Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices – Vehicle
Reexamination Certificate
1998-08-24
2001-11-20
Tran, Sinh (Department: 2643)
Electrical audio signal processing systems and devices
Vehicle
C381S152000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06320967
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to passenger vehicles and more particularly to passenger vehicles incorporating loudspeakers comprising panel-form acoustic radiating elements.
BACKGROUND ART
It is known from GB-A-2262861 to suggest a panel-form loudspeaker comprising:
a resonant multi-mode radiator element being a unitary sandwich panel formed of two skins of material with a spacing core of transverse cellular construction, wherein the panel is such as to have ratio of bending stiffness (B), in all orientations, to the cube power of panel mass per unit surface area (&mgr;) of at least 10;
a mounting means which supports the panel or attaches to it a supporting body, in a free undamped manner;
and an electro-mechanical drive means coupled to the panel which serves to excite a multi-modal resonance in the radiator panel in response to an electrical input within a working frequency band for the loudspeaker.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,027 of MESSERSCHMITT discloses a loudspeaker which forms an entire interior wall or ceiling panel in an aircraft or the like. The interior wall and ceiling panels are said to be flexible.
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention use members of nature, structure and configuration achievable generally and/or specifically by implementing teachings of our co-pending application Ser. No. 08/707,012 . Such members thus have capability to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy by bending waves in operative area(s) extending transversely of thickness often but not necessarily to edges of the member(s); are configured with or without anisotropy of bending stiffness to have resonant mode vibration components distributed over said area(s) beneficially for acoustic coupling with ambient air; and have predetermined preferential locations or sites within said area for transducer means, particularly operationally active or moving part(s) thereof effective in relation to acoustic vibrational activity in said area(s) and signals, usually electrical, corresponding to acoustic content of such vibrational activity. Uses are envisaged in co-pending application Ser. No. 08/707,012 for such members as or in “passive” acoustic devices without transducer means, such as for reverberation or for acoustic filtering or for acoustically “voicing” a space or room; and as or in “active” acoustic devices with transducer means, such as in a remarkably wide range of sources of sound or loudspeakers when supplied with input signals to be converted to said sound, or in such as microphones when exposed to sound to be converted into other signals.
This invention is particularly concerned with active acoustic devices in the form of loudspeakers for use in passenger vehicles such as automobile, aircraft, boats, railway trains etc.
Members as above are herein called distributed mode acoustic radiators and are intended to be characterised as in the above copending parent application and/or otherwise as specifically provided herein.
The invention is a vehicle having a passenger compartment, and a loudspeaker in the passenger compartment, characterised in that the loudspeaker comprises a stiff lightweight member having capability to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy by bending waves in at least one operative area extending transversely of thickness to have resonant mode vibration components distributed over said at least one area and have predetermined preferential locations or sites within said area for transducer means and having a transducer mounted wholly and exclusively on said member at one of said locations or sites to vibrate the member to cause it to resonate forming an acoustic radiator which provides an acoustic output when resonating. The vehicle may be characterised by a formed component in or forming part of the passenger compartment, and in that the radiator is integral with the component. The radiator may comprise a cellular core sandwiched between skin layers, and wherein one of the skins is integral with the formed component. The said one skin may be thin in comparison to the average wall thickness of the component. The said one skin may be surrounded by a groove in the component, the groove defining a resilient surround for the radiator. The groove may be slotted to increase the compliance of the suspension. The radiator may be integral with a passenger seat in the vehicle. The radiator may be integral with the lining of a door into the passenger compartment. The radiator may be integral with the interior of the passenger compartment.
From another aspect, the invention is a vehicle component comprising a loudspeaker, characterised by a member having capability to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy by bending waves in at least one operative area extending transversely of thickness to have resonant mode vibration components distributed over said at least one area and have predetermined preferential locations or sites within said area for transducer means and having a transducer mounted on said member at one of said locations or sites to vibrate the member to cause it to resonate forming an acoustic radiator which provides an acoustic output when resonating.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3347335 (1967-10-01), Watters et al.
patent: 4392027 (1983-07-01), Bock
patent: 4514599 (1985-04-01), Yanagishima et al.
patent: 5901231 (1999-05-01), Parrella et al.
patent: 6188775 (2001-02-01), Azima et al.
patent: 6198831 (2001-03-01), Azima et al.
patent: 4-97700 (1992-03-01), None
patent: WO 93/07729 (1993-04-01), None
“Top Down Surround Sound™”, Advanced Speaker Technology for Automotive Applications, OnActiveTechnologies, LLC (Fact Sheet), Feb. 23, 1996.
“Head Linings Set Up Top Down Sound”, Eureka Magazine, Apr. 1996, p. 22.
Briggs, G. A., “Loudspeakers”, Chapter 16, 5thEdition, Oct. 1958, pp. 160-168.
Azima et al., “Passenger Vehicles Incorporating Loudspeakers Comprising Panel-Form Acoustic Radiating Elements”, Ser. No. 09/398,057, Filed Sep. 17, 1999, and copy of claims as presently pending.
Azima Henry
Colloms Martin
Harris Neil
Foley & Lardner
New Tranducers Limited
Tran Sinh
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