PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-9277324-B2
Application Number: US-201314135337-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Three part membrane speaker

Abstract:
A speaker assembly membrane including a sound radiating surface (SRS) having a first material; a substantially planar SRS ring positioned concentrically outward from the SRS and having a second material; and a suspension member positioned concentrically outward from the SRS ring and having a third material. The second material is stiffer than the first material and the third material to locally stiffen an area surrounding the SRS and improve a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. In another embodiment, the speaker assembly membrane may include a diaphragm having a first material density; a substantially planar stiffening ring extending radially outward from an outer edge of the diaphragm and having a second material density; and a suspension member extending radially outward from an outer edge of the stiffening ring and having a third material density. The second material density is greater than the first material density and the third material density.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A speaker assembly membrane comprising:
 a sound radiating surface (SRS) having a first material; 
 a planar SRS ring positioned concentrically outward from an outer edge of the SRS and having a second material; and 
 a suspension member positioned concentrically outward from an outer edge of the SRS ring and having a third material, and 
 wherein the second material is stiffer than the first material and the third material so as to locally stiffen an area surrounding the SRS and improve a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. 
 
     
     
       2. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the breaking mode frequency is considered improved where a ratio between a breaking mode frequency (f) of the membrane and a diameter (D) of the membrane is greater than 0.2e6 [1/(s*m)]. 
     
     
       3. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the SRS ring comprises an inner edge connected to the outer edge of the SRS and the outer edge of the SRS ring is connected to an inner edge of the suspension member such that the SRS and the suspension member are spaced a distance from one another. 
     
     
       4. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the third material has a lower Young&#39;s modulus than the first material and the second material. 
     
     
       5. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the first material, the second material and the third material are different materials. 
     
     
       6. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the second material has a greater material density than the first material and the third material. 
     
     
       7. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 1  wherein the suspension member is dimensioned to suspend the SRS from a frame of the speaker assembly. 
     
     
       8. A speaker assembly membrane comprising:
 a diaphragm having a first material density; 
 a stiffening ring extending radially outward from an outer edge of the diaphragm and having a second material density; and 
 a suspension member extending radially outward from an outer edge of the stiffening ring and having a third material density, 
 wherein the second material density is greater than the first material density and the third material density so as to locally stiffen an area between the diaphragm and the suspension member and increase a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. 
 
     
     
       9. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein the breaking mode frequency is considered increased where a ratio between a breaking mode frequency (f) of the membrane and a diameter (D) of the membrane is at least 1e6 [1/(s*m)]. 
     
     
       10. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein the first material comprises a polyester material. 
     
     
       11. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein the second material comprises an alloy material. 
     
     
       12. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein the third material comprises a compliant polymer material. 
     
     
       13. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein an inner edge of the stiffening ring is directly connected to the outer edge of the diaphragm and the outer edge of the stiffening ring is directly connected to the suspension member. 
     
     
       14. The speaker assembly membrane of  claim 8  wherein the diaphragm comprises a dome shape. 
     
     
       15. A driver comprising:
 a frame; 
 a membrane assembly for radiating sound, the membrane assembly comprising:
 a sound radiating surface (SRS); 
 an SRS ring positioned around an outer edge of the SRS, the SRS ring having an inner edge directly connected to the outer edge of the SRS; and 
 a suspension member positioned around, and directly connected to, an outer edge of the SRS ring, wherein the SRS ring is a single, integrally formed piece that stiffens an area between the outer edge of the SRS and the suspension member; and 
 
 a voice coil connected to a face of the SRS ring. 
 
     
     
       16. The driver of  claim 15  wherein the driver is a speaker driver. 
     
     
       17. The driver of  claim 15  wherein a breaking mode frequency of the driver is above a frequency of 4 kHz. 
     
     
       18. The driver of  claim 15  wherein the SRS ring extends beyond a sound radiating region of the SRS. 
     
     
       19. The driver of  claim 15  wherein the SRS ring is substantially planar.

Description:
FIELD 
     An embodiment of the invention is directed to a three part membrane having a stiffening region to improve acoustic performance of a driver within which the membrane may be implemented. Other embodiments are also described and claimed. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Whether listening to an MP3 player while traveling, or to a high-fidelity stereo system at home, consumers are increasingly choosing intra-canal and intra-concha earphones for their listening pleasure. Both types of electro-acoustic transducer devices have a relatively low profile housing that contains a receiver or driver (an earpiece speaker). The low profile housing provides convenience for the wearer, while also providing very good sound quality. 
     These devices, however, do not have sufficient space to house high fidelity speakers. This is also true for portable personal computers such as laptop, notebook, and tablet computers, and, to a lesser extent, desktop personal computers with built-in speakers. Such devices typically require speaker enclosures or boxes that have a relatively low rise (i.e. height as defined along the z-axis) and small back volume, as compared to, for instance, stand alone high fidelity speakers and dedicated digital music systems for handheld media players. 
     The drivers (earpiece speakers) for such devices therefore typically use a low profile diaphragm assembly, which is composed of two parts. Namely, a sound radiating surface (SRS) and a suspension member. The SRS vibrates axially thereby creating pressure waves outside the driver enclosure. The suspension surrounds and suspends the SRS within the enclosure and allows it to vibrate axially. Each of these moving parts, however, have natural structural resonances that can be excited at certain frequencies, which are typically different from one another. As a result, at certain frequencies (i.e. the breaking mode frequency) the SRS and the suspension member move out of phase with one another. Such out of phase movements, such as for example, when the suspension member moves to a greater degree than the SRS, result in an undesirable sound pressure output (i.e. drop in pressure) at the breaking mode frequency. 
     SUMMARY 
     An embodiment of the invention is a three part speaker assembly membrane having an improved and/or increased breaking mode frequency. The speaker assembly membrane may include a sound radiating surface (SRS) having a first material. The assembly may further include a substantially planar SRS ring positioned concentrically outward from the SRS and having a second material. In addition, a suspension member is positioned concentrically outward from the SRS ring and having a third material. In one embodiment, the second material is stiffer than the first material and the third material so as to locally stiffen an area surrounding the SRS and improve a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. 
     In another embodiment, the speaker assembly membrane may include a diaphragm having a first material density. The speaker assembly may further include a substantially planar stiffening ring extending radially outward from an outer edge of the diaphragm and having a second material density. In addition, a suspension member extends radially outward from an outer edge of the stiffening ring and has a third material density. In one embodiment the second material density is greater than the first material density and the third material density so as to locally stiffen an area between the diaphragm and the suspension member and increase a breaking mode frequency of the membrane. 
     Another embodiment of the invention includes a driver having a frame and a membrane assembly for radiating sound. The membrane assembly may include a sound radiating surface (SRS), an SRS ring positioned around an outer edge of the SRS, and a suspension member positioned around an outer edge of the SRS ring. The SRS ring stiffens an area between the outer edge of the SRS and the suspension member. The driver may further include a voice coil connected to a face of the SRS ring. 
     The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the Detailed Description below and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with the application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically recited in the above summary. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and they mean at least one. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a top plan view of one embodiment of a membrane. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross sectional side view along line A-A′ of the membrane of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a cross sectional side view of the membrane of  FIG. 1  integrated within a driver. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates frequency response curves for comparison between a driver having a membrane as disclosed herein and a driver without the membrane disclosed herein. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of an electronic device in which a membrane as disclosed herein may be implemented. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a simplified schematic view of one embodiment of an electronic device in which the membrane may be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In this section we shall explain several preferred embodiments of this invention with reference to the appended drawings. Whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the parts described in the embodiments are not clearly defined, the scope of the invention is not limited only to the parts shown, which are meant merely for the purpose of illustration. Also, while numerous details are set forth, it is understood that some embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a top plan view of one embodiment of a membrane. In one embodiment, membrane  100  is dimensioned to generate sound waves when integrated within a driver. The driver may be, for example, an electric-to-acoustic transducer having membrane  100  and circuitry configured to produce a sound in response to an electrical audio signal input (e.g., a loudspeaker). In some embodiments, membrane  100  is configured for use within a 10 mm to 20 mm driver. 
     Membrane  100  may be a three part membrane which is configured to improve and/or increase a breaking mode frequency of the membrane and/or driver within which it is implemented. Representatively, in one embodiment, membrane  100  includes a sound radiating surface (SRS)  102 , an SRS ring  104  and a suspension member  106 . The SRS  102  may form a center portion of membrane  100  and each of SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  may be positioned concentrically outward from SRS  102 . Said another way, each of SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  are positioned radially outward from SRS  102 . Representatively, in one embodiment, SRS  102  may be a relatively low profile (i.e. small z-height) dome shaped structure having outer edge  108 . SRS ring  104  may be a ring shaped structure dimensioned to surround SRS  102 . An inner edge  110  of SRS ring  104  may attach to the outer edge  108  of SRS  102 . Suspension member  106  may further be a substantially ring shaped structure dimensioned to surround SRS  102  and SRS ring  104 . In some embodiments, each of the SRS  102 , SRS ring  104  and all, or a portion of, suspension member  106  may have sound radiating properties. An inner edge  114  of suspension member  106  may be attached to outer edge  112  of SRS ring  104 . In addition, an outer edge  116  of suspension member  106  may be attached to the driver frame (not shown) in order to suspend SRS  102  within the frame. In this aspect, each of SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  extend radially outward from outer edge  108  of SRS  102  such that they are within substantially the same horizontal plane and therefore do not substantially increase a z-height of the assembly. In addition, SRS ring  104  is between the outer edge  108  of SRS  102  and the inner edge  114  of suspension member  106  such that SRS  102  and suspension member  106  are spaced a distance from one another and do not contact one another. In other words, they are separated by SRS ring  104 . 
     SRS ring  104  may be made of any material suitable for locally stiffening an area around SRS  102 , more specifically an area between SRS  102  and suspension member  106  which is within substantially the same horizontal plane of SRS  102  so as not to increase a z-height of the assembly. Representatively, as previously discussed, at certain frequencies, typical speaker diaphragms may experience a breaking mode in which the diaphragm components are out of phase with one another and therefore a decrease in sound pressure output from the driver at the breaking mode frequency may occur. By stiffening the area around SRS  102 , and between SRS  102  and suspension member  106 , using SRS ring  104 , this breaking mode frequency can be increased to a frequency which is above the working range of the driver. Since the breaking mode frequency is above the working range of the driver, any undesirable impact in sound output from the driver due to the breaking mode will go substantially unnoticed by the user. For example, in some embodiments where the working range of the driver is from about 0.02 kHz to about 20 kHz, or from about 4 kHz to about 14 kHz, the SRS ring  104  is configured to increase the breaking mode frequency to a frequency greater than about 4 kHz, for example, greater than about 14 kHz, or for example, a breaking mode frequency greater than 20 kHz. For example, the breaking mode frequency may be increased to within a range of from about 4 kHz to about 25 kHz, for example, from about 10 kHz to about 20 kHz, or from about 14 kHz to about 16 kHz. 
     Said another way, the desired increase or improvement in breaking mode frequency can be quantified by a ratio between the breaking mode frequency and the diameter of the membrane. Representatively, where f is the breaking mode frequency and D is the overall diameter of the surface that is expected to contribute to the transduction process, for example, membrane  100 , the ratio may be f/D and an improvement or increase in breaking mode frequency may be present where f/D is at least 0.2e6 [1/(s*m)] or at least 1e6 [1/(s*m)]. It is noted that the breaking mode frequency and/or f/D values described herein are considered an improvement and/or increase in breaking mode frequency because they are an improvement and/or increase with respect to a breaking mode frequency, and/or f/D range, which would be found in a membrane without localized stiffening using SRS ring  104 . 
     Local stiffening of the area around SRS  102  may be accomplished by making SRS ring  104  of a material having a greater stiffness than the material used to make SRS  102  and/or suspension member  106 . In still further embodiments, local stiffening may be accomplished by making SRS ring  104  of a material having a greater density than the material used to make SRS  102  and/or suspension member  106 . For example, SRS  102  may be made of a first material, SRS ring  104  may be made of a second material and suspension member  106  may be made of a third material. In one embodiment, each of the first material, the second material and the third material may be different materials having different stiffnesses and/or different densities. 
     In one embodiment, the first material of SRS  102  may be any material capable of forming a relatively stiff axially vibratable membrane. It is further important that the SRS  102  be made of a relatively light and/or relatively low density material so as not to substantially increase a mass of the SRS  102  and therefore impact a desired high frequency response of the membrane  100 . Representatively, a suitable material for SRS  102  may include, but is not limited to, a polyester material. A suitable polyester material may include, but is not limited to, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN). For example, in one embodiment, the SRS  102  may be an integrally formed dome shaped structure made of a PEN thermofoil. 
     A suitable second material for SRS ring  104  may include, but is not limited to, a material having a greater stiffness and/or density than the material used to make SRS  102 . For example, SRS ring  104  may be made of a material which is at least twice as dense as SRS  102 . For example, in one embodiment wherein the first material of SRS  102  has a density of from about 0.5 to about 1.5 g cm −3 , the second material of SRS ring  104  may have a density of from about 2 to about 3 g cm −3 . Representatively, SRS ring  104  may be made of an alloy material, more specifically an aluminum alloy material. In one embodiment, SRS ring  104  may be a substantially planar, ring shaped structure integrally formed from a single material, such as an alloy material. 
     A suitable third material for suspension member  106  may include, but is not limited to a material that is less stiff than SRS ring  104  and, in some cases, SRS  102 . For example, a suitable third material may be a very compliant material having a relatively low Young&#39;s modulus (e.g. a lower Young&#39;s modulus than SRS ring  104  and SRS  102 ). A representative very compliant material having a relatively low Young&#39;s modulus may include, but is not limited to, a polymer material such as polyurethane (PU). In one embodiment, suspension member  106  may be integrally formed from a single material, such as a polymer material. Suspension member  106  may have a substantially low profile arcuate shape in the z-height direction. 
     In still further embodiments, it is contemplated that in addition to, or instead of, using a different material to make SRS ring  104  stiffer than SRS  102  and suspension member  106 , SRS ring  104  may be thicker (along the z-axis) than SRS  102 , and in some cases, suspension member  106 . In addition, it is to be understood that a width of SRS ring  104  is, in one embodiment, less than that of SRS  102  and, in some cases, suspension member  106  such that it does not substantially impact a sound radiating surface area of SRS  102 . In other words, the SRS ring  104  does not extend into the sound radiating surface area of SRS  102 . Rather, SRS ring  104  is positioned around the edges of SRS  102  (instead of a face of the SRS  102 ) and extends beyond the outer edge  108  of SRS  102 . Since SRS ring  104  extends radially outward from SRS  102 , as opposed to being positioned along the face of SRS  102 , it does not substantially increase the mass of the sound radiating surface area that must be moved to generate sound using SRS  102 . 
     SRS  102 , and in turn SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106 , may be any shape and size suitable for generating sound pressure waves when integrated within a driver. For example, in one embodiment, each of SRS  102 , SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  may have a substantially circular profile. It is contemplated, however, that in other embodiments, SRS  102 , SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  may have other shapes and sizes, for example, a square, rectangular or elliptical shaped profile. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross sectional side view along line A-A′ of the membrane of  FIG. 1 . From this view, it can be seen that in some embodiments, SRS  102  may have a low profile dome shape. In addition, it can be seen that inner edge  110  of SRS ring  104  is directly connected to the outer edge  108  of SRS and outer edge  112  of SRS ring  104  is directly connected to inner edge  114  of suspension member  106 . For example, in one embodiment, a top face portion of inner edge  110  and outer edge  112  of SRS ring  104  may be glued to a bottom face of outer edge  108  of SRS  102  and inner edge  114  of suspension member  106 , respectively. Thus, SRS ring  104  separates SRS  102  from suspension member  106  in a radial direction a distance (d) such that SRS  102  does not contact suspension member  106 . SRS ring  104  may be a substantially planar structure such that adjoining edges of the SRS  102  and the suspension member  106 , namely edges  108  and  114 , are substantially coplanar with one another, and/or parallel to the SRS ring  104 . In this aspect, SRS ring  104  does not impact a z-height of membrane  100 . 
     In addition, an overall width (w) of SRS ring  104  may be less than that of SRS  102  and suspension member  106  such that it does not substantially increase an overall width of membrane  100  or occupy a substantial portion of the sound radiating surface area of SRS  102 , the sound radiating surface area being the dome shaped area of SRS  102  which vibrates in response to an electrical input to output sound waves. In this aspect, membrane  100  provides the advantage of having a large sound radiating surface area while maintaining a relatively small (e.g. narrow) suspension system (e.g. SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106 ). 
     A diameter (D) of membrane  100  is further illustrated in  FIG. 2 . In some embodiments, for example, where the diameter (D) is about 14 mm (14e−3 m), the local stiffening caused by SRS ring  104  as previously discussed, results in an increase or improved breaking mode frequency (f) of at least 4 kHz, or at least 14 kHz. Said another way, where the increase or improvement in breaking mode frequency is represented by f/D, an improvement or increase in breaking mode frequency may be present where f/D is at least 0.2e6 [1/(s*m)] or at least 1e6 [1/(s*m)]. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a cross sectional side view of the membrane of  FIG. 1  integrated within a driver. Driver  300  may be any type of electric-to-acoustic transducer which uses a pressure sensitive diaphragm and circuitry to produce a sound in response to an electrical audio signal input (e.g., a loudspeaker). Representatively, membrane  100 , which includes SRS  102 , SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  as described in reference to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , may be integrated within driver  300  to produce a sound. The electrical audio signal may be a music signal input to driver  300  by a sound source. The sound source may be any type of audio device capable of outputting an audio signal, for example, an audio electronic device such as a portable music player, home stereo system or home theater system capable of outputting an audio signal. Driver  300  may be integrated within headphones, intra-canal earphones, inter-concha ear phones or the like. 
     Representatively, the outer edge of suspension member  106  may be attached to frame  302  to suspend membrane  100  within driver  300 . Frame  302  may be part of a driver enclosure or box whose height (or rise) and speaker back volume (also referred to as an acoustic chamber) are considered to be relatively small. For example, the enclosure height or rise may be in the range of about 8.5 millimeters (mm) to about 10 mm. The concepts described here, however, need not be limited to driver enclosures whose rises are within these ranges. 
     Driver  300  may include magnet assembly  314  positioned along a face of membrane  100 . Magnet assembly  314  may define a gap within which a portion of coil  306  (also referred to as a voice coil) and the associated former  304 , used to support voice coil  306 , may be positioned. The former  304  and/or coil  306  may be attached to a face or side of SRS ring  104  facing magnet assembly  314 . 
     Coil  306 , which is affixed to the former  304 , may be positioned around center magnet piece  308 . It is noted that although former  304  is illustrated, former  304  is optional and may be omitted in some embodiments. Coil  306  may be a pre-wound coil assembly (which includes the wire coil held in its intended position by a lacquer or other adhesive material), which may be bonded directly to former  304 , for example to the outer surface wall of the former. In other embodiments, former  304  may be omitted and coil  306  may be attached directly to a surface of SRS ring  104 . 
     Although not shown, coil  306  may have electrical connections to a pair of terminals through which an input audio signal is received, in response to which coil  306  produces a changing magnetic field that interacts with the magnetic field produced by magnet assembly  314  for providing a driving mechanism for driver  300 . 
     As previously discussed, SRS  102  may be coupled to frame  302  by way of suspension member  106 . Suspension member  106  allows substantially vertical movement of SRS  102 , that is in a substantially up and down direction or also referred to as a forward-backward direction, relative to fixed frame  302 . Suspension member  106  may be any compliant material, such as those previously discussed, that is sufficiently flexible to allow movement of SRS  102  in order to produce acoustic or sound waves. The SRS  102  may be more rigid or less flexible, to be more efficient in producing high frequency acoustic waves. In one instance, suspension member  106  is a single-piece flexible membrane, and SRS  102  includes a rigid plate or dome that may be attached to suspension member  106  by SRS ring  104  as previously discussed. This may be done by directly gluing SRS  102 , SRS ring  104  and suspension member  106  together at their respective edges and/or faces. In addition to allowing for axial movement of SRS  102 , suspension member  106  may also serve to maintain SRS  102  in substantial alignment relative to a center vertical axis of former  304  during operation of driver  300 . This alignment also serves to prevent a moving coil from getting snagged by the walls of the magnet system. 
     Former  304  may have a typical, generally cylindrical or ring like structure around which a voice coil can be wound. Alternatively, former  304  may be a flat plate with a central opening therein which extends substantially horizontally outward of a peripheral portion of SRS  102 . Former  304  may be made from any suitably lightweight yet rigid material, so as to keep the weight of the suspended combination with membrane  100  to a minimum, for greater performance and efficiency. An example material is an aluminum alloy. Other suitable materials include titanium and ceramic, both of which may be made sufficiently lightweight yet rigid. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates frequency response curves for comparison between a driver having a membrane as disclosed herein and a driver without the membrane disclosed herein. In particular, frequency response chart  400  includes dashed line  402  illustrating a frequency response curve for a driver having a membrane without a locally stiffened region as disclosed herein. As can be seen from dashed line  402 , a substantial drop in sound pressure occurs at a frequency which is less than 14 kHz (i.e. the breaking mode frequency), for example, less than 4 kHz. The response curve of a driver having a membrane with the stiffening SRS ring as disclosed herein is illustrated by the solid line  406 . The response curve formed by solid line  406  is normal within the working range of the driver (e.g. a frequency range of from about 4 kHz to about 14 kHz) and experiences a slight dip in sound pressure at a frequency (i.e. the breaking mode frequency) outside of the working range. Thus, the breaking mode frequency of the driver is increased. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates one embodiment of an electronic device in which a membrane as disclosed herein may be implemented. Electronic device  500  may be, for example, an inter-canal earphone or intra-concha earphone dimensioned to fit within an ear of a user. In this aspect, device  500  may include a housing portion  502  dimensioned to fit within the ear of a user and house the driver, for example driver  300  which includes membrane  100  as discussed in reference to  FIG. 1-FIG .  4 . A tube portion  504  may extend from the housing portion  502  and provide a conduit through which any circuitry (e.g. wires) extending from driver  300  may run. The housing portion  502  may further include a sound output opening  506  through which sound (S) emitted from driver  300  may be output to the user&#39;s ear. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a simplified schematic view of one embodiment of an electronic device in which a membrane as disclosed herein may be implemented. For example, an inter-canal earphone, an intra-concha earphone or headphones as discussed in reference to  FIG. 5  are examples of systems that can include some or all of the circuitry illustrated by electronic device  600 . 
     Electronic device  600  can include, for example, power supply  602 , storage  604 , signal processor  606 , memory  608 , processor  610 , communication circuitry  612 , and input/output circuitry  614 . In some embodiments, electronic device  600  can include more than one of each component of circuitry, but for the sake of simplicity, only one of each is shown in  FIG. 6 . In addition, one skilled in the art would appreciate that the functionality of certain components can be combined or omitted and that additional or less components, which are not shown in  FIG. 6 , can be included in, for example, device  500 . 
     Power supply  602  can provide power to the components of electronic device  600 . In some embodiments, power supply  602  can be coupled to a power grid such as, for example, a wall outlet. In some embodiments, power supply  602  can include one or more batteries for providing power to earphones, headphones or other type of electronic device associated with the headphone. As another example, power supply  602  can be configured to generate power from a natural source (e.g., solar power using solar cells). 
     Storage  604  can include, for example, a hard-drive, flash memory, cache, ROM, and/or RAM. Additionally, storage  604  can be local to and/or remote from electronic device  600 . For example, storage  604  can include an integrated storage medium, removable storage medium, storage space on a remote server, wireless storage medium, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, storage  604  can store data such as, for example, system data, user profile data, and any other relevant data. 
     Signal processor  606  can be, for example a digital signal processor, used for real-time processing of digital signals that are converted from analog signals by, for example, input/output circuitry  614 . After processing of the digital signals has been completed, the digital signals could then be converted back into analog signals. 
     Memory  608  can include any form of temporary memory such as RAM, buffers, and/or cache. Memory  608  can also be used for storing data used to operate electronic device applications (e.g., operation system instructions). 
     In addition to signal processor  606 , electronic device  600  can additionally contain general processor  610 . Processor  610  can be capable of interpreting system instructions and processing data. For example, processor  610  can be capable of executing instructions or programs such as system applications, firmware applications, and/or any other application. Additionally, processor  610  has the capability to execute instructions in order to communicate with any or all of the components of electronic device  600 . 
     Communication circuitry  612  may be any suitable communications circuitry operative to initiate a communications request, connect to a communications network, and/or to transmit communications data to one or more servers or devices within the communications network. For example, communications circuitry  612  may support one or more of Wi-Fi (e.g., a 802.11 protocol), Bluetooth®, high frequency systems, infrared, GSM, GSM plus EDGE, CDMA, or any other communication protocol and/or any combination thereof. 
     Input/output circuitry  614  can convert (and encode/decode, if necessary) analog signals and other signals (e.g., physical contact inputs, physical movements, analog audio signals, etc.) into digital data. Input/output circuitry  614  can also convert digital data into any other type of signal. The digital data can be provided to and received from processor  610 , storage  604 , memory  608 , signal processor  606 , or any other component of electronic device  600 . Input/output circuitry  614  can be used to interface with any suitable input or output devices, such as, for example, a microphone. Furthermore, electronic device  600  can include specialized input circuitry associated with input devices such as, for example, one or more proximity sensors, accelerometers, etc. Electronic device  600  can also include specialized output circuitry associated with output devices such as, for example, one or more speakers, earphones, etc. 
     Lastly, bus  616  can provide a data transfer path for transferring data to, from, or between processor  610 , storage  604 , memory  608 , communications circuitry  612 , and any other component included in electronic device  600 . Although bus  616  is illustrated as a single component in  FIG. 6 , one skilled in the art would appreciate that electronic device  600  may include one or more bus components. 
     While certain embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that the invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, although a three part membrane having a localized stiffening region is primarily disclosed as being implemented within a speaker driver for earphones or headphones, it is contemplated that the three part membrane disclosed herein may be used within any type of driver and integrated within any type of electronic device that could benefit from an increased breaking mode frequency, for example, a notebook, laptop, smartphone or any other type of device which can be used to output sound to a user. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20131219
Publication Date: 20160301
Grant Date: 20160301
Priority Date: 20131219
Inventors: AZMI YACINE
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R1/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/18", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/125", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/20", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/025", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2207/021", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/027", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2231/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/24", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/125", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/125", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/20", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/027", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/18", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/025", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/025", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2207/021", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2307/027", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2207/021", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/20", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/24", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/20", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2231/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2231/003", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 53275602