SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DIRECTIONALLY RADIATING SOUND

• US 20080273713A1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Hartung, Klaus, Hultz, Paul B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,483,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/86
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/023 in a chair, pillow
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/11 Positioning of individual sound objects, e.g. moving airplane, within a sound field H04S2420/13 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/03 Application of parametric coding in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/002 Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field H04S7/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

An audio system for a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions includes, at each seat position, first and second directional loudspeaker arrays. Each array is driven by audio signals to radiate greater acoustic energy corresponding to the audio signals to the expected position of the head of a listener at a first seat position than to an expected position of the head of the listener at a second seat position. The first and second directional loudspeaker arrays comprise different numbers of acoustic drivers.

Claims

1. An audio system for a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions, wherein a forward direction is toward a forward end of the vehicle, a rearward direction is toward a rearward end of the vehicle, and side directions are transverse to the forward and rearward directions, and wherein for each of a plurality of first said seat positions there is a second said seat position that is proximate to the first seat position in a side direction, said audio system comprising:

at each said first seat position,

a first directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a first said side direction from a first line extending in the forward and rearward directions and passing through an expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position, wherein the second seat position is proximate to the first seat position in the first side direction; and

a second directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a second said side direction from the first line so that the first line is between the second array and the second seat position,

wherein each of the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array is driven by audio signals through audio signal processing circuitry to thereby radiate greater acoustic energy corresponding to the audio signals to the expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position than to an expected position of the head of a listener at the second seat position,

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array comprises at least two acoustic drivers,

wherein the second directional loudspeaker array comprises at least three acoustic drivers, and

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array each comprises a number of acoustic drivers that is different from the other.

2. The audio system as in claim 1, wherein the first directional loudspeaker has only two acoustic drivers.

3. The audio system as in claim 2, wherein the second directional loudspeaker has only three acoustic drivers.

4. The audio system as in claim 1, wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are rearward of a second line that is perpendicular to the first line and that extends through the expected head position of the listener at the first seat position.

5. An audio system for a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions, wherein a forward direction is toward a forward end of the vehicle, a rearward direction is toward a rearward end of the vehicle, and side directions are transverse to the forward and rearward directions, and wherein for each of a plurality of first said seat positions there is a second said seat position that is proximate to the first seat position in a side direction, said audio system comprising:

at each said first seat position,

a first directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a first said side direction from a first line extending in the forward and rearward directions and passing through an expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position, wherein the second seat position is proximate to the first seat position in the first side direction; and

a second directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a second said side direction from the first line so that the first line is between the second array and the second seat position,

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are both on a same side of, or both aligned with, a second line that is perpendicular to the first line and passes through the expected position of the head of the listener at the first seat position,

wherein each of the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array is driven by audio signals through audio signal processing circuitry to thereby radiate greater acoustic energy corresponding to the audio signals to the expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position than to an expected position of the head of a listener at the second seat position,

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array comprises at least two acoustic drivers,

wherein the second directional loudspeaker array comprises at least three acoustic drivers, and

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array each comprises a number of acoustic drivers that is different from the other.

6. The audio system as in claim 5, wherein the first directional loudspeaker has only two acoustic drivers.

7. The audio system as in claim 6, wherein the second directional loudspeaker has only three acoustic drivers.

8. The audio system as in claim 5, wherein

each acoustic driver is comprised of a cone-type acoustic element having an axis,

the second directional loudspeaker array is disposed adjacent a vehicle surface that is a near reflective surface with respect to the second directional loudspeaker and the listener at the first seat position, and

the second directional loudspeaker includes an acoustic driver directed toward the near reflective surface.

9. The audio system as in claim 5, wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are rearward of the second line.

10. The audio system as in claim 9, wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are disposed in a seatback at the first seat position.

11. The audio system as in claim 9, wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are disposed in a head rest of a seat at the first seat position.

12. An audio system for a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions, wherein a forward direction is toward a forward end of the vehicle, a rearward direction is toward a rearward end of the vehicle, and side directions are transverse to the forward and rearward directions, and wherein for each of a plurality of first said seat positions there is a second said seat position that is proximate to the first seat position in a side direction, said audio system comprising:

at each said first seat position,

a first directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a first said side direction from a first line extending in the forward and rearward directions and passing through an expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position, wherein the second seat position is proximate to the first seat position in the first side direction; and

a second directional loudspeaker array disposed in the vehicle at a position that is offset in a second said side direction from the first line so that the first line is between the second array and the second seat position,

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array are both on a same side of, or both aligned with, a second line that is perpendicular to the first line and passes through the expected position of the head of the listener at the first seat position,

wherein each of the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array is driven by audio signals through audio signal processing circuitry to thereby radiate greater acoustic energy corresponding to the audio signals to the expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position than to an expected position of the head of a listener at the second seat position, and

wherein the first directional loudspeaker array and the second directional loudspeaker array each comprises a number of acoustic drivers that is different from the other.

13. A method of arranging an audio system in a vehicle having a plurality of seat positions, wherein for each of a plurality of first said seat positions there is a second said seat position that is proximate to the first seat position, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one source of audio signals;

providing, at each seat position, a directional loudspeaker array so that the audio signals drive the directional loudspeaker array to radiate acoustic energy, wherein the directional loudspeaker array comprises a plurality of acoustic drivers;

processing the audio signals so that the directional loudspeaker array radiates greater acoustic energy corresponding to the audio signals to the expected position of the head of a listener at the first seat position than to an expected position of the head of a listener at the second seat position;

selecting a number of the acoustic drivers to include in the directional loudspeaker array, and an orientation of each said acoustic drivers, based on at least one of an angle between a line from the directional loudspeaker array and a position to which it is desired to radiate acoustic energy and a line from the directional loudspeaker array and a position to which it is desired to reduce radiation of acoustic energy, and distance between the directional loudspeaker array and the position to which it is desired to radiate acoustic energy.