Ported Speaker Enclosure with Nested Wall Port for Compact Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional speaker enclosures often struggle to accommodate ports of optimal dimensions due to size constraints, leading to impractical or aesthetically unpleasing solutions when attempting to minimize speaker driver and enclosure size.
Innovation Solution
A modular ported enclosure design that allows for varying port lengths and diameters through a construction of multiple components, including an outer shell, inner shell, end plate, and end cap, enabling flexible port configuration without altering most components, and utilizing materials like MDF or carbon fiber to maintain structural integrity while accommodating longer ports.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the enclosure size is minimized, then the speaker driver and enclosure size are reduced, but the port cannot be accommodated at optimal dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The port is nested within the enclosure walls by creating a recess or cavity in the enclosure structure. The port extends into the wall thickness rather than protruding outward, allowing the port to be contained within the overall enclosure dimensions. This nesting approach enables the port to achieve its optimal length without increasing the external enclosure size.
Solution Approach 2:
The port is oriented at an angle or curved path through the enclosure rather than a straight line, utilizing three-dimensional space more efficiently. By changing the port's dimensional configuration from a simple linear extension to a multi-dimensional path through the enclosure structure, the effective port length is increased while maintaining compact external dimensions.
2Length of moving object
If a long port tube is attached to the back of the enclosure, then the port achieves optimal dimensions, but the solution becomes impractical and aesthetically unpleasing
Solution Approach 1:
The port is integrated into the enclosure structure by nesting it within the wall cavity, eliminating the need for external attachment. This integration makes the port invisible from the outside, improving aesthetics, while the internal cavity provides the necessary port length for optimal acoustic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The port structure is merged with the enclosure walls, combining two previously separate elements (port and enclosure) into a unified structure. This merging eliminates the need for external port attachments and creates a clean, integrated appearance that is both practical and aesthetically pleasing.
3Volume of moving object
If the port is integrated into the enclosure walls, then compact enclosure sizes are maintained, but the port length may be insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The port is configured to extend through the thickness of the enclosure wall rather than along the external surface. By utilizing the wall thickness dimension and creating a multi-dimensional path through the structure, the port achieves sufficient length while keeping the enclosure compact.
Solution Approach 2:
The port configuration allows for variable path lengths within the wall structure, enabling optimization of port length without changing external dimensions. The internal port geometry can be adjusted to create longer acoustic paths through curved or angled sections within the wall cavity.
Data Source
AI summary
Speaker performance can be improved by routing sound from a rear side of speaker through a circuitous port formed between inner and outer surfaces of a wall of the speaker enclosure. An audio speaker enclosure comprises an enclosure housing defining an internal volume with a speaker opening at a first end thereof, the speaker opening being configured to receive a speaker therein, the enclosure housing having an inner surface facing the internal volume and an outer surface, the enclosure further defining at least one port communicating between the internal volume and the outer surface, the at least one port extending between the inner and outer surfaces along a port length that is greater than a maximum housing thickness between the inner and outer surfaces. The speaker enclosure can be made by arranging an inner speaker enclosure shell within an outer speaker enclosure shell such that the port is defined therebetween.