Point source speaker system

• US 7,460,673 B2
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Issued: 12/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kentech Labs Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Kentech Labs Incorporated
• Inventors: Miller, Francis Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei; Xu
• Application Number:
  US10/853,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20040218764A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 381/1, 381 17- 19, 381/89, 381/99, 381/98, 381/27, 381300-308, 381/87, 381334-336, 181/198, 181/199
• US Class Current: 381/1
• 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 speaker system for outputting at least an L-channel signal and an R-channel signal, comprising:

a left speaker outputting a signal in which the R-channel signal is subtracted from the L-channel signal, wherein frequencies in the R-channel signal in the signal output by the left speaker are filtered out above a high frequency cut-off;

a right speaker outputting a signal in which the L-channel signal is subtracted from the R-channel signal, and wherein frequencies in the L-channel signal in the signal output by the right speaker are filtered out above the high frequency cut-off;

a center speaker outputting an un-multiplied signal in which the R-channel signal is added to the L-channel signal and frequencies in the L-channel signal and the R-channel signal are filtered out above the high frequency cut-off, and wherein the high frequency cut-off is dependent upon the size of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker and proximity of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker to a common point of origin; and

an enclosure equipped with the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker.

2. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the left, right and center speakers are positioned in the enclosure such that acoustic waves emitted from each of the speakers have a common point of origin.

3. The speaker system of claim 2, where in the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker are equidistant from the common point of origin.

4. The speaker system of claim 1, further comprising a subwoofer speaker outputting a signal in which the R-channel signal is added to the L-channel signal and frequencies in the L-channel signal and the R-channel signal are filtered for below an interferometric range.

5. A speaker system for outputting L-channel signals and R-channel signals comprising:

a center speaker;

means for applying at least an un-multiplied center signal to the center speaker, wherein the center signal is comprising the L-channel signal added to the R-channel signal where frequencies of the L-channel signal and R-channel signal are filtered out above a high frequency cut-off;

a left speaker;

means for applying at least portions of the R-channel signal subtracted from the L-channel signal to the left speaker, wherein frequencies in the R-channel signal applied to the left speaker are filtered out above the high frequency cut-off;

a right speaker;

means for applying at least portions of the L-channel signal subtracted from the R-channel signal to the right speaker, and wherein frequencies in the L-channel signal applied to the right speaker are filtered out above the high frequency cut-off, and wherein the high frequency cut-off is dependent upon the size of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker and proximity of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker to a common point of origin; and

an enclosure equipped with the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker.

6. The speaker system of claim 5, wherein the left, right and center speakers are positioned in the enclosure such that acoustic waves emitted from each of the speakers have a common point of origin.

7. The speaker system of claim 6, where in the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker are equidistant from the common point of origin.

8. The speaker system of claim 5, further comprising:

a subwoofer speaker; and

means for applying at least a subwoofer signal, wherein the subwoofer signal is comprising the L-channel signal added to the R-channel signal where frequencies of the L-channel signal and R-channel signal are filtered for below an interferometric range.

9. A speaker system for producing sound based upon left (L) and right (R) audio signals, comprising:

a left speaker outputting an L−

R speaker signal comprising the L audio signal minus the R audio signal, wherein frequencies of the R audio signal in the L−

R speaker signal are below a pre-determined maximum frequency;

a center speaker outputting an un-multiplied R+L speaker signal comprising the R audio signal plus the L audio signal in which frequencies of the R audio signal and the L audio signal are below the pre-determined maximum frequency;

a right speaker outputting an R−

L speaker signal comprising the R audio signal minus the L audio signal, and wherein frequencies of the L audio signal in the R−

L speaker signal are below the pre-determined maximum frequency, and wherein the pre-determined maximum frequency is dependent upon the size of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker and proximity of the center speaker, right speaker and left speaker to a common point of origin; and

an enclosure equipped with the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker.

10. The speaker system of claim 9, wherein the left, center and right speakers are arranged in the enclosure such that axes of acoustic waves produced by each of the speakers have a common point of origin.

11. The speaker system of claim 10, where in the left speaker, the right speaker, and the center speaker are equidistant from the common point of origin.

12. The speaker system of claim 9, further comprising a subwoofer speaker outputting an R+L speaker signal comprising the R audio signal plus the L audio signal in which frequencies of the R audio signal and the L audio signal are below a an interferometric range.