PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11917350-B2
Application Number: US-202117409485-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Loudspeaker having collapsible lead wire

Abstract:
A loudspeaker having a compressible lead wire is described. The lead wire carries an electrical audio input signal to a voice coil. The electrical audio input signal drives the voice coil to oscillate in an axial direction. The compressible lead wire includes an elastic portion that stretches and compresses in the axial direction to allow the voice coil to oscillate freely. The elastic portion includes several compressible elements that are located within a cavity of the loudspeaker. The compressible elements extend through the cavity in the axial direction. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A loudspeaker, comprising:
 a speaker housing; 
 a diaphragm coupled to the speaker housing; 
 a motor system to cause motion of the diaphragm in an axial direction, wherein the motor system includes a voice coil coupled to the diaphragm, a center magnet and one or more side magnets; and 
 a lead wire connected to the voice coil, wherein the lead wire includes an elastic portion having a plurality of compressible elements configured to extend and compress in the axial direction, wherein the compressible elements comprise at least a top turn and a bottom turn having different diameters that together form a tapered helical portion. 
 
     
     
       2. The loudspeaker of  claim 1 , wherein the top turn and the bottom turn have a same pitch. 
     
     
       3. The loudspeaker of  claim 1 , the voice coil and the center magnet are coaxial along a central axis. 
     
     
       4. The loudspeaker of  claim 3  further comprising a gap radially between one of the one or more side magnets and the speaker housing, wherein the lead wire does not extend through the gap. 
     
     
       5. The loudspeaker of  claim 3  further comprising a cavity defined between the speaker housing, the voice coil, and the one or more side magnets, wherein the elastic portion of the lead wire is within the cavity. 
     
     
       6. The loudspeaker of  claim 5  further comprising a plurality of lead wires including the lead wire, wherein the plurality of lead wires have respective elastic portions, and wherein the respective elastic portions are spaced around the voice coil. 
     
     
       7. The loudspeaker of  claim 6 , wherein the respective elastic portions of the plurality of lead wires are evenly spaced around the voice coil. 
     
     
       8. The loudspeaker of  claim 3  further comprising a hole in the center magnet along the central axis, wherein the elastic portion of the lead wire is within the hole. 
     
     
       9. A loudspeaker, comprising:
 a speaker housing; 
 a diaphragm coupled to the speaker housing; 
 a motor system to cause motion of the diaphragm in an axial direction, wherein the motor system includes a voice coil coupled to the diaphragm and one or more side magnets extending around the voice coil; and 
 a plurality of lead wires connected to the voice coil, wherein each lead wire of the plurality of lead wires includes an elastic portion extending vertically within a cavity defined between the speaker housing, the voice coil, and the one or more side magnets, and 
 wherein the elastic portion comprises a helical portion having a varied helix diameter. 
 
     
     
       10. The loudspeaker of  claim 9 , wherein the helical portion is within the cavity. 
     
     
       11. The loudspeaker of  claim 9 , wherein the helical portion includes a plurality of turns having a different pitch. 
     
     
       12. The loudspeaker of  claim 9  further comprising a gap radially between one of the one or more side magnets and the speaker housing, wherein the lead wire does not extend through the gap. 
     
     
       13. The loudspeaker of  claim 9  wherein the respective elastic portions are spaced around the voice coil. 
     
     
       14. The loudspeaker of  claim 13 , wherein the respective elastic portions are evenly spaced around the voice coil. 
     
     
       15. An electronic device, comprising:
 a device housing; and 
 a loudspeaker coupled to the device housing, the loudspeaker comprising:
 a speaker housing, 
 a diaphragm coupled to the speaker housing, 
 a motor system to cause motion of the diaphragm in an axial direction, wherein the motor system includes a voice coil coupled to the diaphragm, a center magnet coaxial with the voice coil and having a hole along a central axis, and one or more side magnets, and 
 a lead wire connected to the voice coil, wherein the lead wire includes an elastic portion having a plurality of turns that form a helical portion configured to extend and compress in the axial direction, and the helical portion is within the hole. 
 
 
     
     
       16. The electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the plurality of turns comprise a top turn and a bottom turn having a same diameter. 
     
     
       17. The electronic device of  claim 15 , wherein the voice coil and the center magnet are coaxial along the central axis. 
     
     
       18. The electronic device of  claim 17  further comprising a gap radially between one of the one or more side magnets and the speaker housing, wherein the lead wire does not extend through the gap. 
     
     
       19. The electronic device of  claim 15  wherein the plurality of turns comprise a top turn and a bottom turn having a same pitch. 
     
     
       20. The electronic device of  claim 15  wherein the plurality of turns comprise a top turn and a bottom turn, and the top turn having a larger diameter than the bottom turn.

Description:
This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/082,384, filed on Sep. 23, 2020, and that patent application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Field 
     Aspects of the disclosure are related to a loudspeaker, including a loudspeaker having lead wires to carry an electrical audio input signal to a voice coil. 
     Background Information 
     Form factors of mobile electronic devices, such as mobile smartphones, continue to decrease in order to meet consumer demands for portability. As the form factors decrease, device enclosures become smaller and the space for internal components is reduced. Consequently, the space available for a loudspeaker within the device enclosure is reduced, and compactness of the loudspeaker becomes even more critical to meeting design needs. 
     A loudspeaker includes one or more speaker drivers, e.g., electromagnetic transducers that convert an electrical audio input signal into an emitted sound. Typically, loudspeakers include a voice coil that moves a diaphragm. More particularly, an electrical audio input signal is applied to the voice coil, which interacts with a magnet to generate a mechanical force that moves the voice coil, and hence, the diaphragm that is coupled to the voice coil. The moving diaphragm has a radiating surface to generate sound when it is moved by the voice coil. The electrical audio input signal is typically applied to the voice coil by a lead wire that interconnects the voice coil with an input terminal of the loudspeaker. When the electrical audio input signal is applied to the input terminal, it is carried to the voice coil by the lead wire. Accordingly, an end of the lead wire that is connected to the voice coil can move as the voice coil moves. 
     SUMMARY 
     Existing loudspeakers have lead wires that are typically long and curved to make the lead wire flexible enough to bend when the voice coil moves. The length and shape of the lead wire may require that it be routed through the loudspeaker so that additional space is required within a speaker enclosure, e.g., to route the lead wire among the other internal components of the loudspeaker. Therefore, the lead wire either necessitates a larger speaker footprint than would otherwise be necessary, or takes up space that could otherwise be occupied by other components, such as magnets of a motor system of the loudspeaker. As a result, existing loudspeakers may not be optimally compacted or may not have components optimally sized for acoustic performance. Furthermore, the long and curved lead wires of existing loudspeakers typically have a single bend location where the wire bends back around a magnet. Bending stresses are localized in that single location when the voice coil moves. As a result, existing loudspeakers may not optimally distributes stress within the lead wire, which can result in lead wire failure. 
     A loudspeaker, and electronic devices incorporating the loudspeaker, are described. In an aspect, the loudspeaker has a compressible lead wire. The compressible lead wire delivers an electrical audio input signal to a voice coil of a motor system. The motor system includes a center magnet and one or more side magnets, and when the input signal is applied to the voice coil, the magnets interact with the electrical signal to drive the voice coil. A diaphragm coupled to the voice coil also moves in an axial direction to generate sound. In an aspect, the lead wire has an elastic portion that includes several compressible elements. The compressible elements are configured to extend and compress in the axial direction when the voice coil and the diaphragm move. 
     In an aspect, the elastic portion of the lead wire is a helical portion. The helical portion can have several helical turns. The helical turns are the compressible elements that expand and contract when the voice coil and the diaphragm move in the axial direction. Accordingly, the helical portion allows the voice coil to oscillate freely. The helical portion can have a constant diameter. Alternatively, the helical portion can include a conic helical portion having turns that have different diameters. 
     In an aspect, the elastic portion extends vertically within a cavity of a speaker housing of the loudspeaker. The cavity is defined between the speaker housing, the voice coil, and the one or more side magnets. The elastic portion is contained within the cavity, and thus, the elastic portion is not routed through a gap that would otherwise be required between the speaker housing and one of the side magnet(s). More particularly, the lead wire does not extend through such a gap. Accordingly, the speaker housing can be compacted to close the gap or the side magnet(s) can be enlarged to fill the gap. 
     In an aspect, the loudspeaker includes several lead wires that are spaced around the voice coil. The several lead wires can be evenly spaced around the voice coil. For example, the speaker housing can be rectangular, and an elastic portion of each of the several lead wires can be located within a respective cavity at a respective corner. Accordingly, the several lead wires can distribute loads from the moving voice coil and the diaphragm. 
     Other speaker designs follow from the description below. For example, the loudspeaker can have a hole in the center magnet. The hole can extend axially through the center magnet, and can provide the cavity to receive the elastic portion of a lead wire. 
     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 
         FIG.  1    is a pictorial view of an electronic device, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  2    is a perspective view of a loudspeaker, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  3    is a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  4    is a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  5    is a partial cross-sectional view, taken about line B-B of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIGS.  6 A- 6 C  are side views of a lead wire of a loudspeaker, in accordance with several aspects. 
         FIG.  7    is a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  8    is a cross-sectional view of a loudspeaker motor system, in accordance with an aspect. 
         FIG.  9    is a block diagram of an electronic device having a loudspeaker, in accordance with an aspect. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Aspects describe a loudspeaker having a compressible lead wire. The compressible lead wire can include an elastic portion that can carry an electrical audio input signal to a voice coil, and can expand and contract to allow the voice coil to oscillate freely when driven by the input signal. The elastic portion may be located such that an internal space of the loudspeaker is efficiently utilized. The loudspeaker can be incorporated into an electronic device, such as a mobile device. In an aspect, the mobile device can be a smartphone. In other aspects, the electronic device can be another device for playing audio to a user, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a headset, etc. 
     In various aspects, description is made with reference to the figures. However, certain aspects may be practiced without one or more of these specific details, or in combination with other known methods and configurations. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as specific configurations, dimensions, and processes, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the aspects. In other instances, well-known processes and manufacturing techniques have not been described in particular detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the description. Reference throughout this specification to “one aspect,” “an aspect,” or the like, means that a particular feature, structure, configuration, or characteristic described is included in at least one aspect. Thus, the appearance of the phrase “one aspect,” “an aspect,” or the like, in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily referring to the same aspect. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, configurations, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more aspects. 
     The use of relative terms throughout the description may denote a relative position or direction. For example, “above” may indicate a location in a first direction away from a reference point. Similarly, “below” may indicate a location in a second direction away from the reference point and opposite to the first direction. Such terms are provided to establish relative frames of reference, however, and are not intended to limit the use or orientation of a loudspeaker to a specific configuration described in the various aspects below. 
     In an aspect, a loudspeaker includes a lead wire having an elastic portion within a cavity of a speaker housing. For example, the elastic portion can be expandable and compressible in an axial direction, e.g., vertically. Extension and contraction of the elastic portion is provided by several compressible elements. The compressible elements can be elastic, and they may be foldable. For example, the elastic portion can include a helical portion having a top turn above a bottom turn. The turns of the helical portion can compress and extend such that the elastic portion acts like a spring when the voice coil is driven vertically up and down within a magnetic gap by an electrical audio input signal applied to the voice coil by the lead wire. The elastic portion can be contained within the cavity, rather than being routed between the speaker housing and magnet(s) of the loudspeaker. Accordingly, an overall form factor of the loudspeaker can be reduced, making the loudspeaker more compact. Alternatively, or additionally, locating the elastic portion within the cavity rather than routing the lead wire between the magnet(s) and the speaker housing can provide more space for the magnet(s). Accordingly, the magnets can be enlarged, which can improve acoustic performance of the loudspeaker. Furthermore, stresses that occur within the lead wire during loudspeaker operation can distribute uniformly over an entire length of the compressible elements, rather than in a single location as in existing loudspeakers. The uniform stress distribution can result in lower localized stresses, which can reduce a likelihood of failure of the lead wire during operation. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , a pictorial view of an electronic device is shown in accordance with an aspect. An electronic device  100  may be a mobile device, such as a smartphone. Alternatively, the electronic device  100  could be any other portable or stationary device or apparatus incorporating a loudspeaker  102 . For example, electronic device  100  can be a laptop computer or a tablet computer. The electronic device  100  can include various capabilities to allow a user to access features involving, for example, calls, voicemail, music, email, Internet browsing, scheduling, and photos. For example, the electronic device  100  may include cellular network communication circuitry. An integrated microphone  104  can pick up the voice of a user during a call, and the loudspeaker  102  may deliver a far-end voice to the near-end-user during the call. The loudspeaker  102  may also emit sounds associated with music files played by a music player application running on the electronic device  100 . A display  106  may be integrated within a device housing  108  to present the user with a graphical user interface to allow the user to interact with the electronic device  100  and applications running on the electronic device. 
     The electronic device  100  may have a footprint in a transverse direction that allows the user to grip the electronic device comfortably. Furthermore, the electronic device  100  can have a thin profile. Accordingly, the electronic device  100  may have limited internal space to contain device components, such as the loudspeaker  102  or the microphone  104 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , a perspective view of a loudspeaker is shown in accordance with an aspect. The loudspeaker  102  may be contained within an internal volume of the device housing  108 . For example, the loudspeaker can be a microspeaker coupled to the device housing  108  such that sound emitted by the loudspeaker  102  is directed outward from the electronic device  100  to a surrounding environment. More particularly, the loudspeaker  102  can have a speaker housing  202  coupled to the device housing  108 . A diaphragm  204  within the speaker housing  202  can be coupled to the speaker housing  202  by a surround  206  that flexes to allow the diaphragm  204  to move along a central axis  208  relative to the speaker housing  202 . As the diaphragm  204  oscillates along the central axis  208 , the loudspeaker  102  generates sound. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system is shown in accordance with an aspect. The loudspeaker  102  can include a motor system  302  contained within the speaker housing  202 . Motor system  302  can cause motion of the diaphragm  204  for sound generation. For example, motor system operation can drive the diaphragm  204  to oscillate in an axial direction along the central axis  208 . In an aspect, the motor system  302  includes a voice coil  304  coupled to the diaphragm  204  (not shown in  FIG.  3   ). An electrical audio input signal applied to the voice coil  304  can interact with one or more magnets  306  to cause the voice coil  304  to move. In an aspect, the electrical audio input signal is applied to the voice coil  304  through a lead wire  308 . 
     The lead wire  308  can have a fixed end  310  coupled to the speaker housing  202  and a moving end  311  coupled to the voice coil  304 . The length of the lead wire  308  between the fixed end  310  and the moving end  311  may be sufficient to impart flexibility that allows the lead wire  308  to flex as the voice coil  304  oscillates along the central axis  208 . More particularly, the length of the lead wire  308  may be predetermined to ensure that the lead wire  308  can move upward and downward, along with the voice coil  304 , without experiencing high stress or fracture. In an aspect, a portion of the lead wire may loop behind a magnet  306  of the motor system  302 . More particularly, the lead wire  308  may extend through a gap  312  defined radially between the magnet  306  and the speaker housing  202 . The gap  312  must be at least as wide as the lead wire  308 , and actually may be slightly larger, to allow the lead wire  308  to move freely without rubbing against the speaker housing  202  or the magnet  306 . For example, the gap  312  between the magnet  306  and the speaker housing  202  may be approximately 0.5 millimeter. The routing of the cantilevered lead wire  308  may require the gap  312  in order for the lead wire  308  to be wrapped behind the magnet  306 . Thus, the routing of the lead wire  308  may necessitate an increase in a transverse footprint (within a plane orthogonal to the central axis  208 ) of the speaker housing  202  and/or a decrease in a width of the magnet  306 . Such accommodations can result in a less compact loudspeaker or a loudspeaker with reduced acoustic performance. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system is shown in accordance with an aspect. As described above, the motor system  302  of the loudspeaker  102  can include one or more magnets  306 . For example, the motor system  302  can include one or more side magnets  402  extending around the voice coil  304 . The side magnets  402  can be located radially outward from the voice coil  304 . There may be four side magnets  402  around the voice coil  304 , as shown in  FIG.  4   , or alternatively, there may one ( FIG.  8   ), two, three, or any other number of side magnets  402 . The side magnets  402  may be arranged in a rectangular layout in the case of a rectangular voice coil, or alternatively, the side magnets  402  could be laid out in a triangular, circular, or other profile to match a differently-shaped voice coil  304 . 
     The motor system  302  can include a center magnet  403 . The center magnet  403  can be radially inward from the side magnets  402 . For example, the center magnet  403  may be on the central axis  208  and the side magnets  402  may be distributed about the central axis  208  around the center magnet  403 . Similarly, the center magnet  403  can be radially inward from the voice coil  304 . The center magnet  403  can be coaxial with the voice coil  304  along the central axis  208 . Accordingly, the voice coil  304  can be located within a magnetic gap formed radially between the center magnet  403  and the one or more side magnets  402 . The voice coil  304  can oscillate in the axial direction, e.g., vertically along the central axis  208 , within the magnetic gap to drive the diaphragm  204  and generate sound. 
     In an aspect, the loudspeaker  102  makes optimal use of its internal space by routing the lead wire  308  such that the lead wire  308  does not extend through the gap  312  defined radially between one or more side magnets  402  and the speaker housing  202 . Rather, the lead wire  308  is routed from the fixed end  310  at the speaker housing  202  to the moving end  311  at the voice coil  304  without passing between any side magnet  402  of the motor system  302  and the speaker housing  202 . For example, the lead wire  308  can extend through a cavity  404  that is not between the side magnet(s)  402  and the speaker housing  202 . The cavity  404  can be defined in the transverse direction between the speaker housing  202 , the voice coil  304 , and one or more side magnets  402 . The cavity  404  can extend vertically between a top wall of the speaker housing  202  (not shown) and a bottom wall  410  of the speaker housing  202 . 
     In an aspect, the lead wire  308  includes an elastic portion  502  that extends through the cavity  404  in the axial direction, e.g., vertically (upward or downward). For example, the elastic portion  502  can extend vertically through the cavity  404  to connect a portion of the lead wire  308  at the fixed end  310  to a portion of the lead wire  308  at the moving end  311 . The fixed end  310  can be secured to the speaker housing  202  with a damping glue, and welded to a speaker terminal  406 . Similarly, the moving end  311  of the lead wire  308  can be connected, physically and electrically, to the voice coil  304 . Accordingly, the electrical audio input signal can be delivered from a processor of the loudspeaker  102  through the speaker terminal  406  to the lead wire  308 . The lead wire  308  can carry the electrical audio input signal, including vertically through the elastic portion  502  in the cavity  404 , to the voice coil  304  to generate sound. 
     Referring to  FIG.  5   , a partial cross-sectional view, taken about line B-B of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system is shown in accordance with an aspect. The elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  within the cavity  404  can have a plurality of compressible elements  504  configured to extend and compress in the axial direction. More particularly, the compressible elements  504  can expand, stretch, and/or compress such that the elastic portion  502  acts like a spring to elongate and shorten as the voice coil  304  moves axially along the central axis  208 . The spring-like structure can have turns that are foldable, or fold in the axial direction onto themselves. For example, the elastic portion  502  can include a helical portion having several turns that can expand, stretch, or compress in the vertical direction ( FIGS.  6 A- 6 B ). As described below, the helical portion can have a helical geometry, wound in a Z-direction, to provide this spring-like characteristic. It will be appreciated that stress may be uniformly distributed along the helical geometry, resulting in lower localized stresses in the compressible element  504  and reduced likelihood of failure. 
     The elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  can allow the voice coil  304  to oscillate freely in the Z-direction by expanding and collapsing upon itself. The elastic portion  502  can also reduce the transverse footprint of the lead wire  308 . For example, by locating the entire vertical portion of the lead wire  308 , e.g., the entire compressible portion, within the cavity  404 , the lead wire  308  does not have to be routed behind the side magnet  402 . Thus, the gap  312  that is needed for the lead wire  308  in  FIG.  3    is not required in  FIG.  4   . More particularly, there may still be the gap  312 , but the width of the gap  312  may be less than the width required to route the lead wire  308  through the gap  312 . Accordingly, a larger side magnet  402  may be used, resulting in improved acoustic performance, or the side wall of the speaker housing  202  may be moved radially inward, reducing an overall footprint of the loudspeaker  102 . In either case, the available space in the speaker housing  202  may be better utilized and improvements may be achieved without sacrificing function of the lead wire  308 . That is, the elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  in  FIG.  4    can serve the same electrical and mechanical function as the long cantilevered design of the lead wire  308  shown in  FIG.  3   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  6 A , a side view of a lead wire of a loudspeaker is shown in accordance with an aspect. The lead wire  308  extends from the fixed end  310  to the moving end  311  and can include an elastic portion  502  within the cavity  404 , as described above. The elastic portion  502  can include a helical portion  601 . In an aspect, the one or more compressible elements  504  of the elastic portion  502  include one or more turns of the helical portion  601 . More particularly, the helical portion  601  can include one or more turns of the lead wire  308 , which spirals about an axis. For example, the helical portion  601  can include at least a top turn  602  and a bottom turn  604 , each of which may spiral about the axis. The helical portion  601  can have one or more additional turns between the top turn  602  and the bottom turn  604 . The turns of the helical portion  601  can have respective pitches in the axial direction, which may be the same or different. The pitches of the turns can expand and compress such that the helical portion  601  acts like a spring that elongates and contracts as the voice coil  304  and the diaphragm  204  oscillate along the central axis  208 . 
     The helical portion  601  can have a helical shape with a constant helix diameter. More particularly, a diameter of the turns in the transverse direction may be the same. When the moving end  311  moves relative to the fixed end  310 , such as when the voice coil  304  oscillates within the magnetic gap, the coil of the helical portion  601  can expand or compress in the vertical direction. This expansion/compression allows the turns to move away from and toward each other to facilitate voice coil motion while delivering the electrical audio input signal from the speaker terminal  406  to the voice coil  304 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  6 B , a side view of a lead wire of a loudspeaker is shown in accordance with an aspect. The helical portion  601  may have a varied diameter. For example, the helical portion  601  can include a conic helical portion  605 . The conic helical portion  605  may be a tapered helix, otherwise known as a castellated helix, having one or more turns of different diameters. For example, the conic helical portion  605  of the lead wire  308  can have the top turn  602  that includes a different diameter in the transverse direction than the bottom turn  604 . As shown in  FIG.  6 B , the top turn  602  can have a larger diameter than the bottom turn  604 . Alternatively, the bottom turn  604  may have a larger diameter than the top turn  602 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  6 C , a side view of a lead wire of a loudspeaker is shown in accordance with an aspect. The elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  may have a non-helical configuration. More particularly, the elastic portion  502  can have a spring-like configuration that is not helical. In an aspect, the elastic portion  502  includes an undulating portion  608 . The undulating portion  608  may have a zig-zag configuration, extending between a top undulation  610  and a bottom undulation  612 . Like the helical portion  601 , the undulating portion  608  may include one or more additional undulations between the top undulations  610  and the bottom undulation  612 . Each undulation can have one or more bends. The bends of the elastic portion  502  can be generally in a same plane. For example, the compressible elements (undulations) can be stacked such that the bends are aligned within a vertical plane. Accordingly, like the helical portion  601 , when the voice coil  304  oscillates in the vertical direction, the undulating portion  608  can compress and expand in an accordion fashion to facilitate relative movement between the moving end  311  and the fixed end  310 . 
     As described above, the elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  can have a helix, tapered helix (castellated), or undulating shape. The shapes provide for axial compression/expansion of the elastic portion  502  to provide a spring-like function. Accordingly, the elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  can be fabricated using coil winding machines. For example, to create the helical wire loop, the lead wire can be wound about a pin having a constant or tapered diameter. The pin can be a cylindrical pin or a pin having a castellated geometry of descending diameter. Thus, each time the lead wire  308  is wrapped around the pin, the elastic portion  502  can take the shape of the outer surface of the pin, resulting in a constant or tapered helix diameter. Similarly, the undulating shape can be achieved by wrapping the lead wire  308  back and forth over pins that create a zig-zag shape of the elastic portion  502 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , a cross-sectional view, taken about line A-A of  FIG.  2   , of a loudspeaker motor system is shown in accordance with an aspect. In addition to facilitating vertical movement of the voice coil  304 , the lead wire  308  can stabilize the moving voice coil  304 . In an aspect, the loudspeaker  102  includes several lead wires  308  that extend between respective fixed ends  310  and moving ends  311 . For example, the several lead wires  308  may have respective elastic portions  502  (such as helical portions  601 ), and the respective elastic portions  502  can be spaced around the voice coil  304 . 
     In an aspect, the respective elastic portions  502  of several lead wires  308  are evenly spaced around the voice coil  304 . For example, the speaker housing  202  may have a rectangular cross-sectional profile, and thus, may include four corners evenly spaced or distributed about the central axis  208 . Each corner can define a respective cavity  404  between the speaker housing  202 , the voice coil  304 , and side magnets  402 . The cavities can be evenly distributed about the central axis  208 , and thus, the respective elastic portions  502  within the cavities can distribute the suspension of the voice coil  304  within the speaker housing  202 . More particularly, the movement of the voice coil  304  can apply loading to the elastic portions  502  that are evenly distributed about the central axis  208 , and thus, the reaction loads applied to the voice coil  304  can be distributed. The distributed loading can reduce a likelihood of non-vertical loading on the voice coil  304 , and thus, can reduce rocking modes of the voice coil  304 . By reducing rocking modes, speaker stability and acoustic performance can be improved. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , a cross-sectional view of a loudspeaker motor system is shown in accordance with an aspect. The motor system  302  may include a non-rectangular layout. For example, rather than having a voice coil  304 , center magnet  403 , and one or more side magnets  402  laid out in a rectangular configuration, the voice coil  304 , center magnet  403 , and one or more side magnets  402  may have a circular layout. In the circular layout, the speaker housing  202  may lack corners, and thus, there may be no cavities  404  between the speaker housing  202  and the side magnet  402  to receive the elastic portion(s)  502  of the lead wire  308 . 
     In an aspect, the loudspeaker  102  includes a hole  802  in the center magnet  403  to receive the elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308 . The hole  802  can extend along the central axis  208  from a top surface of the center magnet  403  to a bottom surface of the center magnet  403 . Accordingly, the hole  802  can provide the cavity  404  within which the helical portion  601  or any other elastic portion  502  of the lead wire  308  is disposed within. The helical portion  601  within the hole  802  can expand and compress as described above. In an aspect, the lead wire  308  can extend radially from the elastic portion  502  to the voice coil  304  through a discontinuity  804  in the center magnet  403 . Discontinuity  804  provides a channel for the radial length of the lead wire  308  to extend into contact with the voice coil  304 . Accordingly, the lead wire  308  can deliver the electrical audio input signal from the speaker terminal  406  to the voice coil  304 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , a block diagram of an electronic device having a loudspeaker is shown in accordance with an aspect. As described above, the electronic device  100  can have circuitry suited to specific functionality. For example, the electronic device  100  can include the device housing to contain or support various components, such as cellular network communication circuitry, e.g., RF circuitry, menu buttons, or the display  106 . The diagram circuitry of  FIG.  9    is provided by way of example and not limitation. The electronic device  100  may include one or more processors  902  that execute instructions to carry out the different functions and capabilities described above. For example, a processor  902  may incorporate and/or communicate with electronics connected to the loudspeaker  102  to provide electrical audio input signals to drive the voice coil  304  and to generate sound. Instructions executed by the one or more processors  902  of the electronic device  100  may be retrieved from a local memory  904 . The instructions may be in the form of an operating system program having device drivers, as well as one or more application programs that run on top of the operating system, to perform the different functions introduced above, e.g., music playback. Audio output for music playback functions may be through an audio speaker, such as the loudspeaker  102 . 
     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. 
     In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary aspects thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20210823
Publication Date: 20240227
Grant Date: 20240227
Priority Date: 20200923
Inventors: WILK, CHRISTOPHER
ROTOLO, LOGAN A.
GRAZIAN, ANTHONY P.
ILKORUR, ONUR I.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R1/06", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/06", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/06", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/06", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/046", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/025", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 80741800