Vehicle loudspeaker array

• US 20050259831A1
• Filed: 05/19/2005
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hutt, Steven W., Keele, D. Broadus Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/345 for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

An audio processing system for a vehicle includes a plurality of loudspeakers positioned to form a single line array. The loudspeaker line array is positionable in a vehicle on a dashboard of the vehicle substantially at the convergence of the dashboard and a window of the vehicle. When the loudspeaker line array is driven by an audio signal, a vertically and horizontally focused and narrowed sound pattern is perceived by a listener in the vehicle. The sound pattern is the result of the constructive combination of the direct sound impulses and the reflected sound impulses produced by each loudspeaker in the array. Using delay, attenuation and phase adjustment of the audio signal, the sound pattern may be controlled, limited, and directed to one or more locations in the vehicle.

Claims

1. An audio system for use in a vehicle, the audio system comprising:

a line array of at least four loudspeakers; and

a substantially horizontal shelf configured to be installed in a vehicle, where the array is mounted on the shelf to be positioned adjacent to a sound reflective surface that extends above the shelf and forms a determined angle between the shelf and the sound reflective surface.

2. The audio system of claim 1, where the line array is positionable juxtaposed to a convergence of the sound reflective surface and the shelf with a front face of each of the loudspeakers positioned to be substantially parallel with the shelf.

3. The audio system of claim 1, where the loudspeakers are positionable in the shelf with respect to the sound reflective surface so that a direct sound impulse provided by each of the loudspeakers is constructively combined with a reflected sound impulse created from the loudspeakers.

4. The audio system of claim 3, where the direct sound impulse and the reflected sound impulse are created from the same respective loudspeakers.

5. The audio system of claim 1, where the loudspeakers are omni-directional, and are configured to enable coverage pattern control in a horizontal axis of a sound field generated by the loudspeakers.

6. The audio system of claim 1, where the shelf has a length that extends to substantially a width of the vehicle, and the loudspeakers are positioned in the shelf substantially equidistant from each other along the length.

7. The audio system of claim 1, where the loudspeakers are positioned contiguously to each other to form a single line that substantially extends a length of the shelf.

8. An audio system for use in a vehicle, the audio system comprising:

a windshield of a vehicle;

a dashboard of a vehicle extending away from the windshield to form an angle between the windshield and the dashboard;

at least four loudspeakers positioned adjacently in the dashboard to form a line that extends across substantially a width of the vehicle substantially parallel with the windshield, where the loudspeakers are positioned in the dashboard adjacent to the windshield.

9. The audio system of claim 8, where the at least four loudspeakers are positioned in the dashboard between the windshield and a defroster vent also positioned in the dashboard.

10. The audio system of claim 8, where the at least four loudspeakers each have a diameter of less than 50 millimeters.

11. The audio system of claim 8, where the line is a single line having a predetermined radius of curvature.

12. The audio system of claim 8, where the line is a single line having a plurality of predetermined radii of curvature.

13. The audio system of claim 8, where the line forms a single straight line.

14. The audio system of claim 8, where the at least four loudspeakers are positioned in the dashboard to face substantially vertically, and a sound field is formable with a constructive combination of direct sound impulses from the loudspeakers and direct sound impulses from the loudspeakers that are reflected with the windshield.

15. The audio system of claim 8, where the loudspeakers are cooperatively operable to generate a controllable horizontal sound field using a direct sound impulse generated by the loudspeakers, and each of the loudspeakers are also operable to generate a vertical sound field from the constructive combination of a first portion of the direct sound impulse and a reflected sound impulse provided by reflection from the windshield of a second portion of the direct sound impulse.

16. The audio system of claim 8, where the at least four loudspeakers may be configured to aim audio content at a first predetermined location and also aim audio content at a second predetermined location that is different from the first predetermined location.

17. An audio system for use in a vehicle, the audio system comprising:

a loudspeaker line array of at least four loudspeakers;

a first audio signal directed to a first half of the line array; and

a second audio signal directed to a second half of the line array,

where the loudspeaker line array is positioned substantially at a convergence of a vehicle dashboard and a vehicle windshield.

18. The audio system of claim 17, where the first audio signal is a left stereo signal and the second audio signal is a right stereo signal.

19. The audio system of claim 17, where the loudspeaker line array is a single line array configured to produce a sound image for a listener that is perceived to emanate from only one of the loudspeakers that is closest to the listener.

20. The audio system of claim 17, where the loudspeakers in the loudspeaker line array are driven by audio signals that are delayed individually to aim a first portion of the sound field produced by the line array in a first direction and aim a second portion of the sound field produced by the loudspeaker line array in a second direction.

21. The audio system of claim 20, where the loudspeakers in the loudspeaker line array that are positioned adjacently are driven to aim different portions of the sound field.

22. The audio system of claim 20, where the loudspeakers in the loudspeaker line array are divided into a first group and a second group to aim the respective first portion and the second portion of the sound field.

23. The audio system of claim 17, where the loudspeaker line array may be configured with a first portion of the loudspeaker line array to aim audio content at a first predetermined location and a second portion of the loudspeaker line array to aim audio content at a second predetermined location.

24. An audio system for use in a vehicle, the audio system comprising:

a single line array of at least four loudspeakers; and

a substantially horizontal shelf configured to be installed in a vehicle, the line array mounted in close proximity to a peripheral edge of the horizontal shelf;

where the peripheral edge is positionable in the vehicle adjacent a sound reflective surface that forms a determined angle with the horizontal shelf so that the single line array is configured for constructive combination of direct sound impulses from one of the loudspeakers with reflected sound impulses that result from reflection of the direct sound impulses by the sound reflective surface.

25. The audio system of claim 24, where constructive combination of the direct sound impulses and the reflected sound impulses is a result of the proximity of the line array to the sound reflective surface.

26. The audio system of claim 24, where a plurality of loudspeakers in the single line array are selectively provided delayed audio signals based on at least one changeable parameter associated with the vehicle.

27. The audio system of claim 26, where the at least one changeable parameter is a user configurable setting.

28. The audio system of claim 26, where the at least one changeable parameter is an indication of audio content related to a phone conversation.

29. The audio system of claim 24, where a plurality of loudspeakers in the single line array are selectively provided a first group of delayed audio signals when the audio content is music and a second group of delayed audio signals when the audio content is voice.

30. The audio system of claim 24, where a plurality of loudspeakers in the single line array are provided delayed audio signals to aim audio content at both a first predetermined location and a second predetermined location.

31. The audio system of claim 24, where a first group of loudspeakers in the single line array are provided a delayed audio signal to aim audio content at a first predetermined location and a second group of loudspeakers in the single line array are provided a delayed audio signal to aim audio content at a second predetermined location.

32. The audio system of claim 31, where each of the loudspeakers in the first group is positioned adjacent to at least one of the loudspeakers in the second group.

33. The audio system of claim 24, where the single line array may be configured with a first portion of the single line array to aim non-inverted audio content at a predetermined location and a second portion of the single line array to aim the same audio content that has been inverted at a second predetermined location to cancel said non-inverted audio content.

34. The audio system of claim 33, where the non-inverted audio content is aimed using delay, and where the same audio content that has been inverted has been aimed using delay and the same audio content that has been inverted is also subject to additional delay.

35. The audio system of claim 24, where the constructive combination results in a sound field frequency response that averages less than plus and minus 5 decibels between 100 hertz and 10,000 hertz.

37. The audio system of claim 35, where the loudspeakers are formed in a single line array in a dashboard of a vehicle and the sound reflective surface is a windshield of the vehicle.

38. The audio system of claim 35, where the loudspeakers are formed in a line array that has a radius of curvature that substantially corresponds to a radius of curvature of the sound reflective surface.

39. The audio system of claim 35, where the single line array is positioned in a surface substantially at the point where the line array converges with the sound reflective surface to form a determined angle.

40. The audio system of claim 35, where the surface is a longitudinally extending substantially horizontal surface and the sound reflective surface longitudinally extends adjacent to the horizontal surface such that the line array is positioned substantially in parallel with the surface and at least partially facing toward the sound reflective surface.

41. The audio system of claim 35, where the direct sound impules and the reflected sound impulse are produced from a single loudspeaker in the line array.

42. The audio system of claim 35, where substantially in phase is when the phase shift between the direct sound impulse and the reflected sound impulse is less than 90 degrees out of phase between 100 Hz and 10 kHz.

36. An audio system for use in a vehicle, the audio system comprising:

a direct sound impulse produced by each of a plurality of loudspeakers formed in a line array;

a reflected sound impulse produced by reflection of a portion of the direct sound impulse with a sound reflective surface;

where the direct sound impulse and the reflected sound impulse combine substantially in phase due to the proximity of the loudspeakers to the sound reflective surface.