Vehicle Speaker Box Layout to Reduce Wind Noise and Splash
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional speaker disposition structures in vehicles face issues with sound transmission, wind noise, and water/mud ingress due to the placement of speaker boxes at occupant foot locations, where the port openings are obstructed by side trims and prone to air flow-induced noise.
Innovation Solution
A speaker disposition structure featuring a pair of hinge pillars with a dash panel connecting them, a speaker box with a port opening on its front face, and a space portion formed by the speaker box, dash panel, and partition member (such as a floor mat) that communicates with the occupant space, ensuring the port opening is not blocked and preventing wind noise and water/mud ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the port opening is arranged to face the inside of the vehicle cabin, then sound transmission from the port to the cabin is improved, but the port opening is blocked by the side trim and wind noise occurs due to air flow through narrow space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the port opening from the front face to the side face of the speaker box, changing the spatial dimension of sound output. This allows the port to face the vehicle cabin interior without being blocked by the side trim, as the sound exits from a different spatial plane (side direction rather than front direction), thereby eliminating the blocking issue while maintaining sound transmission effectiveness.
2Volume of moving object
If the speaker box is arranged at the occupant foot location, then space utilization is improved, but water and mud may splash on the port opening causing speaker failure
Solution Approach 1:
By relocating the port opening to the side face of the speaker box rather than the front face, the patent changes the exposure orientation of the port. When the speaker box is mounted at the occupant foot location, the side-facing port opening is positioned away from the direct path of water and mud splash (which typically comes from the front or below), thereby protecting the port while maintaining the space-efficient foot location mounting arrangement.
3Reliability
If the port opening is arranged to face the inside of the vehicle cabin, then sound transmission is improved, but air flow through the narrow space between speaker box and side trim causes wind noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent redirects the port opening to the side face of the speaker box, changing the airflow path from horizontal (through the narrow front space between speaker box and side trim) to a different direction. This dimensional change in port orientation eliminates the constriction that causes wind noise, as air no longer needs to flow through the narrow gap between the speaker box front face and the side trim, while still allowing sound to reach the cabin interior effectively.
Data Source
AI summary
A speaker disposition structure of a vehicle comprises a left hinge pillar and a right hinge pillar both extending in a vehicle up-down direction; a speaker box fixed to a lower portion of one of the left and right hinge pillars, and the speaker box having a closed inner space; and a partition located on a vehicle width direction inner side of the speaker box. A port opening connects with the inner space of the speaker box and is located in a front face of the speaker box. A space portion is surrounded by the front face of the speaker box, the dash panel, the hinge pillar, and the partition. The space portion connects with an occupant space of the space portion. A length of the space portion, from the port opening in a front-rear direction of the vehicle, is greater than a maximum length of the port opening.