Multi-directivity sound device

• US 9,451,356 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Xu, Liangfeng, Wang, Xia S., Cai, Chenguang, Nurminen, Jani K., Salo, Antti O., Xu, Limei, Li, Xuesheng, Wang, Yi, Chen, Min
• Primary Examiner(s): Miyoshi, Jesse Y
• Application Number:
  US12/317,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,833 Days
• Field of Search: 381/307, 381/77, 381/79, 381/332, 381/355, 381/356, 381/386, 381/387, 181/143
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/03 Constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. telephone hand-sets
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/035 Improving the acoustic characteristics by means of constructional features of the housing, e.g. ribs, walls, resonating chambers or cavities
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/403 loud-speakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
• 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 31/00 Apparatus or processes specially adapted for the manufacture of transducers or diaphragms therefor manufacture of microstructural arrangements of deformable or non-deformable structures in general B81C1/00182

Abstract

A sound producing apparatus with multi-directivity has two or more speakers to produce music or other types of audio sounds. Each of the speakers can produce audio sounds in a certain direction and at least one speaker is steerable so that its sound propagation direction relative to the others can be changed. Furthermore, one or more speakers can produce audio sounds in an adjustable angular range. One or more of the speakers can be dual-mode speakers, each of which can be operated as a wide-angle speaker or a narrow-angle speaker. With multi-directivity, it is possible to play one type of music in one direction and another type of music in another direction to suit the interests of the audience. The apparatus can be a mobile phone, an audio player, a digital or analog recorder/player, or the like.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of sound producing units comprising at least a first sound producing unit and a second sound producing unit spaced from the first sound producing unit within the apparatus, wherein the first sound producing unit and the second sound producing unit are independent sound producing units which can produce audible sounds independent of each other;

a steering control to adjust a sound propagation direction of at least the first sound producing unit; and

a signal source to provide audio signals to the sound producing units, wherein the first sound producing unit is configured to produce a first audible sound in a first sound propagation direction and the second sound producing unit is configured to produce a second audible sound in a second sound propagation direction, wherein the first audible sound and the second audible sound are from separate sound producing units, wherein at least the first sound propagation direction of the first sound producing unit is independently adjustable based on the steering control, wherein the first sound propagation direction is changed relative to the second sound propagation direction, and where the apparatus is a portable electronic device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the sound producing units is configured to produce the audio sounds in an angular range, and wherein the steering control is arranged to change to angular range of the first sound producing unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the audio sounds produced on at least one of the sound producing units are different from the audio sounds produced on the other of the sound producing units.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein two or more of the sound producing units are arranged to produce stereo audio sounds.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steering control comprises an electro-mechanical movement module for changing orientation of the first sound producing unit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the steering control comprises a mechanical component for changing orientation of the first sound producing unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface comprising a display of selectable items for allowing a user to select the sound producing units and the sound propagation direction of one or more sound producing units.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a processor arranged to effect the sound propagation direction selected by the user; and

a computer readable storage medium having embedded programming codes to provide information to the processor indicative of selection made by the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sound data storage comprises a removable memory unit and arranged to provide audio data to the signal source for producing the signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver arranged to receive audio data for producing the signals.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sound producing unit and the second sound producing unit are arranged to produce audible sound waves in a range of 20 Hz to 20 KHz.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first sound producing unit and the second sound producing unit are configured to be excited in an ultrasonic frequency range of 30 kHz to 120 kHz so as to produce ultrasonic waves which become audible after traversing a distance due to non-linear interaction of the ultrasonic waves in air.

13. A method, comprising:

selecting one or more of a plurality of sound producing units in a sound producing device, wherein at least a first sound producing unit and a second sound producing unit are independent sound producing units which can produce audio sounds independent of each other and in different sound propagation directions, the audio sounds being from separate sound producing units; and

adjusting the sound propagation direction of at least one of the sound producing units independently of another one of the sound producing units,

wherein the sound propagation direction of the at least one sound producing unit is changed relative to a sound propagation direction of the another one of the sound producing units, and

wherein the sound producing device comprises a portable electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the sound producing units is configured to produce the audio sounds in an angular range, said method further comprising:

adjusting the angular range of at least one of the sound producing units.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein each of the sound producing units is arranged to produce audible sound waves in a range of 20 Hz to 20 KHz.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein the audio sounds produced on at least one of the sound producing units are different from the audio sounds produced on the other of the sound producing units.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first sound producing unit and the second sound producing unit are configured to be excited in an ultrasonic frequency range of 30 kHz to 120 kHz so as to produce ultrasonic waves which become audible after traversing a distance due to non-linear interaction of the ultrasonic waves in air.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having programming codes embedded therein, the programming codes configured to, when executed by a processor:

select one or more of a plurality of sound producing units in a sound producing device, wherein at least a first sound producing unit and a second sound producing unit are independent sound producing units which can produce audio sounds independent of each other and in different sound propagation directions, the audio sounds being from separate sound producing units; and

adjust the sound propagation direction of at least one of the sound producing units independently of another one of the sound producing units, wherein the sound propagation direction of the at least one sound producing unit is changed relative to a sound propagation direction of the another one of the sound producing units, and

wherein the sound producing device comprises a portable electronic device.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein each of the sound producing units is configured to produce the audio sounds in an angular range, the programming codes further configured to adjust the angular range of at least one of the sound producing units.

20. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the first sound producing unit and the second sound producing unit are configured to be excited in an ultrasonic frequency range of 30 kHz to 120 kHz so as to produce ultrasonic waves which become audible after traversing a distance due to non-linear interaction of the ultrasonic waves in air.