Stereo electroacoustical transducing

• US 4,932,060 A
• Filed: 03/25/1987
• Issued: 06/05/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Schreiber, William P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US07/029,991
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381/24, 381/27, 381/55, 381/99, 381/195, 181/155, 181/145
• US Class Current: 381/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

A woofer enclosure includes left and right input terminal pairs and left and right output terminal pairs. A protection circuit, woofer, satellite protection capacitor, satellite passive equalizer and light bulb intercouple the woofer enclosure input terminal pair and output terminal pair. Left and right satellite assemblies each include a lower enclosure and an upper enclosure with each enclosure including a single full-range driver. Each lower enclosure includes an input terminal pair connected to a respective output terminal pair of the woofer enclosure. A bypass capacitor is selectively connected across the driver in the lower enclosure. The upper enclosure driver is connected in series with the lower enclosure driver through a plug-and-jack connector.

Claims

1. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising,

dual-channel woofer means mounted on a baffle inside a dual-channel woofer enclosure divided into first and second subchambers by said baffle and having port means for radiating bass acoustical energy for receiving left and right input audio electrical signals at first and second inputs, summing bass spectral components of said left and right input audio electrical signals to provide a summed bass acoustical signal for radiation by said port means and providing left and right output electrical signals,

said dual-channel woofer means and said dual-channel woofer enclosure being characterized by an acoustic response that falls off sharply above a predetermined upper cutoff frequency in the lower range of audio frequencies for radiating in phase spectral components or said left and right input signals by said port means below said predetermined upper cutoff frequency,

left and right satellite radiating means for radiating sound signals representative of said left and right output signals respectively,

and means for coupling said left and right output electrical signals to said left and right satellite means respectively.

wherein said woofer means comprises a plurality of ports as the sole acoustic output means.

2. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer driver means comprises left and right woofers energized by said left and right input signals respectively.

3. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer means includes left and right passive equalizing means for equalizing said left and right satellite means respectively to provide a more uniform radiation response from said left and right satellite means.

4. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said woofer driver means comprises left and right woofers energized by said left and right input signals respectively.

5. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer means is free of electrical crossover networks.

6. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 5 wherein said predetermined upper cutoff frequency is substantially 150 Hz.

7. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein each of said satellite means comprises upper and lower enclosures each having a respective driver,

and means for intercoupling the satellite means drivers.

8. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein the means for interconnecting the satellite means drivers comprises a plug-and-jack connector for electrically and mechanically connecting the upper and lower enclosures while allowing relative selectable angular displacement therebetween to control the relative direction of radiation from the satellite means drivers.

9. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 7 wherein one of said satellite means enclosures includes means for selectively bypassing a predetermined range of spectral components from one of said satellite means drivers, while augmenting that same predetermined range of spectral components for the other satellite means driver.

10. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer means comprises dual ports as the sole acoustic output means.

11. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 9 wherein said means for selectively bypassing comprises a switch.

12. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accorance with claim 1 wherein said satellite means comprises a plurality of enclosures.

13. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer enclosure means includes electronic means for powering said woofer driver means and said satellite means.

14. Stereo electroacoustical apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said electronic means for powering said woofer driver means and said satellite means comprises an electronically summed left and right signal means to provide a monaural signal to drive the woofer means.

15. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein the left and right satellite radiating means comprises at least two transducers, each radiating different portions of the audio spectrum.

16. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said woofer driver means comprises a voice coil component with two separate windings energized by said left and right input signals respectively.

17. Stereo electroacoustical apparatus according to claim 15 wherein the satellite radiating means is physically attached to the woofer means.

18. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 4 wherein said woofer driver means comprises at least two left and the same number of right woofers energized by said left and right input signals respectively.

19. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising,

means defining left and right channels for carrying left and right signals respectively representative of said left and right input signals,

protection circuit means in each channel for attenuating signals in a respective channel in response to an overload condition,

and means for intercoupling said circuit protection means in each channel with that of the other so that the occurrence of attenuation in one channel in response to an overload in that channel is accompanied by corresponding attenuation in the other channel so that the signals then fed through both channels are substantially in balance.

20. Stereo electroacoustic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the satellite radiating means is physically attached to the woofer means.

21. Stereo electroacoustic apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said woofer enclosure means comprises separate left and right enclosures.

22. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said upper cutoff frequency is sufficiently low so that human auditory apparatus cannot easily localize on said dual-channel woofer enclosure.

23. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising,

dual-channel woofer means mounted on a baffle inside a dual-channel woofer enclosure divided into first and second subchambers by said baffle and having port means for radiating bass acoustical energy for receiving left and right input audio electrical signals at first and second inputs, summing bass spectral components of said left and right input audio electrical signals to provide a summed bass acoustical signal for radiation by said port means and providing left and right output electrical signals,

said dual-channel woofer means and said dual-channel woofer enclosure being characterized by an acoustic response that falls off sharply above a predetermined upper cutoff frequency in the lower range of audio frequencies for radiating in phase spectral components of said left and right input signals by said port means below said predetermined upper cutoff frequency,

left and right satellite radiating means for radiating sound signals representative of said left and right output signals respectively,

and means for coupling said left and right output electrical signals to said left and right satellite means respectively,

wherein said woofer enclosure includes electronic means for powering said woofer means and said satellite means,

wherein said electronic means for powering said woofer means and said satellite means comprises an electronically summed left and right signal means to provide a monaural signal to drive the woofer means.

24. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising,

a dual-channel woofer enclosure having left and right inputs for receiving left and right input aduio electrical signals, having a baffle dividing the internal volume of said enclosure into first and second subchambers, having port means for radiating bass acoustical energy and having left and right outputs for providing left and right output electrical signals, and

dual-channel woofer means inside said dual-channel woofer enclosure coupled to said left and right inputs for receiving said left and right input audio electrical signals mounted on said baffle for summing bass spectral components of said left and right input audio electrical signals to provide a summed bass acoustical signal for radiation by said port means,

said dual-channel woofer means and dual-channel enclosure being characterized by an acoustic response that falls off sharply above a predetermined upper cutoff frequency in the lower range of audio frequencies for radiating in phase transduced acoustic spectral components of said left and right input audio electrical signals below said predetermined upper cutoff frequency by said port means,

wherein said woofer enclosure comprises a plurality of ports as the sole acoustic output means.

25. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 24 and further comprising,

left and right satellite radiating means for radiating sound signals representative of said left and right output signals respectively,

and means for coupling said left and right outputs to said left and right satellite means respectively.

26. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 25 wherein said upper cutoff frequency is sufficiently low so that human auditory apparatus cannot easily localize on said dual-channel woofer enclosure.

27. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus comprising,

dual-channel woofer means mounted on a baffle inside a dual-channel woofer enclosure divided into first and second subchambers by said baffle and having port means for radiating bass acoustical energy for receiving left and right input audio electrical signals at first and second inputs, summing bass spectral components of said left and right input audio electrical signals to provide a summed bass acoustical signal for radiation by said port means and providing left and right output electrical signals,

said dual-channel woofer means and said dual-channel woofer enclosure being characterized by an acoustic response that falls off sharply above a predetermined upper cutoff frequency in the lower range of audio frequencies for radiating in phase spectral components of said left and right input signals by said port means below said predetermined upper cutoff frequency,

left and right satellite radiating means for radiating sound signals representative of said left and right output signals respectively,

and means for coupling said left and right output electrical signals to said left and right satellite means respectively,

wherein each of said satellite means comprises upper and lower enclosures each having a respective driver,

and means for intercoupling the satellite means drivers,

wherein one of said satellite means enclosures includes means for selectively bypassing a predetermined range of spectral components from one of said satellite means drivers while augmenting that same predetermined range of spectral components for the other satellite means driver.

28. Stereo electroacoustical transducing apparatus in accordance with claim 27 wherein said satellite means comprises a plurality of enclosures.