Loudspeaker enclosure

• US 4,593,784 A
• Filed: 05/03/1984
• Issued: 06/10/1986
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1984
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Weston C Harold Jr
• Original Assignee: Weston Jr C Harold
• Inventors: Flanders, Andrew E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fuller, Benjamin R.
• Application Number:
  US06/606,471
• Time in Patent Office: 768 Days
• Field of Search: 181/144-147, 181/150, 181/151, 181/152, 181/155, 181/156, 181/199, 381/88-90, 179/115.5 R
• US Class Current: 181/144
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2857 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/345 for loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers

Abstract

A loudspeaker enclosure is arranged to support an electromagnetic loudspeaker of the type having both front and back acoustic waves, with the front of the speaker registering with a front wave opening in the enclosure and the back of the speaker communicating through a transmission line cavity with a port the plane of which is disposed substantially normal to the plane of the front wave opening and which port is provided with a cross sectional area of about 0.5 to about 2.0 times the operative area of the driver cone of the loudspeaker, thereby giving a highly efficient means of sound propagation. The enclosure may also house high frequency "tweeter" speakers which provide only a front wave. Acoustic murals and other type reflectors and deflectors may be associated with one or more of the enclosures in an assembly within a room to give the illusion of sound emanating from many more sources than there are loudspeaker enclosures.

Claims

1. A loudspeaker enclosure comprising:

(a) a hollow box having external front, rear and lateral side walls, and external top and bottom walls,

(b) an opening in one of said external walls for association with one side of a loudspeaker which provides both front and back acoustic waves of bass and/or mid-range audio frequencies, and

(c) a port in a second of said external walls disposed substantially normal to the opening in said one wall, the port being arranged for association with the side of the loudspeaker opposite said one side and having a cross sectional area of about 0.5 to about 2.0 times the operative area of a loudspeaker to be associated therewith,

(d) the interior of the box between the wall opening and the port being proportioned and arranged to function as an acoustic transmission line which is terminated in the port.

2. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 wherein the port has a cross sectional area of about 0.7 to about 1.4 times the operative area of a loudspeaker to be associated therewith.

3. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 including lip means adjacent the port for producing turbulent flow through the port.

4. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 including a second opening in a wall of the enclosure for association with an electromagnetic loudspeaker providing only front acoustic waves of high audio frequencies.

5. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 wherein the external wall opening is substantially midway between the ends of said wall and there is a port adjacent each of said wall ends.

6. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 including a dampening opening in one of the external side enclosure walls positioned substantially midway between the loudspeaker opening and the port and being dimensioned to achieve substantially no passage of air therethrough upon operation of a loudspeaker associated with the fundamental resonance of an air column formed by the enclosure, while contributing negligible loss at other frequencies.

7. The loudspeaker enclosure of claim 1 providing a loudspeaker assembly, comprising:

(a) a pair of satellite loudspeaker enclosures spaced apart laterally and each including an electromagnetic loudspeaker mounted across an associated wall opening, and

(b) a pair of woofer loudspeaker enclosures one disposed adjacent each of the pair of satellite loudspeaker enclosures, one of the woofer loudspeakers being arranged to broadcast primarily fundamental bass frequencies and the other woofer loudspeaker being arranged to broadcast primarily harmonics of said fundmental bass frequencies.