Loudspeaker diaphragm and method for manufacturing the same

• US 7,631,723 B2
• Filed: 12/08/2003
• Issued: 12/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Original Assignee: ONKYO Corporation (Onkyo Home Entertainment Corp.)
• Inventors: Inoue, Toshihide, Ono, Yushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): LUKS, JEREMY AUSTIN
• Application Number:
  US10/730,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20040112672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,199 Days
• Field of Search: 181/167, 181/168, 181/169, 181/170, 381/426, 381/427, 381/428, 295/94, 296/091
• US Class Current: 181/169
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2307/025 Diaphragms comprising polymeric materials
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2307/029 Diaphragms comprising fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/003 for diaphragms or their outer suspension
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/10 comprising superposed layers in contact
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/125 comprising a plurality of superposed layers in contact
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49005 Acoustic transducer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4908 Acoustic transducer

Abstract

A loudspeaker diaphragm having light weight and an excellent balance between a rigidity and an internal loss, and a simple and inexpensive method for manufacturing such a diaphragm are provided. The loudspeaker diaphragm includes a base layer having a woven fabric of a polyethylene naphthalate fiber impregnated with a thermosetting resin, and optionally a thermoplastic resin layer and/or a thermoplastic elastomer layer. The polyethylene naphthalate fiber is preferably an untwisted fiber. A fiber/resin weight ratio in the base layer is preferably in the range of 60/40 to 80/20. Preferably, the thermoplastic resin layer has a finely foamed structure and an average diameter of a cell in the finely foamed structure is 10 to 60 μm.

Claims

1. A loudspeaker diaphragm comprising a base layer having a woven fabric of a plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers and impregnated with a thermosetting resin, wherein each of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is an untwisted fiber, and wherein the loudspeaker diaphragm exhibits an internal loss of 0.40 or more.

2. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein the thermosetting resin is an unsaturated polyester resin or a melamine resin.

3. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein at least part of at least one of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is coated with a second thermosetting resin.

4. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 3, wherein the thermosetting resin is an unsaturated polyester resin and the second thermosetting resin is an epoxy resin or a melamine resin.

5. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein a fiber/resin ratio in the base layer is in the range of 60/40 to 80/20 by weight.

6. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, further comprising a thermoplastic resin layer.

7. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 6, wherein the thermoplastic resin layer contains at least one selected from the group consisting of nylon, polyester, polyolefin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, polysulfone, polyether ketone, polyether ether ketone, polyacetal, polyalylate, polyamide, polyamideimide, polycarbonate, modified polyphenylene ether, polyphenylene sulfide, polyacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyether imide, polyether sulfone, polytetrafluoroethylene, a liquid crystal polymer and a thermoplastic elastomer.

8. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, further comprising a thermoplastic elastomer layer.

9. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 8, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer layer contains at least one selected from the group consisting of a polyester elastomer, a polyurethane elastomer and a polyolefin elastomer.

10. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 6, wherein the thermoplastic resin layer has a finely foamed structure.

11. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 10, wherein an average diameter of a cell in the finely foamed structure is 10 to 60 Φ

m.

12. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein the base layer comprises a woven fabric of cotton or an unwoven fabric of a liquid crystal polymer.

13. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is a mono-filament.

14. A loudspeaker comprising a loudspeaker diaphragm having a base layer that has a woven fabric of a plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers and impregnated with a thermosetting resin, wherein each of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is an untwisted fiber, and wherein the loudspeaker diaphragm exhibits an internal loss of 0.40 or more.

15. A method for manufacturing a loudspeaker diaphragm comprising:

impregnating a woven fabric of a plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers with a thermosetting resin and curing the thermosetting resin, so as to form a base layer;

adding inactive gas in a supercritical state to a molten thermoplastic resin and extruding the mixture of the thermoplastic resin and the inactive gas at prescribed temperature and pressure, so as to form a thermoplastic resin layer; and

laminating the base layer and the thermoplastic resin layer;

wherein each of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is an untwisted fiber, and wherein the loudspeaker diaphragm exhibits an internal loss of 0.40 or more.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the inactive gas is selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, carbon dioxide, argon, neon, helium, oxygen and mixed gas thereof.

17. A loudspeaker diaphragm comprising a base layer as the outermost layer, a thermoplastic resin layer and a thermoplastic elastomer layer, wherein the base layer has a woven fabric of a plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers and impregnated with a thermosetting resin, wherein each of the plurality of polyethylene naphthalate fibers is an untwisted fiber, and wherein the loudspeaker diaphragm exhibits an internal loss of 0.40 or more.

18. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 17, wherein the thermoplastic resin layer is an intermediate layer composed of a film and the thermoplastic elastomer layer is the innermost layer composed of a woven fabric or an unwoven fabric.

19. A loudspeaker diaphragm according to claim 18, wherein a thermoplastic elastomer constituting the thermoplastic elastomer layer has a melting point higher than that of a thermoplastic resin constituting the thermoplastic resin layer.