ACOUSTICAL WAVEGUIDE

• US 20170048612A1
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Published: 02/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Woox Innovations Belgium NV (Gibson Brands, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Woox Innovations Belgium NV (Gibson Brands, Inc.)
• Inventors: DEVERGIE, Aymeric, GRIFFITHS, Kelvin
• Application Number:
  US15/306,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20170048612A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/345 for loudspeakers

Abstract

The present invention provides, in a first aspect, an acoustical waveguide, and in a second aspect, a soundbar comprising the acoustical waveguide of the first aspect. The acoustical waveguide comprises a throat for receiving sound from a sound source. The throat has a first throat width. The acoustical waveguide further comprises a mouth through which the sound received at the throat exits. The mouth has a first mouth width coplanar with and narrower than the first throat width.

Claims

1. An acoustical waveguide comprising:

a throat for receiving sound from a sound source, the throat having a first throat width; and

a mouth through which the sound received at the throat exits, the mouth having a first mouth width coplanar with and narrower than the first throat width.

2. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the first mouth width is less than 10 mm.

3. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the throat is circular and the first throat width is a diameter of the circular throat.

4. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the throat has a second throat width perpendicular to the first throat width and the mouth has a second mouth width perpendicular with the first mouth width, the second mouth width being wider than the second throat width.

5. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 4 wherein the second mouth width is selected to provide a desired low-frequency cutoff.

6. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 4 wherein the second mouth width is equal to or greater than 60 mm.

7. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 4 wherein the throat is circular and the first and second throat widths are diameters of the circular throat, and are thereby equal.

8. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 4 having a centre length between a centre of the throat and a centre of the mouth, and a coverage angle in accordance with the following equation:

φ

=arctan((W_M2−

W_T2)/(2*L))*(180/π

)

where;

φ

is the coverage angle;

W_M2 is the second mouth width;

W_T2 is the second throat width; and

L is the centre length.

9. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 8 wherein the coverage angle is equal to or less than 15 degrees.

10. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the mouth is rectangular.

12. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the sound radiates from the mouth in a radiation pattern having a cross-section in a plane perpendicular to the first mouth width resembling a fan shape, the fan shape expanding away from the mouth, the radiation pattern being relatively narrow across the first mouth width.

13. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the sound is at a high audio frequency.

14. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the sound source is a tweeter loudspeaker.

15. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the first mouth width is oriented horizontally.

16. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the mouth is oriented to project the sound received at the throat to a side of a listener in a normal seating position.

17. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the mouth is oriented to project the sound received at the throat to a wall positioned at a side of a listener in a normal seating position such that the sound reflects off the wall and travels to the listener.

18. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 1 wherein the acoustical waveguide is part of a soundbar.

19. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 18 wherein the soundbar comprises a central loudspeaker and two lateral loudspeakers, one on either side of the central loudspeaker, the acoustical waveguide receiving sound from one of the lateral loudspeakers, the soundbar comprising a second said acoustical waveguide that receives sound from the other of the lateral loudspeakers.

20. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 19 wherein the mouth of one of the acoustical waveguides is oriented to face towards a left side of the soundbar away from the central loudspeaker, and the mouth of the other of the acoustical waveguides is oriented to face towards a right side of the soundbar opposite to the left side and away from the central loudspeaker.

21. An acoustical waveguide according to claim 19 wherein the lateral loudspeakers are tweeter loudspeakers.

11. (canceled)

22. (canceled)

23. (canceled)

24. (canceled)

25. (canceled)