Loudspeaker unit, method for producing the loudspeaker unit, trim element and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a loudspeaker unit for arrangement in a motor vehicle. The loudspeaker unit (1) comprises a loudspeaker (10) and a support element (20) with a grid structure (30) formed integrally by the support element. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for producing the loudspeaker unit, a covering element with the loudspeaker unit and a motor vehicle which has at least one loudspeaker unit or a covering element.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a loudspeaker unit for arrangement in a motor vehicle, a method for producing the loudspeaker unit, a covering element with the loudspeaker unit and a motor vehicle which has at least one loudspeaker unit or a covering element.

[0002] In motor vehicles, there is a need for optimal acoustics for music, telephone calls or other acoustic information, on the one hand to improve the listening experience, but also to be able to perceive information more clearly.

[0003] For this purpose, speakers are integrated into vehicles. To create a heightened ambience in the interior of a vehicle, it is often desirable to position the speakers in such a way that they are not visually and / or tactilely perceptible. This requires appropriate positioning of the speakers and / or their concealment.

[0004] Furthermore, various motor vehicles are known to have an invisible midrange speaker, for example, in the armrest of the vehicle interior. In this case, a textile outer layer is laminated onto a plastic carrier with an integrated speaker grille structure. The sound propagates through the lamination through the speaker grille structure integrated into the plastic carrier and the textile outer layer. The disadvantage, however, is that the speaker grille structure is perceptible to the touch.

[0005] From US11511680B2 it is known that an interior component of a vehicle comprises a support having a front side facing the passenger compartment of the vehicle and an opposite rear side; and a loudspeaker having an at least partially transparent membrane and a transducer coupled to the membrane. The movement of the transducer causes vibration of the membrane to generate sound by vibration of the membrane, wherein the membrane has a front side facing the passenger compartment and an opposite rear side. The support provides support along at least a portion of the circumference of the membrane where the membrane is attached to the support, wherein the front and rear surfaces of the membrane are free from the support over a portion of the membrane surface, such that the membrane is suspended in the support of the interior part.

[0006] JP2019217810A provides a teaching for improving the appearance of a fitting part of a speaker grille on a door trim panel. A door trim panel is provided, which includes a trim body with a mounting hole extending in the thickness direction of a vehicle door. Furthermore, a locking part is provided on an outer side of a vehicle in the thickness direction with respect to the trim body and at a location around the mounting hole. A speaker grille includes grille bodies configured to be inserted into the mounting hole.

[0007] It is also known that tweeter grilles comprise speaker grilles and speaker grille supports as separate assembly units and, if appropriate, an acoustic fleece, and that in such units a panel, such as an interior door panel, is welded into an insert support.

[0008] This often results in a step or offset between the speaker grille and insert carrier assembly when mounted on the insert carrier. Concealing the speaker is therefore either impossible or only possible with disproportionate effort.

[0009] In addition, depending on the equipment of the vehicle to be equipped with loudspeakers, different insert carriers must be provided, namely with and without cutouts for the arrangement of the loudspeaker, with a corresponding logistical effort.

[0010] The present invention is based on the object of providing a loudspeaker unit, a method for producing the loudspeaker unit, a covering element with the loudspeaker unit and a motor vehicle which enable a concealment of an arranged loudspeaker in a simple and cost-effective manner.

[0011] The object is achieved according to the invention by the loudspeaker unit according to claim 1, by the method for producing the loudspeaker unit according to claim 8, by the cladding element according to claim 9 and by the motor vehicle according to claim 10.

[0012] Advantageous embodiments of the loudspeaker unit are specified in subclaims 2-7.

[0013] A first aspect of the present invention is a loudspeaker unit for arrangement in a motor vehicle, which comprises a loudspeaker and a support element with a grille structure formed integrally with the support element. The support element and the grille structure are thus formed by a single component, so that a functional integration of the loudspeaker grille geometry into the support element, which can also be referred to as an insert support, is realized. The support element with the grille structure can be an injection-molded part. Regardless of the type of production of the support element with the grille structure, it makes it possible to provide it with a covering. For example, an outer fabric covers the loudspeaker unit in such a way that the loudspeaker unit is not visually visible from the inside of the motor vehicle and the position of the loudspeaker unit is also not recognizable to the human eye.

[0014] The thickness of the support element can be, for example, 2-4 mm, even in the area of ​​the grid structure. The material of the support element can be, for example, polypropylene.

[0015] The speaker can be a tweeter. This means that the tweeter is configured to output frequencies from 1.5 kHz to 20 kHz.

[0016] A haptically compressible soft component can be arranged between the carrier element and the outer fabric. The arrangement of the haptically compressible soft component creates a layered structure in the following order, starting from the non-visible side: loudspeaker, carrier element, haptically compressible soft component, outer fabric. However, it should not be ruled out that at least one layer of another material may be present in this layered structure.

[0017] The haptically compressible soft component shapes the speaker unit in such a way that it cannot be felt from the inside of the vehicle. In an advantageous embodiment, the soft component is highly permeable to air and has a surface weight of 170-200 g / m². 2 .

[0018] The haptically compressible soft component can, for example, be a directional knitted fabric. Advantageously, the haptically compressible soft component is a directional spacer knitted fabric.

[0019] In this embodiment, the soft component can be used with a small number of rows, wales and pile threads in order to achieve high air and thus also high sound permeability.

[0020] The number of rows of stitches can be, for example, 20-25 per cm.

[0021] The number of wales can be, for example, 7-9 per cm.

[0022] The number of pile threads can be, for example, 300 - 450 per cm 2 be.

[0023] The material thickness of the soft component can range from 1-4 mm, for example. Alternatively, the haptically compressible soft component can also be a reticulated foam with a material thickness of 1-2 mm.

[0024] The directional spacer fabric can have an aligned, ordered thread structure to ensure the best possible sound transmission.

[0025] The application of the haptically compressible soft component provides a soft, sound-transmitting surface system for the use of invisible tweeters, for example in the interior door panel of a motor vehicle.

[0026] When using the haptically compressible soft component, it is also possible to use a different type of loudspeaker than a tweeter, such as a woofer or midrange loudspeaker.

[0027] The material of the outer layer can have a permeability that achieves a sound pressure loss of ≤ 2 dB at 20 kHz. This means that in an advantageous embodiment of the loudspeaker unit, a highly air-permeable outer layer is used.

[0028] The material of the outer fabric can be, for example, a textile, a microfiber, or synthetic leather, or a combination thereof. Perforation of the outer fabric is also optionally possible, whereby the perforation pattern of the outer fabric can be coordinated with the grid structure used. For example, the geometries and / or positions of the perforation pattern can at least partially match the grid structure. This can minimize the transmission loss of sound waves. The outer fabric can be a component of the outer fabric of a trim part.

[0029] An adhesive layer can be arranged between the individual components forming the carrier element, the outer fabric, and / or the haptically compressible soft component. Such an adhesive layer does not have to cover the entire surface, but can also be intermittent or partially applied to ensure increased sound permeability.

[0030] The haptically compressible soft component can be a foam, for example. The foam design of the haptically compressible soft component combines the advantage of low cost with the desired softness and feasibility in the desired material thickness. The soft component can be a component of a soft component of a trim part.

[0031] The lattice structure can have an opening ratio of at least 70%. For example, the opening ratio can be 80% or more. This can also meet increased acoustic requirements. The opening ratio defines the ratio of the area of ​​openings in the lattice structure to the area covered by the lattice structure.

[0032] The grid structure can be hexagonal. This means that individual openings in the grid formed by the grid struts each have a hexagonal shape. This hexagonal shape has a positive, reducing effect on transmission loss. In addition to the hexagonal shape mentioned above, the openings in the grid structure can also have other shapes, such as a round hole, an elongated hole, or even a rhombus.

[0033] Furthermore, the loudspeaker unit can have a mounting element, which is arranged between the loudspeaker and the support element for the indirect attachment of the loudspeaker to the support element. The mounting element can also be referred to as a funnel element and, in addition to securing the loudspeaker, also serves to propagate and / or guide sound. The mounting element can be welded to the support element. An alternative embodiment provides for the loudspeaker grille geometry and the additional part to be manufactured as a single component using 3D printing.

[0034] The receiving element can form a cavity on its inside with a funnel shape or a truncated pyramid shape, for example with an opening angle between 40° and 50°, such as 45°.

[0035] The opening angle is measured between an inner funnel wall and a perpendicular to the plane of the grid structure. Opposite funnel walls can accordingly enclose an angle of 80° to 100°, such as 90°.

[0036] There may be a distance of at least 1.5 mm between the loudspeaker and a surface of the grid structure of the support element facing the loudspeaker.

[0037] By combining the boundary conditions of the high degree of opening, the concealment of the grille structure and / or the opening angle of the pickup element, an increase in the sound pressure level is deliberately caused in some frequency ranges, which creates a positive acoustic influence in the loudspeaker unit and ensures that high acoustic requirements are met.

[0038] The described loudspeaker unit makes it possible to consistently provide support elements of the same design with a grid structure, even if a vehicle is not intended to have any speakers on the support element. Due to the concealment of the support element and its grid structure, the loudspeaker unit is not visually discernible, meaning that vehicle occupants cannot tell whether a speaker is present or not. This makes it possible to consistently provide identical support elements with the grid structure for different vehicle configurations at low production costs.

[0039] A further aspect of the present invention is a method for producing a described loudspeaker unit, in which a loudspeaker and a support element with a grid structure formed integrally with the support element are provided, and the support element is mechanically firmly connected to the loudspeaker. The mechanical connection of the loudspeaker to the support element can be made directly or indirectly via a receiving element, which can be configured as described in the shape of a funnel or truncated pyramid.

[0040] In the method for producing a loudspeaker unit, a first adhesive bond can be created between the grid structure and a material layer lying parallel to the plane of the grid structure, wherein adhesive of the first adhesive bond is applied to the grid structure, and then the material layer is applied to the grid structure. If the haptically compressible soft component is arranged as the material layer, the first adhesive bond is created between the grid structure and the compressible soft component. In an embodiment in which no haptically compressible soft component is used, the first adhesive bond is created between the grid structure and the outer material.Alternatively, the method for producing a loudspeaker unit can be carried out in such a way that the outer material is laminated to a haptically compressible soft component by producing a second adhesive bond between the outer material and the haptically compressible soft component, wherein an adhesive is applied to the outer material and then the outer material is applied to the haptically compressible soft component.

[0041] Overall, the loudspeaker unit presented here provides the possibility of arranging a loudspeaker on a panel element, such as an interior door panel, in a way that is not visually recognizable.

[0042] The invention also provides a trim element for a motor vehicle, which comprises at least one described loudspeaker unit.

[0043] The carrier element can be part of an insert of the cladding element, or the carrier element itself is the insert of the cladding element.

[0044] An insert is understood here as a predominantly rigid insert or an at least partially load-bearing base element.

[0045] With the described panel element, loudspeakers, such as tweeters, can be invisibly integrated into the interior door panel of a motor vehicle.

[0046] The invention also provides a motor vehicle which comprises at least one described loudspeaker unit and / or at least one described cladding element.

[0047] The motor vehicle may, for example, be a passenger car, such as a passenger car that is at least partially driven by an electric motor and / or at least partially operated autonomously.

[0048] The invention is explained below with reference to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0049] It shows Fig. 1: an insert in side view with an indicated cutting line, Fig. 2: the loudspeaker unit in the insert in a sectional view along the Fig. 1 indicated cutting path.

[0050] Fig. Figure 1 shows an insert that can be inserted, for example, into the interior door panel of a motor vehicle, thereby forming a component of the interior panel of a motor vehicle door. It is clear that the insert can be designed as a molded element with a variety of complex shapes.

[0051] In Fig. 1 shows a cutting line.

[0052] Fig. 2 shows the loudspeaker unit in a sectional view along the Fig. 1. This means that in Fig. 2 a section through the insert according to Fig. 1 is shown.

[0053] The loudspeaker unit 1 shown here comprises a support element 20, which is essentially two-dimensional, at least in the area where the loudspeaker 10 is arranged. The support element 20 itself forms a grid structure 30, namely by forming openings in the support element 20. In the embodiment shown here, one side of the support element 20 is covered by a haptically compressible soft component 50 and an outer fabric 40, which thus also covers and conceals the grid structure 30.

[0054] The haptically compressible soft component 50 is connected to the carrier element 20 by a first adhesive layer 60 in a first adhesive connection 61. The haptically compressible soft component 50 is connected to the outer fabric 40 by a second adhesive layer 70 in a second adhesive connection 71.

[0055] On the side of the support element 20 facing away from the haptically compressible soft component 50 and the outer fabric 40, a receptacle 80 is attached, which, depending on its shape, can also be referred to as a funnel element. This receptacle 80 or funnel element serves to attach the loudspeaker 10, which can be a tweeter, for example.

[0056] In an embodiment in which no haptically compressible soft component 50 is present, the outer fabric 40 can be designed to be so dense that the lattice structure 30 is no longer recognizable by a vehicle occupant due to the lamination of the lattice structure 30 by means of the outer fabric 40.

[0057] In an embodiment in which a haptically compressible soft component 50 is present, the outer fabric 40 and / or the haptically compressible soft component 50 can be designed to be so dense that the lattice structure 30 is no longer recognizable by a vehicle occupant due to the lamination of the lattice structure 30 by means of the outer fabric 40. List of reference symbols 1 speaker unit 10 speakers 20 support element 30 lattice structure 40 outer fabric 50 haptically compressible soft components 60 first adhesive layer 61 first adhesive bond 70 second adhesive layer 71 second adhesive connection 80 recording QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 11511680B2

[0005] JP 2019217810A

[0006]

Claims

[1] Loudspeaker unit (1) for arrangement in a motor vehicle, comprising a loudspeaker (10) and a support element (20) with a grid structure (30) formed integrally with the support element. [2] Loudspeaker unit according to claim 1, characterized by that the loudspeaker (1) is a tweeter. [3] Loudspeaker unit according to claim 1, characterized by that a haptically compressible soft component (50) is arranged between the carrier element (20) and the outer fabric (40). [4] Loudspeaker unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the grid structure (30) has an opening degree of at least 70%. [5] Loudspeaker unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the lattice structure (30) is a hexagonal lattice structure (30). [6] Loudspeaker unit according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the loudspeaker unit (1) further comprises a receiving element (80) which is arranged between the loudspeaker (10) and the support element (20) for the indirect fastening of the loudspeaker (1) to the support element (20). [7] Loudspeaker unit according to claim 6, characterized by that there is a distance of at least 1.5 mm between the loudspeaker (1) and a surface of the grid structure (30) of the support element (20) facing the loudspeaker (1). [8] Method for producing a loudspeaker unit according to one of claims 1 to 7, in which a loudspeaker (10) and a support element (20) with a lattice structure (30) formed integrally with the support element (20) are provided, and the support element (20) is mechanically firmly connected to the loudspeaker (1). [9] Covering element for a motor vehicle, comprising at least one loudspeaker unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8. [10] Motor vehicle, comprising at least one loudspeaker unit (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, and / or at least one trim element according to claim 8.

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