Lightweight speaker enclosure

• US 5,519,178 A
• Filed: 09/09/1994
• Issued: 05/21/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Clair Brothers Audio Systems, LLC
• Original Assignee: Southern California Sound Image, Inc.
• Inventors: Adams, Michael, Ritto, Ross
• Primary Examiner(s): Dang, Khanh
• Application Number:
  US08/303,947
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 181/148, 181/151, 181/199, 181/290, 181/292
• US Class Current: 181/199
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075

Abstract

A speaker enclosure having a substantially seamless rigid outer skin, a middle sound absorbing layer, and a substantially seamless flexible inner skin. The speaker enclosure is comprised of two basic parts, a box section and a baffle section where each of these sections include the rigid outer skin, the middle sound absorbing layer and the seamless flexible inner skin and are made according to the same method. The outer skin is formed from multiple layers of resin impregnated carbon fiber, the middle sound absorbing layer includes pieces of honeycomb material and the inner layer is formed from multiple layers of resin impregnated fiberglass. The layers of material are arranged in a substantially seamless manner into a mold and then cured by vacuum bagging and heating thereby producing a strong, lightweight speaker enclosure made of materials which dampen the transmission of errant sound waves in the enclosure and thereby minimize distortion of the sound signal produced by the speaker.

Claims

1. A sound speaker enclosure comprising:

a box section having a front face and walls which define a space for containing a speaker wherein said walls of said box section comprise a rigid outer skin, that is formed from overlapping layers of material that are formed into a substantially seamless outer skin, a middle layer of sound absorbing material and an inner flexible skin; and

a baffle section having an opening for a diaphragm of said speaker wherein said baffle section is bonded to said front face of said box section to thereby enclose said speaker in an interior of said speaker enclosure, which is defined by said walls of said box section and said baffle section, so that said diaphragm of said speaker is positioned adjacent said opening.

2. The speaker enclosure of claim 1, wherein said rigid outer skin is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated carbon fiber material forming one or more layers that is cured into said rigid outer skin and wherein said rigid outer skin is sufficiently rigid to minimize the escape of errant sound waves from said sound enclosure through said walls of said box section.

3. The speaker enclosure of claim 1, wherein said flexible inner skin is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated fiberglass forming one or more layers that is cured into said flexible inner skin and wherein said flexible inner skin vibrates in response to errant sound waves in said speaker enclosure and thereby absorbs at least a portion of said errant sound waves.

4. The speaker enclosure of claim 3, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of a material which defines air spaces and that captures at least a portion of said errant sound waves absorbed by said flexible inner skin.

5. The speaker enclosure of claim 4, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of pieces of Nomex material which are interconnected to each other with resin to form a substantially seamless layer of honeycomb material in said box section.

6. The speaker enclosure of claim 5, wherein said honeycomb material is comprised of a plurality of approximately 1/4" cells and has a density of approximately 4.8 Lb.

7. The speaker enclosure of claim 1, wherein the baffle section comprises a rigid outer skin, a middle layer of sound absorbing material and a flexible inner skin.

8. The speaker enclosure of claim 7, wherein the rigid outer skin on said baffle section is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated carbon fiber material forming one or more layers, said layer being cured into said rigid outer skin and wherein said rigid outer skin is sufficiently rigid to minimize the escape of errant sound waves from said sound enclosure through said walls of said baffle section.

9. The speaker enclosure of claim 8, wherein said inner flexible skin of said baffle section is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated fiberglass forming one or more layers, said layers being cured into said flexible inner skin and wherein said flexible inner skin vibrates in response to errant sound waves in said speaker enclosure and thereby absorbs at least a portion of said errant sound waves.

10. The speaker enclosure of claim 9, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer of said baffle section is comprised of a material which defines air spaces that capture at least a portion of said errant sound waves absorbed by said flexible inner skin.

11. The speaker enclosure of claim 10, wherein said middle layer of said baffle section is comprised of pieces of nomex material which are interconnected to each other with resin to form a substantially seamless layer of Nomex material in said box.

12. A speaker enclosure comprising:

a box section having a front face and walls which define a space for containing a speaker, wherein said walls of said box section are comprised of a substantially seamless rigid outer skin, that is formed from overlapping layers of material, a middle sound absorbing layer and a substantially seamless inner flexible skin;

a baffle section having one or more openings for a diaphragm of said speaker, wherein said baffle is bonded to said front face of said box section to thereby enclose said speaker in an interior of said speaker enclosure, which interior is defined by said box section and said baffle section, with said diaphragm of said speaker positioned adjacent said opening, and wherein said baffle section includes a substantially seamless rigid outer skin, that is formed from overlapping layers of material, a middle sound capturing layer and a substantially seamless inner flexible skin.

13. The speaker enclosure of claim 12, wherein said inner flexible skin of both said box section and said baffle section vibrates in response to errant sound waves emanating from said speaker into said interior of said box section and thereby acts to absorb at least some of said errant sound waves.

14. The speaker enclosure of claim 13, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer in both said box section and said baffle section also absorbs at least some of said errant sound waves emanating from said speaker into said interior of said box section.

15. The speaker enclosure of claim 14, wherein said rigid outer skin of both said walls of said box section and said baffle section is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated carbon fiber material forming one or more layers, said layers being cured into said rigid outer skin and wherein said rigid outer skin is sufficiently rigid to minimize the escape of errant sound waves from said sound enclosure through said walls of said box section.

16. The speaker enclosure of claim 15, wherein said inner flexible skin of both said box section and said baffle section is comprised of plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated fiberglass that are arranged into a plurality of layers and which have been cured in a curing process into said flexible inner skin.

17. The speaker enclosure of claim 16, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer of both said walls of said box section and said baffle section is comprised of a material which defines air spaces that trap at least some of said errant sound waves.

18. The speaker enclosure of claim 16, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of pieces of honeycomb material which are interconnected to each other in a substantially seamless fashion with hardened resin.

19. The speaker enclosure of claim 18, wherein the curing process comprises the steps of vacuum bagging and heating said speaker enclosure to harden said resins in said resin impregnated carbon fibers and said resin impregnated fiberglass.

20. A sound speaker enclosure comprising:

a box section having a front face and walls which define a space for containing a speaker wherein said walls of said box section comprise a rigid outer skin, a middle layer of sound absorbing material and a substantially seamless inner flexible skin that is formed from overlapping layers of flexible material; and

a baffle section having an opening for a diaphragm of said speaker wherein said baffle section is bonded to said front face of said box section to thereby enclose said speaker in an interior of said speaker enclosure, which is defined by said walls of said box section and said baffle section, so that said diaphragm of said speaker is positioned adjacent said opening.

21. The speaker enclosure of claim 20, wherein said rigid outer skin is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated fiber material forming one or more layers that is cured into said rigid outer skin and wherein said rigid outer skin is sufficiently rigid to minimize the escape of sound waves from said sound enclosure through said walls of said box section.

22. The speaker enclosure of claim 20, wherein said flexible inner skin is comprised of a plurality of overlapping pieces of resin impregnated fiberglass forming one or more layers that is cured into said flexible inner skin and wherein said flexible inner skin vibrates in response to errant sound waves in said speaker enclosure and thereby absorbs at least a portion of said errant sound waves.

23. The speaker enclosure of claim 22, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of a material which defines air spaces that captures at least a portion of said errant sound waves absorbed by said flexible inner skin.

24. The speaker enclosure of claim 23, wherein said middle sound absorbing layer is comprised of pieces of Nomex material which are interconnected to each other with resin form a substantially seamless layer of honeycomb material in said box section.