Loudspeaker system

• US 5,781,645 A
• Filed: 03/28/1996
• Issued: 07/14/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: SSE Hire Limited
• Original Assignee: SSE Hire Limited
• Inventors: Beale, Christopher John
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, HUYEN D
• Application Number:
  US08/623,197
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 381/24, 381/182, 381/186, 381/188, 381/205, 381/88, 381/89, 381/90, 181/144, 181/145, 181/147, 181/199
• US Class Current: 381/370
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A loudspeaker system comprises an array of cells each including a loudspeaker driver unit. The axes of all the driver units converge at a single point in front of the array, such point normally lying between the array and the listeners. An arrangement is described for steering the sound from the system by varying the relative level of the audio frequency signals applied to the driver units.

Claims

1. A loudspeaker system for providing uniform sound field in a listening area comprising a concave array of identical cells, each having at least one loudspeaker driver unit arranged to direct acoustic energy along an axis of the driver unit of the cell, the driver units being arranged with their axes converging in the direction of propagation of the acoustic energy, each of their axes of the cells converging and intersecting at a common point between the array and a listening area, and the cells lying equidistant from the common point, the array being constructed and arranged to reduce interference between the driver units in a field inside the listening area, and provide information from the array as if it were emanating from a single cell;

wherein the array is formed of a plurality of multi-cell units, the cells of each unit being rigidly connected together with the axes of such cells in a common plane, the multi-cell units being connected together with the common planes of the respective units inclined to one another.

2. A loudspeaker system as claimed in claim 1, in which the multi-cell units are hingedly connected together along adjacent front edges thereof so that the array can be formed into a stack for transportation and opened out into an operative configuration for use.

3. A loudspeaker system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of power amplifiers connected to respective ones of the loudspeaker driver units and means for adjusting the relative amplitudes of audio-frequency signals which are applied to respective ones of the power amplifiers from a common source, so as to modify the shape of wavefronts generated by the array in use.