Weather resistant porting

• US 7,039,212 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polk Audio Incorporated (DEI Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Britannia Investment Corporation
• Inventors: Starobin, Bradley M., Baran, Allen S., Poling, John B., Polk, Matthew S. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENDLETON, DIONNE
• Application Number:
  US10/660,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20050058315A1
• Time in Patent Office: 963 Days
• Field of Search: 381/337, 381/343, 381/349, 381/350, 381/357, 381/358, 381/345, 381/339, 381/163, 381/186, 381/335, 381/351, 181/156, 181/199, 181/160, 181/144, 181/145, 181/148, 181/150, 181/154, 181/163, 181/182, 181/184, 181/196
• US Class Current: 381/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2826 for loudspeaker transducers

Abstract

A port for a loudspeaker is disclosed which is sufficiently weather resistant for long term outdoor use and which prevents debris, insects and other vermin from entering the loudspeaker and which is compact and efficient.

Claims

1. A loudspeaker system comprising:

a transducer;

an enclosure for housing said transducer; and

a port disposed in said enclosure for tuning the low frequency performance of said loudspeaker system, said port comprising

a port tube extending at least in part outside of said enclosure, said port tube having a predetermined internal cross-sectional area,

a port cover for covering an outermost opening of said port tube, wherein said port cover is generally cup-shaped so as to fit over and overlap an outermost end of said port tube, wherein a first distance measured between an internal surface of said port cover and an exterior of said port tube is maintained therebetween to be at least approximately equal to one-half of the radius of the predetermined internal cross-section area of said port tube

wherein a second distance measured between an edge of said port cover nearest to said enclosure and a wall of said enclosure is greater than the average radius of an average cross-sectional area of said port tube such that a total cross-sectional area of an opening created between said port cover and said enclosure is substantially greater than said predetermined internal cross-sectional area of said port tube, such that any line drawn directly from a tangent point on the outer-most end of said port tube through a tangent point on an edge of said port cover nearest to said enclosure intersects with a solid part of said loudspeaker system.

2. The loudspeaker system according to claim 1, wherein port tube has a first external cross-sectional area near the outermost end of said port tube and a second external cross-sectional area between said first external cross-sectional area and said enclosure such that said first external cross-sectional area is larger than said second external cross-sectional area.

3. The loudspeaker system according to claim 1, wherein the opening created between said port cover and said enclosure is covered by a screen such that an open area percentage of said screen multiplied by the result of the cross-sectional area of said opening between said port cover and said enclosure divided by the predetermined internal cross-sectional area of said port tube is greater than or equal to 1.67.

4. The loudspeaker system according to claim 3, wherein the screen has an open area greater than approximately 35% and a closed area less than approximately 65%, and the ratio of the cross-sectional area of said opening between said port cover and said enclosure divided by the predetermined internal cross-sectional area of said port tube is at least five.

5. A loudspeaker system comprising:

a transducer;

an enclosure for housing said transducer; and

a port disposed in said enclosure for tuning the low frequency performance of said loudspeaker system, said port comprising

a port tube extending at least in part outside of said enclosure, said port tube having a predetermined internal cross-sectional area, and

a port cover for covering an outermost opening of said port tube, wherein said port cover is generally cup-shaped so as to fit over and overlap an outermost end of said port tube, wherein in a distance measured between an internal surface of said port cover and an exterior of said port tube is maintained therebetween to be at least approximately equal to one-half of the radius of the predetermined internal cross-section area of said port tube,

a recessed area disposed in said enclosure for accepting said port tube and said port cover such that an outer surface of said port cover is generally flush with a surrounding surfaces of said enclosure; and

drainage channels disposed in said recessed area such that water entering said recessed area drains away from said port tube.

6. The loudspeaker system according to claim 5, wherein an opening created between said port cover and said enclosure is covered by a screen such that an open area percentage of said screen multiplied by a result of the cross-sectional area of said opening between said port cover and said enclosure divided by the predetermined internal cross-sectional area of said port tube is greater than or equal to 1.67.

7. The loudspeaker system according to claim 6, wherein the screen has an open area greater than approximately 35% and a closed area less than approximately 65%, and the ratio of the cross-sectional area of said opening between said port cover and said enclosure divided by the predetermined internal cross-sectional of said port tube is at least five.

8. The loudspeaker system according to claim 5, wherein a second distance measured between an edge of said port cover nearest to said enclosure and a wall of said enclosure is greater than the average radius of an average cross-sectional area of said port tube such that a total cross-sectional area of an opening created between said port cover and said enclosure is substantially greater than said predetermined internal cross-sectional area of said port tube, such that any line drawn directly from a tangent point on an outermost end of said port tube through a tangent point on an edge of said port cover nearest to said enclosure intersects with a sold part of said loudspeaker system.

9. The loudspeaker system according to claim 5, wherein said port tube has a first external cross-sectional area near an outermost end of said port tube and a second external cross-sectional area between said first external cross-sectional area and said enclosure such that said first external cross-sectional area is larger than said second external cross-sectional area.