Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices – Electro-acoustic audio transducer – Having acoustic wave modifying structure
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-24
2002-03-12
Kuntz, Curtis (Department: 2643)
Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices
Electro-acoustic audio transducer
Having acoustic wave modifying structure
C381S190000, C381S340000, C181S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06356642
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multi-speaker apparatus and more particularly, to a multi-speaker apparatus including a plurality of speakers having different sound frequency ranges defining a 2-way or 3-way speaker apparatus including a woofer, a mid-range speaker and a tweeter, for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In related prior art multi-speaker devices, a vibrating body such as a cone of each speaker and an opening provided in a cabinet for each speaker are provided at a front side thereof so as to face listeners.
One prior art multi-speaker device is arranged such that each speaker of the multi-speaker device has a driving section such as a voice coil which is parallel to the front side of the speaker cabinet in order to align the driving section of each speaker with one surface thereof to phase sounds generated from each of the speakers.
Another prior art multi-speaker device has a mid-range frequency speaker and tweeter disposed aligned along a central axis of a woofer and a center axis of each of the mid-range frequency speaker, tweeter and woofer speakers of the multi-speaker device is parallel to the surface on which the device is installed or supported in order to unify the direction of sound waves generated and transmitted from each of the speakers.
However, because all of the above-mentioned prior art multi-speaker devices have a sound directionality in a direction parallel to the surface on which the apparatus is installed or supported caused by the above-described parallel axis relationship, a frequency range where the best stereo sound is obtained has been very narrow and located at an intersection of center axes or sound axes of two of the multi-speaker devices which are spaced apart and define right and left multi-speaker devices and are angled relative to each other such that sound openings for the respective speakers contained therein direct sound waves to provide an intersection of the right and left multi-speaker devices. This directionality and intersection of right and left multi-speaker devices produces lower volume and lower quality sound.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the problems described above, the preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a multi-speaker apparatus which is adapted and constructed to be non-directional relative to a surface on which the apparatus is installed or supported.
According to one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a multi-speaker apparatus includes a plurality of speakers which have different sound frequency ranges. The plurality of speakers are arranged such that center axes of the speakers are aligned along an axis which extends in a direction substantially perpendicular to a surface on which the apparatus is installed or supported. As a result, sound waves generated from the plurality of speakers of the multi-speaker apparatus are emitted in an entire azimuth or 360 degree range relative to the surface on which the apparatus is installed or supported.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the plurality of speakers of the multi-speaker apparatus includes is a low frequency range speaker unit provided within a cabinet. The cabinet preferably includes a bottom plate arranged substantially parallel to a surface upon which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported while defining a space between the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported and an upper plate of the cabinet which is arranged to be substantially parallel to the bottom plate. A bass reflex port is preferably provided at a substantially central portion of the upper plate and the low frequency sound range speaker unit is mounted so as to surround an opening in the cabinet so that a vibrating body of the low frequency sound range speaker unit faces the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported via the opening in the cabinet. As a result of this arrangement, sound waves emanating from the vibrating body of the low frequency sound range speaker unit are at least partially transmitted in all directions or a 360 range toward the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is mounted or supported. Other sound waves emanating from the vibrating body of the low frequency sound range speaker are transmitted via the bass reflex port in all directions or a 360 degree range away from the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is mounted or supported.
Furthermore, another speaker in the inventive multi-speaker apparatus comprises a middle to high frequency sound range speaker which is mounted on the low frequency sound range speaker. The middle/high frequency sound range speaker including a substantially semi-spherical vibrating body, a driving device for vibrating the vibrating body, and a horn having a sound path which is folded and extends from a curved inner surface of the vibrating body toward an outside of the middle/high frequency sound range speaker. A cavity which communicates with the sound path is defined between the vibrating body and the horn and openings of the sound path are arranged such that sound waves are transmitted from the openings in all directions or a 360 degree range toward the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is supported or installed and sound waves emanating from the substantially semi-spherical vibrating body are transmitted in all directions or in a 360 degree range away from the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is supported or installed.
In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the center axes of the plurality of speakers of the multi-speaker apparatus are preferably aligned relative to an axis which extends in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to a surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported and sound waves generated from the plurality of speakers of the multi-speaker apparatus are emitted in all directions or a 360 degree range both toward and away from a surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported, so that the sound generated from each speaker is emitted in waves which are substantially centered relative to the axis which extends in the direction that is substantially perpendicular to the surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed or supported.
Accordingly, the multi-speaker apparatus according to preferred embodiments of the present invention is non-directional relative to a surface on which the multi-speaker apparatus is installed and achieves significantly increased sound volume and quality achieved by the omni-directional sound emanation of each of the speakers contained in the multi-speaker apparatus.
These and other elements, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3816672 (1974-06-01), Gefvert et al.
patent: 4268719 (1981-05-01), Manger
patent: 4348549 (1982-09-01), Berlant
patent: 5073945 (1991-12-01), Kageyama et al.
patent: 5802196 (1998-09-01), Nakamura
patent: 5896460 (1999-04-01), Nakamura et al.
Heinouchi Yoshiaki
Mori Takao
Nakamura Takeshi
Keating & Bennett LLP
Kuntz Curtis
Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd
Ni Suhan
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