Point source speaker system

• US 6,169,812 B1
• Filed: 10/14/1998
• Issued: 01/02/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Definitive Technology
• Original Assignee: Francis Allen Miller
• Inventors: Miller, Francis Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US09/173,606
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381/17, 381/18, 381/19, 381/300, 381/303, 381/304, 381/305, 381/308, 381/27, 381/28, 381/FOR.125, 381/FOR.165, 381/89, 381/199, 381/98, 381/99
• US Class Current: 381/300
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/002 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 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

The system of the present invention includes, briefly, a point source speaker system, comprising a processor which produces a left minus right (L−R) audio signal, a right plus left (R+L) and a right minus left (R−L) audio signal; three speakers each for audibly transmitting one of the L−R, R+L and R−L audio signals; and a point source speaker enclosure for housing the three speakers in a single enclosure.

Claims

1. A point source speaker system, comprising:

means for filtering high band audio signals (Lh and Rh) from left (L) and right (R) audio signals to produce a left mid band audio signal (Lmid) and a right mid band audio signal (Rmid);

means for processing the Lmid and Rmid audio signals to produce a left minus right (Lmid−

Rmid), a right plus left (Rmid+Lmid) and a right minus left (Rmid−

Lmid) mid band audio signal;

a housing;

a first speaker coupled to the processing means to receive the Lmid−

Rmid audio signal wherein the Rh audio signal is not received by the first speaker and the Lh audio signal is received by the first speaker;

a second speaker coupled to the processing means to receive the Rmid+Lmid audio signal;

a third speaker coupled to the processing means to receive the Rmid−

Lmid audio signal wherein the Lh audio signal is not received by the third sneaker and the Rh audio signal is received by the third speaker;

wherein the first, second and third speakers are enclosed within the housing such that the axis of each speaker has a common point of origin.

2. A point source speaker system, comprising:

a signal processor, wherein the signal processor processes left (L) and right (R) audio signals to produce a left composite signal, a center composite signal and a right composite signal comprising the left and right audio signals wherein the left composite signal includes mid band frequencies of the left and right audio signals and high band frequencies of the left audio signal and excludes the high band frequencies of the right audio signal, wherein the center composite signal includes pee mid band frequencies of the left and right audio signals, and wherein the right composite signal includes the mid band frequencies of the left and right audio signals and high band frequencies of the right audio signal and excludes the high band frequencies of the left audio signal;

a left speaker coupled to the signal processor to produce a left acoustic wave from the left composite signal along a left axis;

a center speaker coupled to the signal processor to produce a center acoustic wave from the center composite signal along a center axis;

a right speaker coupled to the signal processor to produce a right acoustic wave from the right composite signal along, a right axis;

wherein the left, center and right axis have a common point of origin.

3. The point source speaker system of claim 2, further comprising:

a housing wherein the left, center, and right speakers are enclosed in the housing.

4. The point source speaker system of claim 3, wherein the left, center and right speakers are arranged in the housing such that the axes of the acoustic waves produced by each of the speakers have a common point of origin.

5. The point source speaker system of claim 4, where in the left and right axes are 90°

from the center axis, and the left and right axes are 180°

from each other.

6. The point source speaker system of claim 3, wherein the speakers are arranged in closest proximity to each other.

7. The point source speaker system of claim 2, further comprising:

a sub-woofer for audibly reproducing low band frequencies of the left and light audio signals.

8. The point source speaker system of claim 2, further comprising:

a fourth speaker for audibly reproducing the low band frequency ranges of the left and right audio signals.

17. The method recited in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

producing a left (Lh) high band audio signal from the L audio signal;

producing a right (Rh) high band audio signal from the R audio signal;

including the Lh audio signal in the left acoustic wave; and

including the Rh audio signal in the right acoustic wave.

18. The method recited in claim 17, feather comprising the steps of:

amplifying the Lh and Rh audio signals;

wherein the Lh and Rh audio signals are excluded from the center acoustic wave.

9. A point source speaker system for producing stereophonic sound based upon left (L) and right (R) audio signals each having a low band, mid band and high band frequency ranges comprising:

a first speaker which produces a L−

R acoustic wave comprising the left minus the right (L−

R) mid band audio signals and the left high band audio signal and excludes the right high band audio signal;

a second speaker which produces a R+L acoustic wave comprising the right plus the left (R+L) maid band audio signals; and

a third speaker which produces a R−

L acoustic wave comprising the right minus the left (R−

L) mid band audio signals and the right high band audio signal and excludes the left high band audio signal.

10. The point source speaker system of claim 9, further comprising:

a housing wherein the first, second, and third speakers are enclosed in the housing.

11. The point source speaker system of claim 10, wherein the first, second and third speakers are arranged in the housing such that the axes of the acoustic waves produced by each of the speakers have a common point of origin.

12. The point source speaker system of claim 11, wherein the axes of the L−

R and R−

L acoustic waves are 90°

from the axis of the R+L acoustic waves and the axes of the L−

R and R−

L acoustic waves are 180°

from each other.

13. The point source speaker system of claim 9, further comprising:

a signal processor, wherein the signal processor processes the left and right audio signals to produce the L−

R signal, the R+L signal and the R−

L signal.

14. The point source speaker system of claim 13, wherein the left high band audio signal included in the L−

R acoustic wave is amplified, the right high band audio signal included in the R−

L acoustic wave is amplified, and the high band audio signals are excluded in the R+L acoustic wave.

15. A method for providing stereophonic sound based upon left (L) and right (R) audio signals from a point source, comprising the steps of:

filtering high band frequencies from the L and R audio signals (Lh and Rh) to produce Lmid and Rmid mid band audio signals;

producing a left minus right (Lmid−

Rmid) mid band audio signal from the left and right audio signals;

producing a right plus left (Rmid+Lmid) mid band audio signal from the left and right audio signals;

producing a right minus left (Rmid−

Lmid) mid band audio signal from the left and right audio signals;

generating a left acoustic wave along a left axis from the Lmid-Rmid audio signal wherein the Rh audio signal is not generated in the left acoustic wave and the Lh audio signal is generated in the left acoustic wave;

generating a center acoustic wave along a center axis from the Rmid+Lmid audio signal; and

generating a right acoustic wave along a right axis from the Rmid−

Lmid audio signal wherein the Lh audio signal is not generated in the right acoustic wave and the Rh audio signal is generated in the right acoustic wave;

wherein the left, right and center axes have a common point of origin.

16. The method recited in claim 15, wherein the left and right axes are 90°

from the center axis, and the left and right axes are 180°

from each other.