Abstract
A sound transducer has a diaphragm cup, a transducer element, and a housing, the diaphragm cup having a diaphragm and a wall. The diaphragm, the wall, and at least one housing part are formed in one piece as a fiber-plastic composite component. At least one first region of the fiber-plastic composite component is reinforced with fibers, and at least one second region of the fiber-plastic composite component is free of fibers, so that waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected at a transition from the at least one first region to the at least one second region.
Claims
1. A device comprising: a diaphragm cup that includes a diaphragm and a wall; a transducer; and a housing; wherein: the diaphragm, the wall of the diaphragm cup, and at least one part of the housing are formed as a one-piece fiber-plastic composite component; at least one first region of the fiber-plastic composite component is reinforced with fibers and at least one second region of the fiber-plastic composite component is free of the fibers so that waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected at a transition from the at least one first region to the at least one second region, wherein at least one edge or rib is arranged on an outer side and/or on an inner side of the fiber-plastic composite component so that the waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected in the region of the at least one edge or rib.
2. A device comprising: a diaphragm cup that includes a diaphragm and a wall; a transducer; and a housing; wherein: the diaphragm, the wall of the diaphragm cup, and at least one part of the housing are formed as a one-piece fiber-plastic composite component; at least one first region of the fiber-plastic composite component is reinforced with fibers and at least one second region of the fiber-plastic composite component is free of the fibers so that waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected at a transition from the at least one first region to the at least one second region, wherein at least one edge or rib is arranged on, and in one piece with, an outer side and/or on an inner side of the fiber-plastic composite component so that the waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected in the region of the at least one edge or rib.
3. The device of claim 1, wherein inside the fiber-plastic composite component, at least one rigidifying structure is connected to the fiber-plastic composite component.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein material of the rigidifying structure is a metal, a ceramic, a plastic, a fiber-reinforced plastic, or a combination of two or more of these materials.
5. The device of claim 1, wherein the fibers in the at least one first region are in the form of a one-layer or multi-layer fiber structure, the fiber structure being one of or a combination of two or more of a weave, a non-crimp fabric, a warp-knitted fabric, a knit fabric, a meshwork, and a nonwoven structure.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the fibers are one of or a combination of two or more of glass fibers, carbon fibers, aramide fibers, basalt fibers, fibers made of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), fibers made of poly(p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole) (PBO), fibers made of liquid crystal polymer (LCP), and flax fibers.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the plastic of the fiber-plastic composite component is a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic.
8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one first region includes at least one subregion of the diaphragm, at least one subregion of the wall, and/or at least one subregion of the housing part.
9. The device of claim 8, wherein at least two different resonant frequencies of the diaphragm are caused by a shape of the at least one fiber-reinforced subregion and/or by a number of the subregions reinforced with fibers.
10. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one first region includes at least one subregion of the diaphragm that is shaped as a circular surface, an oval surface, a circular annular shape, an oval annular shape, a rectangular shape, or a combination of two or more of these shapes.
11. A device comprising: a diaphragm cup that includes a diaphragm and a wall; a transducer; and a housing; wherein: the diaphragm, the wall of the diaphragm cup, and at least one part of the housing are formed as a one-piece fiber-plastic composite component; at least one first region of the fiber-plastic composite component is reinforced with fibers and at least one second region of the fiber-plastic composite component is free of the fibers so that waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected at a transition from the at least one first region to the at least one second region, wherein the at least one first region includes at least one subregion of the diaphragm, the fibers being arranged in the diaphragm in the form of a multi-layer fiber structure that includes a plurality of layers that are shaped differently than one another.
12. A device comprising: a diaphragm cup that includes a diaphragm and a wall; a transducer; and a housing; wherein: the diaphragm, the wall of the diaphragm cup, and at least one part of the housing are formed as a one-piece fiber-plastic composite component; at least one first region of the fiber-plastic composite component is reinforced with fibers and at least one second region of the fiber-plastic composite component is free of the fibers so that waves in the fiber-plastic composite component are at least partly reflected at a transition from the at least one first region to the at least one second region, wherein the housing part that is formed as part of the one-piece fiber-plastic composite component is an upper part of the housing, and the housing includes a lower part that is separate from the one-piece fiber-plastic composite component and that is connected to the upper part of the housing.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a sound transducer having a fiber-plastic composite component according to an example embodiment of the present invention.
(2) FIGS. 2-7 show example embodiments of the fiber-plastic composite component having at least one fiber-reinforced region and at least one region that is free of fibers.
(3) FIGS. 8-12 show example embodiments of the fiber-plastic composite component having a fiber-reinforced diaphragm and edges situated on the inside of the fiber-plastic composite component.
(4) FIGS. 13 and 14 show example embodiments of the fiber-plastic composite component with additional rigidifying structures.
(5) FIGS. 15-20 show example embodiments of the fiber-plastic composite component, with the diaphragm reinforced in subregions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(6) In the following description of the example embodiments of the present invention, identical elements are designated with identical reference characters, and a repeated description of these elements in individual cases is omitted. The figures show the subject matter of the present invention only schematically.
(7) FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of a sound transducer 1, in a sectional view from the side. Sound transducer 1 includes a fiber-plastic composite component 7 that is made in one piece and includes a diaphragm cup 3 and a housing part 6. Diaphragm cup 3 has at its end face a diaphragm 2 that adjoins a wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3. On the inside of diaphragm 2, a transducer element 16 is accommodated that is realized for example as a piezoelement. Alternatively, transducer element 16 can be realized as an electrostatic transducer, an electret transducer, or a piezoelectret transducer.
(8) Transducer element 16 is connected to a control electronics 20 via connecting lines 18. Housing part 6, realized in one piece with fiber-plastic composite component 7, is realized as a housing upper part in the example embodiment of FIG. 1. The part of housing part 6 adjoining diaphragm cup 3 is substantially realized as a cylindrical shape having a shoulder 5 adjoining diaphragm cup 3. Housing part 6 additionally has a connecting region 9. A connecting line 22 that produces an electrical connection to control electronics 20 is routed through connecting region 9.
(9) In the depicted example, control electronics 20 is situated on a housing lower part 8 that is connected to the housing upper part. Alternatively, control electronics 20 is built into housing part 6 or into fiber-plastic composite component 7. Housing lower part 8 then acts only as a cover in order to close the sensor.
(10) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1, fiber-plastic composite component 7 is reinforced in the region of diaphragm 2 with fibers, so that a fiber-reinforced region 10 is formed there. Wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3, as well as housing part 6 with shoulder 5 and connecting region 9, are each free of fibers, and are thus realized as fiber-free regions 11.
(11) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 1 of fiber-plastic composite component 7, between diaphragm 2 and wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3 there is a transition between first region 10, reinforced with fibers, and second region 11, free of fibers. At this transition, the material properties of fiber-plastic composite component 7 change discontinuously, and in particular the vibration properties of fiber-plastic composite component 7 change discontinuously. Waves that, going out from diaphragm 2, run through fiber-plastic composite component 7, are at least partly reflected at this transition, so that a transmission of a vibration of diaphragm 2 via wall 4 to housing part 6 is reduced.
(12) In FIGS. 2-7, embodiments of fiber-plastic composite component 7 are shown. FIGS. 2-7 each shows fiber-plastic composite component 7 in a sectional view from the side. The geometric shape of fiber-plastic composite component 7 is identical in all six of the example embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-7. Fiber-plastic composite component 7 has in each case a diaphragm cup 3 having a diaphragm 2 and a wall 4. Wall 4 goes over into a housing part 6, housing part 6 having a connecting region 9.
(13) Fiber-plastic composite component 7 differs in each case only in the configuration of first regions 10, reinforced with fibers, and of second regions 11, which are free of fibers.
(14) In the example embodiment of FIG. 2, as is shown with reference to FIG. 1, only diaphragm 2 is realized as first region 10, reinforced with fibers. The other regions of fiber-plastic composite component 7 are each formed as second regions 11, free of fibers.
(15) In the variant embodiment of FIG. 3, only wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3 is fashioned as a first region 10 that is reinforced with fibers. Diaphragm 2 and housing part 6 are formed as second regions 11, free of fibers.
(16) In FIG. 4, diaphragm 2 and wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3 are realized as second regions 11 that are free of fibers. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 4, housing part 6 has a shoulder 5, situated adjacent to wall 4, having first fiber-reinforced region 10. The other parts of housing part 6 are realized as second region 11, free of fibers.
(17) In FIGS. 5 and 6, as described with reference to 4, both diaphragm 2 and wall 4 are realized as second regions 11 that are free of fibers. In the example embodiments of FIGS. 5 and 6, subregions of housing part 6 are in each case realized as first region 10, first region 10 in each case not adjoining wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3.
(18) In the example of FIG. 6, only connecting region 9 is realized as a first region 10, while the rest of fiber-plastic composite component 7 is realized as second region 11, free of fibers.
(19) The examples shown in FIGS. 2-6 for the configuration of the at least one first region 10 and at least one second region 11 are to be understood only as examples. These example embodiments can be combined with one another in any manner, as is shown for example in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 shows a combination of the configuration of the at least one first region 10 of FIGS. 2, 3, and 6.
(20) In addition, many other configurations are conceivable for the configuration of the first regions and of the second regions.
(21) FIGS. 8-12 each shows a fiber-plastic composite component 7, which, as described already with reference to FIG. 2, has a diaphragm 2, a wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3, and a housing part 6. In the sectional representations of FIGS. 8-12, it can be seen that diaphragm 2 is realized as a first region 10 that is reinforced with fibers. The remaining regions of fiber-plastic composite component 7 are free of fibers. Through the transition from a first region 10 reinforced with fibers to a second region 11 free of fibers, at the transition between diaphragm 2 and wall 4, a change of the vibration properties of fiber-plastic composite component 7 is achieved by which the waves that, going out from diaphragm 2, move in the direction of housing part 6 are at least partly reflected.
(22) In order to further support the reflection of the waves and to further reduce vibrations outside diaphragm 2 of fiber-plastic composite component 7, at least one projection in the form of an edge 12 is situated at the transition from diaphragm 2 to wall 4 of diaphragm cup 3 in each of the example embodiments of FIGS. 8-12. In the region of edge 12, relative to the other regions of fiber-plastic composite component 7, there is an increased quantity of material, so that this region has different vibration properties than the other parts of fiber-plastic composite component 7.
(23) In the example embodiment of FIG. 8, a single edge 12 is provided that is formed on the inside of fiber-plastic composite component 7, in the area of the transition from wall 4 to diaphragm 2, running around circumferentially. In the example embodiment of FIG. 9, edge 12 has two steps, so that edge 12 provides not just one impact point at which waves can be reflected, but provides two of them in direct succession.
(24) In the example embodiment of FIG. 10, on edge 12 a circumferential rib 13 is additionally provided that is connected to edge 12 with a material fit and, due to the additional material, further increases the rigidity and the mass in this region. In this way, the provision of rib 13 also results in an impact point at which waves in the material are at least partly reflected.
(25) In the example embodiment of FIG. 11, edge 12 is rounded off, but otherwise corresponds to the example embodiment described with reference to FIG. 8.
(26) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 12, in addition to the example embodiment already described with reference to FIG. 8, an additional edge 12′ is situated in the area of housing part 6. In this way, in this example embodiment, two impact points are formed that particularly effectively suppress a transmission of waves going out from diaphragm 2 at connection region 9.
(27) Of course, the variant embodiments shown in FIGS. 8-12 can be combined in any desired manner. In addition, it is conceivable to situate edges and/or ribs at additional positions not shown in FIGS. 8-12. In each case, the edges or ribs are preferably made with a material fit in the fiber-plastic composite component.
(28) In FIGS. 13 and 14, two example embodiments of fiber-plastic composite component 7 are shown, fiber-plastic composite component 7 again having a diaphragm 2, a wall 4, and a housing part 6.
(29) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 13, in the area of wall 4 two rigidifying structures 14 are connected to fiber-plastic composite component 7. At the points at which rigidifying structures 14 are connected to fiber-plastic composite component 7, the rigidity is increased, so that an impact point results there. At the impact points introduced by the two rigidifying structures 14, waves running through fiber-plastic composite component 7 are at least partly reflected, so that the transmission of waves from diaphragm 2 to housing part 6 is significantly reduced.
(30) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, in contrast to the example embodiment described with reference to FIG. 13, only one rigidifying structure 14 is provided. In order to reduce a transmission of waves, in particular into connecting region 9, in the example embodiment shown in FIG. 14 connecting region 9 is realized as a first region 10 and is reinforced with fibers.
(31) Compared to the remaining parts of housing part 6, realized as second regions 11, i.e., being free of fibers, in connecting region 9 the vibration properties of fiber-plastic composite component 7 are changed, so that an impact point arises at the transition, and waves running through fiber-plastic composite component 7 are at least partly reflected.
(32) The rigidifying structures 14 shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 can of course also be combined with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-12. In addition, the person skilled in the art can also situate rigidifying structures 14 at other positions.
(33) In each of FIGS. 15-19, fiber-plastic composite components 7 are shown in plan view, and in each case at least one subregion of end-face diaphragm 2 is realized as a first region 10 that is reinforced with fibers, and at least one further subregion of diaphragm 2 is realized as a second region 11 that is free of fibers.
(34) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 15, a single first region 10 of diaphragm 2 is reinforced with fibers. This first region 10 is realized in the form of a circular surface that is centered on the likewise circular surface of diaphragm 2. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the surface of diaphragm 2 is realized entirely as first region 10.
(35) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 16, the single first region 10, which is reinforced with fibers, is realized as a circular ring whose midpoint coincides with the midpoint of the surface of diaphragm 2. In this way, in the center of diaphragm 2 a second region 11 is formed that is free of fibers.
(36) In the embodiment shown in FIG. 17, in addition to the single first region 10 of FIG. 16, a further first region 10 in the center of diaphragm 2 is formed in the shape of a circular surface.
(37) In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 18, two first regions 10 are formed on the surface of diaphragm 2 that are reinforced with fibers. Here, the two first regions 10 are situated concentrically, i.e., their two midpoints coincide. One of the first regions 10 is realized as an oval surface and another first region 10 is realized as an oval ring. The surface of diaphragm 2 situated between the two first regions 10 is formed as a second region 11 that is not reinforced with fibers.
(38) FIG. 19 shows a diaphragm 2 that has a single first region 10. First region 10 is here realized as a rectangular surface whose midpoint corresponds to the midpoint of diaphragm 2.
(39) FIG. 20 shows a diaphragm 2 that is formed as a first region 10 except for two openings in the form of two rectangles, and is thus reinforced with fibers. The two rectangular openings are two second regions 11 that are not reinforced with fibers.
(40) In the example embodiments shown in FIGS. 15-20, diaphragm 2 has in each case at least one first region 10 and, if warranted, a second region 11. Due to this design, not only can the transmission of vibrations to housing part 6 be reduced, but in addition the mechanical properties of diaphragm 2 can be adjusted in such a way that a particular specified radiation behavior is achieved.
(41) A further advantage of the present invention results from the design of the sound transducer shown in FIGS. 15-20. The sound transducer design having a diaphragm reinforced in subregions offers the possibility of realizing two or more resonant working frequencies having different directional characteristics for sound radiation and sound reception. A plurality of operating frequencies can be used, using a suitable electronics system, to select a suitable directional characteristic as a function of the particular situation.
(42) With such a sound transducer design, smaller intervals of the working frequencies can be realized than with sound transducers according to the existing art. These smaller intervals of the working frequencies are particularly advantageous for the use of a plurality of working frequencies with a simple signal-processing electronics system.
(43) The present invention is not limited to the example embodiments described herein and their highlighted aspects. Rather, within the scope indicated by the claims, a large number of modifications are possible that lie within the range of normal activity of those skilled in the art.
