Adjusting vehicle speakers

• US 10,631,083 B1
• Filed: 12/18/2018
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Gandhi, Umesh N., Prokhorov, Danil V., Rowe, Michael Paul, Tsuruta, Ryohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US15/929,071
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/025 Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/323 for loudspeakers H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/025 Transducer mountings or cabinet supports enabling variable orientation of transducer of cabinet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

A speaker assembly can include a speaker and one or more actuators operatively positioned to cause the position and/or the orientation of the speaker to be adjusted. The one or more actuators include a bladder. The bladder can include a flexible casing. The bladder can define a fluid chamber. The fluid chamber can contain a dielectric fluid. The one or more actuators can include a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder. The one or more actuators can be configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor can become oppositely charged. As a result, the first conductor and the second conductor are electrostatically attracted toward each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber.

Claims

1. A speaker system comprising:

a speaker;

at least one actuator operatively positioned to adjust a position or an orientation of the speaker, the at least one actuator including a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid, the at least one actuator including a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder;

a power source operatively connected to supply electrical energy to the first conductor and the second conductor;

one or more processors operatively connected to selectively control a supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor,

the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor electrostatically attract each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, and whereby the position or the orientation of the speaker is adjusted; and

an input interface operatively connected to the one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to selectively control the supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor based on an input received on the input interface, whereby the position and/or the orientation of the speaker is adjusted based on the input received on the input interface.

2. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to automatically adjust the position and/or the orientation of the speaker using the at least one actuator.

3. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the speaker is one of:

located within a vehicle, or

located at least partially on an exterior of a vehicle.

4. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator is configured for at least one of a yaw adjustment or a pitch adjustment of the speaker.

5. The speaker system of claim 1, further comprising a base, wherein the speaker is operatively connected to the base, and wherein the at least one actuator is operatively connected to the base.

6. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the at least one actuator is a plurality of actuators, and wherein the plurality of actuators are arranged in a stack.

7. The speaker system of claim 1, further including a housing of the speaker, wherein the at least one actuator is operatively connected to the housing of the speaker.

8. A speaker system comprising:

a speaker;

at least one actuator operatively positioned to adjust a position or an orientation of the speaker, the at least one actuator including a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid, the at least one actuator including a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder;

a power source operatively connected to supply electrical energy to the first conductor and the second conductor; and

one or more processors operatively connected to selectively control a supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor,

the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor electrostatically attract each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, and whereby the position or the orientation of the speaker is adjusted; and

one or more sensors operatively connected to the one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to selectively control the supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor based on sensor data acquired by the one or more sensors, whereby the position and/or the orientation of the speaker is adjusted based on sensor data acquired by the one or more sensors.

9. The speaker system of claim 8, wherein the sensor data includes passenger data.

10. The speaker system of claim 8, wherein the sensor data includes driving environment data.

11. The speaker system of claim 8, wherein the at least one actuator is configured for at least one of a yaw adjustment or a pitch adjustment of the speaker.

12. The speaker system of claim 8, further comprising a base, wherein the speaker is operatively connected to the base, and wherein the at least one actuator is operatively connected to the base.

13. The speaker system of claim 8, wherein the at least one actuator is a plurality of actuators, and wherein the plurality of actuators are arranged in a stack.

14. The speaker system of claim 8, further including a housing of the speaker, wherein the actuator is operatively connected to the housing of the speaker.

15. The speaker system of claim 8, wherein the speaker is one of:

located within a vehicle, or

located at least partially on an exterior of a vehicle.

16. A method of adjusting a position and/or an orientation of a speaker assembly, the speaker assembly including a speaker and at least one actuator operatively positioned to adjust a position and/or an orientation of the speaker, the at least one actuator including a bladder, the bladder including a flexible casing and defining a fluid chamber, the fluid chamber including a dielectric fluid, the at least one actuator including a first conductor and a second conductor operatively positioned on opposite portions of the bladder, a power source operatively connected to supply electrical energy to the first conductor and the second conductor, one or more processors operatively connected to selectively control a supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor, the at least one actuator being configured such that, when electrical energy is supplied to the first conductor and the second conductor, the first conductor and the second conductor have opposite charges, whereby the first conductor and the second conductor electrostatically attract each other to cause at least a portion of the dielectric fluid to be displaced to an outer peripheral region of the fluid chamber, and whereby the position or the orientation of the speaker is adjusted, the method comprising:

detecting a speaker trigger based on at least one of;

an input received on an input interface operatively connected to the one or more processors, the input being indicative of an adjustment to a position and/or an orientation of the speaker; and

sensor data acquired by one or more sensors operatively connected to the one or more processors, the sensor data including passenger data or environment data;

responsive to detecting a speaker trigger, determining a target speaker position or orientation based on the speaker trigger; and

causing one or more actuators to actuate to alter the position or the orientation of the speaker to the target speaker position or orientation, the causing including selectively controlling the supply of electrical energy from the power source to the first conductor and the second conductor based on at least one of the input received on the input interface and the sensor data acquired by the one or more sensors.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one actuator is configured for at least one of a pitch adjustment or a yaw adjustment of the speaker.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising a base, wherein the speaker is operatively connected to the base, and wherein the at least one actuator is operatively connected to the base.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one actuator is a plurality of actuators, and wherein the plurality of actuators are arranged in a stack.