Speaker device

• US 10,075,803 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 09/11/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Katayama, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US15/609,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20170265017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 468 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17, 381 21, 381 92, 381 98, 381300, 381303, 381387, 381386
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/14 Cross-over networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/303 Tracking of listener position or orientation

Abstract

Provided is a speaker device, which includes speaker units having different diameters and sound emission directions, and which is capable of suppressing variations in sound quality at a listening position, which are caused by changing an orientation in which the speaker device is installed. A speaker device has first and second speaker units, which have different diameters and sound emission directions, mounted thereto. A controller is configured to control, depending on the orientation in which the device is installed, an equalizer correction unit to correct frequency characteristics of acoustic signals input to the first and second speaker units so that sound quality is not varied at the listening position depending on the difference in diameter and sound emission direction.

Claims

1. A speaker device, comprising:

a cabinet having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being different from the second surface;

a first speaker unit provided at the first surface and configured to emit a sound corresponding to a first acoustic signal that is input into the first speaker unit and a second speaker unit provided at the second surface and configured to emit a sound corresponding to a second acoustic signal that is input into the second speaker unit;

the cabinet being configurable in a first installed state or a second installed state, wherein the first speaker unit faces a listening position in the first installed state and the second speaker unit faces the listening position in the second installed state; and

at least one processor for executing stored instructions to;

determine whether the cabinet is in the first installed state or the second installed state, and

perform processing on a frequency band of the first acoustic signal or the second acoustic signal depending on whether the cabinet is in the first installed state or the second installed state.

2. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein processing the acoustic signal comprises the at least one processor to correct frequency characteristics of at least one of the first acoustic signal input to the first speaker unit and the second acoustic signal input to the second speaker unit.

3. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein correcting the frequency characteristics comprises the at least one processor to emphasize a middle frequency band of the second acoustic signal input to the second speaker unit when the cabinet is in the first state.

4. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein processing the acoustic signal comprises the at least one processor to attenuate a high frequency band of the first acoustic signal input to the first speaker unit when the cabinet is in the first state.

5. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein processing the acoustic signal comprises the at least one processor to emphasize high frequency characteristics of the first acoustic signal input to the first speaker unit when the cabinet is in the second state.

6. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein processing the acoustic signal comprises the at least one processor to attenuate a middle frequency band of the second acoustic signal input to the second speaker unit when the cabinet is installed in the second state.

7. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further corrects a delay depending on whether the cabinet is in the first state or the second state, the delay caused by a difference between distances over which sounds respectively emitted from the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit are transmitted in a space before reaching a listening position.

8. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one processor further changes a signal level of at least one of the first acoustic signal that is input to the first speaker unit and the second acoustic signal that is input to the second speaker unit depending on whether the cabinet is in the first state or the second state.

9. The speaker device according to claim 1, further comprising a third speaker unit that has a large diameter and is configured to emit a sound in a low frequency band as compared to the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit.

10. The speaker device according to claim 1,

wherein the cabinet has a shape extending longitudinally in one direction, and has a first surface and a second surface that is orthogonal to the first surface,

wherein the first speaker unit is provided on the first surface,

wherein the second speaker unit is provided on the second surface, and

wherein the first surface has a width that is smaller than a width of the second surface.

11. The speaker device according to claim 10, wherein the speaker device further comprises, on the second surface, a third speaker unit that has a large diameter and is configured to emit a sound in a low frequency band as compared to the first speaker unit and the second speaker unit.

12. The speaker device according to claim 1,

wherein the cabinet has a shape extending longitudinally in one direction, and has a first surface and a second surface that is orthogonal to the first surface,

wherein the first speaker unit comprises a pair of speaker units that are respectively provided to both side portions of the first surface in a direction in which the cabinet extends, and

wherein the second speaker unit comprises a pair of speaker units that are respectively provided to both side portions of the second surface in a direction in which the cabinet extends.

13. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the first state is when the first speaker unit is directed to a listening position, and the second state is when the second speaker unit is directed to the listening position.

14. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the second speaker unit has a diameter that is greater than a diameter of the first speaker unit.

15. The speaker device according to claim 14, wherein the sound produced by the first speaker unit is in a high frequency band and the sound produced by the second speaker unit is in an intermediate frequency band.