Speaker Yoke Through-Hole Cooling for Integrated Drive Amplifiers

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing speakers integrated with drive amps face issues of heat buildup due to heat-generating components, which impede sound transmission and deteriorate sound production characteristics, especially in confined spaces like vehicles.

Innovation Solution

A speaker design with a circuit board mounted inside the inner-side yoke of the magnetic circuit portion, allowing airflow through a through hole to dissipate heat from heat-generating components while maintaining sound transmission efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Temperature

If heat-generating components are disposed on the sound production path to improve heat dissipation, then cooling effects are improved, but sound transmission is impeded and sound production characteristics deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat dissipationVSAvoidsound production characteristics
Core Design Contradiction:
TemperatureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the heat-generating components from the sound production path by providing a through-hole in the magnetic circuit portion. The circuit board with heat-generating components is disposed in this through-hole, separating the heat dissipation function from the sound transmission path. This allows airflow to pass through and cool the components without the components blocking the sound pressure from the diaphragm.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The through-hole in the magnetic circuit portion serves as an intermediary structure that enables both sound transmission and heat dissipation. It provides a dedicated pathway for airflow to cool the components while maintaining the integrity of the sound production path, thus mediating between the conflicting requirements of cooling and sound quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Volume of moving object

If drive amp is disposed on the same side as magnetic circuit portions, then space utilization is improved, but effective heat dissipation becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespace utilizationVSAvoidheat dissipation
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The magnetic circuit portion is given multiple functions: it serves both as the magnetic field generation structure and as a heat dissipation pathway. The through-hole provided in the magnetic circuit portion allows it to function as both a structural component for magnetic field generation and as a thermal management pathway, enabling space-efficient design without compromising cooling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Volume of moving object

If heat-generating components are disposed in tight spaces to reduce speaker size, then compactness is improved, but heat buildup increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespeaker sizeVSAvoidheat buildup
Core Design Contradiction:
Volume of moving objectVSTemperature

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses pneumatic principles by creating a through-hole pathway that allows air flow through the magnetic circuit portion. This airflow acts as a cooling medium that can efficiently remove heat from the compactly arranged heat-generating components, enabling small speaker design without heat buildup problems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #29Pneumatics and hydraulics

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 design achieves improved cooling effects for heat-generating components and reduces speaker size by effectively utilizing airflow generated by the vibration unit, without impeding sound pressure emission.

Implementation Method 1

an airflow, generated in a frontward direction by vibrations of the diaphragms

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVibration: Vibration

Implementation Method 2

applying an airflow... to the heat-generating components, thereby improving heat dissipation effects

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvection: Convection

Implementation Method 3

a magnetic circuit portion that applies a magnetic flux to the voice coil

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMagnetic flux: Magnetic Field

Implementation Method 4

a magnet that positioned on the outer side of the inner-side yoke and that forms the magnetic flux that traverses the voice coil

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic induction: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP4418686B1speaker
Publication Date: 2025.08.13 ALPS ALPINE CO LTD
  • EP4418686B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4418686B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4418686B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A through hole is formed in an inner-side yoke making up a magnetic circuit portion, passing therethrough following a vibration direction of a vibration unit, and circuit boards are disposed in the through hole. The circuit boards are disposed with board surfaces thereof following the vibration direction of the vibration unit. Also, an opening area of a middle space across which the circuit boards oppose each other is larger than opening areas of side spaces. Accordingly, flow quantity of air through the through hole can be secured, increase in air resistance at the time of vibration of the vibration unit can be suppressed, and also wind velocity can be secured, whereby cooling effects of heat-generating components mounted on the circuit boards can be improved.