Assembly, system and method for acoustic transducers

• US 8,340,315 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oy Martin Kantola Consulting Ltd
• Original Assignee: Oy Martin Kantola Consulting Ltd
• Inventors: Kantola, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Calvin
• Application Number:
  US11/915,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20080199023A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,405 Days
• Field of Search: 381/21, 381/26, 381 91- 92, 257/254, 257/416, 257/E21.324
• US Class Current: 381/92
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/022 Plurality of transducers corresponding to a plurality of sound channels in each earpiece of headphones or in a single enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/027 Spatial or constructional arrangements of microphones, e.g. in dummy heads
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2420/11 Application of ambisonics in stereophonic audio systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to an assembly of acoustic transducers, a system and a method for receiving and reproducing sound. The assembly comprises a first acoustic transducer having a directional pattern of the shape of a figure of eight in the direction of an X axis of a XYZ coordinate system, and a second acoustic transducer placed perpendicularly relative to a first capsule and providing a directional pattern of the shape of a figure of eight in the direction of a Y axis of a XYZ coordinate system. The assembly is characterized in that it further comprises a third acoustic transducer placed perpendicularly relative to the first and second acoustic transducers, enabling the implementation of spatial sound both in a XY plane and in a XYZ plane by using these acoustic transducers placed in accordance with an axis of the axes of the XYZ coordinate system. The invention further provides a system and a method for processing signals received with the assembly.

Claims

1. An assembly of acoustic transducers for receiving or reproducing sound, the assembly comprising:

a first dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer capable of providing a directional pattern of the shape of a figure of eight in the direction of an X axis of a XYZ coordinate system, and

a second dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer placed perpendicularly relative to a first capsule and capable of providing a directional pattern of the shape of a figure of eight in the direction of a Y axis of a XYZ coordinate system, wherein the assembly further comprises a third dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer placed perpendicularly relative to the first and second acoustic transducer, enabling the reception or reproduction of sound both in a XY plane and in a XYZ plane by using these acoustic transducers placed in accordance with an axis of the axes of the XYZ coordinate system.

2. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer is a loudspeaker.

3. An assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the third dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer is capable of providing a directional pattern in the shape of a figure of eight.

4. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer (10, 20, 30) is a hydrophone.

5. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dual-diaphragm acoustic transducers are dual-diaphragm microphone capsules.

6. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dual-diaphragm acoustic transducers are superimposed.

7. An assembly as claimed in claim 3, wherein the dual-diaphragm acoustic transducers are placed adjacently such that the surface of the outer periphery of each transducer is in the immediate vicinity of the outer surface of the two other capsules.

8. An assembly as claimed in claim 7, wherein the first and second dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer include a filtering part that is placed at least partly above said dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer.

9. An assembly as claimed in claim 8, wherein the filtering part has a curved shape such that its outer surface is arranged to reflect signals into the middle dual-diaphragm acoustic transducer and its inner surface is arranged to attenuate signals hitting it.

10. An assembly as claimed in claim 9, wherein signal-permeable openings are arranged in a wall of the filtering part.