 2A . The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  may include an acoustic device  201  positioned in the housing  101  and a gasket  202  (or seal, compressible material such as silicone, and so on) that is compressed toward an internal surface of the housing  101  by bracket  204 . The gasket  202  may form a liquid barrier that resists liquid ingress around the acoustic device  201 . Compression of the gasket  202  by the bracket  204  may ensure that the gasket  202  forms an adequate seal against liquid ingress. The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  may also include a liquid-resistant (or waterproof) membrane  203  (e.g., a membrane that resists passage of liquid such as water but allows passage of air and/or sound waves such as a membrane formed of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene). The liquid-resistant membrane  203  may resist liquid ingress into the acoustic device  201 . 
     The liquid-resistant membrane  203  may be tightly stretched in order to resist liquid ingress while still allowing for the passage of air and/or sound waves. Compression by the bracket  204  may adversely impact the liquid-resistant membrane  203 , such as by causing the liquid-resistant membrane  203  to wrinkle or deform. As such, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  may include one or more stiffeners  206  (such as rings, rigid plates, rigid members, and so on) that may uniformly transfer compressive force from the bracket  204  to the liquid-resistant membrane  203  (and/or otherwise at least partially shield the liquid-resistant membrane  203  from the compressive force) in order to reduce and/or mitigate some wrinkling and/or deformation of the liquid-resistant membrane  203  without reducing the compressive force of the bracket  204 . 
     In this example, the acoustic device  201  may be a speaker. However, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations the acoustic device  201  may be a microphone, speaker, microelectromechanical microphone, microelectromechanical speaker, and so on without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  will now be described in more detail. The bracket  204  may be coupled to internal surface of the housing  101  around the opening  102 . The bracket  204  may be coupled to a flex circuit  207  or other circuit substrate, to which the acoustic device  201  is attached within an internal volume inside the housing  101 . The gasket  202  may be positioned between the acoustic device  201  and the housing  101  such that force exerted by the bracket  204  on the flex circuit  207  is transferred to compress the gasket  202 . Thus, the flex circuit  207  may have a structural function in the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  and may also function to electrically connect the acoustic device  201  to other electronic components of the electronic device  100  (not shown). Compression of the gasket  202  may allow the gasket  202  to resist passage of liquid into the internal volume of the electronic device  100  beyond the acoustic device  201 , functioning as a water or other liquid barrier. 
     The gasket  202  may be coupled to the flex circuit  207 , and thus the acoustic device  201 , via one or more components. These components may include one or more layers of adhesive  205  (such as pressure sensitive adhesive), the stiffener  206 , and the liquid-resistant membrane  203 . 
     The stiffener  206  may function to more uniformly transfer force from the bracket  204  to the gasket  202 . This may allow for more uniform compression of the gasket  202  by the bracket  204  compared to acoustic assemblies that do not utilize such stiffeners  206 . 
     The acoustic device  201  may include an acoustic port  208  and the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  may define an acoustic volume  209  through which acoustic waves may travel to and/or from the acoustic port  208 . The liquid-resistant membrane  203  may resist passage of liquid into a portion of the acoustic volume  209  and thus the acoustic port  208  while allowing passage of air and/or sound waves. 
     Although the stiffener  206  may more uniformly transfer force from the bracket  204  to the gasket  202 , the stiffener may not mitigate problems caused by force transferred by the gasket  202  to the liquid-resistant membrane  203 . For example, the gasket  202  may have an uneven surface. As shown, the surface of the gasket  202  facing the internal surface of the housing  101  may include protrusions  211  that project from the surface, which may form a contact region that contacts the internal surface of the housing  101 . This uneven surface due to the protrusions  211  may cause compression  280  of the gasket  202  resulting from the force exerted by the bracket  204  to have a non-uniform compression distribution through at least a portion the gasket  202 . As a result, the gasket  202  may transfer a non-uniform compressive force to the portions of the liquid-resistant membrane  203  positioned between the gasket  202  and the acoustic device  201  (such as portions positioned outside an area defined by a perimeter  281  between the protrusions  211 ), compressing the liquid-resistant membrane  203  and subjecting the liquid-resistant membrane  203  to the same compressive force as the gasket  202 . This situation may result in poor acoustic performance and/or poor sealing against liquids for the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200 . 
       FIG. 2B  shows a detail view of the indicated portion of  FIG. 2A . As shown, the non-uniform compression distribution through the gasket  202  deforms the gasket  202 . This deformation causes the gasket  202  to transfer non-uniform compressive force to non-uniformly compress the liquid-resistant membrane  203 . As a result, the liquid-resistant membrane  203  is squeezed by the compressive force and wrinkles  290  may form on surfaces of the liquid-resistant membrane  203 . These wrinkles  290  and the squeezing of the liquid-resistant membrane  203  may adversely affect acoustic performance of the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200 . 
     These acoustic problems resulting from compression of the liquid-resistant membrane  203  by the same compressive force as the gasket  202  could be mitigated by weakening the force exerted by the bracket  204  to compress the gasket  202 . However, weakening the compression may reduce the effectiveness of the gasket  202  as a liquid seal. An improved configuration may allow for compression of the gasket  202  for functioning as a liquid seal without allowing compression of the gasket  202  to affect the acoustic properties of the liquid-resistant membrane  203 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a second example liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  300  in accordance with the present disclosure. Similar to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  300  may include a bracket  304  coupled to internal surface of the housing  101  around the opening  102  and an acoustic device  301  (with acoustic port  308  connected to acoustic volume  309 ). Also similar to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  300  may include flex circuit  307 , gasket  302 , adhesive  305 , stiffener  306 , and liquid-resistant membrane  303 . Unlike the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 , the liquid-resistant membrane  303  in the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  300  is not positioned between the gasket  302  and the acoustic device  301 . 
     Instead, the liquid-resistant membrane  303  is mounted via adhesive  305  to a shelf  310  of the gasket  302  facing the internal surface of the housing  101 , occupying a gap  312  defined by the gasket  302 . Described another way, the liquid-resistant membrane  303  may be encircled by the protrusions  311 . As the liquid-resistant membrane  303  is within an area defined by a perimeter  381  between the protrusions  311  (e.g., encircled by the protrusions  311 ), and not between the gasket  302  and the acoustic device  301 , compression of the gasket  302  may not compress the liquid-resistant membrane  303  with the same (or any) compressive force. Thus, the compression of the gasket  302  may not cause squeezing or wrinkling of the liquid-resistant membrane  303 . 
     If the gasket  302  is compressed with a first force, the liquid-resistant membrane  303  may be compressed by a second compressive force. The second compressive force may be lesser than the first compressive force, such as where the second compressive force is zero (e.g., the liquid-resistant membrane  303  is uncompressed by compression of the gasket  302 ). In some cases, the liquid-resistant membrane  303  is free of (and/or isolated from) the non-uniform compressive distribution of force resulting from compression of the gasket  302 . 
     As compared to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  300  of  FIG. 3 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  400  of  FIG. 4  includes a ring  413  (or stiffener, rigid plate, rigid member, and so on) mounted to and/or otherwise positioned in a space defined by the gasket  402 . The ring  413  has a first surface facing the internal surface of the housing  101  and a second surface facing the acoustic device  401 . In the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  400 , the liquid-resistant membrane  403  is mounted (such as by being adhesively bonded by adhesive  405 ) to the first surface of the ring  413  facing the internal surface of the housing  101 . The ring  413  may prevent non-uniform distribution of compressive force between the gasket  402  and the liquid-resistant membrane  403 . Thus, the liquid-resistant membrane  403  is mounted within the space defined by the gasket  402 . Described another way, the liquid-resistant membrane  403  may be encircled by the gasket  402 . As a result, the liquid-resistant membrane  403  may be uncompressed and/or otherwise not affected by compression of the gasket  402 . 
     The ring  413  may be formed of a material with a higher elastic modulus than the gasket  402 . For example, the gasket  402  may be a material such as silicone whereas the ring  413  may be a material such as plastic, polyimide, metal, steel, or stainless steel. Due to the higher elastic modulus of the ring  413 , the ring  413  may not compress with compression of the gasket  402 . Thus, compression of the gasket  402  will not compress the liquid-resistant membrane  403 . In some cases, the ring  413  and the gasket  402  may be formed together by a process such as injection molding. 
     Further, as the ring  413  occupies a portion of the acoustic volume  409 , there is less volume in the acoustic volume  409  for any liquid that breaches the liquid-resistant membrane  403 . This lesser volume available for liquid that does breach the liquid-resistant membrane  403  may improve the ability of the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  400  to recover from such a breach. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates another example where a liquid-resistant membrane  503  may be encircled by a gasket  502 . As compared to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  400  of  FIG. 4 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  500  of  FIG. 5  mounts the liquid-resistant membrane  503  to the second surface of the ring  513  facing the acoustic device  501 . As shown, the adhesive  505  between the stiffener  506  and the gasket  502  may have different dimensions than the adhesive  405  between the stiffener  406  and the gasket  402  in the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  400  of  FIG. 4  to form gaps allowing room for the liquid-resistant membrane  503 . 
     In some examples of a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly, the liquid-resistant membrane may be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device while still being free of and/or isolated from the non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. For example, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  600  of  FIG. 6  may include a stiffener  614  (or ring, rigid plate, rigid member, and so on) positioned between the gasket  602  and the liquid-resistant membrane  603 . Due to the rigidity or inflexibility of the stiffener  614 , the stiffener  614  may receive non-uniform compressive force transferred by the gasket  602  and distribute the compressive force uniformly to the liquid-resistant membrane  603 . In other words, the stiffener  614  may prevent non-uniform distribution of compressive force between the gasket  602  and the liquid-resistant membrane  603 . As a result, the liquid-resistant membrane  603  may be subjected to uniform compressive force while being free of (and/or isolated from) the non-uniform compressive distribution that results from compression of the gasket  602 . 
     As shown, the stiffener  614  (which may be formed together with the gasket  602  by a process such as injection molding) may be disposed on a surface of the gasket  602 . However, it is understood that this is an example. In other examples, the stiffener  614  may be formed within the gasket  602 , disposed on a surface of the liquid-resistant membrane  603 , and so on. 
     Similarly, as compared to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 , the stiffener  706  of the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  700  of  FIG. 7  is positioned between the gasket  702  and the liquid-resistant membrane  703 . As a result, the stiffener  706  may receive non-uniform compressive force transferred by the gasket  702  and may uniformly transfer such compressive force to the liquid-resistant membrane  703  without utilizing a different stiffener and/or disposing the stiffener  706  on a surface of the gasket  702  or the liquid-resistant membrane  703 . 
     As shown, the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  700  of  FIG. 7  mounts the liquid-resistant membrane  703  to the flex circuit  707  using the adhesive  705 . However, it is understood that this is an example. In some examples, the liquid-resistant membrane  703  may be laminated and/or otherwise formed as part of the flex circuit  707 . In some examples the flex circuit  707  may be a laminate formed of a circuit connect adhesively attached to a stiffening substrate, such as stainless steel. In such an example, the liquid-resistant membrane  703  may be laminated with the adhesive of the flex circuit  707  that attaches the circuit connect to the stiffening substrate. 
     Further, in some examples the gasket may be positioned other than between the acoustic device and the housing in order to prevent compression of the gasket from compressing the liquid-resistant membrane. For example, as compared to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  800  of  FIG. 8  positions the gasket  802  between the bracket  804  and the flex circuit  807  and mounts the liquid-resistant membrane  803  to the internal surface of the housing  101  via the adhesive  805 . As a result, compression of the gasket  802  is not transferred to the liquid-resistant membrane  803  and may be blocked and/or otherwise minimized by stiffening portions of the flex circuit  807  and/or the stiffener  806 . 
     Further, due to the placement of the gasket  802 , the gasket  802  may adequately seal when compressed without protrusions such as the protrusions  211  of the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  200  of  FIG. 2 . Thus, the gasket  802  may be formed with even surfaces. This may allow the gasket  802  to be formed using processes other than injection or other molding, such as examples where the gasket  802  is formed by die cutting. 
     As compared to the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  800  of  FIG. 8 , the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  900  of  FIG. 9  omits the stiffener  806  and the layer of adhesive  805  that coupled the stiffener  806  to the flex circuit  807 . Thus, the liquid-resistant membrane  903  may be directly coupled to the flex circuit  907  (with or without the adhesive  905 ) without positioning a stiffener between the acoustic device  901  and the housing  101 . This may allow for the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  900  to have a stack-up of smaller dimensions than other examples, such as the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly  800  of  FIG. 8 . 
       FIG. 10  shows a flow chart illustrating a method  1000  for constructing a liquid-resistant acoustic assembly. This method  1000  may construct one or more of the liquid-resistant acoustic assemblies of  FIGS. 2A-9 . 
     At  1010 , a gasket (or seal, compressible material such as silicone, and so on) may be positioned in an acoustic assembly. The gasket may be positioned between an internal surface of a housing of an electronic device and an acoustic device positioned within the housing. 
     At  1020 , a liquid-resistant membrane (and/or any other membrane that resists passage of liquid but allows passage of air and/or sound waves) is disposed on the liquid-resistant acoustic assembly. The liquid-resistant membrane may be positioned between the internal surface of the housing and the acoustic device. 
     At  1030 , the gasket may be compressed. The gasket may be compressed by a bracket towards the internal surface of the housing. Due to the disposition of the liquid-resistant membrane, the liquid-resistant membrane may be free of (isolated from) a non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. In some implementations, the liquid-resistant membrane may be uncompressed by compression of the gasket or compressed by a different force than compression of the gasket. 
     At  1040 , the acoustic device may be coupled to the housing. The acoustic device may be coupled to the housing via the bracket, to which the acoustic device may be coupled via a flex circuit and/or other structure. The acoustic device may also be coupled to the housing via the gasket and/or one or more other components such as adhesives, stiffeners, the liquid-resistant membrane, and so on. 
     Although the example method  1000  is illustrated and described as including particular operations performed in a particular order, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, various orders of the same, similar, and/or different operations may be performed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. 
     For example, the method  1000  is illustrated and described presenting compressing the gasket and coupling the acoustic device to the housing as separate linear operations. However, it is understood that this is an example presented for clarity. In various implementations, operations such as compressing the gasket and coupling the acoustic device to the housing may be performed simultaneously. 
     Although the electronic device  100  is illustrated in  FIG. 1  as a portable electronic device, it should be understood that this is an example. In various implementations, the electronic device may be any device that includes an acoustic device without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Examples of such devices include laptop computing devices, desktop computing devices, tablet computing devices, mobile computing devices, digital media players, displays, smart phones, cellular telephones, wearable devices, items of apparel, and so on. 
     As described above and illustrated in the accompanying figures, the present disclosure relates to liquid-resistant acoustic device gasket and membrane assemblies. A liquid-resistant acoustic assembly for an electronic device may include a housing, an acoustic device positioned in the housing, a gasket compressed between the acoustic device and the housing, and a liquid-resistant membrane disposed between the housing and the acoustic device. The liquid-resistant membrane may not be compressed by the compression of the gasket. The liquid-resistant membrane may be free of (isolated from) a non-uniform compressive distribution resulting from compression of the gasket. In some implementations, the liquid-resistant membrane may be disposed such that it may be uncompressed by compression of the gasket or compressed by a different compressive force than compression of the gasket. For example, the liquid-resistant membrane may not be positioned between the gasket and the acoustic device, may be separated from the gasket by a stiffener, may be mounted to a shelf of the gasket or within a gap defined by the gasket, mounted to a stiffener positioned within the gasket, and so on. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specific embodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20150623
Publication Date: 20171107
Grant Date: 20171107
Priority Date: 20150623
Inventors: Cardinali Steven P.
SHEDLETSKY ANNA-KATRINA
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06F15/0208", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B81B7/0009", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/086", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B81B2207/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/086", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F15/0208", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B81B2207/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "B81B7/0009", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/44", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/44", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/086", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F1/1656", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 57602253