Speaker system

• US 10,225,644 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2017
• Issued: 03/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Goto, Tatsuhiko, Enamito, Akihiko, Nishimura, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Thomas H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Truong, Kenny H
• Application Number:
  US15/443,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1008 Earpieces of the supra-aural or circum-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1016 Earpieces of the intra-aural type
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/24 Structural combinations of separate transducers or of two parts of the same transducer and responsive respectively to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/01 Hearing devices using active noise cancellation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/14 Cross-over networks

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a speaker system includes a plurality of filters and a plurality of speakers. The filters filter a first signal to generate a plurality of second signals. The speakers convert the second signals into respective sound waves. Each speaker has a diaphragm and a vibration source installed in the diaphragm. Diaphragms of the speakers have at least two different shapes. Respective transfer characteristics of the diaphragms are different from each other. Each filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics is set such that a transfer characteristic of a synthetic sound wave of the respective sound waves approaches a target transfer characteristic.

Claims

1. A speaker system, comprising:

a plurality of filters that filter a first signal to generate a plurality of second signals; and

a plurality of speakers that convert the second signals into sound waves, each speaker having a diaphragm and a vibration source installed in the diaphragm, diaphragms of the speakers having at least two different shapes, wherein

a length of each side of the diaphragms is a multiple of any combination among (1/√

2, 1/√

3, 1/√

4, 1/√

5, 1/√

7, 1/√

11),

each side of the diaphragms has a same ratio of the combination,

respective transfer characteristics of the diaphragms are different from each other, and

each filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics is set such that a transfer characteristic of a synthetic sound wave of the sound waves approaches a target transfer characteristic.

2. The speaker system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a package including a front face and a back face opposing the front face wherein

the diaphragms are located on the back face.

3. The speaker system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a cushion located around an opening of the front face.

4. The speaker system according to claim 2, wherein the package includes a connector and a tube having one end connected to the connector.

5. The speaker system according to claim 4, wherein the other end of the tube includes an auricular insertion part.

6. The speaker system according to claim 2, further comprising:

a cavity in contact with the back face, that covers the vibration source.

7. The speaker system according to claim 1, wherein the vibration source is a piezoelectric element.

8. The speaker system according to claim 1, wherein the target transfer characteristic includes

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 20 kHz in case of musical piece playback,

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 5 kHz in case of sound reproduction, and

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 3.5 kHz in case of active noise control.

9. The speaker system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sound collector that synthesizes the sound waves to generate the synthetic sound wave.

10. The speaker system according to claim 9, wherein a difference of gain between a transfer characteristic of the synthetic sound wave and the target transfer characteristic is larger than 0 dB and smaller than 12 dB at a predetermined frequency band.

11. The speaker system according to claim 9, wherein

the respective transfer characteristics from each of the diaphragms to the sound collector are P₁, (i being a number of the diaphragms having different) shapes,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

respective transfer characteristics of the filters are H_i, and

the filters are set so as to satisfy a following equation:

Σ

_i=1^NP_i·

H_i=D.

12. The speaker system according to claim 1, wherein a difference of gain between respective transfer characteristics of the filters is larger than 0 dB and smaller than 20 dB at a predetermined frequency band.

13. A speaker system, comprising:

a first filter that filters a first signal to generate a second signal;

a second filter that filters the first signal to generate a third signal;

a first speaker having a first diaphragm and a first vibration source installed in the first diaphragm, that converts the second signal into a first sound wave; and

a second speaker having a second diaphragm and a second vibration source installed in the second diaphragm, that converts the third signal into a second sound wave, wherein

a length of each side of the first diaphragm and a length of each side of the second diaphragm are respectively a multiple of any combination among (1/√

2, 1/√

3, 1/√

4, 1/√

5, 1/√

7, 1/√

11),

each side of the first diaphragm and each side of the second diaphragm have a same ratio of the combination,

respective shapes of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different,

respective transfer characteristics of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different, and

the first filter and the second filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics are set such that a transfer characteristic of a synthetic sound wave of the first sound wave and the second sound wave approaches a target transfer characteristic.

14. The speaker system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a package including a front face and a back face opposing the front face, wherein

the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are located on the back face.

15. The speaker system according to claim 13, wherein the first vibration source and the second vibration source are a piezoelectric element respectively.

16. The speaker system according to claim 13, wherein the target transfer characteristic includes

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 20 kHz in case of musical piece playback,

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 5 kHz in case of sound reproduction, and

a flat transfer characteristic at a frequency band larger than 100 Hz and smaller than 3.5 kHz in case of active noise control.

17. The speaker system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a sound collector that synthesizes the first sound wave and the second sound wave to generate the synthetic sound wave.

18. The speaker system according to claim 17, wherein a difference of gain between a transfer characteristic of the synthetic sound wave and the target transfer characteristic is larger than 0 dB and smaller than 12 dB at a predetermined frequency band.

19. The speaker system according to claim 17, wherein

a transfer characteristics from the first diaphragm to the sound collector is P₁,

a transfer characteristics from the second diaphragm to the sound collector is P₂,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

a transfer characteristic of the first filter is H₁,

a transfer characteristic of the second filter is H₂, and

the first filter and the second filter are set so as to satisfy a following equation:

P₁·

H₁+P₂·

H₂=D.

20. The speaker system according to claim 13, wherein a difference of gain between respective transfer characteristics of the first filter and the second filter is larger than 0 dB and smaller than 20 dB at a predetermined frequency band.

21. A speaker system, comprising:

a plurality of filters that filter a first signal to generate a plurality of second signals;

a plurality of speakers that convert the second signals into sound waves, each speaker having a diaphragm and a vibration source installed in the diaphragm, diaphragms of the speakers having at least two different shapes; and

a sound collector that synthesizes the sound waves to generate a synthetic sound wave, wherein

respective transfer characteristics of the diaphragms are different from each other,

each filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics is set such that a transfer characteristic of the synthetic sound wave approaches a target transfer characteristic,

the respective transfer characteristics from each of the diaphragms to the sound collector are P_i, i being a number of the diaphragms having different shapes,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

respective transfer characteristics of the filters are H_i, and

the filters are set so as to satisfy a following equation;

Σ

_i=1^NP_i·

H_i=D.

22. A speaker system, comprising:

a plurality of filters that filter a first signal to generate a plurality of second signals; and

a plurality of speakers that convert the second signals into sound waves, each speaker having a diaphragm and a vibration source installed in the diaphragm, diaphragms of the speakers having at least two different shapes, wherein

respective transfer characteristics of the diaphragms are different from each other,

each filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics is set such that a transfer characteristic of a synthetic sound wave of the sound waves approaches a target transfer characteristic,

the respective transfer characteristics from each of the diaphragms to a listener'"'"'s external auditory canal are P_i, i being a number of the diaphragms having different shapes,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

respective transfer characteristics of the filters are H_i, and

the filters are set so as to satisfy a following equation;

Σ

_i=1^NP_i·

H_i=D.

23. A speaker system, comprising:

a first filter that filters a first signal to generate a second signal;

a second filter that filters the first signal to generate a third signal;

a first speaker having a first diaphragm and a first vibration source installed in the first diaphragm, that converts the second signal into a first sound wave;

a second speaker having a second diaphragm and a second vibration source installed in the second diaphragm, that converts the third signal into a second sound wave; and

a sound collector that synthesizes the first sound wave and the second sound wave to generate a synthetic sound wave, wherein

respective shapes of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different,

respective transfer characteristics of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different,

the first filter and the second filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics are set such that a transfer characteristic of the synthetic sound wave approaches a target transfer characteristic,

a transfer characteristics from the first diaphragm to the sound collector is P₁,

a transfer characteristics from the second diaphragm to the sound collector is P₂,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

a transfer characteristic of the first filter is H₁,

a transfer characteristic of the second filter is H₂, and

the first filter and the second filter are set so as to satisfy a following equation;

P₁·

H₁+P₂·

H₂=D.

24. A speaker system, comprising:

a first filter that filters a first signal to generate a second signal;

a second filter that filters the first signal to generate a third signal;

a first speaker having a first diaphragm and a first vibration source installed in the first diaphragm, that converts the second signal into a first sound wave; and

a second speaker having a second diaphragm and a second vibration source installed in the second diaphragm, that converts the third signal into a second sound wave, wherein

respective shapes of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different,

respective transfer characteristics of the first diaphragm and the second diaphragm are different,

the first filter and the second filter corresponding to the respective transfer characteristics are set such that a transfer characteristic of a synthetic sound wave of the first sound wave and the second sound wave approaches a target transfer characteristic,

a transfer characteristics from the first diaphragm to a listener'"'"'s external auditory canal is P₁,

a transfer characteristics from the second diaphragm to the listener'"'"'s external auditory canal is P₂,

the target transfer characteristic is D,

a transfer characteristic of the first filter is H₁,

a transfer characteristic of the second filter is H₂, and

the first filter and the second filter are set so as to satisfy a following equation;

P₁·

H₁+P₂·

H₂=D.