ELECTRICAL DEVICE WITH SPEAKER

Description

[0001] The invention relates to the field of electrical equipment incorporating a loudspeaker. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A set-top box or STB (from the English "Set Top Box") is an electrical device designed to be connected to a television and used for various functions and different services such as digital television.

[0003] A decoder box generally comprises a chassis surmounted by a cover, the chassis and the cover delimiting an enclosure in which a motherboard extending substantially horizontally is placed.

[0004] We know of set-top boxes equipped with a microphone and speaker connected to the motherboard to provide voice assistant functionality. The speaker is usually positioned under the motherboard, so the height of a set-top box with a voice assistant is greater than that of a set-top box without one.

[0005] The speaker is positioned opposite an opening in the chassis or the side of the cover, so that the speaker is oriented downwards or to the side, respectively. When the speaker is oriented downwards, it is necessary to increase the height of the feet on which the set-top box rests and / or create a recess in the underside of the chassis to ensure sufficient propagation of the sound waves generated by the speaker. Therefore, this downward orientation also significantly affects the overall height and size of the set-top box.

[0006] US documents 2017 / 0076658 A1 and CN 109951751 A present known examples of set-top boxes equipped with a speaker. SUBJECT OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The invention aims to provide an arrangement of a loudspeaker in electrical equipment that allows the dimensions of the electrical equipment, and in particular its height, to be limited. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] To achieve this goal, we propose a case defining an enclosure in which a motherboard and a speaker connected to the motherboard are placed.

[0009] According to the invention, a speaker diaphragm opens into at least one opening provided in a top panel of the case, and the motherboard extends in a first transverse plane of the speaker, this first plane being substantially parallel to the top panel.

[0010] The speaker is therefore not arranged below or above the motherboard, but at the same level as the motherboard, which helps to limit the height of the case.

[0011] Moreover, by opening onto the top panel, the speaker is said to be upward-facing. Such speaker integration into the enclosure does not require moving the chassis away from the support on which it rests or recessing a lower face of the chassis to a sufficient depth to allow the propagation of sound waves generated by the speaker, which also helps to limit the height of the enclosure and the overall size of the electrical equipment.

[0012] According to one feature of the invention, the upper panel is rectangular in shape, with the opening provided in a corner of the upper panel.

[0013] According to another feature of the invention, the loudspeaker comprises a square-shaped base extending in a second plane substantially parallel to the upper panel, none of the edges of the base extending parallel to an edge of the upper panel seen from the second plane.

[0014] According to an optional feature of the invention, the housing comprises a chassis having ribs comprising a first series of ribs and a second series of ribs which extend vertically from a bottom of the chassis and which are respectively arranged in the central part of the bottom of the chassis and on the periphery of the central part, the first series of ribs being arranged according to a honeycomb structure comprising hexagonal-shaped cells.

[0015] The invention also relates to a decoder box comprising such electrical equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The invention will be better understood in light of the following description, which is purely illustrative and not limiting, and should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, among which: [ Fig. 1 ] there figure 1 is a perspective view, from above and from the front, of electrical equipment according to a particular embodiment of the invention, in a nominal operating position; [ Fig. 2 ] there figure 2 is an exploded view of the electrical equipment illustrated in the figure 1 ; Fig. 3 ] there figure 3 is a bottom view of the electrical equipment shown in the figure 1 , lacking the chassis; [ Fig. 4 ] there figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the electrical equipment shown in the figure 1 , in a plane including a central axis of the loudspeaker; [ Fig. 5 ] there figure 5 is a perspective view, from above and from the side, of the chassis of the electrical equipment illustrated in the figure 1 ; And [ Fig. 6 ] there figure 6 is a perspective view, from above and from the side, of the chassis and speaker of the electrical equipment illustrated in the figure 1 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] With reference to figures 1 And 2 , a decoder box generally designated in 1, according to a particular embodiment of the invention, comprises a box 10 defining an enclosure E in which are arranged an electrical module 20, a loudspeaker 30, a main electronic board or motherboard 40, a first antenna 50 and a second antenna 60. The box 10 is here made of a plastic material and has a height H substantially equal to 24 millimeters.

[0018] The housing 10 is generally parallelepiped in shape and comprises a chassis 11 surmounted by a cover 12.

[0019] The chassis 11 includes a lower panel 11a, generally rectangular in shape, comprising a top face and a bottom face forming a bottom face 10a of the housing 10.

[0020] The hood 12 includes an upper panel 12b and a skirt having an upper edge connected to the perimeter of the upper panel 12b.

[0021] The upper panel 12b, which is generally rectangular in shape, includes an upper face forming an upper face 10b of the housing 10, and a lower face forming a bottom of the cover 12.

[0022] The skirt has rounded corners and includes: a front panel 12c connected to a front edge of the top panel 12b to form a front face 10c of the housing 10; a rear panel 12d opposite the front panel 12c and connected to a rear edge of the top panel 12b to form a rear face 10d of the housing 10; a right side panel 12e connected to a side edge of the top panel 12b, to a side edge of the front panel 12c and to a side edge of the rear panel 12d to form a side face 10e of the housing 10; and a left side panel 12f, opposite the right side panel 12e, connected to a side edge of the top panel 12b, to a side edge of the front panel 10a and to a side edge of the rear panel 12d to form a left side face 10f of the housing 10.

[0023] The set-top box 1, when in its nominal operating position, is installed so that the chassis 11 of the box 10 rests, via four feet 13, on a substantially horizontal support (for example, the piece of furniture on which the television to which the set-top box 1 is connected is also placed), and that the front panel 10c of the box 10 faces the user. The feet 13 are received in mounting points 11.6 provided at the four corners of the chassis 11 and are fitted with pads 14 forming decoupling spikes to limit the transmission of vibrations generated by the speaker 30 to the support on which the set-top box 1 rests.

[0024] Here, all position terms such as "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", "horizontal" and "vertical" are interpreted assuming that the decoder box 1 is in its nominal operating position and is viewed from the front (as if viewed by the user).

[0025] With reference to the figure 2 The front panel 12c of the hood 12 includes, on the right side, a notch 12.1 (or cutout) arranged to receive the electrical module 20. The notch 12.1, which is generally trapezoidal in shape, extends from a lower edge of said front panel 12c and includes lateral edges and a top edge extending in the vicinity of the front edge of the upper panel 12b, substantially parallel to it.

[0026] The electrical module 20 includes a support 21 and an electronic board 22 attached to the support 21.

[0027] The support 21 has a general shape complementary to that of the notch 12.1 and is received in the notch 12.1 so that said support 21 is in contact with the upper edge and the lateral edges of said notch 12.1. The support 21 comprises a front face 21c extending in line with the front face 10c of the housing 10, and a rear face, opposite the front face 21c, from which extend screw lugs for the electronic board 22.

[0028] The electronic board 22 comprises a printed circuit board extending substantially parallel to the support and on which a camera, an infrared receiver, and a microphone are mounted. The camera is positioned opposite a circular hole formed in the support 21, the hole being covered by a protective glass 23 substantially flush with the front face 10c of the housing 10.

[0029] Note that support 21 is made of a material that is transparent or translucent to infrared light. For example, it is a polycarbonate or MABS (methyl acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) type plastic.

[0030] As illustrated in figures 2 And 3The loudspeaker 30 is integrated into the housing 10 and comprises, in a manner known per se, a basket 31 inside which a voice coil is movably mounted via a magnet. The voice coil is coaxially connected to a diaphragm 32, the movement of which induces variations in acoustic pressure that generate sound. The basket 31 has a central axis extending substantially vertically and includes a square base 33 extending horizontally opposite the bottom of the cover 12 in a plane P 33. The central axis of the basket 31 is also that of the loudspeaker 30. The base 33 is provided at each corner with a hole opposite a screw post extending vertically from the bottom of the cover 12, so that the loudspeaker 30 is said to be upward-facing and is fixed to the underside of the upper panel 12b of the cover 12 via the base 33.

[0031] The loudspeaker 30 is located in a corner of the hood 12, delimited by the front panel 12c and the left side panel 12f. It should be noted that neither of the right sides of the base 33 of the loudspeaker 30 extends parallel to the front panel 12c or the left side panel 12f: the side of the base 33 extending near the front panel 12c and the left side panel 12f forms, viewed from the horizontal plane P 33, a non-zero angle α different from 90 degrees with the front panel 12c. The angle α is approximately 25 degrees. It is understood that all the straight edges of the base 33 form, with the edges of the upper panel 12b, an angle other than 0 degrees and 90 degrees, so that none of said straight edges of the base 33 extends parallel to an edge of said upper panel 12b as seen from plane P 33. Such an angular orientation of the loudspeaker 30 around its central axis makes it possible, in particular, to limit the width and length dimensions of the housing 10.

[0032] To allow the movement of the diaphragm 32 of the loudspeaker 30, a circular opening 12.2 is provided in the cover 12, coaxial with the diaphragm 32. The loudspeaker 30 is said to open into the opening 12.2. It should be noted that the opening 12.2 has a diameter greater than that of the diaphragm 32 and less than the large diameter of the basket 31.

[0033] As illustrated in figures 2 à 4 The motherboard 40 is integrated into the case 10 and includes a printed circuit board 41 on which components such as a processor, memory, and connectors are mounted. The printed circuit board 41 extends substantially horizontally in a plane P 41 between the chassis 11 and the upper panel 12b of the cover 12, and is screwed (not clipped) to the upper panel 12b of the cover 12 via mounting studs extending vertically from the bottom of the cover 12 so as to limit relative movement between the motherboard 40 and the cover 12. The printed circuit board 41 is generally rectangular in shape, with one corner notched to partially accommodate the speaker 30. The printed circuit board 41 includes: a rear edge 42 extending close to and parallel to the rear panel 12d of the hood 12; a front edge 43, opposite the rear edge 42, extending close to and parallel to the support 21 of the electrical module 20; a right side edge 44 extending close to and parallel to the right side panel 12e of the hood 12, the right side edge 44 connecting the rear edge and the front edge; a left side edge 45, opposite the right side edge 44, extending close to and parallel to the left side panel 12f of the hood 12, the left side edge 45 being connected to the rear edge; and a notch edge 46 connecting the front edge 43 and the left side edge 45 to be horizontally opposite the bowl 31 of the loudspeaker 30.

[0034] The notch edge 46 comprises a central portion 46.1, a first lateral portion 46.2 and a second lateral portion 46.3. The first lateral portion 46.2 extends substantially perpendicularly to the front edge 43 and connects said front edge 43 to the central portion 46.1. The second lateral portion 46.3 extends substantially perpendicularly to the left lateral edge 45 and connects said left lateral edge 45 to the central portion 46.1. The first lateral portion 46.2 and the second lateral portion 46.3 have a substantially identical length, the lateral portion extending overall at 45 degrees.

[0035] It is understood that the speaker 30 is not placed above or below the motherboard 40 but next to said motherboard 40.

[0036] As illustrated in figures 2 And 3 , the first antenna 50 and the second antenna 60 are integrated into the housing 10.

[0037] The first antenna 50 extends parallel to the front panel 12c of the hood 12 and is pressed against it, opposite the speaker 30. The first antenna 50 is connected to the printed circuit board 41 of the motherboard 40 via a first connecting cable 51.

[0038] The second antenna 60 extends parallel to the right side panel 12e of the hood 12 and is pressed against it, near the middle of the left side edge of the printed circuit board 41 of the motherboard 40. The second antenna 60 is connected to the printed circuit board 41 of the motherboard 40 via a second connecting cable 61.

[0039] The speaker 30 and the electronic board 22 of the electrical module 20 are connected to the printed circuit board 41 of the motherboard 40 via respectively a connecting ribbon cable 24 and connecting cables (not shown).

[0040] To optimize the overall dimensions of the enclosure 10, the enclosure (E) delimited by the chassis 11 and the cover 12 is not acoustically isolated, so that the enclosure 10 does not form a closed enclosure for the loudspeaker 30. Therefore, the chassis 11 includes ribs comprising a first series of ribs 11.1 and a second series of ribs 11.2 arranged to limit acoustic resonance inside the enclosure 10 while improving the rigidity of said chassis 11. The first series of ribs 11.1 and the second series of ribs 11.2 extend vertically projecting from the upper face of the chassis 11 and have a height h of approximately 6.4 millimeters.

[0041] The first set of ribs 11.1 defines a honeycomb structure extending across the central part of the frame 11. The honeycomb structure is generally square in shape and includes hexagonal cells 11a designed to break up standing waves. The cells 11a are arranged on either side of reinforcing ribs 11.3, each extending approximately along a diagonal of the honeycomb structure. The reinforcing ribs 11.3 each extend from a central cylindrical rib 11.4 located in the center of the frame 11, towards one of the mounting points 11.6 for receiving the feet 13.

[0042] The second series of ribs 11.2 defines rectangular cavities 11b extending around the honeycomb structure, generally at the periphery of the frame.

[0043] It should be noted that the first series of ribs 11.1 and the second series of ribs 11.2 delimit a reception area 11.5 of a rear part of the speaker bowl 31 of the loudspeaker 30 ( figures 5 And 6 ), so that none of the ribs extend below said base of the bowl 31 in order to optimize the height H of the housing 10.

[0044] The upper panel 12b, cover 12, is fitted with an insert 70 designed to protect the loudspeaker 30 from external elements outside the housing 10, and to a lesser extent from dust. The insert 70 comprises a plate 71 with a plurality of openings evenly distributed over its surface to form a protective grid permeable to sound waves. The plate 71 has an underside covered with acoustic fabric (not shown) extending over its entire surface to protect the loudspeaker 30 from dust.

[0045] Insert 70 is attached to the upper panel 12b (cover 12) using double-sided adhesive. A recess approximately 1 millimeter deep is provided on the upper face 10b of the housing 10 to accommodate insert 70.

[0046] The insert 70 also makes it possible to mask cosmetic defects of the upper panel 12b related to the plastic injection process of the hood 12, and in particular sink marks generated during the demolding of technical functions such as fixing studs.

[0047] Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiment described but encompasses any variant falling within the scope of the invention as defined by the claims.

[0048] The speaker 30 can be arranged in a location other than a corner of the cover 12 (as long as it remains oriented upwards). For example, the speaker 30 can be arranged in the middle of the upper panel 12b of the cover 12.

[0049] The shape of the housing 10 may be different from that described and may be, for example, cylindrical.

[0050] The first series of ribs 11.1 and the second series of ribs 11.2 may form patterns different from those described and / or exhibit a different density.

[0051] The tilt angle α of the speaker 30 can be zero and different from 25 degrees.

[0052] The circular opening 12.2 into which the speaker 30 opens can be replaced by a multitude of orifices.

[0053] Only the portion of insert 70 located above loudspeaker 30 needs to be permeable to sound waves. The even distribution of the holes in plate 71 and the almost complete coverage of the underside of plate 71 by acoustic fabric essentially improve the visual uniformity of the decoder box 1.

Claims

1. Electrical equipment (1) comprising a casing (10) defining a chamber (E), wherein a motherboard (40) and a speaker (30) connected to the motherboard are disposed, the speaker comprising a square shaped base (33) and a membrane (32) opening into at least one opening (12.2) provided in an upper panel (12b) of the casing, the motherboard extending into a first transverse plane (P41) of the speaker, this first plane being substantially parallel to the upper panel, wherein the base (33) of the speaker extends into a second plane (P33) substantially parallel to the upper panel, none of the edges of the base extending parallel to an edge of the upper panel seen from the second plane, and the upper panel (12b) is rectangular-shaped, the opening (12.2) being provided in a corner of the upper panel.

2. Electrical equipment (1) according to claim 1, wherein the motherboard (40) comprises a printed circuit (41) provided with an indentation (46) arranged to receive the speaker (30), at least partially.

3. Electrical equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker (30) is fixed to the upper panel (12b).

4. Electrical equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the casing comprises a chassis (11) comprising ridges comprising a first series of ridges (11.1) and a second series of ridges (11.2) which extend vertically from a bottom of the chassis and which are respectively disposed in the central part of the bottom of the chassis and at the periphery of the central part, the first series of ridges being arranged according to a honeycomb structure comprising hexagonal-shaped pits (11a).

5. Electrical equipment (1) according to claim 4, wherein the honeycomb structure is mainly square-shaped and the pits (11a) are disposed either side of reinforcing ridges (11.3) each extending substantially along a diagonal of the honeycomb structure.

6. Electrical equipment (1) according to claim 5, wherein the ridges comprise a cylindrical-shaped central ridge (11.4) located at the centre of the chassis (11), the chassis comprising four fixing studs (11.6) intended to each receive a foot (13) of the electrical equipment, and the reinforcing ridges (11.3) each extending from the central ridge in the direction of one of the fixing studs.

7. Electrical equipment (1) according to one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the ridges delimit a zone (11.5) for receiving a rear part of the speaker (30).

8. Electrical equipment (1) according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein the casing (10) comprises a cap (12) surmounting the chassis (11), the cap comprising the upper panel (12b) and a skirt (12c, 12d, 12e, 12f) connecting the upper panel to said chassis.

9. Electrical equipment (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, the electrical equipment being a set-top box.