PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10015574-B1
Application Number: US-201715693888-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B1

Title: Acoustic assembly

Abstract:
A portable electronic device is described and includes a device housing, an acoustic housing disposed within the device housing and defining an interior volume, a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the interior volume and in fluid communication with a first opening leading out of the housing, and a microphone disposed within the interior volume and in fluid communication with a second opening leading out of the acoustic housing. Placing both the speaker diaphragm assembly and microphone within the same acoustic housing allows both components to share common power and data transfer circuitry. Furthermore, the additional volume of the acoustic housing used to accommodate the microphone can improve the acoustic performance of the speaker diaphragm assembly by increasing the back volume associated with the speaker diaphragm assembly.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a device housing enclosing an interior volume; 
 an acoustic housing coupled to the device housing, the acoustic housing being disposed within the interior volume and enclosing a portion of the interior volume; 
 a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the acoustic housing and dividing the portion of the interior volume into a first volume and a second volume, the acoustic housing defining a first opening leading out of the first volume; and 
 a microphone disposed within the second volume and configured to receive audio waves through a second opening leading into the acoustic housing. 
 
     
     
       2. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the speaker diaphragm assembly and the microphone are configured to oscillate in the same direction. 
     
     
       3. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the acoustic housing comprises a plurality of integrally formed walls that enclose the microphone and speaker diaphragm assembly. 
     
     
       4. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the second opening has a geometry that includes a 90 degree turn. 
     
     
       5. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a diaphragm support structure supporting a peripheral region of the speaker diaphragm assembly within the device housing. 
 
     
     
       6. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 5 , wherein the diaphragm support structure further comprises a mesh window that divides the second volume. 
     
     
       7. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an electrical connector positioned along an outside surface of the acoustic housing and configured to receive electrical power for operation of the microphone and speaker. 
     
     
       8. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a device housing enclosing an interior volume; 
 an acoustic housing coupled to the device housing, the acoustic housing being disposed within the interior volume and enclosing a portion of the interior volume; 
 a diaphragm support structure disposed within the portion of the interior volume; 
 a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the volume and in cooperation with the diaphragm support structure dividing the portion of the interior volume into a first volume and a second volume acoustically coupled to an opening leading out of the acoustic housing; and 
 a microphone disposed within the first volume and configured to receive audio waves through a channel leading into the acoustic housing. 
 
     
     
       9. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the acoustic housing comprises top, bottom and side walls that enclose the speaker diaphragm assembly and the microphone. 
     
     
       10. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a flexible circuit electrically coupling both the microphone and the speaker diaphragm assembly to an electrical connector outside of the acoustic housing. 
 
     
     
       11. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 10 , wherein a portion of the flexible circuit carries signals associated with both the speaker diaphragm assembly and the microphone and wherein the portion of the flexible circuit that carries the signals from both components includes electrically conductive traces that carry signals associated with the speaker diaphragm assembly on a first side of the flexible circuit laterally offset from electrically conductive traces that carry signals associated with the microphone on a second side of the flexible circuit. 
     
     
       12. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the diaphragm support structure defines a channel extending from the speaker diaphragm assembly to the opening leading out of the acoustic housing. 
     
     
       13. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the acoustic housing is coupled to an interior-facing surface of the device housing. 
     
     
       14. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 8 , further comprising:
 a bracket defining one or more acoustic channels extending between an exterior surface of the acoustic housing and openings defined by a wall of the device housing. 
 
     
     
       15. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 14 , wherein
 the bracket couples one end of the acoustic housing to the wall of the device housing. 
 
     
     
       16. A portable electronic device, comprising:
 a device housing; 
 an acoustic housing secured to one or more walls of the device housing, the acoustic housing being disposed within the device housing and defining an interior volume; 
 a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the interior volume and dividing the interior volume into a first volume and a second volume, the speaker diaphragm assembly being configured to generate audio waves that exit the acoustic housing through a first opening leading out of the first volume; and 
 a microphone disposed within the second volume and configured to receive audio waves through a second opening defined by the acoustic housing. 
 
     
     
       17. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising a diaphragm support structure that in cooperation with the speaker diaphragm assembly divides the interior volume into the first volume and the second volume. 
     
     
       18. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising a flexible circuit disposed at least partially within the second volume and electrically coupling both the speaker diaphragm assembly and microphone to an electrical connector external to the acoustic housing. 
     
     
       19. The portable electronic device as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the acoustic housing comprises top, bottom and side walls that enclose the speaker diaphragm assembly and the microphone.

Description:
FIELD 
     The described embodiments relate generally to the efficient integration of audio components within an electronic device. In particular, acoustic assembly that protects and incorporates both a microphone and speaker is described herein. 
     BACKGROUND 
     In an effort to progressively reduce the size of and concurrently improve the functionality of a portable electronic device, novel ways of optimizing space within the portable electronic device become increasingly important. Increased and improved functionality often come in the form of additional components and/or sensors. The additional components or sensors tend to take up space in a device housing of the portable electronic device that may not be available. While reducing a size of other components can help to produce additional space, such methods can unfortunately result in reduced functionality or performance. Consequently, additional methods for optimizing space within the device housing are desired. 
     SUMMARY 
     This disclosure describes various embodiments that relate to ways for securing both a speaker assembly and a microphone assembly within an acoustic housing. 
     An acoustic assembly is disclosed and includes: an acoustic housing defining an interior volume; a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the interior volume and dividing the interior volume into a front volume in fluid communication with an opening leading out of the acoustic housing and a back volume; and a microphone disposed within the back volume and in fluid communication with a channel leading out of the acoustic housing. 
     Another portable electronic device is disclosed and includes: a device housing; an acoustic housing disposed within the device housing and defining an interior volume; a diaphragm support structure disposed within the interior volume; a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the interior volume and in cooperation with the diaphragm support structure dividing the interior volume into a front volume acoustically coupled to an opening leading out of the acoustic housing and a back volume; and a microphone disposed within the back volume and acoustically coupled to a channel leading out of the acoustic housing. 
     Another portable electronic device is disclosed and includes: a device housing; an acoustic housing disposed within the device housing and defining an interior volume; a speaker diaphragm assembly disposed within the interior volume and in fluid communication with a first opening leading out of the housing; and a microphone disposed within the interior volume and in fluid communication with a second opening leading out of the acoustic housing. 
     Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the described embodiments. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which: 
         FIG. 1  shows a portable electronic device suitable for use with the embodiments disclosed herein; 
         FIGS. 2A-2B  cooperatively show an exploded perspective view of the primary components associated with an acoustic assembly suitable for use with the portable electronic device depicted in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3A  shows an upper housing component with components depicted in  FIG. 2A-2B  arranged therein; 
         FIG. 3B  shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of an acoustic assembly in accordance with section line A-A as shown in  FIG. 3A ; 
         FIG. 3C  shows a perspective view of a flexible circuit and indicates how signals are routed within the flexible circuit; 
         FIG. 4A  shows another perspective view of the acoustic assembly depicted in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of the acoustic assembly depicted in  FIG. 4A  in accordance with section line B-B; and 
         FIG. 5  shows a top view of an acoustic assembly disposed within a device housing. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Representative applications of methods and apparatus according to the present application are described in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting. 
     In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments. 
     Modern portable electronic devices are capable of carrying out a wide variety of functions. To accomplish these varied functions, many cutting edge components and sensors are packaged into a portable electronic device. While developing the portable electronic device with numerous discrete off the shelf components can result in a lower development cost, packaging these components into a device housing can be challenging and often result in many inefficiencies that cause the portable electronic device to be much larger than desired. One solution to this problem is to combine one or more components together so that the combined components can share common electrical and/or structural features, thereby saving space by reducing the number of redundant parts. 
     One function common to many portable electronic devices is the ability to provide a two-way link over which a conversation between at least two people can be conducted. At minimum, the portable electronic device includes both a speaker and a microphone so that each person can be both heard and listen during the conversation. Unfortunately, both the microphone and speaker often need to be positioned by an opening that allows audio to pass into and out of a device housing of the portable electronic device. Microphones and speakers also generally need to be oriented in a way that optimizes transmission of the audio. Orientation of these devices in this way can require various mounting hardware that can take up a substantial amount of space within the portable electronic device. 
     One way to reduce an amount of space taken up within the portable electronic device is to use a single piece of mounting hardware to secure multiple audio devices. For example, both a microphone and a speaker can be packaged within an acoustic housing before coupling the acoustic housing to an interior surface of a device housing of the portable electronic device. In some embodiments, an audio bracket can then be used to create a pathway between openings defined by the acoustic housing and openings associated with the device housing. Incorporating the speaker and microphone together in a single housing has many other benefits. 
     A first one of the benefits is that the acoustic housing can be enlarged without taking up more room than would otherwise be taken by a discrete speaker and microphone. This is beneficial since a larger interior volume for the speaker generally improves audio output. Even though the microphone does take up space within the acoustic enclosure, any open space surrounding the microphone can be used to increase a size of a back volume associated with the speaker. A second benefit of packaging the two components together is that when the acoustic housing is water resistant electrical components within the acoustic housing need less protection against the elements or undesirable contaminates. For example, electrical components that would otherwise need to be encapsulated could be left partially or fully exposed. 
     A third benefit is that the acoustic assembly can be independently tested prior to being shipped to a final manufacturing line. In embodiments where the acoustic assembly is water-sealed, pressurization testing, seal testing and other functional testing can be completed and verified, resulting in much smaller numbers of defective parts arriving at the final manufacturing line. Finally, by incorporating both acoustic assemblies together, the position of the microphone with respect to the speaker can be tightly controlled. This can allow for improved noise cancelling operations to be carried out due to the precise spatial position of the components. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-5 ; however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  shows a portable electronic device  100  suitable for use with embodiments disclosed herein. Portable electronic device  100  can include a device housing  102  configured to protect various electrical components and sensors of portable electronic device  100 . Portable electronic device  100  can also include touch sensitive display  104  configured to provide a touch sensitive user interface for controlling portable electronic device  100 . A protective cover associated with touch sensitive display  104  can also cooperate with device housing  102  to substantially enclose operational and structural components of portable electronic device  100 . In some embodiments, portable electronic device  100  can include additional controls such as, for example, button  106 . Multiple hard-wired input/output (I/O) ports can include analog I/O port  108  and digital I/O port  110 . Audio devices within device housing  102  can receive and transmit audio by way of audio openings. For example, audio opening  112  can be defined by device housing  102  and configured to allow audio to enter portable electronic device  100  and be detected by a microphone positioned within device housing  102 . In some embodiments, audio opening  114  can also be associated with a microphone. A spatial interval between microphones associated with audio openings  112  and  114  can be used to perform a certain amount of beam forming that can filter unwanted audio out of the audio received by the two microphones. Device housing  102  also defines multiple audio openings  116 , which can be associated with a speaker along the lines of a speaker phone suitable for allowing a user to monitor an audio conversation without having the user&#39;s ear positioned directly against portable electronic device  100  at speaker opening  118 . In some embodiments, additional openings could be defined by housing  102  proximate audio opening  112 . Portable electronic device  100  can include numerous other operational components, such as for example, a processor, one or more wireless transceivers, a non-transitory computer readable memory device and a battery. It should be noted that while the portable electronic device depicted has the shape of a cell phone device, the embodiments described herein could be used with other portable electronic devices such as tablets, laptop computers, media players and the like. 
       FIGS. 2A-2B  cooperatively show an exploded perspective view of the primary components associated with an acoustic assembly  200 . Acoustic assembly  200  can be secured within device housing  102  and configured to transmit and receive audio waves through openings  114  and  116  defined by device housing  102 . Acoustic assembly  200  includes upper housing component  202 .  FIG. 2A  depicts upper housing component  202 , which defines speaker opening  204  and microphone channel  206  for transmitting and receiving audio waves, respectively. Upper housing component  202  can be shaped as depicted to accommodate other electrical components in close proximity to acoustic assembly  200 . 
       FIG. 2A  also depicts flexible circuit  208  below upper housing component  202 . Flexible circuit  208  can take the form of a multi-layer polymeric substrate with embedded electrically conductive traces for sending and receiving power and data. In some embodiments, flexible circuit can include a polyimide substrate with one or more layers of printed copper pathways routed along one or more layers of flexible circuit  208 . Flexible circuit  208  can be secured to an interior facing surface of upper housing component  202 . Flexible circuit  208  can be secured to upper housing component  202  in many ways, including by a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive  210 . Alternatively, flexible circuit  208  can be glued directly to upper housing component  202 . Flexible circuit  208  can include an electrical connector, which can function to receive and/or transmit power and data between other components disposed within device housing  102  and acoustic assembly  200 . In some embodiments, the electrical connector can take the form of board to board connector  212 . Flexible circuit  208  can be electrically coupled to both microphone  214  and speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . Speaker diaphragm assembly  215  can include a diaphragm  216  with a central recess  217  that helps establish a desired rigidity of diaphragm  216 . In this way, flexible circuit  208  allows audio waves received through microphone channel  206  and picked up by microphone  214  to be transmitted to another component, such as a processor, for further processing. Flexible circuit  208  includes opening  218  through which audio waves can pass through the polymeric substrate of flexible circuit  208  to reach microphone  214 . Similarly, media content can be received by speaker diaphragm assembly  215  for generation and transmission of audio waves out of device housing  102 . Signals associated with media content can arrive at an electrically conductive coil (not depicted) of speaker diaphragm assembly  215  for generation of audio waves. Flexible circuit  208  can include surface mounted passive components  220 , which are surface mounted to the flexible substrate of flexible circuit  208  and can be configured to conduct processing and/or boost signals passing through flexible circuit  208 . In some embodiments, passive components  220  can help filter and perform pre-processing on audio signals generated by microphone  214 . 
       FIG. 2B  depicts diaphragm support structure  222 . Diaphragm support structure  222  is configured to provide support for speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . Specifically, diaphragm support structure defines an opening  224  that accommodates oscillation of diaphragm  216 . By supporting only a peripheral region of diaphragm  216 , interference from diaphragm support structure can be avoided. Diaphragm support structure  222  also establishes a desired standoff distance between an interior-facing surface of upper housing component  202  and speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . Diaphragm support structure  222  can also include audio conduit  226  that in cooperation with upper housing component  202  provide a pathway for audio generated by speaker diaphragm assembly  215  to exit acoustic assembly  200 . 
       FIG. 2B  also depicts magnetic driver assembly  228 . Magnetic driver assembly  228  can be made up of multiple permanent magnets configured to interact with the electrically conductive coil of speaker diaphragm assembly  215  to induce oscillation of diaphragm  216  and thereby generate audio output. In particular, magnetic driver assembly  228  includes peripheral permanent magnets  230  and central permanent magnet  232 . In some embodiments, central permanent magnet  232  can include a recess  234  for accommodating central recess  217  of diaphragm  216 . Furthermore, peripheral permanent magnets  230  can cooperate with central permanent magnet  232  to create a channel  236  sized to accommodate an electrically conductive coil of speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . Permanent magnets  230  and  232  cooperatively generate a magnetic field within channel  236  for magnetic interaction with the electrically conductive coil of speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . Openings between permanent magnets  230  allow air to move freely between channel  236  and the surrounding space within acoustic assembly  200 , helping to establish a less constrained back volume for speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . 
       FIG. 2B  also depicts a lower housing component  238 . Lower housing component  238  defines an opening  240  within which substrate  242  of magnetic driver assembly  228  is secured. Together with upper housing component  238 , a back volume of air is enclosed beneath diaphragm  216 . This allows a majority of the interior volume defined by acoustic assembly  200  to be used to improve audio output generated by speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . 
       FIG. 3A  shows upper housing component  202  with components depicted in  FIG. 2  arranged therein.  FIG. 3A  shows in particular how speaker diaphragm assembly  215  includes electrically conductive coil  302  coupled to one side of diaphragm  216 .  FIG. 3A  also shows a periphery of diaphragm  216  positioned between diaphragm support structure  222  and upper housing component  202 . In addition to supporting diaphragm  216 , diaphragm support structure  222  also includes a mesh barrier  304 , which can be configured to retain acoustic beads within a first region of acoustic assembly  200 . Flexible circuit  208  is depicted being routed along an interior-facing surface of upper housing component  202 . Because acoustic assembly can be fully assembled as a discrete component prior to it being incorporated into a device such as portable electronic device  100 , flexible circuit  208  can be glued to upper housing component  202  and allowed to cure, yielding a substantially more secure coupling that would otherwise be achievable by a pressure sensitive adhesive layer. In this position, flexible circuit  208  can be routed beneath arms  306  of diaphragm support structure  222  that protrude laterally from opposing sides of mesh barrier  304 . Arms  306  help form a barrier, see dashed line  308 , which indicates how arms  306  divide an interior volume of acoustic assembly  200  into first and second interior regions. Flexible circuit  208  also includes contacts  310  that are configured to electrically couple speaker diaphragm assembly  215  with microphone  214  and board to board connector  212 . Contacts  310  primarily feed power and signals to electrically conductive coil  302  causing electrically conductive coil  302  to generate a magnetic field that interacts with permanent magnets  230  and  232  to induce motion of diaphragm  216  for the generation of audio waves. 
       FIG. 3A  also shows surface mounted passive components  220 , which are surface mounted to flexible circuit  208 . Passive components  220  are depicted only partially encapsulated by encapsulate  312 . The partial encapsulation is possible in configurations where the interior of acoustic assembly  200  is sealed from the ingress of external contaminates. This reduces the likelihood of surface mounted passive components  220  being damaged by contact with external contaminates. Surface mounted passive components  220  can take the form of resistors, capacitors and other passive electrical components.  FIG. 3A  also illustrates how audio conduit  226  extends to a sidewall of upper housing component  202  to create a sealed front volume in communication with an exterior of acoustic assembly  200  through speaker opening  204  (see  FIG. 2 ). It should be noted that upper housing component  202  defines a notch  314  sized to accommodate the passage of flexible circuit  208 . The notch can have a depth equivalent to a thickness of flexible circuit  208 , thereby preventing circuit traces within flexible circuit  208  from being compressed or otherwise damages when lower housing component  238  is coupled to upper housing component  202 . Alternatively, lower housing could define notch  314  or both lower and upper housing components  238  and  202  respectively could define the notch to accommodate flexible circuit  208  exiting an interior volume defined by upper and lower housing components of acoustic assembly  200 . After routing flexible circuit  208  through notch  314 , any area surrounding the flexible circuit can be filled to keep acoustic assembly  200  sealed. 
       FIG. 3B  shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of acoustic assembly  200  in accordance with section line A-A. In particular,  FIG. 3B  shows how mesh barrier  304  has openings  316  small enough to prevent any of acoustic beads  318  from passing through mesh barrier. In this way, acoustic beads  318  can be prevented from contaminating the portion of acoustic assembly  200  containing speaker diaphragm assembly  215  and microphone  214 . Furthermore, openings  316  can be sized to accommodate the passage of audio waves  320  through mesh barrier  304 . This allows the area behind mesh barrier  304  to further augment the performance of speaker diaphragm assembly  215  by expanding its back volume. Acoustic beads  318  can help improve the acoustic characteristics of one portion of the interior volume defined by acoustic assembly  200 . For example, acoustic beads  318  can reduce the likelihood of unwanted vibration and/or resonant motion that would degrade audio input or output associated with acoustic assembly  200 . 
       FIG. 3C  shows a perspective view of flexible circuit  208  and how electrically conductive traces can be routed within flexible circuit  208 . Electrically conductive traces  322  can be arranged along flexible circuit  208  and carry signals to and from microphone  214  to board to board connector  212 . Similarly electrically conductive trace  324  can carry signals to contacts  310  (see  FIG. 3A ), for delivery of power and signals to electrically conductive coil  302  of speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . As depicted, electrically conductive traces  322  and  324  can be laterally separated from each other instead of being separated by only a thin film layer on a different layer of flexible circuit  208 . In some embodiments, electrically conductive traces  312  can also be on a different layer of flexible circuit  208  from electrically conductive trace  314 . In this way, any cross-talk between signals travelling to speaker diaphragm assembly  215  and signals travelling to microphone  214  can be substantially reduced. Flexible circuit  208  can be made substantially wider to accommodate the lateral separation of conductive traces than it might otherwise be outside of acoustic assembly  200  due to assembly complexity that would otherwise occur with a flexible circuit that needed to be threaded between other components during the device assembly phase of manufacturing. 
       FIG. 4A  shows another perspective view of acoustic assembly  200 . Mounting openings  402  are depicted, which provide locations for fasteners to secure acoustic assembly  200  to an interior surface of an electronic device along the lines of portable electronic device  100 . By folding flexible circuit  208  around a back side of acoustic assembly  200 , board to board connector  212  can remain accessible for connection after acoustic assembly  200  has been secured in place to an electronic device housing. Board to board connector  212  can then allow acoustic assembly  200  to be conveniently incorporated with other electronics of portable electronic device  100 . 
       FIG. 4B  shows a cross-sectional view of acoustic assembly  200  in accordance with section line B-B as depicted in  FIG. 4A .  FIG. 4B  includes a close up view that shows a mounting attachment for microphone  214 . The mounting attachment is designed to prevent motion of diaphragm  216  from degrading sensor output. This is particularly important since a membrane of microphone  214  is configured to oscillate in the same direction as diaphragm  216 . The mounting attachment can include a stack of components such as mesh screen  404  to prevent entry of foreign particles from entering microphone  214  and foam layer  406  undesired motion of microphone  214 . It should also be noted that the geometry of microphone channel  206  prevents any incoming particles from directly impacting mesh screen  404 , thereby reducing wear and tear on mesh screen  404 . Microphone channel is shaped particularly to prevent the 90 degree turn taken by audio waves  408  entering channel from suffering from undue attenuation or distortion.  FIG. 4B  is also helpful in distinguishing front volume  410  from back volume  412  within acoustic assembly  200 . 
       FIG. 5  shows a top view of acoustic assembly  200  disposed within device housing  102 . In particular,  FIG. 5  shows how speaker opening  2004  can be linked to audio openings  116  by bracket  502 . Bracket  502  defines channels configured to port audio waves  504  into and/or out of acoustic assembly  200 . In some embodiments, bracket  502  can be coupled to both a wall of device housing  102  and a surface of upper housing component  202  that defines speaker opening  204  and microphone channel  206 . Bracket  502  can be coupled in many different ways, including by fasteners and/or adhesive strips. The coupling means can also include seals designed to prevent any water passing through bracket  502  from escaping through an interface between bracket  502  and either of device housing  102  or upper housing component  202 . Acoustic assembly  200  can also be coupled to device housing  102  by a fastener extending through one of openings  402 . In this way, acoustic assembly  200  can be fixed firmly in place within portable electronic device  100 . 
       FIG. 5  also shows mesh barrier  506 , which functions to keep contaminates from entering and doing damage to speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . In some embodiments, mesh barrier  506  can include a membrane that prevents water intrusion. In other embodiments, mesh barrier  506  can allow the passage of water into a front volume associated with speaker diaphragm assembly  215 . The front volume is sealed from other areas within acoustic assembly  200  by an upward facing surface of diaphragm  216  so that any water entering into the front volume only contacts the one side of diaphragm  216  and is unable to adversely affect other components within acoustic assembly  200 . 
     The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20170901
Publication Date: 20180703
Grant Date: 20180703
Priority Date: 20170901
Inventors: LUCE, THOMAS R.
LUAN, ROBERT I.
TSANG, THOMAS H.
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2853", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/023", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R3/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2876", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/288", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/06", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R9/02", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/023", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/288", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2876", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/023", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/025", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R3/00", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/2853", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R1/04", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R2499/11", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04R7/18", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 62683705