Seat electroacoustical transducing

• US 20070058824A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Barker, Charles, Aylward, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,688,992 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/152
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• 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 acoustic device, including an acoustic enclosure and a first electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising a motor structure providing mechanical vibration, the vibration having a direction of vibration, mounted in the acoustic enclosure. The acoustic device is constructed and arranged so that first pressure waves are radiated from a first radiation point and second pressure waves are radiated from a second radiation point and so that the first pressure waves and the second pressure waves destructively interfere at observation points relatively equidistant from the first and second radiation points. The acoustic device is further constructed and arranged to be structurally combined with a seating device so that the first radiation point is relatively close to the head of an occupant of the seating device and so that the second radiation point is relatively far from the head of the occupant. The acoustic device is further constructed and arranged to transmit the mechanical vibration to the seat back.

Claims

1. An acoustic device, comprising:

an acoustic enclosure;

a first electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising a motor structure providing mechanical vibration, the vibration having a direction of vibration, mounted in the acoustic enclosure;

the acoustic device constructed and arranged so that first pressure waves are radiated from a first radiation point and second pressure waves are radiated from a second radiation point and so that the first pressure waves and the second pressure waves destructively interfere at observation points relatively equidistant from the first and second radiation points;

the acoustic device further constructed and arranged to be structurally combined with a seating device so that the first radiation point is relatively close to the head of an occupant of the seating device and so that the second radiation point is relatively far from the head of the occupant; and

the acoustic device further constructed and arranged to transmit the mechanical vibration to the seat back.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the device is further constructed and arranged to emit a tactilely discernible pressure impulse from the first radiation point.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 2, wherein the device is further constructed and arranged to inject an aroma into the pressure wave.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, the electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising a vibratile diaphragm having a first radiating surface and an opposed second radiating surface, the acoustic enclosure comprising a first chamber acoustically coupling the first radiating surface with the first radiation point, the electroacoustical transducing apparatus further comprising a second chamber acoustically coupling the second radiating surface with the second radiation point.

5. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the second radiation point is constructed and arranged to be below the head of an occupant of the seating device.

6. Apparatus in accordance with claim 5, wherein the second radiation point is positioned near the bottom of the seat back.

7. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first radiation point is proximate the back of the neck of an occupant of the seating device.

8. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, the electroacoustical apparatus wherein the first transducing apparatus is communicatingly coupled to an audio signal source and positioned adjacent the first radiation point to radiate the first pressure waves, the acoustic device further comprising a second transducing apparatus communicatingly coupled to the audio signal source with reversed polarity relative to the first transducer, positioned adjacent the second radiation point to radiate the second pressure waves.

9. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the apparatus is further constructed and arrange to provice an aroma to the occupant.

10. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first transducing apparatus is constructed and arranged to radiate first pressure waves in the bass frequency range, the apparatus further comprising a directional loudspeaker, constructed and arranged to radiate sound in a non-bass frequency range.

11. Apparatus in accordance with claim 10, wherein the first electroacoustical transducing apparatus is constructed and arranged to radiate bass frequencies and to not radiate frequencies and wherein the directional loudspeaker is constructed and arranged to radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range.

12. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the dipole loudspeaker is constructed and arranged to radiate bass frequencies and to not radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range.

23. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, wherein the electroacoustical transducing apparatus is constructed and arranged to radiate bass frequencies and to not radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range.

13. Apparatus comprising:

a seating device comprising a seat back;

a transducer constructed and arranged to be structurally combined with the seating device,

the transducer comprising a linear motor;

wherein the linear motor is mechanically coupled to a pressure wave radiating diaphragm having a first surface and a second surface to radiate acoustic energy and also mechanically coupled to the seat back to transmit mechanical vibration of the linear motor to the seat back.

14. A seating device in accordance with claim 13, wherein the linear motor is further mechanically coupled to the pressure wave radiating surface to emit a tactilely perceivable puff of air to the vicinity of the neck of an occupant of the seat.

15. A seating device in accordance with claim 13, further comprising an acoustic enclosure having a first radiation point and a second radiation point wherein the transducer is mounted in the acoustic enclosure so that pressure waves radiated by a first diaphragm surface leave the enclosure through the first radiation point and so that the pressure waves radiated by a second diaphragm surface leave the enclosure through the second radiation point.

16. A seating device in accordance with claim 15, further comprising a directional loudspeaker, constructed and arranged to radiate sound so that the direction typically occupied by the head of an occupant of the seat is a high radiation direction.

17. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a directional loudspeaker, constructed and arranged to radiate sound so that the direction toward the position typically occupied by an occupant of the seat is a high radiation direction.

18. Apparatus in accordance with claim 17, wherein the transducer is constructed and arranged to radiate bass frequencies and to not radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range and wherein the directional loudspeaker is constructed and arranged to radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range.

19. Apparatus in accordance with claim 13, wherein the transducer is constructed and arranged to radiate bass frequencies and to not radiate frequencies above the bass frequency range.

20. An acoustic enclosure comprising:

structure defining a first chamber and a second chamber, each having an interior and an exit point;

a mounting location for an electroacoustical transducer having a diaphragm having a first radiating surface and a second radiating surface, the mounting location configured so that the first radiating surface of a transducer mounted in the mounting location faces the first chamber interior and the second radiating surface faces the second chamber interior;

wherein the acoustic enclosure is constructed and arranged to be mountable to a seat having a seat back so that the first chamber exit point is near the head location of a person seated in the seat, so that the second chamber exit is distant from the head location of a person seated in the seat, and so that mechanical vibration generated by a transducer mounted in the mounting location is mechanically transmitted to the seat back.

21. Apparatus in accordance with claim 20, wherein the transducer is constructed and arranged to radiate pressure waves in a first spectral band, the enclosure further comprising a directional loudspeaker, constructed and arranged to radiate pressure waves in a second spectral band.

22. Apparatus in accordance with claim 21, wherein the first spectral band comprises bass frequencies and the second spectral band comprises frequencies above the bass frequencies.

24. Apparatus comprising:

a seat comprising a seat back; and

a transducer mounted to the seat back, the transducer comprising a linear motor, the transducer mounted in an acoustic enclosure having an exit; and

a pressure wave radiating diaphragm coupled to the linear motor, the diaphragm having a first surface and a second surface to radiate acoustic energy, the transducer constructed and arranged to emit a tactilely discernible pressure impulse from the exit.

25. Apparatus in accordance with claim 24, wherein the exit is proximate the position of back of the neck of an occupant of the seat.

26. A method for operating a seat mounted loudspeaker device comprising

radiating, by a transducer, first audible pressure waves from a first radiation point;

radiating, by the transducer, a pressure impulse tactilely perceivable by an occupant of the chair; and

transmitting mechanical vibration from the transducer to the back of the seat.

27. A method in accordance with claim 26, further comprising radiating second pressure waves from a second radiation point so that the second pressure waves destructively interfere with the first pressure waves at locations that are substantially equidistant from the first radiation point and the second radiation point.

28. A method in accordance with claim 26, further comprising

emitting an aroma from the first radiation point.