Analysis of total harmonic distortion of miniature loudspeakers used in mobile phones considering nonlinear acoustic damping

Total harmonic distortion (THD) plays an important role in the performance of miniature loudspeakers used in mobile phones. Traditional nonlinear models fail to predict THD in the higher frequency domain. Significant discrepancies can be found between the prediction and measurement. In this study, an extended model considering nonlinear acoustic damping is proposed to address this issue. Flow separation occurring near the orifices of the sound port is of particular interest. Two velocity-dependent parameters were derived to model the nonlinear damping effect. Based on the extended model, the dynamics of miniature loudspeakers are described using the state-space method. Experiments and calculations confirm the validity of the extended model. The influence of nonlinear acoustic damping on THD is also discussed.