EP3504886A1

EP3504886A1 - Suspension arm used in speaker

Info

Publication number: EP3504886A1
Application number: EP16914453.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Lujian MA; Tenda LIU
Original assignee: Harman International Industries Inc
Current assignee: Harman International Industries Inc
Priority date: 2016-08-29
Filing date: 2016-08-29
Publication date: 2019-07-03
Also published as: CN109906618A; WO2018039883A1; EP3504886A4

Abstract

A suspension arm used in a speaker, such as an ultra slim speaker, is provided. The suspension arm includes a peripheral portion, a central portion and a connection portion connecting the peripheral portion to the central portion. The connection portion includes at least one smooth curve segment, and a voice coil protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion. The central portion is designed to have relatively large area to enable area of the voice coil to be larger, so as to avoid mechanical touch and obtain a greater power.

Description

SUSPENSION ARM USED IN SPEAKER

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to an ultra slim speaker.

BACKGROUND

Some existing slim speakers have tensile wires and thus have relatively great thickness, generally greater than 6mm. Some existing slim speakers have a voice coil with a bobbin, which causes relatively great thickness as well. Some existing slim speakers have a voice coil without a bobbin, wherein wires of the voice coil serve as tensile wires. However, the wires of the voice coil are generally very thin and cannot support a relatively large power. In slim speakers, the relatively great thickness and the inability to support large power are undesirable.
SUMMARY
In an embodiment, a suspension arm used in a speaker is provided, including a peripheral portion, a central portion and a connection portion connecting the peripheral portion to the central portion, wherein the connection portion includes at least one smooth curve segment, and wherein a voice coil protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion of the suspension arm.
In some embodiments, a surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm may be attached to a surround in the speaker.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm may further include at least one extended portion connected with the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and away from the central portion of the suspension arm, and the at least one extended portion may be bent to be used as a soldering pad of the speaker for leading in an audio source.
In some embodiments, a conductive pattern may be formed at a juncture of the central portion and the connection portion, so that a lead wire of the voice coil is attached to the conductive pattern.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm may be a tri-layer structure consisting of a flexible insulating material, a copper foil and the flexible insulating material successively.
In some embodiments, the central portion and the connection portion of the suspension arm may be capable of moving with the voice coil.
In some embodiments, the peripheral portion or the central portion may be annular, round, rectangular or runway-shaped.
In some embodiments, length of the peripheral portion may be less than 28mm, width of the peripheral portion may be less than 16mm, and thickness of the peripheral portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, length of the central portion may be less than 15mm, width of the central portion may be less than 8mm, and thickness of the central portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, length of the connection portion may be within a range from 5mm to 15mm, width of the connection portion may be within a range from 0.5mm to 1.2mm, and thickness of the connection portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, the voice coil does not include a bobbin.
In an embodiment, an ultra slim speaker is provided, including: a suspension arm which includes a peripheral portion, a central portion and a connection portion connecting the peripheral portion to the central portion, wherein the connection portion includes at least one smooth curve segment； and a voice coil which protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion of the suspension arm.
In some embodiments, the ultra slim speaker further includes a diaphragm on the suspension arm and the voice coil, wherein a first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and a surface of the voice coil are attached to the diaphragm.
In some embodiments, the diaphragm includes a dome and a surround encompassing the dome, the first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm is attached to the surround, and the surface of the voice coil is attached to the dome.
In some embodiments, the ultra slim speaker may further include a gasket disposed between the diaphragm and the suspension arm.
In some embodiments, the ultra slim speaker may further include a frame and a damping mesh disposed under the suspension arm successively, wherein a first surface of the frame is attached with a second surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm which is opposite to the first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm, and a second surface of the frame which is opposite to the first surface of the frame is attached with the damping mesh.
In some embodiments, the voice coil does not include a bobbin.
In some embodiments, the peripheral portion or the central portion may be annular, round, rectangular or runway-shaped.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm may further include at least one extended portion connected with the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and away from the central portion of the suspension arm, and the at least one extended portion may be bent to be used as a soldering pad of the ultra slim speaker for leading in an audio source.
In some embodiments, a conductive pattern may be formed at a juncture of the central portion and the connection portion, so that a lead wire of the voice coil is attached to the conductive pattern.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm may be a tri-layer structure consisting of a flexible insulating material, a copper foil and the flexible insulating material successively.
In some embodiments, the central portion and the connection portion of the suspension arm may be capable of moving with the voice coil.
In some embodiments, length of the peripheral portion may be less than 28mm, width of the peripheral portion may be less than 16mm, and thickness of the peripheral portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, length of the central portion may be less than 15mm, width of the central portion may be less than 8mm, and thickness of the central portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, length of the connection portion may be within a range from 5mm to 15mm, width of the connection portion may be within a range from 0.5mm to 1.2mm, and thickness of the connection portion may be less than 0.3mm.
In some embodiments, length of the speaker may be less than 28mm, width of the speaker may be less than 16mm, and thickness of the speaker may be less than 4mm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an ultra slim speaker according to an embodiment；
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the ultra slim speaker shown in FIG. 1；
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a static state and a moving state of the suspension arm shown in FIGs. 1 and 2 according to an embodiment；
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vertical view of a suspension arm used in a speaker according to an embodiment； and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an ultra slim speaker which includes two soldering pads according to an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented here. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated and make part of this disclosure.
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of an ultra slim speaker according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the ultra slim speaker shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGs. 1 and 2, the ultra slim speaker 10 includes, from top to bottom, a diaphragm 101, a gasket 102, a suspension arm 103, a voice coil 104, a frame 105, a plate 106, a magnet 107, a U-shaped yoke 108 and a mesh 109, successively.
In some embodiments, the diaphragm 101 includes a dome 1011 and a surround 1012 encompassing the dome 1011.
In some embodiments, the gasket 102 is disposed between the diaphragm 101 and the suspension arm 103. The gasket 102 is made of an insulating material, such as rubber, plastic or paper. By employing the gasket 102, the suspension arm 103 does not bump the surround 1012, so that the surround 1012 is not prone to deform.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm 103 includes a peripheral portion 1031, a central portion 1032 and a connection portion 1033 connecting the peripheral portion 1031 to the central portion 1032. An upper surface of the peripheral portion 1031 is attached to the diaphragm 101, specifically, to the surround 1012. A lower surface of the peripheral portion 1031 is attached to an upper surface of the frame 105. It should be noted that, the upper surface and the lower surface of the peripheral portion in the embodiments correspond to the first surface and the second surface of the peripheral portion, respectively.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm 103 may further include at least one extended portion (not shown in FIGs. 1 and 2) connected with the peripheral portion 1031 of the suspension arm 103 and away from the central portion 1032 of the suspension arm 103. The at least one extended portion may be bent to be used as a soldering pad of the ultra slim speaker 10 for leading in an audio source. In this way, a space for an independent soldering pad is saved. Accordingly, thickness of the ultra slim speaker 10 is reduced.
The voice coil 104 is inserted into and protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion 1032 of the suspension arm 103. An upper surface of the voice coil 104 is attached to the diaphragm 101, specifically, to the dome 1011. To avoid mechanical touch and obtain a relatively great power, the voice coil 104 may be formed to have an area as large as possible. As the voice coil 104 is inserted in the hole defined by the central portion 1032 of the suspension arm 103, the central portion 1032 of the suspension arm 1032 may be designed to have an area as large as possible. Certainly, size of the voice coil and size of the central portion should be determined in consideration of size of the whole speaker 10.
As the voice coil 104 penetrates through the hole defined by the central portion 1032 and the upper surface of the peripheral portion 1031 is attached to the surround 1012, the position of the voice coil 104 in the speaker 10 can be well retained, and axial reciprocating movement of a vibration system in the speaker which consists of the suspension arm 103 and the voice coil 104 may be well performed.
In some embodiments, the voice coil 104 does not include a bobbin, so that weight and height of the ultra slim speaker are reduced.
The plate 106 which has a diameter smaller than that of the voice coil 104 is disposed in a hole defined by the voice coil 104. An upper surface of the plate 106 faces to the dome 1011. The magnet 107 is attached to a lower surface of the plate 106. The U-shaped yoke 108 includes a central portion 1081 and two edge portions 1082 at two sides of the central portion 1081, where the two edge portions 1082 are higher than the central portion 1081, that is, the two edge portions 1082, compared to the central portion 1081, are closer to the diaphragm 101. The central portion 1081 of the U-shaped yoke 108 is attached to a lower surface of the magnet 107. The two edge portions 1082 of the U-shaped yoke 108 are located in two gaps between the frame 105 and the voice coil 104, respectively. In some embodiments, the plate 106, the magnet 107 and the U-shaped yoke 108 as a whole are inserted into a hole defined by the frame 105, and the edge portions 1082 of the U-shaped yoke 108 are close to the frame 105 along a horizontal direction.
The damping mesh 109 is disposed under the frame 105 and attached to a lower surface of the frame 105 and the two edge portions 1082 of the U-shaped yoke 108. The damping mesh 109 may restrict a vibration amplitude of the suspension arm 103 and the voice coil 104, so that the speaker 10 can be designed to have relatively small thickness. Furthermore, a relatively small vibration amplitude may lead to a low resonant frequency of the ultra slim speaker 10. It should be noted that, the upper surface and the lower surface of the frame in the embodiments correspond to the first surface and the second surface of the frame, respectively.
In some embodiments, length of the ultra slim speaker 10 may be less than 28mm, width of the ultra slim speaker 10 may be less than 16mm, and thickness of the ultra slim speaker 10 may be less than 4mm.
From above, in the ultra slim speaker, by employing the gasket, the suspension arm does not bump the surround, so that the surround is not prone to deform. The suspension arm further includes at least one extended portion which is bent to be used as a soldering pad of the ultra slim speaker for leading in an audio source. In this way, a space for an independent soldering pad is saved. Alternatively stated, because the extended portion may serve as a soldering pad, an independent soldering pad may not be needed. Accordingly, the thickness of the ultra slim speaker is reduced. The central portion of the suspension arm is designed to have a relatively large area to enable an area of the voice coil to be relatively large, so as to avoid mechanical touch and obtain a relatively great power. Due to the connection structure of the voice coil, the suspension arm and the surround, the position of the voice coil in the speaker can be well retained, and axial reciprocating movement of a vibration system in the speaker which consists of the suspension arm and the voice coil may be well performed. The damping mesh may restrict a vibration amplitude of the suspension arm and the voice coil, which makes the speaker have relatively small thickness and leads to a low resonant frequency of the speaker.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a static state and a moving state of the suspension arm 103 shown in FIGs. 1 and 2 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, when it is in the moving state, the connection portion 1033 and the central portion 1032 of the suspension arm 103 move along with the voice coil (not shown in FIG. 3) which is connected with the suspension arm 103. That is, the suspension arm 103 has a bending function.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a vertical view of a suspension arm used in a speaker according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the suspension arm 20 includes a runway-shaped peripheral portion 201, a runway-shaped central portion 202 and a connection portion which includes four smooth curve segments 203 connecting the peripheral portion 201 to the central portion 202. In embodiments of the present disclosure, a runway-shaped object means a profile of the object consists of two parallel straight lines, a first arc connecting a first end of the first straight line with a first end of the second straight line, and a second arc connecting a second end of the first straight line with a second end of the second straight line.
It should be noted that, the shape of the peripheral portion 201 or the central portion 202 is not limited. In some embodiments, the peripheral portion 201 or the central portion 202 may be annular, round or rectangular.
In some embodiments, the connection portion 202 may include at least one smooth curve segment 203.
If the segment 203 has a relatively complicated structure, the segment 203 may occupy a relatively large area, and thus the central portion 202 may have a relatively small size. Accordingly, a voice coil inserted in a hole defined by the central portion 202 may have a relatively small size. Referring to FIG. 4, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the at least one segment 203 is smoothly curve, which may result in some advantages. By employing the smooth curve segment, the connection portion between the peripheral portion 201 and the central portion 202 occupies a relatively small area, so that the central portion 202 may have a greater area. Accordingly, the voice coil inserted in the hole defined by the central portion can have a greater size. The voice coil with a greater size may reduce the possibility of mechanical touch, and provide better acoustic performance, such as high sensitivity and low resonant frequency.
Still referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, a conductive pattern 205 is formed at a juncture of the central portion 202 and the connection portion, so that a lead wire of the voice coil is attached to the conductive pattern 205.
In some embodiments, the suspension arm 20 may further include at least one extended portion 204 connected with the peripheral portion 201 of the suspension arm 20 and away from the central portion 202 of the suspension arm 20, and the at least one extended portion 204 may be bent to be used as a soldering pad of the speaker for leading in an audio source. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the at least one extended portion is bent to be used as two soldering pads 30 of the speaker. In existing techniques, thickness of an independent soldering pad of a speaker is generally no less than 1mm. In embodiments of the present disclosure, thickness of the whole suspension arm is not greater than 0.3mm. With the extended portions, no independent soldering pads need to be formed, which saves much spaces and reduces the thickness of the speaker.
In some embodiments, length the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201 may be less than 28mm, width of the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201 may be less than 16mm, and thickness of the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201 may be less than 0.3mm. In some embodiments, the length and the width of the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201 may denote to length and width of a minimum bounding rectangle of the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201, respectively. The value selection of the length and width of the runway-shaped peripheral portion 201 may well meet requirements on size of current and future micro speakers, and the value selection of the thickness may meet requirements of ultra slim speakers.
In some embodiments, length of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may be less than 15mm, width of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may be less than 8mm, and thickness of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may be less than 0.3mm. In some embodiments, the length and the width of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may denote to length and width of a minimum bounding rectangle of the runway-shaped central portion 202, respectively. The value selection of the length and width of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may enable a relatively big central portion, accordingly, a relatively big voice coil can be formed to be inserted into the whole defined by the central portion. Therefore, the value selection of the length and width of the runway-shaped central portion 202 may well meet requirements on size of voice coils in current and future speakers, so as to ensure a relatively great power, and the value selection of the thickness may meet requirements of ultra slim speakers.
In some embodiments, length of each segment 203 of the connection portion may be within a range from 5mm to 15mm, width of each segment 203 of the connection portion may be within a range from 0.5mm to 1.2mm, and thickness of the connection portion may be less than 0.3mm. In some embodiments, the length and the width of the segment 203 may denote to length and width of a minimum bounding rectangle of the segment 203, respectively. The value selection of the length and width of the segment 203 is to meet requirements in production processes of the connection portion, and the value selection of the thickness of the segment 203 is to meet requirements of ultra slim speakers. Besides, an ultra slim speaker with this selected connection portion may have a relatively long lifespan.
Referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments, to different parts of the suspension arm 20, materials may be different. Some parts of the suspension arm 20 have the first kind of structure, some parts of the suspension arm 20 have the second kind of structure, and some parts of the suspension arm 20 are insulated, i.e., only including an insulating material. In FIG. 4, the first kind of structure represents a tri-layer structure consisting of a film of a flexible insulating material, a copper foil and a film of tin, respectively, and the second kind of structure represents a tri-layer structure consisting of a first film of the flexible insulating material, a copper foil and a second film of the flexible insulating material, respectively. In some embodiments, the insulating material may be a flexible insulating material, such as polyimide resin. From FIG. 4, the conductive patterns 205 and the extended portions 204 have the first kind of structure, so that a lead wire of the voice coil can be attached to the film of tin, and an audio source can be led in through the film of tin. Most parts of the suspension arm 20 have the second kind of structure. By employing this tri-layer structure, the suspension arm 20 is not prone to be affected, fatigue resistance of the suspension arm 20 may be improved, and the lifespan of the suspension arm 20 may be extended.
The suspension arm 20 may be used in an ultra slim speaker, for example, the ultra slim speaker 10 shown in FIGs. 1 and 2. The suspension arm 20 may be connected with the voice coil which is inserted into and protrudes from the hole defined by the central portion of the suspension arm 20. An upper surface of the peripheral portion 201 of the suspension arm 20 may be attached to a surround in the speaker. With this connection structure, the central portion 202 and the connection portion 203 of the suspension arm 20 are capable of moving along with the voice coil, a position of the voice coil in the speaker may be well retained, and axial reciprocating movement of a vibration system in the speaker which consists of the suspension arm 20 and the voice coil may be well performed.
While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

A suspension arm used in a speaker, the suspension arm comprising:

a peripheral portion, a central portion and a connection portion connecting the peripheral portion to the central portion, wherein the connection portion comprises at least one smooth curve segment, and wherein a voice coil protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion of the suspension arm.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein a surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm is attached to a surround in the speaker.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein the suspension arm further comprises at least one extended portion connected with the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and away from the central portion of the suspension arm, and the at least one extended portion is bent to be used as a soldering pad of the speaker for leading in an audio source.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein a conductive pattern is formed at a juncture of the central portion and the connection portion, so that a lead wire of the voice coil is attached to the conductive pattern.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein the suspension arm is a tri-layer structure consisting of a flexible insulating material, a copper foil and the flexible insulating material successively.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein the central portion and the connection portion of the suspension arm are capable of moving with the voice coil.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein the peripheral portion or the central portion is annular, round, rectangular or runway-shaped.
The suspension arm according to claim 7, wherein length of the peripheral portion is less than 28mm, width of the peripheral portion is less than 16mm, and thickness of the peripheral portion is less than 0.3mm.
The suspension arm according to claim 7, wherein length of the central portion is less than 15mm, width of the central portion is less than 8mm, and thickness of the central portion is less than 0.3mm.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein length of the connection portion is within a range from 5mm to 15mm, width of the connection portion is within a range from 0.5mm to 1.2mm, and thickness of the connection portion is less than 0.3mm.
The suspension arm according to claim 1, wherein the voice coil does not comprise a bobbin.
An ultra slim speaker, comprising:

a suspension arm which comprises a peripheral portion, a central portion and a connection portion connecting the peripheral portion to the central portion, wherein the connection portion comprises at least one smooth curve segment； and

a voice coil which protrudes from a hole defined by the central portion of the suspension arm.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, further comprising a diaphragm, wherein a first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and a first surface of the voice coil are attached to the diaphragm.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 13, wherein the diaphragm comprises a dome and a surround encompassing the dome, the first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm is attached to the surround, and the first surface of the voice coil is attached to the dome.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 13, further comprising a gasket disposed between the diaphragm and the suspension arm.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 13, further comprising a frame and a damping mesh disposed under the suspension arm successively, wherein a first surface of the frame is attached with a second surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm which is opposite to the first surface of the peripheral portion of the suspension arm, and a second surface of the frame which is opposite to the first surface of the frame is attached with the damping mesh.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein the voice coil does not comprise a bobbin.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein the suspension arm further comprises at least one extended portion connected with the peripheral portion of the suspension arm and away from the central portion of the suspension arm, and the at least one extended portion is bent to be used as a soldering pad of the ultra slim speaker for leading in an audio source.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein a conductive pattern is formed at a juncture of the central portion and the connection portion, so that a lead wire of the voice coil is attached to the conductive pattern.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein the suspension arm is a tri-layer structure consisting of a first flexible insulating material, a copper foil, and a second flexible insulating material successively.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein the central portion and the connection portion of the suspension arm is capable of moving with the voice coil.
The ultra slim speaker according to claim 12, wherein length of the speaker is less than 28mm, width of the speaker is less than 16mm, and thickness of the speaker is less than 4mm.