EP1685741B1 - Schallemitter-anordnungen - Google Patents
Schallemitter-anordnungen Download PDFInfo
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- EP1685741B1 EP1685741B1 EP04798520A EP04798520A EP1685741B1 EP 1685741 B1 EP1685741 B1 EP 1685741B1 EP 04798520 A EP04798520 A EP 04798520A EP 04798520 A EP04798520 A EP 04798520A EP 1685741 B1 EP1685741 B1 EP 1685741B1
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- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- conduit
- sonic
- emission
- housing
- flaring
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Images
Classifications
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
- H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
- H04R1/22—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only
- H04R1/28—Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means
- H04R1/2807—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements
- H04R1/2838—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements of the bandpass type
- H04R1/2842—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements of the bandpass type for loudspeaker transducers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
- H04R1/10—Earpieces; Attachments therefor ; Earphones; Monophonic headphones
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
- H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
- H04R1/22—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only
- H04R1/28—Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means
- H04R1/2807—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements
- H04R1/2838—Enclosures comprising vibrating or resonating arrangements of the bandpass type
- H04R1/2846—Vents, i.e. ports, e.g. shape thereof or tuning thereof with damping material
- H04R1/2849—Vents, i.e. ports, e.g. shape thereof or tuning thereof with damping material for loudspeaker transducers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
- H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
- H04R1/22—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only
- H04R1/28—Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means
- H04R1/2869—Reduction of undesired resonances, i.e. standing waves within enclosure, or of undesired vibrations, i.e. of the enclosure itself
- H04R1/2873—Reduction of undesired resonances, i.e. standing waves within enclosure, or of undesired vibrations, i.e. of the enclosure itself for loudspeaker transducers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R1/00—Details of transducers, loudspeakers or microphones
- H04R1/20—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics
- H04R1/22—Arrangements for obtaining desired frequency or directional characteristics for obtaining desired frequency characteristic only
- H04R1/28—Transducer mountings or enclosures modified by provision of mechanical or acoustic impedances, e.g. resonator, damping means
- H04R1/2869—Reduction of undesired resonances, i.e. standing waves within enclosure, or of undesired vibrations, i.e. of the enclosure itself
- H04R1/2876—Reduction of undesired resonances, i.e. standing waves within enclosure, or of undesired vibrations, i.e. of the enclosure itself by means of damping material, e.g. as cladding
- H04R1/288—Reduction of undesired resonances, i.e. standing waves within enclosure, or of undesired vibrations, i.e. of the enclosure itself by means of damping material, e.g. as cladding for loudspeaker transducers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
- H04R2499/00—Aspects covered by H04R or H04S not otherwise provided for in their subgroups
- H04R2499/10—General applications
- H04R2499/11—Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04S—STEREOPHONIC SYSTEMS
- H04S1/00—Two-channel systems
- H04S1/002—Non-adaptive circuits, e.g. manually adjustable or static, for enhancing the sound image or the spatial distribution
Definitions
- the present invention relates to sonic emitter arrangements, and it relates more particularly, though not exclusively, to such arrangements including miniature loudspeakers, such as microspeakers, and to their incorporation into portable electronic devices such as mobile cellular phones, digital cameras, portable games consoles and hand-held computers, or into miniature loudspeaker enclosures, such as earphones.
- the invention also encompasses devices, such as portable electronic devices, and miniature loudspeaker enclosures incorporating such emitter arrangements.
- Portable electronic devices such as those mentioned above, are becoming increasingly popular. For example, it is now commonplace for mobile phones and digital cameras to incorporate music players using the MP3 format, and some of the individual technologies are converging to create hybrid devices such as mobile phones combined with digital cameras or gaming consoles.
- Portable electronic devices in general are well-suited for use with personal earphones or headphones, because they are often used in public places. Furthermore, it has not been possible (or worthwhile) hitherto for the housings of such devices to incorporate small loudspeakers which provide anything more than an extremely basic listening experience. There are several reasons for this.
- loudspeakers tend to add significantly to the physical size and cost of the end product.
- the acoustical output quality of any loudspeaker is critically dependent on the way in which it is built and mounted.
- the loudspeakers must be placed relatively close together; typically less than 10 cm apart, or even less than 5 cm in a mobile cellular phone.
- stereophonic audio material is played, the stereo effect is lost because the left and right channels are being reproduced from virtually the same point in space, whereas stereo is intended for playback on more widely spaced loudspeakers (typically about 2 metres apart) in order to create a spatial "sound image".
- microspeakers extremely compact loudspeakers
- Such microspeakers are typically less than 20 mm in diameter and less than 5 mm in thickness.
- microspeakers have significant power output capability, often with power ratings of several hundreds of milliwatts.
- Microspeakers have been built into certain types of mobile phones by several manufacturers, but they are usually attached simply to the inner face of the phone's housing with their front surfaces exposed via a mesh or grille, or by several small holes in the housing. Although this is adequate for transmitting simple audio, such as ring-tones, to the listener, it is not adequate for delivering more sophisticated audio performance, such as 3D-positional audio for games, or stereo expansion for ring-tone and music playback.
- 3D-audio based on HRTF Head-Related Transfer Function
- HRTF Head-Related Transfer Function
- transaural crosstalk cancellation an intrinsic and critical element of all loudspeaker-based 3D-audio is transaural crosstalk cancellation, as is described fully in GB 2,340,005 .
- This relates to the natural acoustic crosstalk which occurs around the head when an individual is listening to a pair of stereo loudspeakers.
- the left-channel signal When the left-channel signal is emitted by the left-hand loudspeaker, it travels not only to the left ear, but also, a little later in time, crosses to the right ear (and vice versa).
- the brain recognises the high degree of correlation between the two signals, the primary signal and the crosstalk signal, and then correctly attributes their source to the left-hand loudspeaker, hence the sound is perceived to emanate from the left-side loudspeaker.
- the left-channel signal would have been delivered only to the left ear of the listener, just as it would have been using headphones. This feature, of delivering each sound channel only to its respective ear, is necessary for the correct operation of HRTF-based 3D-audio.
- transaural crosstalk signal inhibits 3D-audio effects, and so it must be cancelled by generating a signal which is equal in magnitude, and opposite in polarity, from the opposite loudspeaker, as is described in GB 2,340,005 .
- the cancellation signal In order to achieve adequate (say, 90%) crosstalk cancellation, the cancellation signal must match the crosstalk signal in magnitude and phase within fairly precise limits, about 3 dB of amplitude and ⁇ 20° of phase. This means that the relative time-of-arrival of the signals at the listener's ears must be synchronised very carefully. Anything which interferes with the integrity of the left and right-channel signals will degrade the crosstalk cancellation, and hence degrade the effectiveness of the perceived 3D-audio.
- the timing During playback on portable devices, where the loudspeakers might only be 40 mm or so apart, the timing must synchronise to within a few microseconds for optimum effect.
- microspeakers in a slim casing such as may be used (for example) for a cell-phone, to render 3D-audio.
- the form-factor be suitable for the available space, and especially that the total thickness profile of the component package is adequately thin, typically less than 8 mm, in order to fit into the available depth of housing.
- casings of the "clam-shell” or “ear flip member” type which can be opened and closed, it is necessary for the phone to reproduce 3D-audio successfully in both the open and closed positions.
- One feature of all mobile electronic devices is the very limited space which is available for the user interface, primarily the graphics display, keypad and other controller devices; the graphics display in particular taking priority when housing space is allocated during design. Accordingly, there is little or no space for loudspeakers, however small, to be mounted on the front panel, facing the listener.
- microspeakers into a mobile phone
- mounting microspeakers to either side of the device, facing outwards to the listener's left and right sides, respectively; and (b) mounting the microspeakers internally of the device body, and delivering the audio output via a conduit, or pair of conduits, to respective output vents.
- side mounting is the easier to implement, for example by mounting the microspeakers in sealed pods on opposite sides of the device.
- the pods might be small, the overall additional bulk makes the phone body somewhat unsightly and the pods also detract from the smoothness of the body, making it less easy to move the phone into and out of a pocket, or a holster.
- a conduit of some sort must be used to convey the audio energy to the outside world.
- suitable conduits can in principle be formed within the housing to which the front (sound-emitting) surfaces of the microspeakers are exposed, and emission apertures can be cut into the housing, at some small distance from the microspeakers, to act as sound outlet ports, linked via the conduit to the microspeaker.
- One method of reducing the peaks and troughs caused by the resonant conduit would be to simply fill the cavities with sound damping material. Such an approach, however, inevitably results in the absorption of a considerable amount of the sound energy indiscriminately across the spectrum, and substantially reduces the emitted volume.
- the intermediate document describes a twin-resonant acoustic structure for incorporating a microspeaker into a cell-phone housing with the intention of providing good alerting performance and extended frequency response in the voice frequency range (between 300 Hz and 3400 Hz).
- This proposal recognises the problem which arises when a microspeaker is coupled via a conduit to an opening in the housing, in that the frequency response becomes dominated by a resonant peak, such that the mid-frequency and high-frequency responses are very strongly attenuated, and discloses the use of a first "forward tuning volume", which comprises, in effect, a Helmholtz cavity, adjacent the face of a loudspeaker.
- This volume is coupled via a passage both to an opening in the housing, and to a second forward tuning volume, in fluid communication with the passageway, lying between the first forward tuning volume and the opening in the housing.
- the amplitude-frequency characteristic attributable to this arrangement contains a large resonant peak at about 3.5 kHz, followed by a significant trough at about 5.2 kHz, and exhibits progressive high-frequency (HF) attenuation.
- HF high-frequency
- miniature transducers such as microspeakers
- a sonic emitter arrangement comprising at least one sonic transducer encased within a housing dimensioned to be portable or wearable; said transducer having a sonic emission surface, and the arrangement further comprising at least one conduit linking said emission surface to an outlet through which sound produced by said transducer can be emitted from said housing; wherein at least one dimension of part at least of the length of said conduit is flared so as to increase toward said outlet, thereby to influence the amplitude versus frequency characteristic of sound emitted from said outlet.
- said housing encases first and second sonic transducers; said transducers each having a respective sonic emission surface, and wherein the arrangement further comprises a respective conduit linking each said sonic emission surface to a respective emission outlet through which sound produced by said transducer can be emitted from said housing; and wherein each said conduit is flared so as to increase toward its respective outlet, thereby to influence the amplitude versus frequency characteristic of sound emitted from said outlets.
- Another example utilising a single sonic transducer, provides first and second conduits linking the transducer's sonic emission surface to respective emission outlets through which sound produced by said transducer can be emitted from said housing; and wherein each said conduit is flared so as to increase toward its respective outlet, thereby to influence the amplitude versus frequency characteristic of sound emitted from said outlets.
- the flaring may be applied over part only of the length of a conduit. In such circumstances, it is preferred (though not essential) that such flaring occurs adjacent the outlet.
- the flaring is preferably smooth and may conform to a substantially linear profile or follow an exponential or other curvilinear form, though it may alternatively, or in addition, incorporate one or more discrete steps.
- Arrangements of the kind described in the foregoing paragraphs are efficient, can be implemented at relatively low cost, and can be readily adapted to a wide range of different transducer types and sizes, though it is preferred that a miniature loudspeaker, such as a microspeaker, is used.
- the arrangement comprises one or more acoustic resonant absorbers linked to said emission surface and/or to at least one conduit, in order to further influence said characteristic.
- At least one of the acoustic resonant absorbers comprises a Helmholtz resonator, such resonators being relatively simple to construct and exhibiting reliable performance over a wide range of operating conditions.
- At least one of the acoustic resonant absorbers comprises a quarter-wavelength tube, channel or groove device, or plurality thereof; such resonant devices being relatively simple either to mould in plastic materials or to cut in metallic materials, and therefore well-suited to mass-production means.
- quarter-wavelength absorber tubes are utilised, it is preferred to provide a distributed array of quarter-wave channels conforming substantially to a concentric elliptical array pattern.
- Any arrangement in accordance with the invention may conveniently be fabricated, at least in part, from superposed laminar components; such components being of metal, plastics or any other material which can be readily machined, moulded or otherwise formed to the required tolerances and which, when assembled, exhibits suitable acoustic performance.
- edge-emission conduits can conveniently be formed by opening an otherwise enclosed aperture, such as an aperture located substantially centrally within a plate, through to an edge of the plate by removal of the plate material, bearing in mind that other laminae will lie above and below the plate in question, thereby defining part at least of the conduit.
- any one or more of the resonant absorbers may be fabricated of, or may contain or have associated therewith, acoustic damping material of any convenient kind, such as cotton fibre wool or tissue paper.
- Arrangements according to any embodiment of the invention may be incorporated into electronic devices such as mobile telephones, digital cameras, mobile games consoles or portable sound and/or multimedia equipment.
- the said housing usually serves as the overall housing for the invention.
- a device incorporates two or more such arrangements, preferably matched in performance, permitting the device to exhibit sophisticated audio performance characteristics, such as 3D-positional audio or enhanced stereophonic sound.
- One or more arrangements according to any example of the invention may be incorporated into portable and/or wearable loudspeaker enclosures such as earphones, intended to be worn by a listener.
- the invention calls for at least one dimension of part at least of a conduit acoustically coupling a microspeaker to an emission outlet to be flared so as to increase toward said outlet, thereby to influence the amplitude versus frequency characteristic of sound emitted.
- flared trumpet device was used in the earliest gramophone machines as a mechanical transformer to transmit efficiently the mechanical vibrations from a small needle into a large-area, resonant and reflective surface, thus increasing its loudness.
- flared horn-type arrangements are widely used to increase the efficiency of loudspeakers used in public-address systems, by acting as an acoustic transformer to match the impedance of the piston-like diaphragm to that of the air.
- the present invention employs a flared topography for a very different reason, namely to create a minimally resonant emission conduit linking the emission surface of the microspeaker with the emission aperture, in order to provide a desired, flat frequency response emission characteristic.
- Embodiments of the present invention were devised by designing and constructing the relevant elements of a Helmholtz-type conduit (as defined in Appendix 1 hereinafter) so as to minimise its resonant properties, according to the following two principles devised by the inventor.
- Embodiments of the present invention conceived to satisfy the minimal resonance principles, above, utilise a "flared emitter” structure.
- V the internal volume
- One implementation of these principles is to minimise the frontal volume adjacent the microspeaker, with a small, constant cross-sectional area in this region, from which is provided a flared conduit to the emission aperture.
- Another approach is to provide a progressive increase in cross-sectional area throughout the length of the conduit between the microspeaker and the emission aperture. By this means, the emission conduit less resembles a Helmholtz resonator, but rather becomes more like an open tube structure, and is minimally resonant.
- the length factor, L cannot be less than the radius of the microspeaker, or thereabouts.
- the invention aims to provide an efficient sonic emitter structure with physical and acoustic properties that are especially well-suited (inter alia) to application in cell-phones and other portable devices for the reproduction of stereophonic music and, especially, 3D-positional audio.
- the invention permits construction of the components and their assembly into a thin, substantially planar configuration, and provides sonic emission from an aperture, or port, 10 formed in one edge of its structure and orthogonally oriented with respect to the emission plane of an internal microspeaker 20 as shown in Figure 1 , in which L-L' represents the propagation (sound emission) axis, and C-C' represents the central emission axis of the microspeaker.
- L-L' represents the propagation (sound emission) axis
- C-C' represents the central emission axis of the microspeaker.
- the clam-shell phone structure (see Figures 2 and 3 ) comprises a pair of hinged body units (a body 100 with a corresponding lid 200) which are closed together when not in use, and which are unfolded for use when required. If a pair of microspeakers were to be mounted inside the upper surface of the lid unit 200 directly behind respective sound emission apertures 300 and 400, the apertures would be exposed towards the listener when held in the hand, in the closed mode, as shown in Figure 2(a) . However, with the lid 200 opened in order to use the cell-phone, then the emission apertures 300 and 400 would face away from the listener ( Figure 2(b) ).
- the emission apertures would be occluded by the lid 200 itself, thus reducing the perceived volume and high-frequency content.
- This problem is not solved by incorporating the speakers into the lower, body unit, because the user's hand is likely to occlude any emission apertures which would be present therein.
- a further valuable property of the invention relates to the minimal acoustic dispersion of the propagated signal.
- Acoustic dispersion occurs when there is not a single, well-defined path from the source to the listener, as is the case when the sound emitting device is not a point source. If it were, then the acoustic path length to the listener's ear would be well-defined. In practice, however, microspeaker sound is emitted from a finite area. If this area were divided into a matrix of elemental areas, then each element would have a slightly different path length to the listener's ear. This variation in path lengths represents the acoustic dispersion range. For 3D-audio, as described previously, it is important to ensure that the wavefronts arrive separately and synchronously at the listener, and hence with minimal dispersion.
- the aperture 10, from which sonic emission occurs can usefully be formed as a narrow, rectangular slit, typically 2 mm or less in width and 10 mm or so in length. Consequently, in a clam-shell cell-phone configuration, if the two apertures such as 500 in Figure 3 are arranged and oriented so as to lie along the opposing, lateral edges of the lid 200, as described above for front-back symmetry, they also present the listener with a pair of suitably narrow sound sources, maximally separated by the width of the clam-shell lid 200.
- the resultant vertically oriented emission slits such as 500 are near perfect for 3D-audio reproduction, owing both to the maximal separation and to the minimal acoustic dispersion associated with the very narrow emission area.
- Figure 4 shows, in exploded diagrammatic form, the principal components of a sonic emitter arrangement in accordance with one example of the invention.
- the arrangement is, in this example, constructed in laminar form from overlaid elements of aluminium sheet stock, and incorporates a 16 mm diameter, 2 mm thick microspeaker unit 20 (Foster type 364870), with an active emission surface area of 9 mm diameter located centrally thereof, mounted with epoxy sealant into an aluminium flange plate 22 of thickness 4 mm, measuring 28 x 28 mm and formed with a central aperture of diameter 16.2 mm.
- a 16 mm diameter, 2 mm thick microspeaker unit 20 Fraster type 364870
- a plate 30 is secured to the plate 22; the plate 30 being formed as shown with a conduit configured as a flared slot 32 to provide a gradual transition from a 9 mm wide central aperture, overlying the active transducer area, to a 16 mm wide emitting aperture open at one edge of the plate.
- a linearly flared profile was adopted for the slot 32 in this example, as shown.
- Such a conduit is referred to hereinafter for convenience a "9-16 flared emitter", referring to the 9 mm central aperture diameter and the 16 mm length of the emitting edge, respectively.
- the flaring need not be smooth, and thus steps or other discrete dimensional variations can be used instead of, or in addition to, smooth flaring profiles. Still further, and in relation to any flaring characteristic used, the flare need not extend all of the way from the central aperture to the edge of the plate 30. In some embodiments, the width of the slot 32 initially is maintained at 9 mm for a predetermined distance away from the central aperture; the flare then commencing and continuing to the edge of the plate 30.
- a rear enclosing cavity 40 of volume about 2 ml is also secured to the plate 22 .
- the cavity 40 is coupled to the rear surface of the microspeaker 20, and comprises an 18 mm diameter tube 42 which, in this embodiment, is 7.9 mm in length and is provided with flanges 46, 48 at either end, and a plain sealing plate 44 secured to that flange (48) of the tube 42 remote from the microspeaker 20.
- that surface of the microspeaker 20 which is intended to be the sound-emitting surface is herein designated the "front” surface; the other (parallel) major surface of the microspeaker correspondingly being designated as the "rear" surface.
- the upper surface of the plate 30 is covered with a simple flat blanking or capping plate 34.
- most of the laminar components are made of aluminium sheet stock of thickness 2 mm, and the use of such 2 mm thick material for the 9-16 flared emitter plate 30 provides an emission area of 32 mm 2 .
- the intrinsic volume is linked to the aperture area, because they are both dependent upon the thickness of the plate.
- Figure 5 shows both the measured, on-axis amplitude-frequency response characteristic 31 of the arrangement shown in Figure 4 , and thus incorporating a conduit comprising the 9-16 flared emitter 30, against, as a reference, the original on-axis response 21 of the microspeaker 20 without the flared emitter in place.
- This characteristic (31) compares favourably with those attributed to the proposals of the aforementioned intermediate document, particularly in respect of the performance required for stereophonic music and 3D-positional audio. Compared with the characteristics attributed to the aforementioned proposals, the main resonant peak has been reduced in magnitude and distributed over a wider frequency range.
- the principal peak now lies at 5 kHz, well above the voice-band (300 Hz to 3.4 kHz) as opposed to lying in the vicinity of 3.2 kHz.
- the invention also improves, by around 3 dB, the gain in the important region extending from 1 kHz to 1.5 kHz.
- the high-frequency response associated with use of the flared emitter is usefully sustained to 10 kHz and beyond. As can be seen from Figure 5, at 10 kHz, the response is only about 6 dB less than the reference microspeaker itself.
- this embodiment of the invention provides an excellent high frequency response, suppressing the Helmholtz resonance otherwise present intrinsically in its structure.
- a complete arrangement configured for stereophonic sound reproduction and/or 3D-positional audio will comprise a housing that incorporates a pair of constructions such as that shown in and described with reference to Figure 4 , and that the emission slits for the two conduits will typically be disposed to either side of the housing, as shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 3 . It will also be appreciated that, in such circumstances and order to provide matched performance from the two microspeakers, the two conduits will in general be configured to exhibit substantially identical flarings.
- the arrangement also provides a relatively flat, smooth frequency response by means of the additional integration of a resonant absorber device.
- certain embodiments of the present invention seek to provide a relatively flat frequency response over an extended part of the audible frequency spectrum.
- the present invention uses a resonance-suppressing structure.
- some embodiments of the present invention use a resonant cavity structure to selectively suppress, by absorption and/or attenuation, residual device resonance at certain frequencies.
- the resonant cavity structure is not restricted to a Helmholtz-type configuration, but one preferred embodiment of the present invention employs an array of quarter-wave stubs as a resonant absorber array.
- a simple method of defining clearly the properties of the present invention, and for quantifying its beneficial characteristics, relates to the concept of the "Insertion Loss" of a component.
- the Insertion Loss of a device in a transmission circuit is defined as the difference between the transmission response without the device in place, and the transmission response with the device in place. More rigorously, we can define an "Insertion Response", which will define the change in the transmitted spectrum owing to the presence of a device (rather than just a simple gain-factor at a single, specified frequency).
- FIG. 6 shows a simple method for measuring the Insertion Response of a microspeaker emission conduit.
- a microspeaker is mounted on to a small, fixed sealed rear enclosure having a volume that is typical of the final application (for cell-phones, this is typically 2 ml).
- the microspeaker characteristics are measured by conventional impulse or frequency sweep methods in an anechoic chamber, using a reference-grade microphone in an on-axis (C-C') position ( Figure 6(a) ) directed at an emission outlet, and typically at a distance of about 5 or 10 cm.
- an emission conduit is attached to the front surface of the microspeaker enclosure and the measurements are repeated.
- L-L' represents the on-axis direction of propagation, now orthogonal to the microspeaker central axis, C-C'.
- the Insertion Response is calculated by subtracting the second response from the first, yielding on-axis results, and can be plotted as a function of gain (dB) against frequency, as illustrated later.
- Insertion Responses have been calculated using the on-axis data for both the emission conduit measurements and the reference microspeaker measurement, where this is defined to be aligned along the central emission axis of the transducer or conduit.
- An obvious approach is to insert damping material into the conduit.
- this expedient significantly reduces the emitted volume level across the spectrum, and the microspeaker cannot be simply driven harder to compensate for the reduction in sound volume if it is already operating near its maximum output capability.
- a further embodiment of the invention therefore utilises a compensating resonant absorber cavity, linked to the flared emitter conduit 30, 32; tuned to the unwanted residual resonant peak, and having an appropriate Q factor.
- the compensating resonator absorbs acoustic energy specifically at the relevant resonant frequency and to the desired spectral profile, without reducing the sound output across the spectrum, as would happen if damping material were simply introduced into the cavity.
- the inventor has discovered that either a Helmholtz-type resonant absorber or, alternatively, one or more miniature quarter-wave tube-type resonant structures can be used to reduce or eliminate residual resonant peaks in the response of the flared emitter.
- an arrangement comprising a compensated structure of this kind using a Helmholtz-type absorber was fabricated using stacked laminar components as shown in Figure 4 , but with the plate 30 replaced by a plate 50 shown in Figure 8(a) , in order to address the residual spectral peak at about 5 kHz in the characteristic 31 of Figure 5 .
- the new "integrated" sonic emitter plate 50 was fabricated by integrating a flared emission conduit and a suitable Helmholtz absorber into the same plate, and is therefore readily manufactured.
- the Helmholtz parameters to absorb the residual 5 kHz resonance were calculated, and a corresponding circular cavity 54 and a linking channel 56 were incorporated into the plate 50, which also was formed with a flared 9-16 emitter conduit 52, with the Helmholtz absorber neck coupled to the flared conduit adjacent the microspeaker surface, opposite the path leading to the emission aperture, as shown in Figure 8(a) .
- the circular cavity 54 is 7 mm in diameter, and is linked to the flared conduit by a 2 mm wide channel 56, which is 2 mm deep (the thickness of the plate).
- a cotton damping material (not shown) was used to fill the 7 mm diameter absorbing cavity 54 in order to match the Q factor of the residual resonance, thereby providing a damped resonant cavity; a resonant absorber.
- the 9-16 flared emitter 50 with integral Helmholtz absorber as shown in Figure 8(a) , was inserted into the arrangement of Figure 4 in place of the plate 30 and was characterised using the same method as for the previous devices, with the results being shown in Figure 9 .
- Figure 9 shows both the measured frequency response 51 of the flared emitter with integrated Helmholtz absorber, and, as before, the original, on-axis response 21 of the microspeaker without the flared emitter in place as a reference. Although the response is not perfectly flat, it more closely resembles the "pure" response of the reference microspeaker on its own.
- Figure 10 depicts at 53 the Insertion Response of the flared emitter with integrated Helmholtz absorber.
- the resulting plate 60 comprises a 9-16 flared emitter slot 62, as before, and in addition a plurality of stub absorbers 64a to 64e.
- the stub absorbers could, of course alternatively be formed in the underside of the capping plate 32.
- some stub absorbers could be formed in the plate 60 and some in the plate 32, or part of some or each of the stub absorbers could be formed in juxtaposed, facing surfaces of each plate.
- a distributed array of five quarter-wave channels 64 (a) to 64(e) was milled onto the surface of a 9-16 flared emitter 60, 62, as shown in Figure 8(b) .
- Each stub channel 64 was 1 mm in width, and 0.7 mm in depth.
- a concentric elliptical array pattern was used. Initially, the lengths of the channels were calculated so as to provide absorption at 500 Hz intervals from 4.1 kHz to 6.1 kHz.
- Figure 11 shows both the measured frequency response 61 of the flared emitter 60 with integrated quarter-wave array absorber 64a to 64e, and as before, as a reference, the original, on-axis response 21 of the reference microspeaker without the integrated flared emitter in place.
- the response 61 follows closely the "pure" response 21 of the microspeaker on its own. It is excellent for the reproduction of music and for rendering 3D-positional audio.
- the HF response extends beyond the plot shown, being 800 Hz to 15.30 kHz ⁇ 3 dB, and is totally free from any sharp peaks or troughs.
- Figure 12 shows at 63 the insertion loss response of the flared emitter with integrated quarter-wave array absorber.
- a complete arrangement configured for stereophonic sound reproduction and/or 3D-positional audio will comprise a housing that incorporates a pair of microspeakers, each associated with a respective flared and compensated conduit, and that the emission slits for the two conduits will typically be disposed to either side of the housing, as shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 3 .
- the two conduits will in general be configured to exhibit substantially identical flaring and resonant absorption characteristics.
- each plate such as 50 or 60, to incorporate more than one resonant absorber.
- the resonant absorbers may or may not be of the same kind; i.e. a Helmholtz-type absorber and one or more quarter-wavelength channels may be coupled to the same flared conduit.
- Such embodiments of the invention find application, for example, to mobile telephones intended to be operable "hands-free” and which thus may be placed on a stand or other support so that a user can (for example) conduct a call or listen to music, using the telephone, whilst doing something else.
- Figure 13 shows a plate member 70 for use in such an embodiment of the invention; the plate member 70 being generally similar to plate member 60 of Figure 8(b) , but formed with dual flared conduits 72 and 74, each linking the output surface of a single sonic emitter, such as a microspeaker (not shown), to a respective emission slot region 76, 78.
- the flared conduits 72 and 74 are merged in a centrally located region 73 which overlies the emission surface (not shown) of the microspeaker.
- the plate 70 also includes an array 80 of quarter-wave stub absorbers; the array in this case comprising five stubs, 80(a) to 80(e), of different lengths, split for convenience into groups of two and three disposed respectively to either side of the aforementioned central region 73 at which the dual conduits merge.
- the merged central region 73 of the conduits 72, 74 is 8 mm in width, and the width of each conduit then flares linearly and smoothly to about 20 mm at its respective emission aperture region.
- Each stub comprised a channel 1.0 mm wide and 0.8 mm deep, but with their respective lengths matched to the required absorption frequencies in accordance with the following table: Stub Reference Frequency (Hz) Length (mm) 80(a) 3360 25.5 80(b) 3860 22.2 80(c) 4360 19.7 80(d) 4860 17.6 80(e) 5360 16.0
- the resonator comprises a rigid walled cavity 1 of volume V, connected to the ambient by way of a neck 2 having length L, and cross sectional area S.
- the structure behaves as a resonant system when the dimensions of all of these parameters are significantly smaller than the wavelengths ⁇ under consideration.
- the wavelengths lie between 680 mm and 57 mm. It is assumed that the neck constriction is sufficiently short that all fluid particles may be assumed to move in phase when actuated by a sound pressure wave.
- This acoustical system is directly analogous to a mechanical oscillator, in which its inertance, compliance and resistance correspond to the mass, compliance and resistance of, for example, a damped, sprung piston, and also to the inductance, capacitance and resistance of an L-C-R resonant electrical circuit.
- the factor L' is used for the effective length of the neck, rather than the physical length L because of its radiation-mass loading.
- neck opening is a circular opening of radius a then, in the limit when L approaches 0, L' approaches a value of 1.7a (flanged) or 1.5a (not flanged).
- the Q factor of a Helmholtz resonator can be defined as the quotient of the resonant frequency, ⁇ 0 , and the width of the resonant peak at the half-power points ( ⁇ 1 and ⁇ 2 ) lying at the -3 dB points flanking the peak at ⁇ 0 .
- Q ⁇ 0 ⁇ 2 - ⁇ 1
- the Q factor of the emitting cavity can be reduced either by reducing V, reducing L, or increasing S, or by any combination of or, preferably, all of these.
- another important feature of the resonant peak of a resonant system is its overall shape, and this is governed by the presence of any associated non-reactive impedances, such as resistive components, and their relative values. Their effect is to dampen the resonance and limit the range of the impedance of the system at resonance, such that it does not approach an infinitely large value or a zero value. Accordingly, it is possible to have two resonant systems featuring an identical Q value, but which possess differing spectral profiles.
- resistive elements are introduced in order to refine and match the shape of the resonant profile of a compensating cavity to that of an emitting cavity.
- the equations described herein can be extended to include such resistive elements and model resonant system behaviour in even more detail.
- the acoustic properties of various closed- and open-tube (or pipe) configurations are well known to those skilled in the art.
- the relevant configuration here is the "single-ended, closed, quarter-wave tube", or " ⁇ /4 tube".
- F 0 the “single-ended, closed, quarter-wave tube”
- this is a tube that is one-quarter of a wavelength in length, being closed at one end and open at the other.
- F 0 When exposed to a sonic sound field at frequency F 0 , some of the incident wave energy travels in to, and along, the tube, and then it and is reflected back from the closed end.
- the incident wave at the tube entrance will have undergone a 180° phase shift. Consequently, destructive interference occurs when it interacts with the original, reflected wave emerging from the quarter-wave tube; it is resonant at frequency F 0 . Sound energy primarily in the region of that one specific wavelength interacts with the tube.
- the amount of energy interaction between the sound field and the tube is dependent on the relative cross sectional area of the ⁇ /4 tube.
- the "Q" factor is determined by the resistive losses relating to frictional interaction between the fluid medium (air) and the tube walls, and also by thermal energy loss to the walls of the tube. If the tube diameter is made very small, then the resistive losses by both mechanisms increase, and the "Q" factor decreases. Accordingly, by making very narrow diameter tubes (in the form of rectangular section grooves), the inventor has found that it is possible to manufacture resonant absorbers having characteristics that can be controlled very accurately, and which can be used advantageously for compensating the residual resonance of a minimally resonant conduit.
- the absorption frequency, F 0 C / 4 ⁇ L and hence an absorbing quarter-wave tube for, say, a frequency of 5 kHz, would be required to have a length of 17.2 mm.
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- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Otolaryngology (AREA)
- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
- Signal Processing (AREA)
- Obtaining Desirable Characteristics In Audible-Bandwidth Transducers (AREA)
Claims (14)
- Tragbare elektronische Vorrichtung, umfassend:ein Gehäuse mit einer Breite und einer Dicke,einen ersten und zweiten Schallwandler innerhalb des Gehäuses, wobei jeder Schallwandler eine entsprechende Schallemissionsoberfläche hat,einen ersten und zweiten Schallemissionsausgang, die mit dem ersten beziehungsweise dem zweiten Schallwandler verbunden sind,eine erste und zweite Leitung, die den ersten Schallwandler mit dem ersten Schallemissionsausgang beziehungsweise den zweiten Schallwandler mit dem zweiten Schallemissionsausgang verbinden,dadurch gekennzeichnet, dassder erste und zweite Schallwandler Mikrolautsprecher sind,der erste und zweite Schallemissionsausgang schmale rechteckige Schlitze umfassen, die jeweils eine Breite von 2 mm oder weniger in Richtung der Dicke des Gehäuses besitzen und sich jeweils an den entgegengesetzten Seitenrändern des Gehäuses befinden, so dass sie in Bezug auf die Schallemissionsoberflächen der Schallwandler orthogonal ausgerichtet sind und durch die Breite des Gehäuses voneinander getrennt sind, unddie erste und zweite Leitung trichterförmig sind, so dass die Querschnittsflächen der Leitung über mindestens einen Teil ihrer Länge zunehmen, wobei die Querschnittsfläche im Wesentlichen an keinem Punkt abnimmt.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1, wobei eine im Wesentlichen identische Aufweitung auf die erste und die zweite Leitung angewendet wird.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die Aufweitung, die auf die Leitungen angewendet wird, jeweils im Wesentlichen linear ist.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die Aufweitung, die auf die Leitungen angewendet wird, jeweils im Wesentlichen exponentiell oder anderweitig kurvenförmig ist.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die Aufweitung, die auf die Leitungen angewendet wird, jeweils im Wesentlichen glatt ist.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2, wobei die Aufweitung, die auf die Leitungen angewendet wird, jeweils mindestens eine Stufe oder eine andere Unstetigkeit enthält.
- Vorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 2 bis 6, wobei die Aufweitung jeweils nur über einen Teil der Länge der Leitung angewendet wird.
- Vorrichtung nach einem vorhergehenden Anspruch, die jeweils mindestens eine akustische Resonatoreinrichtung umfasst, die mit einer Leitung verbunden ist.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 8, wobei jede akustische Resonatoreinrichtung mindestens einen Helmholtz-Resonator umfasst.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 8 oder Anspruch 9, wobei jede akustische Resonatoreinrichtung aus akustischem Dämpfmaterial hergestellt ist oder dieses enthält oder damit zusammengefügt ist.
- Vorrichtung nach einem der Ansprüche 8 bis 10, wobei jede akustische Resonatoreinrichtung mindestens eine Viertel-Wellenlängen-Rohr-, -Kanal- oder Nutvorrichtung umfasst.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 11, wobei jede akustische Resonatoreinrichtung eine verteilte Anordnung von Viertel-Wellenlängen-Kanälen umfasst, die im Wesentlichen einem konzentrischen elliptischen Anordnungsmuster entsprechen.
- Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 11 oder Anspruch 12, wobei jede akustische Resonatoreinrichtung mindestens einen Viertel-Wellenlängen-Kanal mit einer Querschnittsfläche von 1 mm2 oder weniger umfasst.
- Tragbare elektronische Vorrichtung nach einem vorhergehenden Anspruch, wobei die Vorrichtung ein Mobiltelefon des Klapptelefontyps ist.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
GB0326807A GB2408405A (en) | 2003-11-18 | 2003-11-18 | Sonic emitter |
PCT/GB2004/004800 WO2005051037A1 (en) | 2003-11-18 | 2004-11-16 | Sonic emitter arrangements |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP1685741A1 EP1685741A1 (de) | 2006-08-02 |
EP1685741B1 true EP1685741B1 (de) | 2013-04-03 |
Family
ID=29763988
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP04798520A Not-in-force EP1685741B1 (de) | 2003-11-18 | 2004-11-16 | Schallemitter-anordnungen |
Country Status (3)
Country | Link |
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EP (1) | EP1685741B1 (de) |
GB (1) | GB2408405A (de) |
WO (1) | WO2005051037A1 (de) |
Cited By (1)
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US11800272B2 (en) | 2021-02-09 | 2023-10-24 | Sintai Optical (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. | Headphone device |
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GB2426405B (en) * | 2005-05-21 | 2008-02-27 | Sonaptic Ltd | Miniature planar acoustic networks |
FI20050690A0 (fi) * | 2005-06-29 | 2005-06-29 | Nokia Corp | Kaiutinlaitteisto langattomassa viestintälaitteessa |
KR200408511Y1 (ko) * | 2005-11-24 | 2006-02-13 | 부전전자부품 주식회사 | 이동통신 단말기용 스피커 |
WO2007089845A2 (en) * | 2006-01-30 | 2007-08-09 | Etymotic Research, Inc. | Insert earphone using a moving coil driver |
US8594351B2 (en) | 2006-06-30 | 2013-11-26 | Bose Corporation | Equalized earphones |
GB2445388B (en) * | 2007-02-16 | 2009-01-07 | Sonaptic Ltd | Ear-worn speaker-carrying devices |
US20120134239A1 (en) * | 2010-11-28 | 2012-05-31 | Struthers Sheldon L | Micro sonic transmitter |
US9661412B2 (en) | 2011-06-20 | 2017-05-23 | Nokia Technologies Oy | Apparatus for providing passive stereo amplification for a portable device |
KR101236057B1 (ko) * | 2011-10-12 | 2013-02-21 | 부전전자 주식회사 | 마이크로 스피커모듈 |
US9107003B2 (en) * | 2011-12-15 | 2015-08-11 | Apple Inc. | Extended duct with damping for improved speaker performance |
US8670586B1 (en) | 2012-09-07 | 2014-03-11 | Bose Corporation | Combining and waterproofing headphone port exits |
US9301040B2 (en) | 2014-03-14 | 2016-03-29 | Bose Corporation | Pressure equalization in earphones |
GB201602781D0 (en) * | 2016-02-17 | 2016-03-30 | Soundchip Sa | In-ear earphone |
CN107547992A (zh) * | 2016-06-29 | 2018-01-05 | 宏碁股份有限公司 | 低频延伸的扬声器及应用该扬声器的电子装置 |
US10182287B2 (en) | 2016-08-16 | 2019-01-15 | Bose Corporation | Earphone having damped ear canal resonance |
EP3613218A4 (de) * | 2017-04-21 | 2021-01-27 | Genelec OY | Mehrweg-richtlautsprecher mit wellenleiter |
US10299032B2 (en) | 2017-09-11 | 2019-05-21 | Apple Inc. | Front port resonator for a speaker assembly |
US10397693B1 (en) | 2018-03-09 | 2019-08-27 | Apple Inc. | Acoustic chambers damped with plural resonant chambers, and related systems and methods |
US11265645B2 (en) | 2018-09-24 | 2022-03-01 | Apple Inc. | Acoustic chambers damped with side-branch resonators, and related systems and methods |
US10475435B1 (en) | 2018-12-05 | 2019-11-12 | Bose Corporation | Earphone having acoustic impedance branch for damped ear canal resonance and acoustic signal coupling |
US20210105556A1 (en) * | 2019-10-08 | 2021-04-08 | Soniphi Llc | Systems & Methods For Expanding Sensation Using Isobaric Chambers |
US11451902B1 (en) | 2021-05-07 | 2022-09-20 | Apple Inc. | Speaker with vented resonator |
US11490190B1 (en) | 2021-05-07 | 2022-11-01 | Apple Inc. | Speaker with multiple resonators |
WO2024091215A1 (en) * | 2022-10-24 | 2024-05-02 | Google Llc | Compression driver wide band microspeaker |
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ATE206862T1 (de) * | 1994-12-23 | 2001-10-15 | Koninkl Philips Electronics Nv | Tonwiedergabegerät mit akustischem horn und akustisches horn zur anwendung in diesem gerät |
US5617477A (en) * | 1995-03-08 | 1997-04-01 | Interval Research Corporation | Personal wearable communication system with enhanced low frequency response |
GB2302231B (en) * | 1995-03-14 | 1999-01-13 | Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd | Speaker system |
US6324052B1 (en) * | 1996-09-03 | 2001-11-27 | New Transducers Limited | Personal computing devices comprising a resonant panel loudspeaker |
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JP3732007B2 (ja) * | 1998-04-30 | 2006-01-05 | ティーオーエー株式会社 | ホーンスピーカ |
US6493456B1 (en) * | 2000-10-18 | 2002-12-10 | Telefonaktiebolaget L.M. Ericsson | Thin speaker assemblies including laterally offset resonator cavities and personal electronic devices including the same |
US7123736B2 (en) * | 2002-09-27 | 2006-10-17 | Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ab | Double-resonator micro-speaker assemblies and methods for tuning the same |
-
2003
- 2003-11-18 GB GB0326807A patent/GB2408405A/en not_active Withdrawn
-
2004
- 2004-11-16 EP EP04798520A patent/EP1685741B1/de not_active Not-in-force
- 2004-11-16 WO PCT/GB2004/004800 patent/WO2005051037A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
Cited By (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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US11800272B2 (en) | 2021-02-09 | 2023-10-24 | Sintai Optical (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. | Headphone device |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
GB2408405A (en) | 2005-05-25 |
EP1685741A1 (de) | 2006-08-02 |
WO2005051037A1 (en) | 2005-06-02 |
GB0326807D0 (en) | 2003-12-24 |
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