Keyboard comprising a loudspeaker

• US 6,580,799 B1
• Filed: 10/20/2000
• Issued: 06/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: New Transducers Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: New Transducers Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Colloms, Martin, Azima, Farad
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ni, Suhan
• Application Number:
  US09/692,479
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: 381/306, 381/333, 381/388, 381/152, 381/190, 381/191, 381/431, 361/680, 345/168-169, 345/156, 847/44
• US Class Current: 381/333
• CPC Class Codes: B42D 15/022 combined with permanently fastened sound-producing or light-emitting means or carrying sound records
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0217 for loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1605 Multimedia displays, e.g. with integrated or attached speakers, cameras, microphones
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 9/02 Devices for alarm or indication, e.g. when empty; Advertising arrangements in coin-freed apparatus alarms or warning devices indicating the interruption of flow to be metered G07F15/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/021 incorporating only one transducer
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/24 Structural combinations of separate transducers or of two parts of the same transducer and responsive respectively to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/26 Spatial arrangements of separate transducers responsive to two or more frequency ranges
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 17/00 Piezoelectric transducers; Electrostrictive transducers piezoelectric or electrostrictive elements in general H10N30/00; details of piezoelectric or electrostrictive motors, generators or positioners H10N30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 7/06 comprising a plurality of sections or layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 9/066 using the principle of inertia

Abstract

A keyboard (40) having a bending wave loudspeaker (46) comprising an acoustic radiator capable of supporting bending waves and a transducer (48) mounted on the acoustic radiator to excite bending waves in the acoustic radiator to produce an acoustic output. The keyboard comprises a housing (38) having a lid (36) supporting individual keys (14) or a touchpad. The loudspeaker (46) may be integrally formed with the base (42) of the housing of the loudspeaker, or, if a touchpad is used, may be integral with the touchpad. The acoustic radiator may be a resonant mode bending wave radiator.

Claims

1. A keyboard comprising:

a housing comprising a base and support means for supporting the base above a work surface on which the keyboard is placed to define a gap between the base and the work surface,

a user interface carried by the housing above the base, and

a bending wave loudspeaker positioned in the housing so that its acoustic output is transmitted to a user via the gap, the loudspeaker comprising an acoustic radiator capable of supporting bending waves and a transducer mounted on the acoustic radiator to excite bending waves in the acoustic radiator to produce an acoustic output.

2. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic radiator is in the form of a panel.

3. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the panel is flat.

4. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker is a resonant bending wave mode loudspeaker comprising an acoustic radiator capable of supporting resonant bending wave modes, and a transducer mounted on the acoustic radiator to excite resonant bending wave modes in the acoustic radiator to produce an acoustic output.

5. A keyboard according to claim 4, wherein the properties of the acoustic radiator are chosen to distribute the resonant bending wave modes substantially evenly in frequency.

6. A keyboard according to claim 5, wherein the resonant bending wave modes associated with a first conceptual axis of the acoustic radiator are arranged to be interleaved in frequency with the resonant bending wave modes associated with a second conceptual axis of the acoustic radiator.

7. A keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the transducer location couples substantially evenly to the resonant bending wave modes.

8. A keyboard according to claim 7, wherein the acoustic radiator is in the form of a panel.

9. A keyboard according to claim 8, wherein the panel is flat.

10. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the loudspeaker is integral with the base of the housing.

11. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the loudspeaker is supported in the base of the housing.

12. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the housing further comprises side walls and a top which together with the base define a cavity in the housing and the loudspeaker is supported in the housing.

13. A keyboard according to claim 12, wherein the base of the housing is acoustically transparent to allow acoustic output from the loudspeaker to be transmitted to a user.

14. A keyboard according to claim 13, wherein the base of the housing comprises a grid.

15. A keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the loudspeaker is supported on a resilient mounting.

16. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker is integral with the base of the housing.

17. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker is supported in the base of the housing.

18. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises side walls and a top which together with the base define a cavity in the housing and the loudspeaker is supported in the housing.

19. A keyboard according to claim 18, wherein the base of the housing is acoustically transparent to allow acoustic output from the loudspeaker to be transmitted to a user.

20. A keyboard according to claim 19, wherein the base of the housing comprises a grid.

21. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker is supported on a resilient mounting.

22. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises individual alphanumeric keys which are supported on the housing.

23. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a touchpad and the touchpad is integral with the loudspeaker.

24. A keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard comprises two loudspeakers.

25. A keyboard comprising:

a housing comprising a base and support means for supporting the base above a work surface on which the keyboard is placed to define a gap between the base and the work surface,

a user interface carried by the housing above the base, and

a bending wave loudspeaker positioned in the housing so that its acoustic output is transmitted to a user via the gap, the loudspeaker comprising;

an acoustic radiator having selected values of certain physical parameters which enable the radiator to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy in a predetermined frequency range by a plurality of resonant bending wave modes in at least one operative area extending transversely of thickness such that the frequencies of the resonant bending wave modes along at least two conceptual axes of the operative area are interleaved and spread so that there are substantially minimal clusterings and disparities of spacings of said frequencies, the radiator when resonating having at least one site at which the number of vibrationally active resonance anti-nodes is relatively high; and

a transducer mounted on the radiator at one of said sites on the radiator, the transducer being capable of vibrating the radiator in the predetermined frequency range to couple to and excite the resonant bending wave modes in the radiator and cause the radiator to resonate and produce an acoustic output.

26. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the acoustic adiator is in the form of a panel.

27. A keyboard according to claim 26, wherein the panel is flat.

28. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the loudspeaker is integral with the base of the housing.

29. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the loudspeaker is supported in the base of the housing.

30. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the housing further comprises side walls and a top which together with the base define a cavity in the housing and the loudspeaker is supported in the housing.

31. A keyboard according to claim 30, wherein the base of the housing is acoustically transparent to allow acoustic output from the loudspeaker to be transmitted to a user.

32. A keyboard according to claim 31, wherein the base of the housing comprises a grid.

33. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the loudspeaker is supported on a resilient mounting.

34. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the user interface comprises individual alphanumeric keys which are supported on the housing.

35. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the user interface comprises a touchpad and the touchpad is integral with the loudspeaker.

36. A keyboard according to claim 25, wherein the keyboard comprises two loudspeakers.