Method of manufacturing sound output apparatus and method of manufacturing grille for the apparatus

• US 10,149,080 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Sangin
• Primary Examiner(s): Ojo, Oyesola C
• Application Number:
  US15/605,041
• Publication Number:
  US 20170347214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 381391, 381359, 381322
• CPC Class Codes: C25D 13/12 characterised by the article coated
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/023 Screens for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/02 Details casings, cabinets or mounting therein for transducers covered by H04R1/02 but not provided for in any of its subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/029 Manufacturing aspects of enclosures transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/06 Loudspeakers

Abstract

A method relates to manufacturing a sound output apparatus. The method includes processing a flat metal plate to have a shape with through-holes; forming a cylindrical grille by bonding two sides of the processed flat metal panel to each other so that a side corresponding to the upper end of the main shape forms an upper end of the grille and a side corresponding to the lower end of the main shape forms a lower end of the grille. The upper end of the grille is deformed to correspond to a shape of a cover by inserting the cover into an opening formed in an upper surface of the grille. A lower end of the grille is deformed to correspond to a shape of the lower-end holding portion formed in the base, by inserting the lower-end holding portion into a lower opening formed in the grille.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a grille of a sound output apparatus in which a main body having a speaker is positioned in the grille, the method comprising:

processing a flat metal panel, wherein processing the flat metal panel includes;

forming a shaped panel having a perimeter with a shape corresponding to a development view of a truncated cylinder associated with the grille, the cylinder having an upper end located in a plane that is inclined at a predetermined angle relative to a horizontal plane and a lower end having a shape associated with orthogonally projecting the upper end on the horizontal plane, an upper edge of the shaped panel corresponding to the upper end of the cylinder, and a lower edge of the shaped panel corresponding to the lower end of the cylinder, and

forming through-holes in a portion of the shaped panel positioned at least a threshold distance from the perimeter; and

connecting opposite side edges of the shaped panel at a seam to form the cylinder, the side edges being different from the upper and lower edges of the shaped panel,

wherein the flat metal panel has a rigidity such that the cylinder formed by connecting the opposite side edges of the shaped panel maintains a cylindrical shape.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polishing a portion of an outer surface of the cylinder associated with the seam.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

polishing the outer surface of the cylinder until hairlines are formed; and

painting the cylinder having the hairlines.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein painting the cylinder includes electro-plating the cylinder.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the shaped panel includes etching away a portion of the flat metal panel that does not form the grille.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the flat metal panel is a stainless steel panel.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein connecting the opposite side edges of the shaped panel includes welding together the opposite side edges of the shaped panel.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

drilling a hole in the truncated cylinder, the hole being configured to receive a port in sound output apparatus,

wherein the hole is positioned in a portion of the truncated cylinder that is within the threshold distance of the seam and that excludes the through-holes.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

polishing at least a portion of an outer surface of the cylinder is performed after drilling the hole.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising forming a mark on an outer surface of the truncated cylinder by laser processing.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the truncated cylinder has an elliptical shape.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the truncated cylinder has an circular shape.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the truncated cylinder in a horizontal plane has an circular shape.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the through-holes include first through-holes having a first diameter, and second through-holes having a second diameter that is smaller than the first diameter.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein forming the through-holes includes positioning the through-holes in an array, and alternating the first through-holes and the second through holes in at least one of a column or a row of the array.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the through-holes further include third through-holes having a third diameter that is different from the first diameter and the second diameter, and

wherein forming the through-holes further includes positioning the third through-holes between the seam and the array of the first through-holes and the second through-holes.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper end of the truncated cylinder is sized to be inserted over a lower portion of a cover of the sound output apparatus, and

wherein the upper end of the truncated cylinder is deformed to have a shape corresponding to a shape of the lower portion of the cover.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

forming a recess in the upper end of the truncated cylinder, the recess receiving a projection extending from the cover.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the lower end of the truncated cylinder is sized to be inserted over a base of the sound output apparatus, and wherein the lower end of the truncated cylinder is deformed to have a shape corresponding to a shape of a portion of the base received in the grille.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising attaching a porous filter to an inner surface of the grille.