Speaker device and sound output method

• US 10,659,878 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2019
• Issued: 05/19/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Ten Limited (f/k/a Fujitsu Ten Ltd.) (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Ten Limited (f/k/a Fujitsu Ten Ltd.) (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Yokota, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mohammed, Assad
• Application Number:
  US16/264,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20190261086A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/34 using electrical steering of transducer arrays, e.g. beam steering constructional aspects B06B1/0607, B06B1/085
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/028 associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2440/01 Acoustic transducers using travelling bending waves to generate or detect sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• 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 7/045 using the distributed mode principle, i.e. whereby the acoustic radiation is emanated from uniformly distributed free bending wave vibration induced in a stiff panel and not from pistonic motion

Abstract

A speaker device according to an embodiment includes a vibration element, a driving unit, and a panel. The driving unit applies, to the vibration element, a driving signal where a carrier wave in an ultrasonic wave band is modulated by a sound signal in an audible wave band. The panel is provided with the vibration element and arranged in such a manner that a driving signal is applied to such a vibration element by the driving unit to form a vibration region and first and second ultrasonic waves that are generated from such a vibration region and travel in mutually different directions travel toward respectively different users.

Claims

1. A speaker device, comprising:

a panel;

a vibrator that vibrates the panel; and

a driver that applies, to the vibrator, a driving signal to form a striped vibration region on the panel where a carrier wave in an ultrasonic wave band is modulated by a sound signal in an audible wave band, the striped vibration region including a plurality of line-shaped vibration regions caused by a standing wave generated on the panel, wherein

a plurality of first ultrasonic waves and a plurality of second ultrasonic waves are generated by interference between ultrasonic waves generated from the plurality of line-shaped vibration regions, each of the first ultrasonic waves radiating from a corresponding line-shaped vibration region in a first direction, and each of the second ultrasonic waves radiating from the corresponding line-shaped vibration region in a second direction, which is different from the first direction, and

the panel is arranged in such a manner that the each of the first ultrasonic waves and the each of the second ultrasonic waves that are radiating from the corresponding line-shaped vibration region travel toward respective users positioned in different locations.

2. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein

the users are passengers of a vehicle, and

the panel is a first panel that is arranged between passengers in front seats of the vehicle and a second panel that is arranged between passengers in rear seats of the vehicle.

3. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein

the first panel is arranged on a first display part that is provided between passengers in front seats of the vehicle, and

the second panel is arranged on a second display part that is provided between passengers in rear seats of the vehicle.

4. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein

the driver is a first driver that corresponds to the first panel and a second driver that corresponds to the second panel, and

the first driver and the second driver apply, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signals from respectively different sound sources.

5. The speaker device according to claim 3, wherein

the driver is a first driver that corresponds to the first panel and a second driver that corresponds to the second panel, and

the first driver and the second driver apply, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signals from respectively different sound sources.

6. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal in a predetermined frequency band.

7. The speaker device according to claim 2, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal in a predetermined frequency band.

8. The speaker device according to claim 3, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal in a predetermined frequency band.

9. The speaker device according to claim 4, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal in a predetermined frequency band.

10. The speaker device according to claim 5, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal in a predetermined frequency band.

11. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal that corresponds to a center channel in surround reproduction.

12. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver applies, to the vibrator, the driving signal where the carrier wave is modulated by the sound signal that corresponds to a particular object in object audio reproduction.

13. A sound output method that uses a speaker device that includes a panel, a vibrator that vibrates the panel, a driver that applies, to the vibrator, a driving signal to form a striped vibration region on the panel where a carrier wave in an ultrasonic wave band is modulated by a sound signal in an audible wave band, the striped vibration region including a plurality of line-shaped vibration regions caused by a standing wave generated on the panel, wherein a plurality of first ultrasonic waves and a plurality of second ultrasonic waves are generated by interference between ultrasonic waves generated from the plurality of line-shaped vibration regions, each of the first ultrasonic waves radiating from a corresponding line-shaped vibration region in a first direction, and each of the second ultrasonic waves radiating from the corresponding line-shaped vibration region in a second direction, which is different from the first direction,

the sound output method comprises:

causing the each of the first ultrasonic waves and the each of the second ultrasonic waves that are radiating from the corresponding line-shaped vibration region to travel toward respectively different respective users positioned in different locations.