Patent Application
20240040321
The invention relates to an electrodynamic sound transducer having a transducer basket having at least one air passage, a flexible membrane for generating sound, a magnetic system having magnets, a magnetic back-iron, a pole plate, and an air gap between the pole plate and the magnets, and a voice coil on a substantially cylindrical coil carrier, wherein the latter at one end dips into the air gap and at the other end is connected to the membrane.
A similar sound transducer is already known from documents PCT/DE2021/000031 and DE 10 2020 001 041.5 of the inventor, which can be integrated in an inconspicuous and space-saving fashion in an interior paneling of a vehicle, the surface of the interior paneling usually becoming part of the membrane of the sound transducer. However, it has been discovered that the configuration described there was not yet fully able to achieve the desired sound quality.
Therefore, the problem addressed by the invention is to significantly improve the known type of an integrated sound transducer merging with the interior paneling of a vehicle in regard to its audio quality.
This problem is solved by the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous refinements of the invention are the subject matter of dependent claims.
The inventor has discovered the following:
Particularly in the automotive and aviation industry, the integration of the existing sound transducers in the remaining surfaces of the paneling in the doors, sides, ceilings and instrument panels is a very major problem, since these are usually relatively deep and heavy in design and can in particular optically disturb the design.
Due to the necessity for acoustic signals and communication in the vehicles and for reasons of audio quality, however, the installation of sound transducers cannot be avoided. Thus, for example in the automotive industry, tweeters are usually accommodated in the mirror triangles, A-columns, or lying in the corners of the instrument panels and in the rear in the C or D-columns or in paneling.
The situation is even more difficult in the case of the lower and larger-diameter midranges and basses. Here, an adequate design space must be provided for all loudspeakers for the wiring, a back-side cover, adapters, protective grilles, and many amplifier channels in order to transmit appropriate power.
What is more, increasingly more electronics, storage batteries, safety features such as reinforcements or airbags are present especially in the new hybrid and E-vehicles, in the doors or in the instrument panels, in the rear shelves or the A, B, C and D-columns or the spars. Therefore, a reduced design space requirement, efficiency, and weight saving are becoming increasingly important.
As already described in document PCT/DE2021/000031, the type of the integrated sound transducer has a basket integrated in a support structure of a vehicle component, and a membrane which utilizes the surface of the vehicle component to generate sound, neither a bead nor a centering being present. In other words, the sound transducer merges with the respective vehicle component, for example with the support structure of a paneling.
As compared to the sound transducer presented in document PCT/DE2021/000031, the inventor has discovered that the following elements and components are to be fundamentally altered in order to achieve the goal of an improved rendering, where individual changes do not necessarily lead to success, but rather the success will emerge only from the interplay of multiple changes. Basically, these elements are:
According to the invention, the coil carrier of the voice coil is now no longer connected directly to the membrane, but instead across a mounting adapter, wherein the mounting adapter at the voice coil side is complementary in shape to the coil carrier of the voice coil and at the membrane side is complementary in shape to the free-form surface of the membrane, wherein preferably the basic shape of the contours of the voice coil and the mounting adapter—seen from the front or from the rear—is also different in configuration. The membrane can be configured as a free-form surface extending in three dimensions. Furthermore, the mounting adapter should be configured without steps and edges between the coil carrier of the voice coil and the membrane. Moreover, the pole plate of the magnetic system should be connected centrally and directly through a central element to the free-form surface of the membrane. Furthermore, the membrane should stand in communication with the transducer basket across an elastic damper layer. A flexible sandwich connection to an interior foam layer is produced here through an encircling portion of the membrane and an encircling portion of the transducer basket.
Thanks to the improvements according to the invention in the sound transducer, basically the following problems for sound transducers of this type in the prior art are improved in regard to standing and reflected modes, surface resonances, and distortion susceptibility of the membrane.
On the basis of the statements made above, the inventor is proposing the improvement in an electrodynamic sound transducer known per se, wherein the known sound transducer comprises:
The improvement according to the invention consists in:
It is explicitly pointed out that the invention does not relate to sound transducers having a membrane with conical shaping. However, if sound transducers having a membrane in some other rotationally symmetrical shaping are known on the contrary from the prior art, these are also considered as not belonging to the invention.
Given the configuration of the membrane, it is advantageous for the membrane to have different thicknesses in the surface. In this way, partial surfaces with less shape stability can be reinforced, so that the formation of unwanted oscillation modes is prevented.
In particular, the membrane can be thinner in regions of greater curvature and thicker in regions with smaller curvature.
Furthermore, it is especially advantageous for the membrane to be thicker in regions of the connection to force-transmitting components than in free regions without force transmission. In this way, the force-introducing regions of the membrane are reinforced, these being in particular the regions with the mounting adapter and/or the central element and/or regions of the sandwich-like connection to the basket across a foam layer, in order to also prevent here the formation of unwanted spurious oscillations.
Furthermore, the transducer basket can comprise an encircling shoulder, at which the membrane is connected to the transducer basket via the foam layer. The shoulder thus functions as a connection surface of the transducer basket to the membrane with the elastic foam layer arranged in between.
Likewise, the transducer basket can comprise at least one encircling groove, which prevents resonances and modes from moving further outwardly and then being reflected.
It has furthermore been discovered that it is especially advantageous for the central element to be formed single-piece, since oscillation reflections may occur at the boundary surfaces of multipiece elements.
Advantageously, the membrane of the sound transducer can be formed single-piece and/or sandwich-like.
Furthermore, the membrane can have at least one convex and at least one concave region, wherein these regions pass smoothly into one another, i.e., only gentle transitions are present, and no shoulders and edges, in order to avoid oscillation reflections.
It is especially advantageous that the possibility exists in this sound transducer to make the membrane coated with a laminating material. In this way, the sound transducer can be coated with the customary laminating materials in automotive technology in the interior and thus becomes practically “invisible” in the sense that it is unrecognizable from the passenger compartment, i.e., blends into the surfaces.
Furthermore, in one particular configuration, the membrane can have a thickness gradient which is thicker at the central fastening region and becomes thinner toward the outside at least at first.
The membrane can also have a thickness gradient which is thicker at the fastening region of the mounting adapter and becomes thinner toward the central fastening region.
Likewise, the membrane can advantageously have a thickness gradient which is thicker at the fastening region of the mounting adapter and becomes thinner toward the encircling shoulder.
Thanks to the sound transducer being integrated in a vehicle, the membrane can also extend beyond the encircling shoulder and the foam layer.
Furthermore, the membrane can have a thickness gradient which increases at least initially in the region going beyond the foam layer.
Advantageously, the membrane should have a thickness gradient which is free of shoulders and only has very gradual thickness changes.
It is also especially advantageous in order to avoid unwanted modes for the outer and/or inner contour of the encircling shoulder and the outer and/or inner contour of the mounting adapter of the coil carrier of the voice coil—each time looking in a top view onto the sound transducer, i.e., in a view from the front or from the rear—to be significantly different in regard to their basic shape. As a rule, the voice coil will have a round contour shape, so that the contour of the mounting adapter should accordingly be non-round. For example, the contour of the mounting adapter can then be rectangular or square with preferably rounded corners. Advantageously, however, both contours should have at least approximately to one another one congruent center of gravity or one congruent center so that no unwanted torques are produced on the voice coil.
In accordance with the above-described feature, it is also proposed that, if an encircling groove is present, the outer and/or inner contour of the encircling groove of the transducer basket and the encircling outer and/or inner contour of the mounting adapter of the coil carrier of the voice coil—each time looking in a top view onto the sound transducer—are significantly different in regard to their basic shape.
Furthermore, it is proposed accordingly that, if an encircling shoulder is present on the transducer basket, the outer and/or inner contour of the shoulder of the transducer basket and the outer and/or inner contour of the mounting adapter in the region of the connection to the coil carrier and/or in the region of the connection to the membrane—each time looking in a top view onto the sound transducer—are significantly different in regard to their basic shape.
Regarding the configuration of the magnetic system, it is advantageous for a ring-shaped copper cap to be arranged on the central region of the magnet.
Also advantageously the transducer basket of the sound transducer can be configured as part of a support structure of a land, air, or water vehicle, wherein the membrane is integrated seamlessly in the interior paneling of the vehicle.
Moreover, the transducer basket can be part of a support structure of a land, air, or water vehicle, wherein the membrane is laminated seamlessly with the lamination of the interior paneling of the vehicle.
Preferably, the sound transducer can be configured such that it is free of a bead on the membrane and/or free of a centering for the membrane.
Moreover, especially preferably the sound transducer can be configured such that the voice coil comprises two separate windings in the same air gap. The windings can be electrically hooked up in series or in parallel, wherein they are contacted via a single common amplifier channel or in each case via their own amplifier channel.
Finally, the sound transducer can also be configured such that the transducer basket is already configured as part of a support structure of a vehicle, i.e., the basket is already configured during the fabrication of the support structure.
Furthermore, it is pointed out that, in a special configuration in the context of the invention, the sound transducer can also be configured such that the membrane has the same thickness throughout and/or its free-form surface has no deformation of any kind, i.e., is straight and flat, and/or the membrane has no surface lamination.
In the following, the invention is described more closely on the basis of preferred exemplary embodiments with the aid of the figures, where substantially only the features necessary to understand the invention are represented. There are shown, specifically:
The voice coil dips into the air gap of the magnetic system, which is formed by the pole plate 4 and the copper cap 5. The voice coil consists of the coil carrier 8 and the two separate windings 14 and 16 with their electrical contacting points 25 and 26. The voice coil carrier is fastened on the underside of the support membrane 24. At the center of the magnetic system is situated an elastic central guide damper 12 with its webs and air passages 13, the number of which should likewise correspond to a prime number. At its center, the central guide damper 12 is connected across an elastic central damper 7 to the underside of the membrane 2.
In this embodiment, the transducer basket 21 is configured such that it is set back so far that it can be mounted with the support structure, the paneling and the lamination of a vehicle virtually flush with the baffle and thus transmits the sound directly. The two broken lines and double arrows indicate the direction of movement of the voice coil and the membrane.
By contrast with the previously known configurations of
The mounting adapter 24 thanks to a configuration which accordingly is complementary in shape to the membrane in the fastening region, offers an increased fastening surface, as compared to a direct mounting of a coil carrier, on the underside of the membrane 22 and therefore transmits the kinetic energy in a better way. On the other hand, when the surface of the membrane 22 is touched or pressed in, this prevents the much less stable voice coil 29 with the coils 15, 16 and their coil carrier 8 from being able to be deformed or moved off center such that they are dragged in the air gap of the magnetic system or become jammed so that the sound transducer can no longer be used.
This danger of jamming exists because the air gap of the magnetic system, which is formed by the pot-shaped magnetic back-iron 31, the magnet 30 and the pole plate 27, is also only a few tenths of a millimeter larger than the voice coil 29 around its periphery.
A further way of preventing a disruption due to touching, pressing, or bumping is to configure the geometry of the transducer basket 21 such that the distance behind the membrane up to the transducer basket 21 is so slight that the region outside of the voice coil 29 with its mounting adapter 24 is only a few tenths larger than the largest possible amplitude of the membrane 22, 39.
A further improvement relates to the multipiece central guide damper 12 or the central damper 7. It has been discovered that it is advantageous to use instead of this a single-piece central element 28. But this should be stronger and less dampening and less movable in its design here. This also ensures that no damage is caused by pressing in or accidentally bumping against the membrane 22. Furthermore, thanks to the use of said single-piece central element 28, a much better ring mode formation is assured, which is also proven acoustically and by measurements, as proven by the measurements shown below.
A further advantageous property of the new sound transducer is the embossing of a contour on the surface of the membrane on one side, preferably on the underside, i.e., the side of the membrane 22 facing the central element 28 and the mounting adapter 24. The height difference of the embossing as compared to the surface remaining smooth is only a few tenths of a millimeter here. The material thickness of the membrane 22 itself is only slightly thicker than the thinnest remaining region here. Thus, in the mounting region of the central element 28 there is a thickening 43, which gently diminishes toward the outside, in order then to again increase gently up to the inner peripheral thickening 40 on the mounting adapter 24.
Outside the thickening 40 in the mounting region of the mounting adapter 24, the material thickness again becomes gently thinner until just before the encircling periphery of the membrane 22 and only just before the actual encircling membrane end does the material thickness again increase and thereby forms an impedance termination 41.
For the embossing of the membrane, said membrane originally smooth on both sides is placed in a corresponding heatable mold and deformed by uniform heating and very high pressure. The polymer chain structure is influenced here such that, after cooldown below the softening point, the new shape and structure is assumed and preserved by said structure.
Besides other possible deformation processes, the one described above can also be used for the membrane 39 configured as a 3D free-form surface, as will be described in
This produces the effect that the ring wave propagation can be formed in uninterrupted and low-reflection dampening fashion toward the inside—i.e., between the voice coil 29 with the mounting adapter 24 and the central element 28 —and to the outside as far as the margin, depending on the frequency and wavelength, or the amplitude. The now thicker terminating margin 41 acts here like an impedance termination and ensures that short-wave perturbations are reflected back from the margin and disrupt the then arriving modes.
A highly integrated laminated version of the sound transducer is shown in
The continuously positioned support film 35 prevents the narrow gap formed by the encircling groove 38 and the membrane 39, which is set back in encircling fashion, from emerging in optically long-lasting fashion on the front or outer side of the laminating material 36 coated on top of it. This step is important primarily when using laminated leather, since leather has virtually no surface tension at all and still undergoes change when conditions are humid or dry. But this step can also be advantageous in the case of lamination with other materials and cover layers.
Furthermore, the special shape and surface of this variant should be described. Unlike the embodiments of
The mounting adapter 24 and the central element 28 also play a load-bearing role in this version of the sound transducer, whether concave, convex, or flat, whether laminated or unlaminated. The respectively adapted surface and material properties of the two elements ensure that the ring modes are formed in a physically secure manner, that the system functions as a ring mode converter over the entire frequency range, and the construction behind the membrane 39 is neither optically nor haptically evident or becomes perceptible on the respective surface of the membrane 39 and the laminating materials 36. The corresponding protection mechanisms against a disruption, as already described above for
Another improved element is the encircling groove 38, arranged outwardly behind the shoulder 37, in the preferably laminated versions. It has been discovered that, whether with a flat, a 3D-deformed, or a membrane of uniform thickness, this membrane 39 should not extend far beyond the encircling shoulder 37. In the case of the laminated membrane version, this membrane 39 should not be mounted directly beyond the encircling groove 38 with other encircling or adjoining components, such as the foam base 34 or a support structure 33 of the paneling.
The reason for this as well is that the reflection of oscillations is to be avoided. The modes or oscillations introduced into the membrane 39 must be formed beyond the membrane end without being reflected. It is important for the membrane margin, which is mounted flexibly on the encircling shoulder 37 of the transducer basket 21 on the back side across the one-sided adhesive damper layer 23, to still be able to move freely.
This is shown in
Furthermore, the following parts are shown: the magnetic back-iron 32, the magnet 30, the pole plate 27, the transducer basket 21 with the encircling shoulder 37, the voice coil 29, the central element 28, the mounting adapter 24, the damper layer 23, being adhesive on one side in the direction toward the membrane 22.
In
As can be seen from
These reflections are shown in
One solution approach to this problem is described in
By contrast with the embodiments in
Surprisingly, it has also been discovered that, by using such different basic contours for the mounting adapter 24 in the mounting region for the membrane 39 in relation to the basic contour of the voice coil carrier with the voice coil 29, the configuration of the outer shape of the membrane 39 is almost insignificant, for the same sound quality.
Even if the membrane 39 is likewise circular round in configuration, like the voice coil 29, the negative influences and perturbations are greatly held in check. This is due to the fact that the reflected modes returning from the membrane margin are reflected back toward the outer region of the oval encircling shoulder 37 and die down in the outer region.
In the following
In
On the whole, therefore, the invention proposes an electrodynamic sound transducer or loudspeaker in which:
Although the invention has been described and illustrated more closely in detail by the preferred exemplary embodiment, the invention is not limited by the disclosed examples and other variations can be derived from it by the person skilled in the art, without leaving the protection scope of the invention. In particular, the invention is not limited to the indicated combinations of features, but rather other combinations and partial combinations which can be implemented in a way obvious to the skilled person can also be formed from the disclosed features. Thus, implementations which are not explicitly shown in the figures, yet which emerge from and can be created from the explained embodiments by separate combinations of features, should also be deemed to be encompassed and disclosed by the invention. It also lies within the scope of the invention to produce a mechanical reversal of the functions of the individual mechanical elements of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| DE102022118813 | Jul 2022 | DE | national |
