Sound system having a HF horn coaxially aligned in the mouth of a midrange horn

• US 20020150270A1
• Filed: 03/07/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Werner, Bernard M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,236,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/342
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/30 Combinations of transducers with horns, e.g. with mechanical matching means , i.e. front-loaded hornshorns in general G10K; transducer enclosures or mountings using a back-loaded horn H04R1/2861; application of horns as guiding means to obtain a predetermined directivity characteristic H04R1/345

Abstract

This invention is directed a sound system that groups a midrange horn with a HF horn to increase the sound pressure levels while minimizing interference problems. The HF horn may be coupled to at least two HF drivers where they sum or merge into a common throat or wave-guide. The midrange horn may be coaxially mounted with the higher frequency horn. The midrange horn may be coupled to at least two midrange drivers. And the midrange drivers may be mounted substantially perpendicular to the HF drivers. This configuration provides for smaller system sizes, than conventional mounting of the HF horn adjacent to the mid frequency horn. By coaxially mounting the midrange and HF horns, the off-axis interference (lobing) through the crossover region both in the horizontal and vertical planes may be minimized. This configuration produces increased sound pressure levels while minimizing acoustic crossover interference problems.

Claims

1. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled to a midrange horn, where the HF horn has a throat within the midrange horn;

two slots merging to form a common exit, where the common exit is coupled to the throat of the HF horn;

two midrange drivers coupled to the midrange horn; and

two HF drivers coupled to the two slots, respectively, where the two HF drivers are substantially perpendicular to the two midrange drivers.

2. The sound system according to claim 1, further including a damper covering the two HF drivers, where the damper is partially acoustically absorptive above about 700 Hz.

3. The sound system according to claim 1, where the cross-section of the common throat is rectangular.

4. The sound system according to claim 1, where the two slots expand smoothly in a cross-sectional area.

5. The sound system according to claim 1, where the HF horn and the midrange horn each have a height and a width, where the height and width of the HF horn is about 0.25 to about 0.4 ratio of the height and width of the midrange horn, respectively.

6. The sound system according to claim 1, where the HF horn has a HF lip and the midrange horn has a midrange lip, and where both the HF lip and the midrange lip have a rectangular shape.

7. The sound system according to claim 1, where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is about 13% to about 19% of the radiating area.

8. The sound system according to claim 1, where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is at least about 13% of the radiating area.

9. The sound system according to claim 1, where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is less than 19% of the radiating area.

10. The sound system according to claim 1, further including a signal processor for tuning the sound system.

11. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled within a midrange horn, where the HF horn is driven by a plurality of HF drivers; and

a plurality of midrange drivers coupled to the midrange horn, where the plurality of HF drivers are aligned so that they are substantially perpendicular to the plurality of the midrange drivers that are aligned.

12. The sound system according to claim 11, further including a plurality of slots coherently summing wave fronts from the plurality of HF drivers to a throat of the HF horn.

13. The sound system according to claim 11, further including a damper adapted to cover the plurality of HF drivers and to be partially acoustically absorptive of wave fronts above about 700 Hz.

14. The sound system according to claim 12, where the throat has a rectangular shape.

15. The sound system according to claim 11, where the HF horn and the midrange horn each have a height and a width, where the height and width of the HF horn is about 0.25 to about 0.4 ratio of the height and width of the midrange horn, respectively.

16. The sound system according to claim 11, where the HF horn has a HF lip and the midrange horn has a midrange lip, where both the HF lip and the midrange lip have a rectangular shape.

17. The sound system according to claim 11, where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is about 13% to about 19% of the radiating area.

18. The sound system according to claim 12, further including two curved slots.

20. The sound system according to claim 19, further including means for partially acoustically absorbing the midrange wave fronts from the midrange drivers above about 700 Hz.

21. The sound system according to claim 19, where the means for summing the plurality of HF wave fronts comprises two slots merging to form a common throat with the throat of the HF horn, and where the two slots connect to the two HF drivers, respectively.

22. The sound system according to claim 19, where the two HF drivers are aligned within the midrange horn so that they are substantially perpendicular to the two midrange drivers that are aligned.

24. The method according to claim 23, further including absorbing wave fronts above about 700 Hz from the plurality of midrange drivers around the plurality of HF drivers.

25. The method according to claim 23, further including tuning a digital loudspeaker processor to provide a clean system response.

19. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled within a midrange horn, where the midrange horn is coupled to a plurality of midrange drivers;

means for driving a plurality of HF wave fronts toward the HF horn without substantially reflecting midrange wave fronts from the midrange drivers back into the midrange horn; and

means for summing the plurality of HF wave fronts to a throat of the HF horn.

23. A method for grouping a plurality of midrange drivers and a plurality of high frequency drivers, comprising:

coupling coaxially a high frequency (HF) horn within a midrange horn;

driving the midrange horn with a plurality of midrange drivers that are aligned;

summing wave fronts from a plurality of HF drivers to a throat of the HF horn; and

aligning the plurality of HF drivers so that they are substantially perpendicular to the plurality of midrange drivers that are aligned.