Apple Inc.

Jesse A Lippert

Nikolas T Vitt

Rex Tyler Ehman

Christopher R Wilk

Neal D Evans

Brad G Boozer

Ruchir M Dave

Shannon X Yang

Anthony Sagala Montevirgen

Samuel Bruce Weiss

Trevor J Ness

Maegan K Spencer

Scott P Porter

Sylvain J Choisel

Daniel K Boothe

Paul Choiniere

William C Lukens

Dennis R Pyper

Simon K Porter

David M Pelletier

Amin M Younes

Eugene H Fox

David S Wilkes, Jr

Warren Taylor

Sathyanarayanan Kaliyamoorthy

A liquid-resistant module can be formed as a laminated construct having a housing, a cap, and a port membrane to inhibit liquid from passing across the membrane. The housing defines an internal duct extending from an inlet port to an outlet region. The cap defines an acoustic port and extends across the outlet region of the housing. The port membrane is attached to the cap and extends across the acoustic passage. The port membrane inhibits passage of liquid water through the membrane at differential pressures across the membrane less than a threshold pressure differential, and yet is gas permeable. The module can provide a liquid-resistant seal with an enclosure of an electronic device, and an enclosed microphone transducer or an enclosed loudspeaker transducer can be attached to the cap such that a port opening to or from the transducer is aligned with the acoustic port.

Liquid-resistant modules, acoustic transducers and electronic devices

An acoustic module, such as a microphone or speaker module, includes an acoustic membrane that vibrates to produce acoustic waves and an acoustic cavity through which acoustic waves produced by the membrane travel. A liquid removal mechanism removes liquid from the acoustic cavity. Such a liquid removal mechanism may include the acoustic membrane, heating elements, hydrophobic and/or hydrophilic surfaces, and so on. In some cases, the liquid removal mechanism may remove liquid from the acoustic cavity upon connection of the acoustic module and/or an associated electronic device to an external power source.

Evacuation of liquid from acoustic space

An acoustic transducer can have an acoustic diaphragm defining a barometric vent configured to equalize a barometric pressure-gradient across the acoustic diaphragm. Such a barometric vent can be formed by an aperture through the acoustic diaphragm. A gas-permeable vent membrane can be coupled with the acoustic diaphragm and extend across the aperture. The vent membrane can inhibit movement of liquid across the vent membrane. An acoustic-transducer module can include a chassis a chassis configured to mount the acoustic-transducer module to another module, and a suspension system can movably couple the acoustic diaphragm with the chassis. Such an acoustic-transducer module can sealably couple with a housing of a water-resistant electronic device to inhibit a flow of liquid into the housing while providing a water-resistant barometric vent to the housing, as well as an acoustic diaphragm having a sufficient size to meet or exceed selected acoustic-performance targets.

Vented acoustic transducers and related methods and systems

An electronic device comprising having an enclosure with an enclosure wall separating a surrounding environment from an encased space. The enclosure wall includes a top portion having an acoustic channel extending from the encased space to the surrounding environment and a bottom portion. A microphone assembly module positioned within the encased space, and having a microphone acoustically coupled to a sound inlet port that is aligned with the acoustic channel and an air permeable water resistant membrane. A first support member is dimensioned to translatably couple the microphone assembly module to the top portion of the enclosure wall and translate the microphone assembly in response to a pressure change within the acoustic channel, and a second support member is dimensioned to translatably couple the microphone assembly module to the bottom portion of the enclosure wall.

Shock mounted transducer assembly

An acoustic module is coupled to an acoustic passage. The acoustic module includes an acoustic transducer coupled to a diaphragm. A controller or other circuitry measures an impedance of the acoustic transducer. Based on the impedance, the controller determines whether the impedance indicates that the acoustic passage is blocked. The controller may determine that the acoustic passage is blocked by liquid that is present in the acoustic passage. When the controller determines based on the impedance that liquid is present in the acoustic passage, the controller may drive out, purge, and/or otherwise remove the liquid, such as by using the acoustic transducer to vibrate the diaphragm.

Liquid detection for an acoustic module

An electronic device having a composite acoustic membrane to inhibit water ingress and to allow sound transmission, is disclosed. Embodiments include an electroacoustic transducer within an encased space of a casing, and a composite acoustic membrane between the electroacoustic transducer and an acoustic port in the casing. The acoustic membrane may include a nonporous region at least partly covering the acoustic port, and a porous region to vent the electroacoustic transducer volume to the encased space and/or to an environment surrounding the casing. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Device having a composite acoustic membrane

An electronic device with a port is disclosed. To expel liquid in the port, the port includes modifications to form a capillary pressure gradient with the liquid, causing uneven capillary forces to act on the liquid in the port. For example, the port may include an asymmetric profile with one section having a curved profile and another section having one or more linear profiles that join at an edge. The edge may form a relative higher curved surface as compared to the curved profile. As a result, the capillary pressure gradient may exert a higher capillary pressure in a location associated with the edge, as compared to a capillary pressure along the curved profile. The capillary pressure gradient causes ambient air into the port along the edge, and separates the liquid from the edge, allowing gravity to overcome atmospheric pressure and causing removal of the liquid from the port.

Electronic device with an irregular port to expel liquid

A differential pressure gradient micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone for measuring an acoustic characteristic of a loudspeaker. The microphone includes a MEMS microphone housing and a compliant membrane mounted in the MEMS microphone housing, the compliant membrane dividing the MEMS microphone housing into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first chamber includes a primary port open to a first side of the compliant membrane and the second chamber includes a secondary port open to a second side of the compliant membrane, and the primary port and the secondary port are tuned with respect to one another to control a pressure difference between the first side and the second side of the compliant membrane such that at least 10 dB of attenuation is observed in a microphone signal output relative to a microphone having a sealed first or second chamber.

Pressure gradient microphone for measuring an acoustic characteristic of a loudspeaker

An electronic device having a microphone behind a water resistant, air-impermeable membrane is disclosed. Embodiments include a trapped volume of air between the membrane and the microphone. A barometric equalization element may define an acoustic leak path, e.g., a tortuous leak path, between the trapped volume of air and an encased space within a casing of the electronic device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Microphone assembly having an acoustic leak path

A liquid-tolerant acoustic device assembly includes a housing with an acoustic aperture connected to a through hole in the housing. An acoustic device such as a microphone or speaker that includes a liquid resistant membrane is coupled to the through hole utilizing a gasket. A protrusion is positioned between the through hole and the gasket. The configuration of the assembly may be tuned such that liquid present in the through hole is allowed to exit and/or functioning of the acoustic device is not impaired by the presence of the liquid in the through hole. The assembly may be incorporated into an electronic device.

Liquid-tolerant acoustic device configurations

An acoustic port of acoustic device is covered with a mesh and/or other structure that resists entry of liquid and/or other materials into the acoustic device. Apertures of a housing that are separated by an umbrella section are coupled to the acoustic port such that the umbrella section may cover the acoustic port. In this way, when liquid enters one or more of the apertures, the umbrella section may direct the liquid away from the mesh such that pressure from the liquid upon the mesh may be reduced. As such, potential damage to the mesh and/or internal acoustic device components may be mitigated. In some implementations, the apertures may be covered with an additional mesh. Such additional mesh may further reduce the pressure of entering liquid on the mesh covering the acoustic port of the acoustic device.

Liquid resistant acoustic device

A speaker or microphone module includes an acoustic membrane and at least one pressure vent. The pressure vent equalizes barometric pressure on a first side of the acoustic membrane with barometric pressure on a second side of the acoustic membrane. Further, the pressure vent is located in an acoustic path of the speaker or microphone module. In this way, differences between barometric pressures on the different sides of the acoustic membrane may not hinder movement of the acoustic membrane. In one or more implementations, the pressure vent may be acoustically opaque. As the pressure vent is located in the acoustic path of the speaker or microphone module, being acoustically opaque may ensure that the pressure vent itself does not interfere with the operation of the speaker or microphone module.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Jesse A Lippert