Phase independent surround speaker

• US 9,380,387 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2014
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Klipsch Group (VOXX International Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Klipsch Group (VOXX International Corporation)
• Inventors: Wilkes, David S. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): MOONEY, JAMES K
• Application Number:
  US14/449,424
• Publication Number:
  US 20160037258A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/14 Cross-over networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/02 of the matrix type, i.e. in which input signals are combined algebraically, e.g. after having been phase shifted with respect to each other

Abstract

A speaker is disclosed that can be positioned as either a right or left front surround or a right or left rear surround in any surround sound system. The speaker includes a housing including a first driver, a second driver, a third driver, and a fourth driver. A high pass filter is connected with the first and third drivers and the first and third drivers are wired having opposite polarities from one another such that the first driver is out of phase with the third driver by 180 degrees. A low pass filter is connected with a lattice filter, wherein the low pass filter is configured to shift a phase of an input signal −90 degrees and the lattice filter is configured to shift the phase by adding +45 degrees thereby forming a −45 degree phase shift. An output of the lattice filter is connected with the second and fourth drivers.

Claims

1. A speaker, comprising:

a housing including a first driver, a second driver, a third driver, and a fourth driver;

a high pass filter connected with said first and third drivers, wherein said first and third drivers are wired having opposite polarities from one another such that said first driver is out of phase with said third driver by 180 degrees; and

a low pass filter connected with a lattice filter, wherein said low pass filter is configured to shift a phase of an input signal −

90 degrees and said lattice filter is configured to shift said phase by adding +45 degrees thereby forming a −

45 degree phase shift in said input signal, wherein an output of said lattice filter is connected with said second and fourth drivers.

2. The speaker of claim 1, wherein said first and third drivers comprise high frequency drivers and said second and fourth drivers comprise low frequency drivers.

3. The speaker of claim 2, wherein said housing includes a first baffle and a second baffle, wherein said first and third drivers are located on said first baffle and said second and fourth drivers are located on said second baffle.

4. The speaker of claim 1, wherein said first and third drivers are out of phase with said second and fourth drivers by 90 degrees.

5. The speaker of claim 4, wherein said first driver is behind said second and fourth drivers by 90 degrees and said third driver is ahead of said second and fourth drivers by 90 degrees.

6. The speaker of claim 1, wherein said second and fourth drivers include at least one shorting ring thereby making said second and fourth drivers have an ultra low inductance.

7. The speaker of claim 6, wherein a voice coil used in said second and fourth drivers has a low impedance value, wherein said at least one shorting ring and said voice coil cause an overall impedance of said second and fourth drivers to closely match an input impedance seen by said lattice filter from said low pass filter.

8. The speaker of claim 1, wherein said second and fourth drivers are connected in parallel with an output of said lattice filter.

9. The speaker of claim 1, wherein said high pass filter comprises a third order high pass filter having a phase shift of 135 degrees.

10. A speaker, comprising:

a housing having a first baffle facing a first direction and a second baffle facing a second direction;

a first high frequency driver and a first low frequency driver positioned in said first baffle;

a second high frequency driver and a second low frequency driver positioned in said second baffle;

a high pass filter connected with said first high frequency driver and said second high frequency driver, wherein said first and second high frequency drivers are wired out of phase with one another; and

a low pass filter connected with a lattice filter, wherein said first and second low frequency drivers are connected with an output of said lattice filter, wherein said first and second low frequency drivers are in phase with one another but out of phase with said first and second high frequency drivers.

11. The speaker of claim 10, wherein said high pass filter comprises a third order high pass filter having a phase shift of +135 degrees.

12. The speaker of claim 10, wherein said low pass filter comprises a second order low pass filter having a phase shift of −

90 degrees.

13. The speaker of claim 10, wherein said first and second high frequency drivers are wired in an opposite polarity with one another such that said first and second high frequency drivers are out of phase with one another by 180 degrees.

14. The speaker of claim 10, wherein said first and second low frequency drivers include a first shorting ring positioned around a pole piece of a back plate between a magnet and said pole piece and a second shorting ring positioned on top of said pole piece within a portion of a voice coil.

15. The speaker of claim 14, wherein said first and second shorting rings cause said first and second low frequency drivers to have an ultra low inductance, wherein a voice coil used in said first and second low frequency drivers has a low impedance.

16. The speaker of claim 15, wherein said ultra low inductance together with said low impedance of said first and second low frequency drivers causes an overall impedance value of said first and second low frequency drivers to be close to an input impedance seen at an input of said lattice filter from said low pass filter.

17. The speaker of claim 10, wherein said first and second high frequency drivers are out of phase with one another by 180 degrees and out of phase with said first and second low frequency drivers by 90 degrees.

18. The speaker of claim 17, wherein said first high frequency driver is behind said first and second low frequency drivers in phase by 90 degrees and said second high frequency driver is ahead of said first and second low frequency drivers in phase by 90 degrees.

19. A speaker, comprising:

a housing having a first baffle facing a first direction and a second baffle facing a second direction;

a first driver and a second driver positioned in said first baffle;

a third driver and a fourth driver positioned in said second baffle;

a high pass filter connected with said first driver and said third driver, wherein said first and drivers are wired out of phase with one another; and

a low pass filter connected with a lattice filter, wherein said second and fourth drivers are connected with an output of said lattice filter, wherein said second and fourth drivers are in phase with one another but out of phase with said first and third drivers.

20. The speaker of claim 19, wherein said first and third drivers comprise high frequency drivers and said second and fourth drivers comprise low frequency drivers, wherein said high frequency drivers are out of phase with one another by 180 degrees and said low frequency drivers are out of phase with said high frequency drivers by 90 degrees.