Sound Producing System

• US 20160029128A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 01/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Pircaro, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 9,628,917 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2207/021 Diaphragm extensions, not necessarily integrally formed, e.g. skirts, rims, flanges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2307/207 Shape aspects of the outer suspension of loudspeaker diaphragms
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/06 comprising a plurality of sections or layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/122 comprising a plurality of sections or layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/14 corrugated, pleated or ribbed
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/24 Tensioning by means acting directly on free portions of diaphragm or cone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/00 Transducers of moving-coil, moving-strip, or moving-wire type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/06 Loudspeakers

Abstract

Breakup of an electro-acoustic transducer is disrupted by introducing discontinuities that do not conform to a configuration having n-fold radial symmetry. This may be accomplished by using irregular azimuthal spacing and/or by having a junction point of the discontinuities offset relative to the geometric center of the moving surface. The discontinuities may be implemented on one or more of the moving sound producing components, such as on a diaphragm and/or dust cap of the electro-acoustic transducer. A bridging member may be introduced to span the discontinuities to stiffen the sound producing components.

Claims

1. An electro-acoustic transducer, comprising:

a moving surface; and

at least two discontinuities formed in or in contact with the moving surface, the at least two discontinuities not conforming to a pattern of n-fold radial symmetry.

2. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least two discontinuities are irregularly spaced in an azimuthal manner and intersect at a junction that is substantially coincident with a geometric center of the moving surface.

3. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least two discontinuities intersect at a junction that is not substantially coincident with a geometric center of the moving surface of the electro-acoustic transducer.

4. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 3, wherein the at least two discontinuities are irregularly spaced in an azimuthal manner.

5. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 3, wherein the at least two discontinuities are regularly spaced in an azimuthal manner.

6. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least two discontinuities comprise at least four discontinuities, at least a first two of the at least four discontinuities being formed to intersect at a first junction, and at least a second two of the at least four discontinuities being formed to intersect at a second junction.

7. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 6, wherein the first junction is coincident with a geometric center of the moving surface of the electro-acoustic transducer and the second junction is not coincident with the geometric center of the moving surface of the electro-acoustic transducer.

8. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, further comprising a voice coil bobbin attached to the moving surface, the voice coil bobbin being centered about a location offset from a geometric center of the moving surface.

9. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 8, wherein the at least two discontinuities intersect at a junction that is substantially coincident with the location offset from the geometric center of the moving surface about which the voice coil bobbin is centered.

10. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein each of the discontinuities is substantially straight to radiate from at least one junction toward an edge of the moving surface to disrupt diaphragm breakup.

11. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 10, wherein each of the discontinuities extends a different distance from the at least one junction toward the edge of the moving surface.

12. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 10, wherein each of the discontinuities extends from the at least one junction to the edge of the moving surface.

13. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least two discontinuities formed in or in contact with the moving surface are formed to radiate from a voice coil attachment region.

14. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 13, further comprising a second set of discontinuities formed within the voice coil attachment region, the second set of discontinuities extending only within the voice coil attachment region, being independent of the at least two discontinuities, and not conforming to a pattern of n-fold radial symmetry.

15. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 1, wherein the at least two discontinuities are formed within the moving surface, and wherein the electro-acoustic transducer further comprises a stiffening member connected to the moving surface to span a junction between the at least two discontinuities.

16. An electro-acoustic transducer, comprising:

a moving surface comprising first and second transverse sections interconnecting first and second hemi-circular end sections;

a motor to move the moving surface to create acoustic waves;

at least two discontinuities formed in or in contact with the moving surface to radiate from at least one discontinuity junction toward an edge of the moving surface to disrupt breakup of the moving surface, the at least two discontinuities being constructed to not exhibit n-fold radial symmetry within the moving surface.

17. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 16, wherein the at least two discontinuities include:

a first pair of discontinuities extending along a first major axis from the first hemi-circular end section to the second hemi-circular end section; and

a second pair of discontinuities bisecting the moving surface and the first pair of discontinuities and extending transverse to the first pair of discontinuities at an intersection angle substantially other than 90 degrees.

18. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 17, wherein the intersection angle is between 110 and 135 degrees.

19. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 17, wherein the second pair of discontinuities extends from a first intersection between the first transverse section and the first hemi-circular end section to a second intersection between the second transverse section and the second hemi-circular end section.

20. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 17, wherein the moving surface comprises a concave surface comprising sections that are nominal sections of a sphere.

21. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 20, further comprising a voice coil attached to the moving surface at an off-center location.

22. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 20, wherein the first and second pairs of discontinuities are formed as ribs in the concave surface.

23. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 22, further comprising a reinforcing member at an intersection between the first and second pairs of discontinuities.

24. The electro-acoustic transducer of claim 23, wherein the reinforcing member is connected to the concave surface at four corners defined by the intersecting first and second pairs of discontinuities.

25. A dust cap for an electro-acoustic transducer, comprising:

a central area; and

a plurality of wings extending outwardly from the central area to engage a surface of a diaphragm of the electro-acoustic transducer, the plurality of wings extending at relative azimuthal orientations substantially other than 90 degrees.

26. The dust cap of claim 25, wherein at least one of the plurality of wings has a height different than a height of at least one of the other of the plurality of wings to enable differentiated engagement of the wings with the surface of the diaphragm.