Seamlessly Joining Sides of a Speaker Enclosure

• US 20180098168A1
• Filed: 09/30/2016
• Published: 04/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
• Inventors: Long, Nicholas, Holley, Brandon, Sivasubramaniam, Sivarupan
• Granted Patent: US 10,667,068 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/0058 removing material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2045/1495 Coating undercut inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/0053 combined with a final operation, e.g. shaping injection-compression moulding B29C45/561
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14065 Positioning or centering articles in the mould
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14336 Coating a portion of the article, e.g. the edge of the article B29C45/14573 and B29C45/14598 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 45/14467 Joining articles or parts of a single article B29C45/14377, B29C45/14385, B29C45/14581, B29C45/14614 and B29C45/006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/3418 Loud speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/023 Screens for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/029 Manufacturing aspects of enclosures transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 31/006 Interconnection of transducer parts of diaphragm and outer suspension by moulding H04R31/003

Abstract

A method for joining sides of a speaker enclosure while minimizing the appearance of a seam in the joint includes affixing a speaker grill element to a substructure element, where the speaker grill element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, includes a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and includes hole openings between the first surface and the second surface, where the substructure element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, includes protrusions above its front surface, and includes openings that are larger than the hole openings in the speaker grill element, and where the speaker grill element is aligned lengthwise to a first plane, inserting the joined speaker grill element and substructure element into a mould, where in combination with portions of the speaker grill element and the substructure element, a surface of the mould forms a mould cavity for injection moulding a side element, and injecting molten plastic into the mould cavity to form an injection moulded side element.

Claims

1. A method for joining sides of a speaker enclosure while minimizing the appearance of a seam in the joint, the method including:

affixing a speaker grill element to a substructure element;

where the speaker grill element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, comprises a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and comprises hole openings between the first surface and the second surface;

where the substructure element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, comprises protrusions above its front surface, and comprises openings that are larger than the hole openings in the speaker grill element; and

where the speaker grill element is aligned lengthwise to a first plane;

inserting the joined speaker grill element and substructure element into a mould, where, in combination with portions of the speaker grill element and the substructure element, a surface of the mould forms a mould cavity for injection moulding a side element; and

injecting molten plastic into the mould cavity to form an injection moulded side element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the speaker grill element of a plastic material.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating the substructure element of a plastic material.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the substructure element is curved and the method further comprises bending the speaker grill element to conform to the sub structure element.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the bending of the speaker grill element is performed simultaneously with affixing the speaker grill element to the substructure element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein affixing the speaker grill element to the substructure element comprises applying an adhesive between the speaker grill element and the substructure element and applying pressure to hold the speaker grill element to the substructure element maintaining contact at the protrusions of the substructure element.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the protrusions of the substructure element rise from the outer surface of the substructure element a height in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm to allow room for adhesive materials.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the protrusions of the substructure element rise 0.3 mm from the outer surface of the substructure element.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the substructure element with an undercut such that after assembly the injection moulded side element is prevented from being pulled away from the substructure element.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the speaker grill element with alignment protrusions that correspond with receiving recesses in the mould.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying pressure to the substructure element in a direction orthogonal to the first plane.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying pressure to the injected plastic material in a direction orthogonal to the first plane.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising filling recesses in the outer surface of the injection moulded side element and speaker grill element, and removing excess material so that the surface in the area of the joint is flat.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a speaker grill element that has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, comprises a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and comprises hole openings between the first surface and the second surface.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a substructure element that has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, includes protrusions above its front surface, and includes openings that are larger than the hole openings in the speaker grill element.

16. An automated assembly system for joining sides of a speaker enclosure while minimizing the appearance of a seam in the joint, the automated assembly system configured by processor instructions to:

affix a speaker grill element to a substructure element;

where the speaker grill element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, comprises a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and comprises hole openings between the first surface and the second surface;

where the substructure element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, includes protrusions above its front surface, and includes openings that are larger than the hole openings in the speaker grill element; and

where the speaker grill element is aligned lengthwise to a first plane;

insert the joined speaker grill element and substructure element into a mould, where in combination with portions of the speaker grill element and the substructure element, a surface of the mould forms a mould cavity for injection moulding a side element; and

inject molten plastic into the mould cavity to form an injection moulded side element.

17. The automated assembly system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the substructure element is curved and the automated assembly system is further configured to bend the speaker grill element to conform to the substructure element.

18. The automated assembly system of claim 16, wherein affixing the speaker grill element to the substructure element comprises applying an adhesive between the speaker grill element and the substructure element and applying pressure to hold the speaker grill element to the substructure element maintaining contact at the protrusions of the substructure element.

19. The automated assembly system of claim 16, wherein the automated assembly system is further configured to form the substructure element with an undercut such that after assembly the injection moulded side element is prevented from being pulled away from the sub structure element.

20. A tangible, non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

affixing a speaker grill element to a substructure element;

where the speaker grill element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, comprises a first surface and a second surface that are substantially parallel to each other, and comprises hole openings between the first surface and the second surface;

where the substructure element has a depth dimension that is shorter than its length and width dimensions, includes protrusions above its front surface, and includes openings that are larger than the hole openings in the speaker grill element; and

where the speaker grill element is aligned lengthwise to a first plane;

inserting the joined speaker grill element and substructure element into a mould, where in combination with portions of the speaker grill element and the substructure element, a surface of the mould forms a mould cavity for injection moulding a side element; and

injecting molten plastic into the mould cavity to form an injection moulded side element.