Sealed Audio Speaker Interleaving Flange Assembly

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional audio speaker designs with sealed enclosures are difficult to manufacture reliably, leading to high manufacturing costs, reduced efficiency, and shorter product lifetimes due to issues with fasteners causing sealing problems and material creep, resulting in defective products.

Innovation Solution

The design employs a housing with interleaving retaining elements and removable rods to create a sealed audio speaker assembly, allowing for easy assembly and disassembly while maintaining a high-quality sound output, using a combination of mechanical clasping features and seals to secure components within the enclosure.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional fasteners (screws) and seals are used to retain components and form seals in speaker enclosures, then the speaker can be assembled, but sealing problems occur due to differing torque applied to fasteners and material relaxation around screw threads, leading to loose fasteners and reduced seal compression force over time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing difficulty

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes fasteners entirely from the sealing system. Instead of using screws and seals, the invention uses an interference fit between the speaker assembly flange and enclosure flange, where the flanges are pressed together directly to form the seal, eliminating the need for fasteners that cause torque variability and material relaxation problems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of using fasteners to pull components together and hoping to maintain seal compression, the invention inverts the approach by using a press-fit mechanism where the interference between flanges maintains constant sealing pressure without requiring threaded fasteners that loosen over time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Strength

If many fasteners are used to retain active and passive components in speaker enclosures, then the components can be secured, but the piece part cost increases and the assembly becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomponent retentionVSAvoidassembly complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the sealing function and the retention function into a single integrated flange interface. The interference fit between the speaker assembly flange and enclosure flange simultaneously provides both the seal and the mechanical retention, eliminating the need for separate fasteners and seals

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The flange interface is designed to perform multiple functions: it provides the sealing barrier, the mechanical retention for the speaker assembly, and the structural connection between components, replacing multiple specialized parts with a single multi-functional interface

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of manufacture

If fasteners are used to form sealed speaker enclosures, then the enclosure can be assembled, but the fasteners become loose over time due to material relaxation around screw threads, leading to re-tightening and scrap

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveassembly easeVSAvoidproduct lifetime

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The design anticipates the material relaxation problem by avoiding fasteners that induce stress concentration. The interference fit distributes pressure evenly across the flange contact surface, preventing the localized stress that causes threads to loosen and material to relax over time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

4Manufacturing precision

If a sealed speaker design is implemented to improve sound quality and efficiency, then acoustic performance improves, but the manufacturing process becomes more difficult and costly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesealing precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the sealing mechanism from a fastener-based system with variable compression to a press-fit system where the interference between flanges provides consistent, controlled sealing pressure, improving sealing precision while simplifying the manufacturing process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9462361B2Sealed audio speaker design

Publication Date: 2016.10.04 LOGITECH EUROPE SA

AI summary

An audio speaker is provided including a housing having a first array of housing retaining elements aligned in a first direction and a first sealing surface. Each housing retaining elements has a housing channel region formed therein. The audio speaker further includes a frame element having a speaker assembly mounted thereon and a second array of frame retaining elements aligned in the first direction and a second sealing surface, where the second array of frame retaining elements are positioned to interleave with the first array of housing retaining elements when the second sealing surface is disposed over the first sealing surface. Each frame retaining element has a frame channel region formed therein. The audio speaker further includes a first rod disposed within the housing channel regions of the first array of housing retaining elements and the frame channel regions of the second array of frame retaining elements.