Vibration isolator

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a vibration isolator comprising: a housing wherein the housing comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, an inner peripheral wall, and an outer peripheral wall, and the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall, and the outer peripheral wall define a cavity; the exhaust holes are formed in at least one of the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall, and the cavity is communicated with the outside through the exhaust holes. By means of the vibration isolator, vibration of the supported member can be effectively damped or attenuated, and a good vibration damping effect can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a vibration isolator, and more particularly to a vibration isolator for mounting vibrating components (such as speaker modules). Technical Background

[0002] Typically, when mounting one component to another, a threaded connection such as a bolt is used. And to achieve a stable connection, a gasket or bushing is usually sandwiched between the two components or between the bolt head and the mounting surface, and the gasket or bushing is made of a solid material such as metal or resin to perform functions such as preventing loosening, increasing the clamping surface, and damping.

[0003] However, in some applications, such as those where components including speakers are installed, the use of conventional gaskets or bushings would transmit vibrations directly to the supporting components, such as the device's housing, because the speakers are the sound source that generates vibrational excitation. This vibration, transmitted to the housing, would cause it to vibrate or even resonate, generating noise and affecting the speaker's sound quality. Conversely, vibrations from the supporting components would also be transmitted to the speaker, thus adversely affecting it.

[0004] Therefore, vibration isolators, such as gaskets or bushings, are needed to improve damping or reduce vibration. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This disclosure is made to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a new type of vibration isolator that can be customized to provide vibration isolation, damping or vibration reduction effects according to the application scenario, and has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture.

[0006] According to this disclosure, a vibration isolator is provided, comprising: a housing including, for example, a top wall, a bottom wall, an inner peripheral wall, and an outer peripheral wall defining a cavity; and a plurality of vent holes formed on at least one of the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall, and the outer peripheral wall and communicating the cavity with the outside.

[0007] In one embodiment, the inner peripheral wall surrounds a central hole for mounting bolts to pass through; however, this disclosure is not limited to this, and in other applications, the central hole may be omitted. The peripheral wall includes a groove, preferably an annular groove, to engage with a mounting portion of the supported member; however, this disclosure is not limited to this, and other structures, such as annular protrusions, may be used depending on the application.

[0008] The housing is made of an elastomeric material such as rubber, preferably silicone rubber, and the material can be selected according to application factors such as the excitation frequency and the weight of the supported component. According to an advantageous embodiment, the isolator housing is integrally molded, for example, by 3D printing, enamel manufacturing processes, etc. The thickness of the housing can range from 0.5 mm to several millimeters and can be selected according to application factors such as the excitation frequency and the weight of the supported component. Additionally, the diameter of the vent hole ranges from 0.2 mm to 2 mm, but this disclosure is not limited to this and can be selected according to application factors such as the vibration frequency and the weight of the supported component. In a preferred embodiment, the cross-sections of the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall are concentric rings.

[0009] Therefore, when the bushing according to this disclosure is applied to a device, for example, a first component in the device is supported on a second component by the bushing, and when the first component and / or the second component generates vibration, the vibration is attenuated by the isolator on the one hand by the deformation of the isolator housing, and on the other hand by the damping effect generated by the resistance of the fluid flowing out and in through the vent, thereby isolating or damping the vibration transmission between the two components. Attached Figure Description

[0010] To more clearly explain the technical solutions of the embodiments of this disclosure, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of this disclosure will be briefly described below. It should be noted that the drawings are only used to illustrate some embodiments of the invention, but do not limit all embodiments of this disclosure. Furthermore, for clarity, the drawings do not correspond precisely to actual dimensions, but rather show embodiments in an exaggerated and simplified manner, and the final scope of protection of this disclosure should not be based on the dimensions shown in the drawings, wherein:

[0011] Figure 1 This is a perspective view showing the bushing according to the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 2 This is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the bushing according to the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 3 These are diagrams illustrating examples of applications of bushings according to this disclosure; and

[0014] Figure 4 It is by Figure 3 A magnified view of the portion indicated by A in the diagram. Detailed Implementation

[0015] The technical solution of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It should be noted that in the following description and claims, references to specific numerical values ​​are not intended to be precise values, but rather to include reasonable deviations.

[0016] In the following description and claims, directional terms such as "longitudinal direction or axial direction" are used, which generally refer to the length direction of the indicated feature; "radial direction" refers to the direction perpendicular to the "longitudinal direction or axial direction," and "circumferential direction" refers to the direction around the "longitudinal direction or axial direction." Additionally, "inside" is generally used to refer to a direction pointing inwards from the feature, while "outside" is generally used to refer to a direction pointing outwards from the feature.

[0017] The embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described in detail below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 These are perspective views and cross-sectional views of the vibration isolator according to this disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, the vibration isolator 100 typically has an annular cylindrical structure and includes a housing 110. This housing includes a top wall 112, a bottom wall 114, an inner peripheral wall 116, and an outer peripheral wall 118. The top wall 112 and bottom wall 114 form the top and bottom surfaces of the cylindrical structure to abut against the two mounting surfaces of two components to be installed between them. The inner peripheral wall 116 is cylindrical to form a central hole. Additionally, as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the peripheral wall 118 may form an annular groove 119, which will engage with the mounting portion of the installed component, as described below. Of course, the annular groove 119 is not necessary and can be omitted depending on the application. Additionally, although in Figure 1 and Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the housing 110 has an annular shape, but this disclosure is not limited to this, and may also have other shapes, such as polygons, ellipses, etc.

[0018] like Figure 2 As shown, the housing 110 is surrounded by a top wall, a bottom wall, an inner peripheral wall, and an outer peripheral wall, and is filled with a fluid such as air, thus making the housing 110 a thin-walled structure. This disclosure is not limited to this; in cases where the vibration isolator is used in underwater applications, the housing 110 can be filled with water. The housing 110 can be made of an elastic material such as rubber, especially silicone rubber, and has a thickness from 0.5 mm to several millimeters, depending on the application scenario of the vibration isolator. That is, if the weight of the supported component is relatively large, or if damping of low-frequency vibrations is required, the thickness will increase accordingly. Furthermore, the material of the housing 110 is not limited to the materials specifically mentioned above and can be selected according to the specific application scenario.

[0019] like Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, a plurality of vent holes 122 are formed on the peripheral wall 108 in a circumferential direction, and the vent holes 122 may be formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and they may be arranged in other arrangements. The vent holes 122 communicate the cavity 111 of the housing 110 with the outside. The diameter of the vent holes 122 may be in the range of about 0.2 mm to 2 mm, and the diameter may be determined according to the weight to be supported or the frequency of the vibration to be damped.

[0020] To increase the adhesion between the top and bottom surfaces of the housing and the supported members, the surfaces may be roughened, or irregular features such as ribs and protrusions may be formed. Additionally, to provide rigidity of the housing 110 in the longitudinal or axial direction, one or more reinforcing ribs (not shown) may be provided on the inner or outer circumferential surfaces, but this is not mandatory.

[0021] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Specific application scenarios of the vibration isolator according to this disclosure are shown. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the first component 10 is, for example, a passive speaker module including a loudspeaker, and the second component 20 is a device 20 in which the speaker module is mounted, such as a projector, a speaker box, etc. This disclosure is not limited to any particular device.

[0022] Figure 4 It is by Figure 3 An enlarged view of the portion marked 'a' in the diagram. (e.g.) Figure 4 As shown, the housing of the first component 10 is provided with, for example, a plurality of mounting portions 12 ( Figure 3 Two of them are shown as examples), and the mounting portion 12 is provided with notches (not labeled), into which the annular groove 119 of the outer peripheral surface of the vibration isolator 100 according to this disclosure is embedded, and the bolt 20 passes through the central hole of the vibration isolator and is tightened to the support portion (not labeled) of the second component 20. Therefore, when the first component 10 or the second component 20 vibrates, the housing 110 of the vibration isolator 100 deforms, thereby changing the volume of the cavity 111, and the fluid in the cavity 111 is pushed out or drawn into the cavity 111, so that the vibration is attenuated by the vibration isolator 100 on the one hand by the deformation of the housing 110 and on the other hand by the resistance brought by the fluid flowing through the vent 122, thereby reducing the vibration transmission between the two components.

[0023] According to this disclosure, a vibration isolator is provided, comprising: a housing including a top wall, a bottom wall, an inner peripheral wall, and an outer peripheral wall defining a cavity; and a plurality of vent holes formed on at least one of the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall, and the outer peripheral wall, communicating the cavity with the outside. In one embodiment, the inner peripheral wall surrounds a central hole for a mounting bolt to pass through, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and in other applications, the central hole may be omitted. The peripheral wall includes a groove, preferably an annular groove, for engaging in a mounting portion of the supported member, but this disclosure is not limited thereto, and other structures, such as annular protrusions, may be used depending on the application. The housing is made of an elastomeric material such as rubber, preferably silicone rubber, and the material of the housing may be selected according to application scenarios such as excitation frequency and the weight of the supported member. According to an advantageous embodiment, the housing of the vibration isolator is integrally molded, for example, by 3D printing, enamel manufacturing processes, etc. The thickness of the housing can range from 0.5 mm to several millimeters, and can be selected according to application scenarios such as excitation frequency and the weight of the supported component. Additionally, the diameter of the vent hole ranges from 0.2 mm to 2 mm, but this disclosure is not limited to this and can be selected according to application scenarios such as excitation frequency and the weight of the supported component. In a preferred embodiment, the cross-sections of the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall are concentric rings.

[0024] Therefore, especially in applications where acoustic modules are installed, the vibration isolator disclosed in this invention can achieve good vibration reduction or isolation effects.

[0025] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that it is not limited thereto. Therefore, it should be understood that the invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments described herein, but should include any modifications or improvements that those skilled in the art may conceive of based on the teachings of the invention.

Claims

1. An isolator comprising: a housing defining a cavity; a plurality of vent holes formed on the housing and communicating the cavity with the outside of the housing.

2. The isolator according to claim 1, wherein: the housing comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, an inner peripheral wall and an outer peripheral wall, wherein the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall define the cavity; the plurality of vent holes are formed on at least one of the top wall, the bottom wall, the inner peripheral wall and the outer peripheral wall.

3. The isolator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the inner peripheral wall encloses a central hole.

4. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the peripheral wall comprises a groove, preferably an annular groove.

5. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the housing is made of an elastic material such as rubber, in particular silicone rubber.

6. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the housing of the isolator is integrally formed, such as by a 3D printing or a porcelain production process.

7. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the thickness of the housing is in the range of 0.5 mm to a few millimeters.

8. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the diameter of the vent holes is in the range of 0.2 mm to 2 mm.

9. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein at least one of the material of the housing, the thickness of the housing and the diameter of the vent holes is a function of the excitation frequency to be isolated by the isolator.

10. The isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the cross section of the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall is a concentric ring.

11. A device comprising a first module and a second module, wherein the first module is mounted to the second module via at least one isolator according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the first module comprises at least one mounting portion having a recess, the isolator being engaged into the recess through the groove of the outer peripheral wall.

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