Smart bass reflex loudspeaker

• US 9,615,163 B1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 04/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nachman, Ramez, Alam, Mohammed Aftab
• Primary Examiner(s): GAY, SONIA L
• Application Number:
  US14/137,819
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2819 for loudspeaker transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/2826 for loudspeaker transducers

Abstract

A loudspeaker port may include tunable physical components to tune the port to different frequencies to improve speaker efficiency at those frequencies. The ports may be activated by at least partly opening associated shutters, or disabled by closing the associated shutters. Activated ports may enhance speaker efficiency in a frequency range. However, activated ports may also introduce sound artifacts, thereby reducing sound quality. Therefore, the ports may be disabled when appropriate to reduce their negative impact to sound quality. A Digital Signal Processor (DSP) may determine the frequency components of a played sound to determine when to open the ports and how to tune the ports. Accordingly, a loudspeaker may benefit from the improved efficiency facilitated by the ports while also avoiding typical drawbacks created by the ports.

Claims

1. A method for selectively tuning a port from a plurality of ports of a speaker, the method comprising:

receiving an audio signal, the audio signal including a plurality of audio signal components, wherein an individual audio signal component of the plurality of audio signal components has an associated frequency;

analyzing, by the speaker, the audio signal to determine a first audio signal component to be output from the plurality of audio components, the first audio signal component having an associated first frequency, analyzing the audio signal comprising performing a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the audio signal;

selecting, based at least in part on the first frequency, a first port from the plurality of ports for tuning, wherein;

the first port is tunable within a first frequency range, the first frequency being within the first frequency range; and

a second port of the plurality of ports is tunable within a second frequency range based at least in part on received audio signals;

tuning the first port to the first frequency to output the first audio signal component, wherein tuning the first port comprising one or more of;

changing a shutter position of a shutter coupled to the first port;

changing a length of the first port;

or

changing a cross-sectional area of the first port; and

outputting sound represented by the audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the audio signal comprises creating a time domain representation of a sample of the audio signal, and wherein performing the FFT comprises converting the time domain representation of the sample to a frequency domain representation of the sample.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing, by the speaker, the audio signal to determine a second audio signal component to be output from the plurality of audio components, the second audio signal component having an associated second frequency;

selecting the second port from the plurality of ports, wherein the second frequency is within the second frequency range; and

tuning the second port to the second frequency to output the second audio signal component, wherein tuning the second port comprising one or more of;

changing a shutter position of a shutter coupled to the second port;

changing a length of the second port;

or

changing a cross-sectional area of the second port.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising closing at least the second port of the plurality of ports based, at least in part, on selecting the first port.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein before tuning the first port to the first frequency, the method further comprises:

opening the first port based, at least in part, on selecting the first port; and

closing the second port based, at least in part, on selecting the first port.

4. A method for tuning a plurality of ports of a speaker, the method comprising:

analyzing an audio signal to determine a frequency component of the audio signal;

selecting, based at least in part on the frequency component, a first port to tune from the plurality of ports of the speaker, the first port being tunable within a first frequency range, wherein the frequency component of the audio signal is within the first frequency range;

tuning the first port to the frequency component, wherein tuning the first port comprises changing at least one or more of;

a shutter position of the first port,

a length of the first port, or

a cross-sectional area of the first port;

deactivating at least a second port of the plurality of ports; and

outputting sound represented by the audio signal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising opening the first port to enable the first port.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

analyzing the audio signal to determine a strength associated with a frequency range measuring below a threshold strength, the frequency range corresponding to a second tunable frequency range of the second port of the plurality of ports, wherein the second port is not the first port, and

wherein deactivating the second port comprises closing the second port to disable the second port.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein analyzing the audio signal comprises performing a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the audio signal to determine the frequency component.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the frequency component comprises determining the frequency component based, at least in part, on a strength associated with the frequency component exceeding a threshold level of activity.

9. A device comprising:

a driver;

a plurality of ports, the plurality of ports including at least;

a first port that is tunable within a first tunable frequency range based at least in part on received audio signals; and

a second port that is tunable within a second tunable frequency range based at least in part on the received audio signals; and

one or more non-transitory computer readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising;

receiving an audio signal;

analyzing the audio signal to determine a frequency component of the audio signal;

selecting the first port of the plurality of ports for tuning based, at least in part, on the frequency component of the audio signal being within the first tunable frequency range associated with the first port; and

outputting sound represented by the audio signal.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the first port of the plurality of ports is tunable by changing a shutter position of the first port, changing a length of the first port, or changing a cross-sectional area of the first port.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further perform acts comprising determining settings to tune the first port to the frequency component, the settings indicating at least one of a shutter position of the first port, a length of the first port, or a cross-sectional area of the first port.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

one or more actuators associated with the first port to change at least one of the shutter position of the first port, the length of the first port, or the cross-sectional area of the first port based, at least in part, on the settings.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further perform acts comprising:

analyzing the audio signal to determine a strength associated with a frequency range measuring below a threshold strength, the frequency range corresponding to the second tunable frequency range associated with the second port; and

closing the second port.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further perform acts comprising determining the frequency component based, at least in part, on performing a Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) of the audio signal.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein analyzing the audio signal comprises creating a time domain representation of a sample of the audio signal, and wherein performing the FFT comprises converting the time domain representation of the sample to a frequency domain representation of the sample.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further perform acts comprising tuning the first port before a playback of the audio signal.

17. The device of claim 11, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, further perform acts comprising:

determining an expected response based, at least in part, on settings associated with the first port; and

determining an equalization setting to compensate for the expected response based, at least in part, on the expected response.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein:

the expected response includes a frequency component having a variation from a flat response curve, and

the equalization setting reduces the variation from the flat response curve.