Patent Application
20250039597
The present disclosure relates to the field of acoustics, and in particular, to acoustic output devices.
Sound output has low, medium, and high frequencies. The high-frequency output of existing acoustic output devices is generally insufficient, affecting their sound quality performance. Particularly, in the field of bone conduction acoustics, bone conduction has a great attenuation on high-frequency sound transmission, and there is a more urgent need for high-frequency output enhancement.
Therefore, it is desired to provide an acoustic output device with improved high-frequency sound output.
One of the embodiments of the present disclosure provides an acoustic output device comprising a bone conduction sound generation unit configured to generate bone conduction sound waves that are transmitted to human ears via bone and that have at least one resonance peak in a frequency range not higher than 1 kHz; and a piezoelectric sound generation unit configured to generate sound waves that have at least one resonance peak in a range not lower than 6 kHz.
To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions related to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a brief introduction of the drawings referred to the description of the embodiments is provided below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some examples or embodiments of the present disclosure. Those having ordinary skills in the art, without further creative efforts, may apply the present disclosure to other similar scenarios according to these drawings. Unless obviously obtained from the context or the context illustrates otherwise, the same numeral in the drawings refers to the same structure or operation.
It should be understood that “system,” “device” “unit,” and/or “module” as used herein is a manner used to distinguish different components, elements, parts, sections, or assemblies at different levels. However, if other words serve the same purpose, the words may be replaced by other expressions.
As shown in the present disclosure and claims, the words “one,” “a,” “a kind,” and/or “the” are not especially singular but may include the plural unless the context expressly suggests otherwise. In general, the terms “comprise,” “comprises,” “comprising,” “include,” “includes,” and/or “including,” merely prompt to include operations and elements that have been clearly identified, and these operations and elements do not constitute an exclusive listing. The methods or devices may also include other operations or elements.
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an acoustic output device. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device may include a bone conduction sound generation unit and a piezoelectric sound generation unit. The bone conduction sound generation unit may generate bone conduction sound waves that have at least one resonance peak in a frequency range not higher than 1 kHz, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit may generate sound waves that have at least one resonance peak. Specifically, the bone conduction sound generation unit outputs mid-frequency sound waves, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit outputs high-frequency sound waves by utilizing its characteristics (e.g., an intrinsic frequency of a piezoelectric member included in the piezoelectric sound generation unit). Both the bone conduction sound generation unit and the piezoelectric sound generation unit are complementary to each other and mutually compatible, which may ensure that the acoustic output device has a better sound output effect at a high frequency. Thus, a user may receive a relatively large listening volume in a high-frequency band when wearing the acoustic output device. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit and the bone conduction sound generation unit may be provided on a side of a housing of the acoustic output device that contacts a human face, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit and the bone conduction sound generation unit generate bone conduction sound waves that are transmitted via the bone to the human cars. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit may be provided on the side of the housing of the acoustic output device that contacts the human face, and the bone conduction sound generation unit generates bone conduction sound waves transmitted to the human car via bone. The piezoelectric sound generation unit may be provided on the side of the housing of the acoustic output device that does not contact the human face, a mechanical vibration generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit is transmitted to the housing, and the housing generates the bone conduction sound waves that are transmitted to the human car via bone. Alternatively, the housing generates air conduction sound waves that are transmitted to the human car via air. Alternatively, the mechanical vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit drives the surrounding air to vibrate, and then the air conduction sound waves that are transmitted to the human car via air are generated. The acoustic output device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure expands the frequency response range of the acoustic output device by supplementing the high-frequency sound output using the piezoelectric sound generation unit, achieving a more translucent sound with richer details in the subjective hearing.
The acoustic output device 100 is configured to convert an audio signal (e.g., an electrical signal containing acoustic information) into an acoustic signal. In some embodiments, the acoustic signal may include bone conduction sound waves and/or air conduction sound waves. For example, the acoustic output device 100 may generate, in response to receiving the audio signal, a mechanical vibration to output sound waves (i.e., the acoustic signal) that may be delivered to the human cars by way of bone conduction or air conduction. The process of conversion described above may involve the coexistence and conversion of many different types of energy, e.g., an optical signal (i.e., a signal containing acoustic information) may be converted to the acoustic signal. Other types of energy that may coexist and be converted during the operation of the acoustic output device 100 include thermal energy, magnetic energy, or the like. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may include one or more of a moving coil type, an electrostatic type, a piezoelectric type, a moving iron type, a pneumatic type, an electromagnetic type, or the like.
The bone conduction sound generation unit 110 is configured to convert the audio signal into bone conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 may include a vibration member (also referred to as a transducer) and a vibration transmission member. At least a portion of the structure of the vibration transmission member (e.g., a side of the body of the vibration transmission member or a silicone layer covering the body of the vibration transmission member) may be in direct contact with the user's facial region, and the vibration member may respond to the audio signal to generate a mechanical vibration. The vibration transmission member may vibrate in response to the vibration of the vibration member, and transmit the vibration (i.e., bone conduction sound waves) it receives directly to the human cars through the user's muscles, bones, blood, etc. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may include a housing, and the vibration member is connected to the housing or directly connected to the housing via an elastic member (e.g., a vibration transmission sheet), so that at least a portion of the structure of the housing (e.g., a sidewall of the housing or a silicone layer that covers the sidewall) may contact the user's facial region when the user wears the acoustic output device 100, and the housing may transmit the vibration (i.e., bone conduction sound waves) it receives directly to the human car through the user's muscles, bones, blood, etc. It is to be known that, when the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 outputs the bone conduction sound waves, the vibration of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 also drives the surrounding air to vibrate, thereby generating a small amount of air conduction sound waves. More description regarding the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 may be found in other parts of the present disclosure, such as
The piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 is configured to convert the audio signal into bone conduction sound waves and/or air conduction sound waves. For illustration purposes only, in the present disclosure, the bone conduction sound waves generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit may also be referred to as first bone conduction sound waves and the bone conduction sound waves generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit may also be referred to as second bone conduction sound waves, and the air conduction sound waves generated by the air conduction sound generation unit may also be referred to as first air conduction sound waves and the air conduction sound waves generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit may also be referred to as second air conduction sound waves. It should be noted that the “first” and “second” here are only for distinction, and in some embodiments, the “first” and “second” can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may include one or more piezoelectric members, each of which may be configured to generate a vibration based on the audio signal. In some embodiments, the audio signal acting on a piezoelectric layer of the piezoelectric members causes the piezoelectric layer to deform, i.e., generate the vibration. When the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 is configured to convert the audio signal into the bone conduction sound waves, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 directly or indirectly (e.g., through the housing, the vibration transmission member or the silicone layer covering the sidewall of the housing, the vibration transmission member or the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120) contacts the user's facial region, transmits the vibration through the user's muscles, bones, blood, etc. to the human cars, thus realizing the output of bone conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may include a piezoelectric member and a vibration transmission sheet, and the piezoelectric member may be connected to the housing through the vibration transmission sheet. The piezoelectric member generates the vibration under the action of a driving voltage, the piezoelectric member drives the vibration transmission sheet to generate the mechanical vibration, and the vibration transmission sheet transmits the mechanical vibration to the housing and then transmits the mechanical vibration to the user's facial region via the housing to generate the bone conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may also be configured to convert the audio signal into the air conduction sound waves. For example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 generates the vibration based on the audio signal and transmits the vibration to the housing, where the vibration of the housing drives the surrounding air to vibrate, thereby generating the air conduction acoustic waves. Alternatively, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 drives the air around the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 to vibrate, thereby generating the air conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may include a piezoelectric member and a diaphragm, and the piezoelectric member is connected to the diaphragm. The piezoelectric member vibrates in response to the audio signal and drives the diaphragm, and the diaphragm drives the surrounding air to vibrate to generate the air conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may include a piezoelectric member and a vibration transmission sheet, and the piezoelectric member may be connected to the housing through the vibration transmission sheet. The piezoelectric member generates a vibration under the action of the driving voltage, the piezoelectric member drives the vibration transmission sheet to generate a mechanical vibration, and the piezoelectric member drives the surrounding air to vibrate when it generates the mechanical vibration, thereby generating the air conduction sound waves. Further, the vibration transmission sheet transmits the mechanical vibration to the housing, the housing generates the mechanical vibration and drives the surrounding air to vibrate, thereby generating the air conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the housing may include one or more sound guiding holes, and the air conduction sound waves inside the housing may be radiated to the outside world through the sound guiding holes, and thus received by the human cars. It is to be known that when the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 outputs the bone conduction sound waves, the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 also drives the surrounding air to vibrate, thus generating a small amount of air conduction sound waves. When the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 outputs the air conduction sound waves, the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 also drives a portion of the acoustic output device 100 that contacts the human face to vibrate, thereby generating a small amount of bone conduction sound waves. More description regarding the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may be found in other parts of the present disclosure, for example,
As described above, the mechanical vibration (i.e., the bone conduction acoustic wave) output by the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 has at least one resonance peak in a frequency range of not higher than 1 kHz. That is, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 has a relatively good acoustic output near a resonance frequency corresponding to the resonance peak of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 generates bone conduction acoustic waves with at least one resonance peak in a frequency range of 100 Hz-1 kHz. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound unit 110 generates bone conduction acoustic waves with at least one resonance peak in a frequency range of 200 Hz-900 Hz. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 generates bone conduction acoustic waves with at least one resonance peak in a frequency range of 300 Hz-800 Hz. The piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 utilizes the properties of the piezoelectric member (e.g., the intrinsic frequency of the piezoelectric member) to have relatively good sensitivity even at relatively high frequencies (e.g., 1000 Hz-40000 Hz), so that the sound waves (the bone conduction sound waves or the air conduction sound waves) outputted by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 have sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a range not less than 6 kHz (e.g., in a frequency range of 6 kHz-40 kHz). That is, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 has a relatively good acoustic output effect near the resonance frequency corresponding to the resonance peak of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may output sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a range greater than 7 kHz. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may output sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a range greater than 8 kHz. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may output sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a range greater than 9 kHz. Specifically, in some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may output sound waves with one resonance peak near 10 KHz. The acoustic output device 100 has both the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120, which allows the acoustic output device 100 to output a sound that covers the mid-range frequencies to the high frequencies, thereby expanding the frequency range of the acoustic output device 100 and supplementing the high-frequency sound output accordingly, thus achieving a more translucent and detailed sound in the user's subjective sense of hearing.
The utility of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 for supplementing the high-frequency sound output is described herein in connection with
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may include at least one excitation source, and the excitation source may be used to provide an excitation voltage to the piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110. The piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 vibrate due to the excitation voltage. To some extent, the excitation voltage provided by the excitation source may be understood to be an audio signal. In some embodiments, the excitation voltage provided by the excitation source may be an audio signal that has been processed by a voltage conversion (e.g., boosting or bucking). In some embodiments, one excitation source may provide the same excitation voltage to the piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110. Alternatively, two excitation sources may provide the same excitation voltage to the piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110, respectively, to drive the piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 to vibrate by the same excitation voltage. In some embodiments, the excitation source may provide a relatively low excitation voltage to the piezoelectric member and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110, and driven by the lower excitation voltage, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 mainly generates low-frequency (e.g., 20 Hz-500 Hz), medium-high-frequency (e.g., 500 Hz-6 kHz), and high-frequency (e.g., 6 kHz-20 kHz) sound waves. Due to a relatively high resonance frequency of the piezoelectric member, the piezoelectric member mainly generates high-frequency sound waves. Correspondingly, relatively few low-frequency and medium-high-frequency sound waves are generated by the piezoelectric member, which facilitates the cooperation between the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 and the bone conduction sound generation unit 110, thereby enabling the acoustic output device 100 to output the high-frequency, medium-high-frequency, and low-frequency sound waves by the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 and output the high-frequency sound waves by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 without providing a frequency divider circuit, so that the acoustic output device 100 has a better acoustic output effect in all frequency bands. In addition, when the acoustic output device 100 is in operation, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 mainly outputs low-frequency, medium-high-frequency, and high-frequency sound waves, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 mainly outputs high-frequency sound waves, whereas the sound pressure level of the high-frequency sound waves output by the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 is reduced when the frequency is greater than a specific frequency (e.g., 10 KHz). The high-frequency sound waves output by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may compensate for the insufficient high-frequency output of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110, thereby improving the acoustic output effect of the acoustic output device 100 at high frequencies.
The resonance frequency of the piezoelectric member is related to the mass and stiffness of the piezoelectric member. In some embodiments, the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric member may be adjusted by adjusting parameters related to the mass and the stiffness of the piezoelectric member (e.g., length, width, thickness, or material, etc.). For example, the resonance frequency of the piezoelectric member may be reduced by increasing the mass of the piezoelectric member. In some embodiments, there may be one or more piezoelectric members. In some embodiments, the plurality of piezoelectric members may be the same piezoelectric member, i.e., have the same resonance frequency. High-frequency bone conduction sound waves output by the plurality of the same piezoelectric members may be superimposed to increase the acoustic compensation effect of the acoustic output device in a particular frequency band (e.g., high-frequency). In some embodiments, the plurality of piezoelectric members may be different piezoelectric members, i.e., a plurality of piezoelectric members have different resonance frequencies, and the different piezoelectric members may compensate for the sound pressure levels of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 in different frequency bands. For example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 includes a first piezoelectric member and a second piezoelectric member. The first piezoelectric member has a resonance frequency of 8 kHz and the second piezoelectric member has a resonance frequency of 12 kHz. The first piezoelectric member may compensate for the sound pressure level of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 in a frequency range of 5 kHz-10 kHz, and the second piezoelectric member may compensate for the sound pressure level of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 in a frequency range of 10 kHz-14 kHz.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may further include a first boosting circuit, the first boosting circuit being used to boost the excitation voltage generated by the excitation source for driving the piezoelectric member. A higher excitation voltage enables the piezoelectric member to generate sound waves with a higher frequency, avoiding the piezoelectric member being unable to generate sufficiently high-frequency sound waves due to low resonance frequency. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120, driven by a higher excitation voltage, may have sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a range not less than 7 kHz. Merely by way of example, when the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 has a resonance frequency of 8 kHz, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 needs to compensate for the output of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 in a frequency range of 10 kHz-14 kHz. The excitation voltage of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 may be boosted using the boosting circuit, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120, driven by the boosted excitation voltage, may cause the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 to output sounds with a higher sound pressure level within a range of 10 kHz-14 kHz, such that the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 compensates for the output of the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 in the frequency range of 10 kHz-14 kHz.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may further include a frequency divider circuit, the frequency divider circuit being configured to generate a first frequency range signal and a second frequency range signal based on a first frequency division point. The first frequency point is set in a high-frequency range (e.g., 5 kHz-40 kHz), for example, the first frequency point may be 5 kHz, a signal lower than the first frequency point is a first frequency range signal, a signal higher than the first crossover frequency point is a second frequency range signal. The first frequency range signal is used to drive the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 to generate medium-frequency sound waves, and the second frequency range signal is used to drive the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 to generate high-frequency sound waves. The frequency divider circuit is utilized to generate signals of different frequency ranges, which are used to drive the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120, respectively. In such cases, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 concentrates on generating medium-frequency sound waves, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 focuses on generating high-frequency sound waves, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 can generate sound waves of sufficiently high frequency to compensate for the high-frequency output of the acoustic output device 100. In some embodiments, to enable the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120, which has a relatively low resonance frequency, to generate sufficiently high-frequency sound waves, the acoustic output device 100 may also include a second boosting circuit, and the second boosting circuit functions similar to the first boosting circuit to boosting the second frequency range signal. The boosted second frequency range signal may enable the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 to generate higher frequency sound waves compared to the second frequency range signal with a low voltage.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may further include an air conduction sound generation unit 130. The air conduction sound generation unit 130 is configured to convert the audio signal into air conduction sound waves with at least one resonance peak in a frequency range not higher than 500 Hz (e.g., in a frequency range of 20 Hz-500 Hz). That is to say, the air conduction sound generation unit 130 has a relatively good acoustic output effect, i.e., a volume of the output sound is relatively large, near a resonance frequency corresponding to the resonance peak of the air conduction sound generation unit 130. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 may have the air conduction sound generation unit 130, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120. The air conduction sound generation unit 130 is mainly used for low-frequency output, the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 is mainly used for medium-frequency output, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 120 is mainly used for high-frequency output, so that the output sound of the acoustic output device 100 may cover from low-frequency to high-frequency, and the strength of the sound output may be improved in the full frequency range, thereby effectively improving the overall sound quality.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 100 includes a frequency divider circuit that divides the first frequency range signal based on a second frequency division point to generate a first sub-frequency range signal and a second sub-frequency range signal, the second frequency divider point being in the medium-frequency range (e.g., 500 Hz-1 kHz). For example, the second frequency division point may be 500 Hz. A signal lower than the second frequency division point is the first sub-frequency range signal, and a signal higher than the second frequency division point is the second sub-frequency range signal. The first sub-frequency range signal is used to drive the air conduction sound generation unit 130 to generate low-frequency sound waves, and the second sub-frequency range signal is used to drive the bone conduction sound generation unit 110 to generate medium-frequency sound waves. More description regarding the air conduction sound generation unit 130 may be found in other parts of the present disclosure, such as
Various embodiments of the acoustic output device 100 comprising a bone conduction sound generation unit and a piezoelectric sound generation unit may be illustrated hereinafter in conjunction with
In some embodiments, the housing 340A may be a cuboid structure. In some embodiments, the housing 340A may also be a regular structure such as a cylindrical structure, an ellipsoidal structure, a ladder table structure, or the like, or an irregular structure. In some embodiments, the accommodation space inside the housing 340A has the same as or a different shape from the outer contour of the housing 340A. For example, the outer contour of the housing 340A may be a cuboid, and the accommodation space may be a cuboid. As another example, the outer contour of the housing 340A may be a cuboid and the accommodation space may be a sphere.
Taking the housing 340A being a cuboid structure as an example, an outer side surface of the sidewall 341A of the housing 340A with respect to the accommodation space may directly contact the human face. The bone conduction sound generation unit 310A may be connected to the sidewall 341A through the vibration transmission member. The vibration transmission member vibrates in response to the vibration of the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A and transmits the vibration received therein to the sidewall 341A. Then the sidewall 341A transmits the vibration to the facial region of the user.
In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be provided on an inner side surface of the sidewall 341A. At least a portion of the structure of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be connected to the sidewall 341A. For example, the piezoelectric member of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be a sheet-like structure, the inner side surface of the sidewall 341A is provided with a groove, the piezoelectric member is disposed in the groove, the edge of the piezoelectric member is connected to the corresponding sidewall of the groove, the piezoelectric member and a bottom wall of the groove are approximately parallel, and the piezoelectric member is spaced apart from the bottom wall of the groove to ensure that the piezoelectric member may vibrate under the action of the driving voltage. As another example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may include a vibrating plate and a piezoelectric member, and the piezoelectric member is connected to the inner side surface of the sidewall 341A via the vibrating plate. The vibrating plate vibrates in response to the vibration of the piezoelectric member and transmits the vibration to the sidewall 341A. Then the sidewall 341A transmits the vibration to the user's facial region. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be disposed on the outer side surface of the sidewall 341A and connected to the sidewall 341A, and at least a portion of the structure of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may directly contact the user's facial region, so that mechanical vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be transmitted directly to the user's facial region. It should be noted that the inner side surface of the sidewall 341A is a side of the sidewall 341A that contacts the accommodation space. Correspondingly, the outer side surface of the sidewall 341A is a side of the sidewall 341A that is away from the accommodation space. In some embodiments, an aperture is provided on the sidewall 341A. The aperture penetrates the sidewall 341A, and an edge of the piezoelectric member is connected to an aperture wall corresponding to the aperture. In some embodiments, the sidewall of the housing 340A where the piezoelectric member is located may be covered with a protective layer (e.g., a silicone layer) to protect the piezoelectric member and increase the comfort of the user while wearing the acoustic output device. In some embodiments, the connection between the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A and the sidewall 341A is achieved by connecting a portion of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A to the sidewall 341A. For example, an edge or middle of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A is connected to the sidewall 341A, avoiding that a large portion of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A is fixed to the sidewall 341A and affects the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric member of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be a plate-like structure, and the piezoelectric member may be a plate-like structure in a rectangular, circular, toroidal, elliptical, semicircular, polygonal, and other regular or arbitrary irregular shape. Taking the piezoelectric member being a circular plate-like structure as an example, an edge of the piezoelectric member is connected to the sidewall 341A, and a main body portion of the piezoelectric member (except for a portion of an edge region) is suspended with respect to the sidewall 341A. Taking the piezoelectric member being an annular plate-like structure as an example, the outer edge of the piezoelectric member is connected to the sidewall 341A, and the main body portion of the piezoelectric member (except for the outer edge portion) is suspended with respect to the sidewall 341A, or the piezoelectric member may be socketed to the sidewall 341A if the dimension of the piezoelectric member is larger than that of the sidewall 341A.
In some embodiments, when the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A is mainly used to output the bone conduction acoustic waves, an included angle between a vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A and a vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A may be within a range of −45°-45°, so that the sound wave generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A and the sound waves generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A cancel with each other as little as possible, thereby improving the output capability and output effect of the bone conduction acoustic waves. In some embodiments, the included angle between the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A and the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A may be within a range of −20°-20°. In some embodiments, the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be approximately the same as the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A. In some embodiments, the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320A may be the same as the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 310A.
Taking the housing 340B being a cuboid structure as an example, in some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may be disposed on a sidewall of the housing 340B opposite or adjacent to the sidewall 341B, and a portion of the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may be transmitted to the sidewall 341B via the sidewall opposite or adjacent to the sidewall 341B of the housing 340B, thereby generating the bone conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may be disposed on an inner side surface or an outer side surface of the sidewall of the housing 340B that is opposite or adjacent to the sidewall 341B, or embedded into the sidewall of the housing 340B that is opposite or adjacent to the sidewall 341B. It should be noted that when the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B is disposed in the sidewall of the housing 340B that is opposite or adjacent to the sidewall 341B, the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may also drive the air surrounding the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B to vibrate to generate air conduction sound waves. Meanwhile, the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B is transmitted to the housing 340B, and the vibration of the housing 340B causes vibration of the air surrounding the housing 340B to generate the air conduction sound waves. In particular, when the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B is disposed on a sidewall of the housing 340B that is opposite to the sidewall 341B, the vibration of the mechanical vibration generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B and transmitted to the sidewall 341B may have a significant loss. In such cases, the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B mainly causes the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B and the air surrounding the housing 340B to generate the air conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may also be disposed at any other location where the housing 340B does not contact the human face. For example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 320B may be suspended within the accommodation space of the housing 340B, and the vibration of the piezoelectric unit drives the surrounding air to vibrate to generate the air conduction sound waves. In some embodiments, the housing 340B may be provided with sound guiding holes (not shown in
In some embodiments, the piezoelectric member 421 includes a fixed end and a free end. The fixed end is an end on the piezoelectric member 421 that provides a fixing or support function for other portions. In some embodiments, during the vibration of the piezoelectric member 421, a vibration intensity at the fixed end is less relative to other portions of the piezoelectric member 421 (e.g., the free end). Merely by way of example, the fixed end may be a location on the piezoelectric member 421 where a vibration acceleration or an acceleration level is less than a vibration acceleration threshold or an acceleration level threshold. In some embodiments, the fixed end may be connected to a fixed location or structure of the acoustic output device. The fixed location or structure herein refers to a location or a structure on the acoustic output device where the vibration acceleration or acceleration level is less than the vibration acceleration threshold or acceleration level threshold. The fixed end shown in
In some embodiments, the piezoelectric member 421 may include a piezoelectric layer 4211 and a substrate layer 4212. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric layer 4211 may be made of a piezoelectric material. In some embodiments, the material of the substrate layer 4212 includes, but is not limited to metals and alloys, resins, glass fibers, carbon fibers, or the like, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric layer 4211 and the substrate layer 4212 are overlapped in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric member 421. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric layer 4211 may be physically fixed to one side of the substrate layer 4212, such as by affixing. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric member 421 may include two piezoelectric layers 4211 and a substrate layer 4212, with the two piezoelectric layers 4211 and the substrate layer 4212 being overlapped in the thickness direction of the piezoelectric member 421. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric member 421 may include a plurality of piezoelectric layers 4211, the plurality of piezoelectric layers 4211 and the substrate layer 4212 being provided in a stacked manner.
In some embodiments, the sound guiding holes 442 may be provided at any other position where the housing 440 does not contact the human face, e.g., the sound guiding holes 442 may be provided on a sidewall of the housing 440 that is adjacent to the sidewall that contacts the human face. In some embodiments, an accommodation cavity of the housing 440 is in flow communication with the exterior of the housing 440 through the sound guiding holes 442. In some embodiments, the sound guiding holes 442 penetrate the sidewall of the housing 440. In some embodiments, the sound guiding holes 442 may have regular shapes such as a rectangle, a circle, an annulus, an ellipse, a semicircle, a polygon, a triangle, or the like, or arbitrarily irregular shapes.
In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 420 may include a plurality of different piezoelectric members, and the plurality of piezoelectric members having different resonance frequencies. The piezoelectric members having different resonance frequencies may output air conduction sound waves of different frequency bands to compensate for the output of sound waves in different frequency bands. For example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 420 includes a third piezoelectric member and a fourth piezoelectric member. The third piezoelectric member has a resonance frequency of 7 kHz and may output air conduction acoustic waves within a range of 4 kHz-9 kHz. The fourth piezoelectric member has a resonance frequency of 11 kHz and can output air conduction sound waves within a range of 9 kHz-12 kHz, and the combination of the third piezoelectric member and the fourth piezoelectric member may compensate for the output of sound waves in the frequency range of 4 kHz-12 KHz.
In some embodiments, a peripheral side of the diaphragm 550 is connected to the housing 540. In some embodiments, the diaphragm 550 may be disposed at any other position of the housing 540 that does not contact the face, e.g., the diaphragm 550 may be disposed on a side of the housing 540 that is approximately perpendicular to the face.
In some embodiments, the diaphragm 550 is connected to the piezoelectric member 521 via the vibration transmission member 522. In some embodiments, one end of the piezoelectric member 521 may be connected to a sidewall of the housing 540, and another end of the piezoelectric member 521 that is away from the housing 540 is connected to the vibration transmission member 522. In some embodiments, a polarization direction of the piezoelectric member 521 is perpendicular to a stress direction. The piezoelectric member 521 is subjected to a stress along a length direction of the piezoelectric member 521 when the piezoelectric member 521 is subjected to an electric field perpendicular to a surface of the piezoelectric member 521. At this time, a piezoelectric layer of the piezoelectric member 521 deforms to drive the overall structure of the piezoelectric member 521 to deform, thereby generating vibration along the polarization direction. The vibration transmission member 522 may extend along the polarization direction of the piezoelectric member 521, the piezoelectric member 521 transmits vibration through the vibration transmission member 522, and the diaphragm 550 vibrates along the polarization direction of the piezoelectric member 521. In some embodiments, the vibration transmission member 522 may have a regular such as a rod, plate, strip structure, spiral structure, or the like, or an irregular structure. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 520 may not include the vibration transmission member 522. One end of the piezoelectric member 521 is connected to the housing 540 of the acoustic output device, and another end of the piezoelectric member 521 may be directly in contact with the diaphragm 550. The piezoelectric member 521 directly drives the diaphragm 550 to vibrate to generate the air conduction sound waves.
In some embodiments, to avoid the vibration of the diaphragm 550 of the piezoelectric sound generation unit and the vibration of the bone conduction sound generation unit to interact with each other through the vibration transmission of the housing 540, a vibration direction of the diaphragm 550 may be perpendicular to a vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit. Perpendicular here may be understood as approximately perpendicular. In some embodiments, an included angle between the vibration direction of the diaphragm 550 and the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit may be within a range of 70°-110°.
Various embodiments of the acoustic output device including the bone conduction sound generation unit, the piezoelectric sound generation unit, and the air conduction sound generation unit may be illustrated hereinafter in conjunction with
In some embodiments, the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may include a diaphragm, which generates a vibration based on an audio signal, and the diaphragm drives the air inside the housing 640 of the acoustic output device 600 to vibrate, thereby generating the air conduction sound waves. The air conduction sound waves inside the housing 640 may be radiated to the outside world through sound guiding holes, so as to be received by the human cars. In some embodiments, the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may also include a diaphragm, a voice coil, and a magnetic circuit structure, where the diaphragm and the magnetic circuit structure are connected through the voice coil. The magnetic field inside the magnetic circuit structure changes in response to the audio signal, the voice coil vibrates under the action of the magnetic circuit structure, and the diaphragm vibrates in response to the vibration of the voice coil. It is to be understood that the diaphragm of the air conduction sound generation unit 630 and the diaphragm of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 are not the same in some embodiments, but are diaphragms respectively provided for transmitting the air conduction sound waves. For illustration purposes only, in some embodiments, the diaphragm of the piezoelectric sound generation unit may also be referred to as a first diaphragm, and the diaphragm of the air conduction sound generation unit may also be referred to as a second diaphragm. It should be noted that the “first” and “second” here are only for distinction, and in some embodiments, the “first” and “second” can be used interchangeably.
In some embodiments, to minimize the interference between the vibration of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 and the vibration of the air conduction sound generation unit transmitted through the vibration of the housing 640, an included angle between a vibration direction of the diaphragm and a vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 may be within a range of 70°-110°. In some embodiments, the vibration direction of the diaphragm may be approximately perpendicular to the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610. In some embodiments, the vibration direction of the diaphragm may be perpendicular to the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 vibrates to generate the air conduction acoustic waves, and the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 may be in the same vibration direction as the air conduction sound generation unit so that the sound waves generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the sound waves generated by the air conduction sound generation unit do not cancel each other as much as possible. Thus, the output capability and output effect of the air conduction acoustic wave are improved. In some embodiments, the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 may be approximately the same as the vibration direction of the air conduction sound generation unit 630. In some embodiments, the included angle between the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the vibration direction of the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may be within a range of −20°-20°.
In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may also be placed in any other form, for example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may be inclined.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 600 includes a housing 640, a bone conduction sound generation unit 610, a piezoelectric sound generation unit 620, and an air conduction sound generation unit 630. The air conduction sound generation unit 630 is mainly configured to output low-frequency air conduction sound waves, the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 is mainly configured to output medium-frequency bone conduction sound waves, and the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 is mainly configured to output high-frequency bone conduction sound waves. The accommodation cavity of the housing 640 is divided into two independent chambers, with the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 and piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 placed in one chamber, and the air conduction sound generation unit 630 placed in another chamber, to prevent the vibration of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 from affecting the air conduction sound waves of the air conduction sound generation unit 630 through air transmission within the housing 640. Further description regarding the air conduction sound generation unit 630 may be found in
In some embodiments, to avoid the vibration of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 and the vibration of the air conduction sound generation unit interacting with each other through vibration transmission of the housing 640, the vibration direction of the diaphragm may be perpendicular to the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 vibrates to generate bone conduction acoustic waves, and the vibration direction of the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 may be consistent with the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 so that the sound waves generated by the piezoelectric sound generation unit 620 and the sound waves generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit 610 do not cancel each other as much as possible, thereby improving the output capability and output effect of the bone conduction acoustic waves.
Various embodiments of the bone conduction sound generation unit may be described hereinafter in connection with
In some embodiments, a side of the housing 740 that is connected to the bone conduction sound generation unit 710 may contact the user's facial region, and a vibration generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit 710 may be transmitted to the user through the housing 740. In some embodiments, the housing 740 may be connected to the magnet assembly 7111 via the vibration transmission sheet 713A to suspend the magnet assembly 7111 within the accommodation cavity of the housing 740. For example, the vibration transmission sheet 713A and the magnet assembly 7111 are arranged along the vibration direction, and a side surface of the vibration transmission sheet 713A that is perpendicular to the vibration direction is connected to an end portion of the magnetic conductive cover 7112 that is perpendicular to the vibration direction to fix the magnet assembly 7111. In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 7112 may be connected to the magnet assembly 7111 to realize the fixation of the magnetic conductive cover 7112 with respect to the magnet assembly 7111. In some embodiments, the vibration transmission sheet 713A and the magnetic conductive cover 7112 are arranged along the vibration direction, and the side surface of the vibration transmission sheet 713A that is perpendicular to the vibration direction is connected to the end portion of the magnetic conductive cover 7112 that is perpendicular to the vibration direction. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 700 may further include a vibration transmission sheet 713B, a side surface of the vibration transmission sheet 713B that is perpendicular to the vibration direction is connected to the end portion of the magnet assembly 7111 that is perpendicular to the vibration direction. The other side surface of the vibration transmission sheet 713B that is perpendicular to the vibration direction is connected to a sidewall of the housing 740 that is perpendicular to the vibration direction. It should be noted that only the vibration transmission sheet 713A or the vibration transmission sheet 713B, or both the vibration transmission sheet 713A and the vibration transmission sheet 713B, may be included in the acoustic output device 700 to further enhance the stability of the magnet assembly 7111 in vibration. In some embodiments, the vibration transmission sheet may be disposed between the magnetic conductive cover 7112 and the housing 740, as shown in
In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 7112 is a housing structure having an open end, and the magnet assembly 7111 is disposed within the magnetic conductive cover 7112. One end of the magnet assembly 7111 is connected to a bottom wall opposite to the open end of the magnetic conductive cover 7112, and a sidewall of the magnet assembly 7111 is spaced apart from the sidewall of the housing 740. In some embodiments, there is a distance between the inner wall of the magnetic conductive cover 7112 and the sidewall of the magnet assembly 7111 in a direction perpendicular to the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 710 such that a magnetic gap is formed between the magnetic conductive cover 7112 and the peripheral side of the magnet assembly. One end of the coil 712 is connected to the face-contact side of the housing 740, the other end of the coil 712 extends into the magnetic gap, and there is a distance between the other end of the coil 712 and the magnetic conductive cover 7112 along the vibration direction to ensure a relative movement between the magnetic circuit system 711 and the coil 712.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 800 may include a vibration panel 860 connected to the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 and configured to transmit a mechanical vibration generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 to the human face and act on the user's auditory nerves through the user's skin, bones, and/or tissues, thereby forming the bone conduction sound waves. It is to be appreciated that the housing 840 may have a cylindrical structure (e.g., a cuboid structure, a cylindrical structure), a sphere shape, a trapezoidal shape, etc., or any irregular shape, or any combination thereof, which is not limited to the shape shown in the drawings.
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 800 may also include a dampening sheet 870. The bone conduction sound generation unit 810 may be suspended within the accommodation cavity of the housing 840 through the dampening sheet 870. The vibration panel 860 may not be in contact with the housing 840. In such cases, due to the dampening sheet 870, the mechanical vibration generated by the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 may be less, or even not transmitted to the housing 840, thus preventing the housing 840 from driving the air outside the acoustic output device 800 to vibrate, which is conducive to reducing a sound leakage of the acoustic output device 800. Furthermore, the vibration panel 860 and an element rigidly connected to the vibration panel 860 are elastically connected to the housing 840 and an element rigidly connected to the housing 840 via the dampening sheet 870, which may be approximated as a resonance system. In such cases, when additional elements (e.g., elements such as an air conduction sound generation unit, a piezoelectric sound generation element, a circuit element, a microphone, or the like) additionally disposed with respect to the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 are disposed in the housing 840, the vibration transmission between the additional elements and the vibration panel 860 may be suppressed in a specific frequency band (e.g., greater than a resonance frequency of the resonance system). That is, the influence of the additional elements on the vibration of the vibration panel 860 may be reduced, which ensures that the sensitivity of the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 in the acoustic output device 800 may not be affected by or less affected by the additional elements in the specific frequency band and the acoustic output device 800 has a better acoustic output effect in a larger frequency range, thereby improving the user's listening experience.
In some embodiments, the housing 840 may have an open end, and the vibration panel 860 is provided outside the housing 840 and faces the open end. That is, an edge of the vibration panel 860 is disconnected from the open end of the housing 840, and a connecting rod 861 is provided between the vibration panel 860 and the bone conduction sound generation unit 810. One end of the connecting rod 861 is connected to the bone conduction sound generation unit 81, and the other end of the connecting rod 861 penetrates out of the open end of the housing 840 and is connected to the vibration panel 860, so that the vibration panel 860 and the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 does not contact the housing 840, thereby reducing the sound leakage of the acoustic output device 800. In some embodiments, the dampening sheet 870 may be connected between the connecting rod 861 and the housing 840 to enable suspension of the vibration panel 860 and the bone conduction sound generation unit 810.
In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 may include a bracket 8140, and the vibration panel 860 may be connected to the bracket 8140. In some embodiments, the bracket 8140 may be connected to an end of the connecting rod 861 that is away from the vibration panel 860, as shown in
In some embodiments, the coil 812 may include a first coil 8121 and a second coil 8122. In some embodiments, the first coil 8121 may extend into a magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system from a side proximate to the vibration panel 860 along the vibration direction, and the second coil 8122 may extend into the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system from a side away from the vibration panel 860 along the vibration direction. In some embodiments, to simplify the assembly process, the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 may extend together into the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system from the side proximate to the vibration panel 860. In some embodiments, the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 may further include a maintaining portion, and the maintaining portion is configured for keeping the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 in a fixed shape. For example, the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 may be of one-piece structure. Specifically, the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 may be wound on a shaping material, and the maintaining portion (e.g., a retaining material such as high-temperature tape) adheres to the exterior of the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 such that the first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 form a one-piece structure. The first coil 8121 and the second coil 8122 fixed to the maintaining portion extend into the magnetic gap of the magnetic circuit system from the same side of the vibration panel 860, thus simplifying the process of assembling the coils. In some embodiments, the two coils are formed by the same metal wire or a section of the two coils is connected such that the two coils have only two leads for lead-in and lead-out, which can facilitate the wiring and subsequent electrical connection to other structures.
In some embodiments, in the vibration direction, opposite sides of an edge region 8131 of the first vibration transmission sheet 813 are connected to a side of the bracket 8140 that is close to the magnetic circuit system and a side of the magnetic conductive cover 8112 that is close to the bracket 8140, respectively. The edge region 8141 of the second vibration transmission sheet 814 is connected to a side of the magnetic conductive cover 8112 that is away from the bracket 8140. In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 8112 may be a cylindrical structure with two open ends. In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 8112 may be a closed structure such that the sound generated in the magnetic circuit system does not escape.
In some embodiments, the magnet assembly 8111 may include a magnet 81111, a first magnetic conductive plate 81112, and a second magnetic conductive plate 81113. The first magnetic conductive plate 81112 and the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 are provided on opposite sides of the magnet assembly 8111 in the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 810. The first vibration transmission sheet 813 may support the magnet assembly 8111 from a side of the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 that is away from the second magnetic conductive plate 81113, and the second vibration transmission sheet 814 may support the magnet assembly 8111 from a side of the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 that is away from the first magnetic conductive plate 81112. In some embodiments, a center region 8132 of the first vibration transmission sheet 813 is connected to the side of the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 that is away from the second magnetic conductive plate 81113, and a center region 8142 of the second vibration transmission sheet 814 is connected to the side of the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 that is away from the first magnetic conductive plate 81112. In some embodiments, corners of the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 and/or the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 away from the magnet 81111 may be chamfered. For example, the corners of the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 and the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 on opposite sides (i.e., away from the magnets 81111) may be chamfered to adjust the distribution of the magnetic field formed by the magnetic circuit system so that the magnetic field is more concentrated. In some embodiments, in the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 810, a half-height of the first coil 8121 and a half-thickness of a sideline of the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 that is parallel to the vibration direction may be equal, and a half-height of the second coil 8122 and a half-thickness of a sideline of the second magnetic conductive plate 81113 that is parallel to the vibration direction may be equal, so that the magnetic field may be centrally distributed in a rectangular portion other than a chamfered portion on the first magnetic conductive plate 81112 and/or the second magnetic conductive plate 81113.
In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 8112 may be connected to the bracket 8140. The bracket 8140 may be connected to the housing 840 via the dampening sheet 870 to suspend the bone conduction sound generation unit 810 within the accommodation cavity of the housing 840. In such cases, two sides of the edge region 8131 of the first vibration transmission sheet 813 in the direction perpendicular to the vibration direction may be connected to the bracket 8140 and the magnetic conductive cover 8112, respectively. A side of the edge region 8141 of the second vibration transmission sheet 814 in the direction perpendicular to the vibration direction may be connected to the magnetic conductive cover 8112. The vibration panel 860 may be connected to the bracket 8140 and have a gap from the open end of the housing 840 to ensure that the vibration of the vibration panel 860 may not be affected by the housing 840. It is to be understood that, in some embodiments, the housing 840 and the vibration panel 860 may be connected through an elastic structure, such as an elastic silicone member, to realize the isolation of the housing 840 from the outside world, thereby realizing waterproofing, dustproofing, etc., while ensuring that the vibration of the vibration panel 860 is not affected.
As an alternative embodiment of the magnet assembly 8111, as shown in
In some embodiments, the magnetic conductive cover 932 is rigidly connected to the housing 911 or the vibration panel 913, and a peripheral sidewall of the magnetic conductive cover 932 that is away from the magnet assembly 931 is affixed to an inner wall of the housing 911 to fully utilize the inner space the housing 911, which facilitates miniaturization of the acoustic output device. It may be appreciated that, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the magnetic conductive cover 932 may also be rigidly connected to the housing 911 or the vibration panel 913 by other fixing structures. In some embodiments, an edge region of either of the first vibration transmission sheet 925 and the second vibration transmission sheet 926 may be connected to the open end of the housing 911 through one or a combination of assembling manners such as snapping, gluing, or the like, and the vibration panel 913 is connected to the open end of the housing 911 to form a closed cavity. In some embodiments, a side surface of either of the first vibration transmission sheet 925 and the second vibration transmission sheet 926 that is to the vibration panel 913 is connected to the vibration panel 913, and the vibration panel 913 is connected to the open end of the housing 911. In some embodiments, the vibration panel 913 may be of the same material as the housing 911 and integrally formed with the housing 911. In some embodiments, the vibration panel 913 may be of a different material from the housing 911 and is connected to the housing 911 through one of assembly manners such as snapping, gluing, or the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the magnet assembly 931 may include a magnet 933, a first magnetic conductive plate 934, and a second magnetic conductive plate 935. The first magnetic conductive plate 934 and the second magnetic conductive plate 935 are provided on opposite sides of the magnet 933 in the vibration direction of the bone conduction sound generation unit 930. The first vibration transmission sheet 925 may support the magnet assembly 931 from a side of the first magnetic conductive plate 934 that is away from the second magnetic conductive plate 935, and the second vibration transmission sheet 926 may support the magnet assembly 931 from a side of the second magnetic conductive plate 935 that is away from the first magnetic conductive plate 934. Detailed descriptions regarding the first vibration transmission sheet 925, the second vibration transmission sheet 926, the first magnetic conductive plate 934, the second magnetic conductive plate 935, and the magnet 933 may be found in descriptions regarding the first vibration transmission sheet 813, the second vibration transmission sheet 814, the first magnetic conductive plate 81112, the second magnetic conductive plate 81113, and the magnet 81111 shown in
In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 900 may also include a piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 disposed on the vibrating panel 913. For example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 may be disposed on a side of the vibration panel 913 that contacts the human face. As another example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 may be located on a side of the vibration panel 913 that is away from the face-contact side. As yet another example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 may be embedded in the vibration panel 913. In some embodiments, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 may also be disposed on a sidewall of the housing 911, for example, the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 may be disposed on a sidewall of the housing 911 away from the vibration panel 913 or a sidewall of the housing 911 adjacent to the vibration panel 913. In some embodiments, the acoustic output device 900 may include an air conduction sound generation unit 910 disposed on a side of the sidewall of the housing 911 that is away from the accommodation cavity, where air conduction sound waves emitted by the air conduction sound generation unit 910 may be directly transmitted to the outside world. In some embodiments, the air conduction sound generation unit 910 may also be disposed on the inner side of the sidewall of the housing 911, or in the accommodation cavity of the housing 911 and be fixedly connected with the housing 911 through a fixing member. Furthermore, sound guiding holes (not shown in the drawings) are provided on the housing 911, where the air conduction sound waves outputted from the air conduction sound generation unit 910 may be transmitted via the sound guiding holes to the outside world. Detail descriptions regarding the piezoelectric sound generation unit 920 and the air conduction sound generation unit 910 may be found in
It is noted that
Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent to those skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only and is not limiting. Although not explicitly stated here, those skilled in the art may make various modifications, improvements, and amendments to the present disclosure. These alterations, improvements, and amendments are intended to be suggested by this disclosure and are within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.
Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature, structure, or feature described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to “an embodiment”, “one embodiment”, or “an alternative embodiment” in various portions of the present disclosure are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. In addition, some features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments in the present disclosure may be properly combined.
Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations, therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order except as may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosure discusses some embodiments of the invention currently considered useful by various examples, it should be understood that such details are for illustrative purposes only, and the additional claims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Instead, the claims are intended to cover all combinations of corrections and equivalents consistent with the substance and scope of the embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, although the implementation of various components described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it may also be implemented as a software only solution, e.g., an installation on an existing server or mobile device.
Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description of embodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various embodiments. However, this disclosure does not mean that object of the present disclosure requires more features than the features mentioned in the claims. Rather, claimed subject matter may lie in less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.
In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities or properties used to describe and claim certain embodiments of the present disclosure are to be understood as being modified in some instances by the term “about”, “approximate”, or “substantially”. For example, “about”, “approximate”, or “substantially” may indicate ±20% variation of the value it describes, unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth in the written description and attached claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by a particular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parameters should be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of some embodiments of the present disclosure are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as practicable.
Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patent applications, and other material, such as articles, books, specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like, referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in its entirety for all purposes. History application documents that are inconsistent or conflictive with the contents of the present disclosure are excluded, as well as documents (currently or subsequently appended to the present specification) limiting the broadest scope of the claims of the present disclosure. By way of example, should there be any inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition, and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporated material and that associated with the present document, the description, definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shall prevail.
In closing, it is to be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other modifications that may be employed may be within the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, by way of example, but not of limitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to that precisely as shown and described.
This application is a Continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2022/140959, filed on Dec. 22, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | PCT/CN2022/140959 | Dec 2022 | WO |
| Child | 18914242 | US |
