Integral Handle Speaker Enclosure With Low-Noise Acoustic Exit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing audio systems lack a user-friendly design for portability and operation, with inadequate handling and control interfaces, and inefficient acoustic waveguides that do not effectively reduce noise and enhance sound quality.
Innovation Solution
A portable audio system with a housing featuring a textured acoustic exit for easy gripping, a waveguide with varying cross-sectional areas to minimize noise, and a docking cradle that rotates for versatile connectivity, along with controls and a display for user interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the audio system is designed with a compact housing for portability, then the system becomes more portable and easier to move, but the acoustic waveguide becomes less effective at reducing noise and enhancing sound quality
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide is nested within the compact housing structure, with the acoustic driver positioned inside the housing and the waveguide extending from the driver through the housing wall. This nesting allows the waveguide to maintain its noise-reducing functionality while being integrated into a portable-sized device.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide utilizes a three-dimensional path that bends at angles to navigate from the acoustic driver to the exterior of the housing. This dimensional approach allows the waveguide to achieve sufficient length for effective noise reduction while maintaining a compact overall device footprint.
2Ease of operation
If the acoustic exit is designed with a specific shape for ergonomic gripping, then the ease of handling is improved, but the acoustic performance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The housing surface is differentiated into distinct functional zones: the acoustic exit opening is shaped with ergonomic contours and textured surfaces specifically for gripping, while the interior acoustic pathway maintains smooth, acoustically-optimized geometry. This local differentiation allows the same structure to serve both ergonomic and acoustic performance requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The acoustic exit structure is segmented into an external gripping portion with ergonomic features and an internal acoustic portion with optimized geometry. This segmentation allows each portion to be independently optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the waveguide has a complex bent structure to minimize noise, then the noise reduction is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The waveguide structure is merged with the housing walls, using the housing structure itself as part of the waveguide pathway. This integration eliminates the need for separate, complex waveguide components while achieving the desired noise reduction through the bent acoustic path.
Solution Approach 2:
The waveguide achieves noise reduction by changing the acoustic path parameters (length, bending angles, cross-sectional area variations) rather than adding complex mechanical structures. This allows effective noise reduction while maintaining a relatively simple overall device design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system provides improved portability, noise reduction, and enhanced user experience through ergonomic design and efficient acoustic waveguiding, allowing for easy handling and operation while maintaining sound quality.
Implementation Method 1
an acoustic driver supported by the housing and arranged to radiate acoustic energy from a front surface of the housing
Implementation Method 2
a waveguide with varying cross-sectional areas to minimize noise
Implementation Method 3
The waveguide has a first end acoustically coupled to the acoustic enclosure and a second end that terminates at the acoustic exit
Implementation Method 4
an inside surface of the acoustic exit comprises a textured surface, which facilitates gripping the inside surface of the acoustic exit with the plurality of fingers or the thumb from the human hand
Data Source
AI summary
An audio system includes a housing that defines an acoustic enclosure, an acoustic driver supported by the housing and arranged to radiate acoustic energy from a front surface of the housing, an acoustic exit located in a rear surface of the housing, opposite the front surface. The acoustic exit has a shape that facilitates a grasping of the housing with a plurality of fingers and the thumb from a single human hand, such that at least one of the plurality of fingers and the thumb can be inserted into the exit while at least one of the plurality of fingers and the thumb of the same hand can rest on at one of the front surface or a top surface of the housing.