PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11240591-B2
Application Number: US-201916583795-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Internal control leak integrated in a driver frame

Abstract:
A driver assembly including a driver module having a driver frame and a diaphragm coupled to the driver frame, the driver frame defining a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber; an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; and a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber, wherein a centroid of the first driver vent is aligned with a centroid of the second driver vent.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A driver assembly comprising:
 a driver module having a driver frame and a diaphragm coupled to the driver frame, the driver frame defining a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber; 
 an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; and 
 a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber, wherein the first driver vent or the second driver vent comprises an asymmetrical shape and a centroid of the first driver vent is aligned with a centroid of the second driver vent. 
 
     
     
       2. The driver assembly of  claim 1  wherein the internal control leak, the first driver vent and the second driver vent are formed through a same wall of the driver frame that the diaphragm is coupled to. 
     
     
       3. The driver assembly of  claim 1  wherein the internal control leak is a first internal control leak, the assembly further comprising a second internal control leak. 
     
     
       4. The driver assembly of  claim 3  wherein the first internal control leak and the second internal control leak are radially outward to the first driver vent and the second driver vent. 
     
     
       5. The driver assembly of  claim 1  wherein the first driver vent and the second driver vent have a same shape. 
     
     
       6. The driver assembly of  claim 1  wherein a shape of the first driver vent and the second driver vent is asymmetrical. 
     
     
       7. The driver assembly of  claim 1  wherein the centroid of the first driver vent and the centroid of the second driver vent are aligned with a center of the diaphragm. 
     
     
       8. The driver assembly of  claim 1  further comprising:
 a single piece of acoustic mesh acoustically coupled to the internal control leak and one of the first driver vent or the second driver vent. 
 
     
     
       9. The driver assembly of  claim 1  further comprising:
 an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port to an ambient environment, wherein the driver module is positioned within the interior chamber and the acoustic outlet port couples the front volume chamber to the ambient environment. 
 
     
     
       10. An ear bud having a driver assembly comprising:
 an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment; 
 a driver module positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber; 
 an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; 
 a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm that faces the magnet assembly to the back volume chamber; and 
 a rear vent formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment. 
 
     
     
       11. The driver assembly of  claim 10  wherein the internal control leak is positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially outward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to. 
     
     
       12. The driver assembly of  claim 10  wherein the first driver vent and the second driver vent are positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially inward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to. 
     
     
       13. The driver assembly of  claim 10  wherein a centroid of the first driver vent and a centroid of the second driver vent are arranged at diametrically opposed locations around the diaphragm. 
     
     
       14. The driver assembly of  claim 10  wherein the first driver vent, the second driver vent and the internal control leak each comprise an elongated shape. 
     
     
       15. The driver assembly of  claim 10  further comprising:
 a first mesh and a second mesh, the first mesh is coupled to the internal control leak and the first driver vent, and the second mesh is coupled to the second driver vent. 
 
     
     
       16. The driver assembly of  claim 10  wherein the enclosure comprises a top wall and a bottom wall connected by a side wall, the rear vent is formed through the bottom wall and an external control leak coupling the front volume chamber to the ambient environment is formed through the top wall. 
     
     
       17. A driver assembly comprising:
 an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment; 
 a driver module positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber that couples a first side of the diaphragm to the acoustic outlet port and a back volume chamber; 
 an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber; 
 a driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber; 
 an external control leak formed through the enclosure to couple the front volume chamber to the ambient environment; and
 a rear vent formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment. 
 
 
     
     
       18. The driver assembly of  claim 17  wherein the diaphragm is coupled to a portion of the driver frame positioned between the internal control leak and the driver vent. 
     
     
       19. The drive assembly of  claim 17  wherein the driver vent comprises an elongated shape having a first end and a second end, and the first end is wider than the second end. 
     
     
       20. The driver assembly of  claim 17  wherein the driver vent is a first driver vent, the assembly further comprising a second driver vent, and wherein a centroid of the first driver vent, a centroid of the second driver vent and a center of the diaphragm are arranged within a same vertical plane that passes through the center of the diaphragm. 
     
     
       21. The driver assembly of  claim 17  wherein the internal control leak and the rear vent are coupled such that the rear vent also couples the front volume chamber to the ambient environment.

Description:
FIELD 
     An embodiment of the invention is directed to internal control leaks, vents, ports or the like integrated in a driver frame. 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. 
     SUMMARY 
     Drivers are commonly used in mobile applications such as earphones for sound output. The driver is positioned within an interior chamber formed by the earphone housing. The driver itself may include a driver frame that supports the driver components, for example, the diaphragm and forms a front volume chamber and a back volume chamber around the diaphragm. The driver front volume chamber may be coupled to an acoustic output opening of the earphone housing to output sound generated by the diaphragm to the user&#39;s ear. In some cases, where the earphone fits relatively tightly within the ear and forms a seal with the ear canal, or at least a partial seal, user&#39;s may experience an undesirable occlusion effect. To address this, aspects disclosed herein may include a number of passive leaks or vents formed within the driver frame to couple the chambers therein to one another to improve sound output (e.g., reduce occlusion effect). Representatively, the frame may include an internal control leak integrated in the frame (e.g., formed through the frame portion that supports the diaphragm) that connects the back volume to the front volume. The internal control leak may include two control leaks arranged around the driver. The internal control leaks may, in some aspects, allow for pressure equalization. In still further aspects, the frame may include a driver vent that couples the back side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber. The driver vent may be used for low frequency tuning and/or to enlarge the size of the back volume. In some cases, the driver vent may include two elongated driver vents that are balanced or symmetrically arranged around the frame. For example, the drive vents may be arranged along opposite sides of the diaphragm and have centroids that are aligned with a center of the diaphragm. In addition, the assembly may include an external control leak that couples the front volume chamber to an ambient environment and/or a rear vent that couples the back volume chamber to the ambient environment. In some cases, the rear vent may couple the back volume chamber to another larger chamber within the enclosure to further enlarge the back volume chamber. In some cases, an acoustic mesh may be coupled to the driver vent and the internal control leak. The acoustic mesh may be insert molded in the driver frame and tuned, in conjunction with the driver vents, to a specific acoustic resistance to optimize high frequency response and acoustic damping. In some cases, the shape and/or size of the vents and/or internal control leak may be optimized to minimize a rocking of the diaphragm, asymmetric acoustic loading and/or allow airflow restrictions. 
     Representatively, in one aspect a driver assembly includes a driver module, an internal control leak and first and second driver vents. The drive module may have a driver frame and a diaphragm coupled to the driver frame, the driver frame defining a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber. The internal control leak may be formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber. The first driver vent and the second driver vent may be formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber, and a centroid of the first driver vent is aligned with a centroid of the second driver vent. In some aspects, the internal control leak, the first driver vent and the second driver vent are formed through a same wall of the driver frame that the diaphragm is coupled to. In still further aspects, the internal control leak is a first internal control leak, and the assembly further includes a second internal control leak. The first internal control leak and the second internal control leak may be radially outward to the first driver vent and the second driver vent. In some aspects, the first driver vent and the second driver vent may have a same shape. In some cases, a shape of at least one of the first driver vent and the second driver vent may be asymmetrical. Still further, the centroid of the first driver vent and the centroid of the second driver vent may be aligned with a center of the diaphragm. In some aspects, the assembly may further include a single piece of acoustic mesh acoustically coupled to the internal control leak and one of the first acoustic vent or the second acoustic vent. In addition, the assembly may include an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port to an ambient environment, wherein the driver module is positioned within the interior chamber and the acoustic outlet port couples the front volume chamber to the ambient environment. 
     In another aspect, a driver assembly includes an enclosure having an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment. The assembly further includes a driver module positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber. The assembly also includes an internal control leak formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber, a first driver vent and a second driver vent formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm that faces the magnet assembly to the back volume chamber, and a rear vent formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment. The internal control leak may be positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially outward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to. The first driver vent and the second driver vent may be positioned through a portion of the driver frame that is radially inward to a portion of the driver frame the diaphragm is coupled to. In some cases, a centroid of the first driver vent and a centroid of the second driver vent are arranged at diametrically opposed locations around the diaphragm. The first driver vent, the second driver vent and the internal control leak may each have an elongated shape. The assembly may further include a first mesh and a second mesh, the first mesh is coupled to the internal control leak and the first driver vent, and the second mesh is coupled to the second driver vent. The enclosure may include a top wall and a bottom wall connected by a side wall, the rear vent may be formed through the top wall and an external control leak coupling the front volume chamber to the ambient environment is formed through the top wall. 
     In another aspect, a driver assembly includes an enclosure, a driver module, an internal control leak, a driver vent, an external control leak and a rear vent. The enclosure may have an enclosure wall that forms an interior chamber and an acoustic outlet port coupling the interior chamber to an ambient environment. The driver module may be positioned within the interior chamber, the driver module having a driver frame to which a diaphragm and a magnet assembly are coupled, the driver frame dividing the interior chamber into a front volume chamber coupled to a first side of the diaphragm and a back volume chamber. The internal control leak may be formed through the driver frame to couple the front volume chamber to the back volume chamber. The driver vent may be formed through the driver frame to couple a second side of the diaphragm to the back volume chamber. The external control leak may be formed through the enclosure to couple the front volume chamber to the ambient environment. The rear vent may be formed through the enclosure to couple the back volume chamber to the ambient environment. The diaphragm may be coupled to a portion of the driver frame positioned between the internal control leak and the driver vent. In some aspects, the driver vent includes an elongated shape having a first end and a second end, and the first end is wider than the second end. In still further aspects, the driver vent may be a first driver vent, the assembly further includes a second driver vent, and a centroid of the first driver vent, a centroid of the second driver vent and a center of the diaphragm are arranged within a same vertical plane that passes through the center of the diaphragm. 
     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 simplified schematic cross-sectional side view of one aspect of a driver assembly. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of one aspect of a driver assembly. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a top plan view of one aspect of a driver assembly. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a bottom plan view of one aspect of a driver assembly. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a simplified schematic view of an electronic device in which a driver assembly may be implemented. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a block diagram of some of the constituent components of an electronic device in which a driver assembly may be implemented. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In this section we shall explain several preferred aspects of this invention with reference to the appended drawings. Whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the parts described in the aspects 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 aspects 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. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular aspects only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Spatially relative terms, such as “beneath”, “below”, “lower”, “above”, “upper”, and the like may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element&#39;s or feature&#39;s relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly. 
     As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising” specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. 
     The terms “or” and “and/or” as used herein are to be interpreted as inclusive or meaning any one or any combination. Therefore, “A, B or C” or “A, B and/or C” mean “any of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B and C.” An exception to this definition will occur only when a combination of elements, functions, steps or acts are in some way inherently mutually exclusive. 
     Intra-canal earphones or ear buds are typically designed to fit within and form a seal with the user&#39;s ear canal. Intra-canal earphones therefore have an acoustic output tube portion that extends from the housing. The open end of the acoustic output tube portion can be inserted into the wearer&#39;s ear canal. The acoustic output tube portion typically forms, or is fitted with, a flexible and resilient tip or cap made of a rubber or silicone material. When the tip portion is inserted into the user&#39;s ear, the tip compresses against the ear canal wall and creates a sealed (essentially airtight) cavity inside the canal. Although the sealed cavity allows for maximum sound output power into the ear canal, it can amplify external vibrations, thus diminishing overall sound quality. Intra-concha earphones, on the other hand, typically fit in the outer ear and rest just above the inner ear canal. Intra-concha earphones do not typically seal within the ear canal and therefore do not suffer from the same issues as intra-canal earphones. Sound quality, however, may not be optimal to the user because sound can leak from the earphone and not reach the ear canal. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a cross-sectional simplified schematic side view of one aspect of a driver assembly. Driver assembly  100  may be an in-ear earphone driver, also referred to as a micro driver. For example, driver assembly  100  may be, form part of, or otherwise include components of an electroacoustic driver or transducer that converts electrical signals into acoustic signals (e.g., audible acoustic signals such as sound) that can be output from the device (or enclosure) within which the driver assembly  100  is implemented. Representatively, driver assembly  100  may be a micro speaker such as that used in an in-ear earphone or ear bud. In some aspects, for example, the driver assembly  100  may be a 10 mm to 75 mm driver, or 10 mm to 20 mm driver (as measured along the diameter or longest length dimension), for example, in the case of a micro driver. 
     Driver assembly  100  may include a driver frame  102 , which in combination with enclosure  104 , defines a front volume chamber  106  and a back volume chamber  108 . Enclosure  104  may include enclosure walls  104 A,  104 B,  104 C and  104 D which form an interior chamber  110  that is surrounded by an ambient environment. For example, in some aspects, the enclosure walls may include a top wall  104 B and a bottom wall  104 D connected together by side walls  104 A,  104 C that together form the interior chamber, and separate the interior chamber from the surrounding ambient environment. It should be noted, however, that in some aspects, the area surrounding the interior chamber  110  may be another chamber, enclosure or housing. The driver frame  102  may be a single integrally formed structure, in some cases integrally formed with enclosure, or separately connected to enclosure  104 . For example, the driver frame  102  may include a single integrally formed one piece structure molded into the desired frame shape so that no components are separable. For example, driver frame  102  may have at least one portion that is a relatively planar wall coupled to the enclosure  104 , and that divides the encased space  110  into the front volume chamber  106  and the back volume chamber  108 . 
     The various driver components may be coupled to the driver frame  102  and positioned within the encased space  110 . For example, diaphragm  112  may be coupled (e.g., attached) to the driver frame  102 . Diaphragm  112  may also be referred to herein as a sound radiating surface, an acoustic radiator, or a sound radiator, or a portion of one of these structures. Diaphragm  112  may be any type of flexible plate, membrane or other structure, capable of vibrating in response to an acoustic signal to produce acoustic or sound waves. Diaphragm  112  may include a top face  112 A, which is coupled to front volume chamber  106  and generates and outputs sound to a user. The sound output by top face  112 A may travel through front volume chamber  106  to an acoustic outlet port  124  formed in enclosure  104 , where it is output to the surrounding ambient environment (e.g., into a user&#39;s ear). Diaphragm  112  may also include a bottom face  112 B, which faces a direction opposite the top face  112 A and is coupled to the back volume chamber  108 . In this aspect, any acoustic or sound waves generated by the bottom face  112 B do not interfere with those from the top face  112 A. The top face  112 A may be referred to herein as the “top” face because it faces, or includes a surface substantially parallel to, the top enclosure wall  104 B. Similarly, the bottom face  112 B may be referred to herein as the “bottom” face because it faces, or includes a surface substantially parallel to, the bottom enclosure wall  104 D. In some aspects, diaphragm  112  may have an out-of-plane region or be substantially planar. The additional driver components used to generate the sound output (e.g., voice coil, magnet assembly, etc) will be described in more detail in reference to  FIG. 2 . 
     A number of passive leaks, vents, openings, apertures, ports or the like may further be formed within the driver assembly  100  to improve acoustic performance. It should be understood that a leak, vent, opening, aperture or port, as the terms are used herein, refer to a pathway that is formed entirely through the associated structure in which it is formed (e.g., extends from a top to bottom surface, or inner to outer surface, of a frame or enclosure wall). In some aspects, the leak, vent, opening, aperture or port is calibrated and/or tuned to achieve a desired acoustic effect. Representatively, the assembly may include an internal control leak  114  that couples the front volume chamber  106  to the back volume chamber  108 . For example, the internal control leak  114  may be formed through a portion of the driver frame  102  that is outside of the diaphragm  112  and between the front volume chamber  106  and the back volume chamber  108 . In addition, a driver vent  116  may couple the bottom face  112 B of the diaphragm  112  to the back volume chamber  108 . For example, the driver vent  116  may be formed through a portion of the driver frame  102  that is sealed to the bottom face  112 B of the diaphragm (or below the diaphragm  112 ). The driver vent  116  may be tuned to achieve a desired diaphragm compliance, to balance occlusion effect and/or to minimize rocking modes. In still further aspects, a rear vent  118  may couple the back volume chamber  108  to the ambient environment  122  surrounding the enclosure  104 . Representatively, the rear vent  118  may be formed through bottom enclosure wall  104 D. The rear vent  118  may be used for tuning open ear gain. In addition, an external control leak  120  may couple front volume chamber  106  to ambient environment. Representatively, external control leak  120  may be formed through top enclosure wall  104 B. Each of the internal control leak  114 , driver vent  116 , rear vent  118  and external control leak  120  may be tuned and/or calibrated to achieve a desired acoustic effect, for example, to minimize a rocking of the diaphragm, asymmetric acoustic loading, allow airflow restrictions reduce occlusion effect. In addition, it should be understood that although only one of each of the previously discussed vents and/or leak ports are disclosed, there may be more than one, as will be described in more detail in reference to  FIGS. 3-4 . 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a cross-sectional side view of another aspect of a driver assembly. Driver assembly  200  includes the same aspects as driver assembly  100  previously discussed in reference to  FIG. 1 , with the addition of various aspects that could not be seen in the previous view. Representatively, driver assembly  200  includes driver frame  102  and enclosure  104  which form the front volume chamber  106  and back volume chamber  108  as previously discussed. The acoustic outlet port  124 , internal control leak  114 , driver vent  116 , rear vent  118  and external control leak  120  are further formed through the frame  102  and/or enclosure  104  as previously discussed. Diaphragm  112  is attached (e.g., chemically and/or mechanically sealed) to driver frame  102 . In addition, in this view, it can be seen that a voice coil  204  may be attached to the bottom face  112 B of diaphragm  112 . For example, voice coil  204  may be directly attached to bottom face  112 B by a chemical or mechanical attachment mechanism, or may be attached to a bobbin that is directly attached to the bottom face  112 B. Magnet assembly  202  is positioned below the diaphragm  112  and voice coil  204 , for example mounted to driver frame  102  and/or enclosure  104 . Magnet assembly  202  is used to drive the vibration of voice coil  204 , and in turn, diaphragm  112 . 
     Referring now in more detail to internal control leak  114  and driver vent  116 , it can be seen in this view that the control leak  114  and driver vent  116  are formed through a wall of the driver frame  102  to which the diaphragm  112  is attached. Representatively, the driver frame  102  may include a relatively planar wall to which the diaphragm  112  is attached. The internal control leak  114  may be an opening, port or aperture formed through a portion of this driver wall that is radially outward to the attachment point of the diaphragm  112 . In this aspect, internal control leak  114  connects the front volume chamber  106  surrounding the top side of the driver frame  102  to the back volume chamber  108  along the bottom side of the driver frame  102 . The driver vent  116  may be an opening, port or aperture formed through a portion of the driver wall that is radially inward to the attachment point of the diaphragm  112 . In other words, the diaphragm  112  is connected to a portion of the driver frame  102  that is between the internal control leak  114  and the drive vent  116 . As previously discussed, driver vent  116  connects the bottom face  112 B of diaphragm  112  (and any internal volume coupled to the bottom face) to the back volume chamber  108 . 
     In addition, from this view it can be seen that the assembly  200  may further include a second internal control leak  214  and a second driver vent  216 . The second internal control leak  214  and the second driver vent  216  may be formed through portions of the driver frame  102  near an opposite side of diaphragm  112  as shown. Similar to internal control leak  114 , second internal control leak  214  may be positioned radially outward to the diaphragm  112  and connect the front volume chamber  106  to the back volume chamber  108 . In addition, similar to driver vent  116 , driver vent  216  may be radially inward to the point at which diaphragm  112  connects to driver frame  102  such that it connects the bottom face  112 B of diaphragm  112  (and any internal volume coupled to the bottom face) to back volume chamber  108 . 
     In some aspects, an acoustic mesh  208  may be coupled to the driver vent  116  and the internal control leak  114 , and a second acoustic mesh  210  may be coupled to the second driver vent  216  and the second internal control leak  214 . The acoustic mesh  208 ,  210  may be insert molded in the driver frame  102  so that it covers the open area of the adjacent vents  116 ,  216  and leaks  114 ,  214 . The acoustic mesh  208 ,  210  may be tuned in conjunction with the driver vents  116 ,  216  and/or internal control leaks  114 ,  214 , to a specific acoustic resistance to optimize high frequency response and acoustic damping. In some cases, the shape and/or size of the vents  116 ,  216  and/or internal control leaks  114 ,  214  may be optimized to minimize a rocking of the diaphragm, asymmetric acoustic loading and/or allow airflow restrictions. In some aspects, the size of internal control leaks  114 ,  214  with respect to vents  116 ,  216  may be tuned so the same piece of single resistance mesh can be used over both openings. Representatively, the resistance is a function of area and mesh resistance. In this aspects, the open area of the leaks/vents could be reduced by half and reduce resistance by half to get same acoustic effect. It is recognized, however, that as the open area of the leaks/vents gets smaller, tolerances play a bigger roll in variations (e.g., if ⅓ size would see more variation). Therefore the open area of the vents/leaks can be tuned within the space given to soften the tolerances. 
     Driver assembly  200  may further include rear vent  118  connecting the back volume chamber  108  to the ambient environment, and external control leak  120  and acoustic port  124  connecting the front volume chamber  106  to the ambient environment. When integrated into the device housing, the acoustic port  124  may be coupled to the portion of the device that is inserted into the user&#39;s ear (e.g., ear-tip) so that it is used to output sound to the ear, while the external control leak  120  is intended to remain open to reduce the occlusion effect. In some aspects, however, there is a possibility the external control leak  120  becomes occluded due to debris or human contaminants. Any comfort issues (e.g., own-voice occlusion, footfall, media playback coloration, and pull out extraction force), however, may still be avoided or minimized because there is a parallel path from the front volume chamber to the ambient environment which is also created between the internal control leak  114  and the rear vent  118 . With this configuration, in the event of a sealed external control leak  120  (in ear-tip), there is still a path through the driver frame  102  and out the rear vent  118 . 
       FIG. 3  and  FIG. 4  illustrate a top plan view and a bottom plan view, respectively, of other aspects of the driver assembly  100 ,  200  with some aspects removed for ease of illustration. Representatively, from the top plan view in  FIG. 3 , it can be seen that diaphragm  112  is mounted to the top side of driver frame  102 . Driver frame  102  is a one piece, integrally formed structure that may have a shape similar to that of the diaphragm  112 . For example, diaphragm  112  may have a substantially circular shape as shown and include a center  302  (e.g., a point substantially equidistant from all points on the circle). Driver frame  102  may also have a substantially circular shape such that it provides an attachment surface for the edges of diaphragm  112  and surrounds the diaphragm  112 . Internal control leaks  114 ,  214  are formed through portions of the driver frame that surround the diaphragm  112 . In other words, internal control leaks  114 ,  214  are positioned around, or otherwise outside of, a foot print of diaphragm  112 . In some aspects, the assembly  300 , including any leaks, vents, or ports through the driver frame, may be symmetrical about at least one axis  304  through the center  302  of diaphragm  112 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a bottom view of the assembly shown in  FIG. 3 . From this view, the size shape and location of the internal control leaks  114 ,  214  and driver vents  116 ,  216  relative to diaphragm  112  can be more clearly understood. Representatively, in one aspect, driver vents  116 ,  216  may be balanced relative to diaphragm  112  and/or one another to minimize rocking modes. For example, each of driver vents  116 ,  216  may have any size/shape so long as their respective centroids  416 A,  416 B (e.g., arithmetic mean position of all points in the shape) are balanced. For example, in  FIG. 4  the centroids  416 A,  416 B are considered balanced in that they are aligned with one another, as illustrated by the dashed line  306 . Said another way, the centroids  416 A,  416 B of the driver vents  116 ,  216  are arranged at diametrically opposed locations around diaphragm  112  and are therefore considered balanced. The centroids  416 A,  416 B are also considered aligned with the center  302  of diaphragm  112  (e.g., they are all arranged along line  306 ). It is recognized that since diaphragm  112  may not be planar with driver frame  102  (e.g., diaphragm  112  may be bowed in an upward direction as shown in  FIG. 2 ), vents  116 ,  216  do not need to be in a same horizontal plane as the diaphragm center  302  to be considered aligned with center  302 . For example, centroids  416 A,  416 B may be below center  302  of diaphragm, but still considered aligned with the center  302  of diaphragm  112  if they are aligned along line  306 , for example within a same vertically oriented plane passing through center  302  (e.g., a vertical plane defined by line  306 ), or at diametrically opposed locations around diaphragm  112 , as previously discussed. In one aspect, an area of the vent  116 ,  216  between one end of the vent and the centroid  416 A,  416 B is the same as the area of the vent  116 ,  216  between the other end and the centroid  416 A,  416 B, and these areas are further balanced relative to the center  302  of the diaphragm  112  (e.g., evenly distributed relative to the diaphragm center). 
     In some aspects, one or more of driver vents  116 ,  216  may have an elongated shape (e.g., a length greater than its width). The elongated shape, in some aspects, may be an asymmetrical shape. For example, one or more of driver vents  116 ,  216  may have an elongated shape including a first end  402  that is wider (W 1 ) than a width (W 2 ) at the second end  404 . Representatively, vents  116 ,  216  may be considered to have a shape resembling that of a pan. In some aspects, driver vent  116  and driver vent  216  may have a same shape, although this is not required. For example, driver vent  116  and driver vent  216  may have a different shape so long as the centroid of each of the shapes can be aligned with one another and/or the center of the diaphragm as previously discussed. 
     The internal control leaks  114 ,  214  may further have elongated shapes as shown, although they could have any shape suitable for achieving the desired acoustic performance and that will allow them to be coupled to the same mesh as the vents  116 ,  216 . For example, the internal control leaks  114 ,  214  should be positioned near the vents  116 ,  216  but it is not necessary for them to be balanced in the same way as the vents  116 ,  216 . In fact, it is contemplated that in some aspects, only one internal control leak may be used, or any other number of internal control leaks necessary to achieve the desired acoustic performance. They must be near the vents  116 ,  216 , however, so that they can share the same single piece of mesh  208 ,  210 . 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a perspective view of one representative device within which the driver assembly may be implemented. Representatively, in one aspect, device  500  may be an in-ear earphone or ear bud dimensioned to rest within a concha of an ear (in this example, a right ear) and extend into the ear canal. Representatively, earphone housing  502  (which may be formed by enclosure  104 ) may include a body portion  504  which rests within the concha of the ear, a tip portion  506  which extends into the ear canal, and a tube portion  514  which extends outside of the ear. In some aspects, the tip portion  506  may include, or otherwise be coupled to, a flexible in-ear tip region to achieve a more fully sealed in-ear ear bud. A driver assembly (e.g., driver assembly  100 ,  200 ) may be contained within housing  502 . The tip portion  506  may include an acoustic opening  508  (e.g., acoustic outlet port  124 ) to output sound generated by the driver assembly to the ear. One or more ports  510  to the ambient environment (e.g., rear vent 118 , external control leak  120 , etc.) may further be formed in the housing  502 . 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a block diagram of some of the constituent components of an electronic device in which the driver assembly disclosed herein may be implemented. Device  600  may be any one of several different types of consumer electronic devices, for example, any of those discussed in reference to  FIG. 1-5 . 
     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  FIGS. 1-5 , can be included in, for example, earphone  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 a earphone or other type of electronic device associated with the earphone. 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 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. For example, the signal processor  606  could be used to analyze digitized audio signals received from an error microphone to determine how much of the audio signal is ambient noise or earphone noise and how much of the audio signal is, for example, music 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 . For example, processor  610  can execute instructions stored in memory  608 . 
     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. 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, headphones, 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 components. 
     While certain aspects 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. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting. In addition, to aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wish to note that they do not intend any of the appended claims or claim elements to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20190926
Publication Date: 20220201
Grant Date: 20220201
Priority Date: 20190926
Inventors: GRINKER, SCOTT C.
NOTARANGELO, Claudio
MCCAUGHAN, COLE A.
HUWE, ETHAN L.
TWEHUES, BRIAN R.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R1/2849", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R3/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2811", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2826", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2460/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2460/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1075", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1058", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1083", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1075", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2811", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/1016", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2460/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 75040951