JP6271055B1 - Levitation speaker - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a floating speaker with a novel design which can oscillate sound in all directions without causing any energy loss and which has a novel design. A speaker that generates sound such as music or voice by converting an electrical signal into physical vibration, and is floated in the air by the magnetic action with a hollow inner and outer shell-shaped speaker as a vibration member 1 Then, the rod 6a of the giant magnetostrictive element 6 provided inside the vibrating member 1 is directly connected to the vibrating member 1, and the sound member is vibrated by supplying an audio signal to the electromagnetic coil of the giant magnetostrictive element 6. [Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a floating speaker with a novel design that does not cause energy loss when converted into sound and can oscillate sound in all directions.

Conventionally, as a device that emits sound in all directions, sound is radiated from a speaker arranged at the upper part of a cylinder toward a concave curved reflecting plate provided below, and the curved reflecting plate emits sound on all four sides. A technique is known in which sound is oscillated in all directions by reflection. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.)
On the other hand, as a speaker built-in column installed outdoors, a technology that attaches a giant magnetostrictive actuator in the sealed space of the column main body using a column main body made of hollow material as a diaphragm to make it excellent in durability Is also known. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)

JP 2002-330487A. JP 2005-167722 A.

By the way, in the case of the technique of Patent Document 1, although the sound directivity range is widened, there is a limit in the direction in which the sound reaches, and there is a limit in that the sound is completely oscillated in all directions. Moreover, since the sound is reflected using the curved reflector, it is difficult to emit a uniform sound in all directions.
On the other hand, in the case of the technique of Patent Document 2, since the lower end portion of the hollow column main body as a diaphragm is erected on the ground or the like, sound energy loss occurs and energy is efficiently converted into sound. There was a difficulty in the point, and it was impossible to produce a beautiful sound due to a mixture of sound distortion and turbid vibration.

Therefore, the present invention has an object of providing a floating speaker with a novel design that can oscillate sound in all directions without causing any energy loss when converted into sound, and has a novel design. .
In this specification, the term “sound” includes ultrasonic waves and low-frequency waves that are outside the human audible range.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in a speaker that generates a sound such as music or voice by converting an electrical signal into physical vibration, a vibrating member that vibrates by a vibrating means is levitated in the air by a levitating mechanism. The vibration member faces in all directions of the surroundings, and the vibration member can be oscillated in all directions in the surroundings by not contacting the surrounding objects .

Thus, if the vibration member is levitated in the air and this vibration member is vibrated by the vibration means, the vibration member is not in contact with surrounding objects, so that energy is not wasted and the surrounding member is not consumed. Sounds can be emitted in all directions. At this time, the vibration member may be a simple flat diaphragm, a combination of a plurality of diaphragms in a complicated shape, a curved one of the diaphragms, or other The shape may be sufficient.
In addition, as a vibrating means, a piezoelectric element such as a giant magnetostrictive element that changes its shape by a magnetic field or a piezoelectric element that generates distortion by a change in voltage may be directly attached to the vibrating member, and the diaphragm is vibrated by an electromagnet. You may make it vibrate a vibration member by what is called an electromagnetic buzzer system.

In the present invention, a wireless communication means for sending an audio signal wirelessly is incorporated into the floating speaker, or a memory medium for storing the audio signal is attached or attachable.
Here, the frequency etc. are arbitrary as a radio | wireless communication means.
Further, it is desirable that the memory medium storing the audio signal is as small and light as possible, and an SD card, a micro SD card, or the like is applicable, but a micro SD card is particularly preferable.
Then, either the wireless communication means or the memory medium can be mounted or mountable, but both may be provided.

In the present invention, the floating speaker is provided with a non-contact type power receiving mechanism that can receive electric power in a non-contact manner.
In this way, if a non-contact type power receiving mechanism is provided, it is possible to receive electric power that is supplied from the outside in a non-contact type. It is convenient because it can be charged by contact.
The contactless power receiving mechanism that receives power in a non-contact manner may be, for example, a radio wave system that receives power converted into electromagnetic waves via an antenna, or two coils are adjacent to each other and wirelessly connected to one coil. An electromagnetic induction method in which an electromotive force is generated by electromagnetic induction in the other coil by a flowing current, or an electromagnetic resonance method in which two coils are adjacent to each other and receive electric power using an electromagnetic resonance phenomenon Of course, other methods may be used.

In the present invention, the floating speaker is an outer shell body that encloses the entire periphery to form a sealed space inside.
In other words, the outer shell body may be formed in such a manner that a space in which the inside is sealed is formed solely by the vibration member, but for example, when a floating mechanism is combined with the vibration member and integrated. May be configured such that a space with a sealed interior is formed as a whole.
In this way, if the entire speaker is formed with a sealed space inside, the sound oscillated toward the internal sealed space part interferes with the sound oscillated toward the outside, and has an adverse effect. There is no problem to give, you can make a beautiful sound.
At this time, the shape of the outer shell is arbitrary, and may be spherical, polygonal, or other shapes.

Further, in the present invention, an opening is formed at a predetermined location of the outer shell for guiding the vibration of air oscillated toward the back side of the outer shell to the front side of the outer shell.
In this way, if the opening for deriving the vibration of the air oscillated toward the back side of the outer shell body to the front side of the outer shell body is formed, the vibration of the air oscillated toward the front side of the outer shell body and The vibrations of the air oscillated toward the back side of the outer shell interfere with each other, and in particular, the sound in the low range can be amplified to obtain a powerful sound quality. As a technique similar to this, a so-called bass reflex type speaker that amplifies a low frequency range of sound generated from the rear surface of the speaker by Helmholtz resonance in the design of the speaker enclosure has been known.

In the present invention, magnetism is used as the levitation mechanism.
Here, in the magnetic levitation mechanism, the levitated object attached with a magnet or the like is suspended at a certain distance below the end of the arm by the action of a magnetic force attached to the end of the arm extending above the levitated object. A floating system that lowers the surface, a system that floats a levitated object at a fixed distance above the base body having the magnetic field generation source, or another system may be used.

In the present invention, when the levitation speaker is an outer shell that surrounds a space sealed inside, a gas that is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere is used as the levitation mechanism.
In this way, the speaker is lifted by using a gas that is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere. Note that when the ambient atmosphere is air, for example, helium gas, hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, or the like is applicable, and helium gas is particularly safe and suitable for handling.

As a levitating speaker, a vibrating member that vibrates by vibrating means is levitated in the air by a levitating mechanism, the vibrating member faces in all surrounding directions, and the vibrating member is brought into a non-contact state with surrounding objects. , To be able to oscillate in any direction around. Thus, without causing an energy loss, conversion to efficient sound capable ing. During this, the floating speaker, if a memory medium for storing or audio signals incorporate wireless communication means for sending a voice signal by radio can be mounted or attached, to feed the audio signal to the vibration means of floating state If a non-contact type power receiving mechanism that can receive power in a non-contact manner is provided in the floating speaker, power can be supplied to the vibration means in a non-contact manner. The battery can be charged in a non-contact manner even when the battery is incorporated. Moreover, if the outer shell body is formed so that a sealed space is formed inside the speaker as a whole, the sound oscillated toward the sealed space inside will interfere with the sound oscillated toward the outside. The sound can be made beautiful without any negative effects. At this time, if an opening for guiding the vibration of air radiated toward the back side of the outer shell body to the front side of the outer shell body is formed at a predetermined position of the outer shell body, the sound in the low frequency range is amplified. And powerful sound quality.
In addition, as the levitation mechanism, a method using magnetism or a method using gas lighter than the surrounding atmosphere can be adopted. With such a configuration, a simple configuration using the conventional technology can be achieved. .

1 is an overall view showing an example of a specific configuration of a floating speaker according to the present invention. It is an internal structure figure for demonstrating a levitation mechanism. It is a horizontal sectional view which shows the internal structure of a base body. It is a structural example figure, such as a power supply of the vibration means of a floating speaker. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which formed the hole as an opening part in a floating speaker.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
An object of the present invention is to provide a floating speaker of a novel design that can oscillate sound in any direction without causing energy loss, and has a vibrating member levitated by a levitating mechanism, The vibrating member is vibrated by a vibrating means.

  Therefore, the vibration member, the levitating mechanism, and the vibration means will be sequentially described for the levitating speaker according to the present invention.

  The vibration member is a member that generates sound by vibration, and its material, shape, and the like are arbitrary. However, since it is levitated in the air by the levitation mechanism described later, it is preferable to use a light and thin material that is easy to vibrate, for example, a single plate-like diaphragm such as a plastic plate, lightweight metal or wood, A combination of a plurality of flat diaphragms in a complicated shape, a curved shape of a single plate, or the like is applicable.

  In the present embodiment, as the vibration member 1, a floating body of an air levitation device as shown in JP-T-2009-527207 is used. This floating body is a globe having a hollow inside as shown in FIG. 1, and an upper hemisphere 1a (FIG. 2) and a lower hemisphere 1b (FIG. 2) molded from a resin material are joined and integrated, A sealed space is formed.

The levitation mechanism uses magnetism, or when the vibrating member 1 has a sealed internal space as in the present embodiment, a gas that is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere can be used.
Here, when the ambient atmosphere is air, for example, helium gas, hydrogen gas, nitrogen gas, or the like can be applied as a gas lighter than air, but helium gas is particularly safe for handling.

  Also, in the magnetic levitation mechanism, the levitated object attached with a magnet or the like is suspended at a certain distance below the end of the arm by the action of a magnetic force attached to the tip of the arm that extends above the levitated object. Such a floating system may be used, or a system in which a levitated object is levitated at a fixed distance above a base body having a magnetic field generation source may be used. In this embodiment, a base having a magnetic field generation source may be used. Since the technique of the above-mentioned special table 2009-527207 which floats a levitated object at a certain distance above the body is used, this levitation mechanism will be briefly described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the levitation mechanism includes a base body 2, and an annular annular magnet 3 magnetized in the vertical direction is disposed inside the base body 2. The annular magnet 3 is for floating the magnet 4 disposed inside the hollow of the vibration member 1, and a plurality of electromagnets 5 are disposed inside the annular magnet 3.
The electromagnet 5 can keep the position of the vibrating member 1 constant by correcting the magnetic field of the annular magnet 3 in accordance with the position of the vibrating member 1 that floats. That is, the displacement of the position of the vibration member 1 is measured by a sensor (not shown), and the electromagnet 5 is controlled from the measurement result.

  In addition, the configuration example of the magnetic levitation in the embodiment is an example, and the vibrating member 1 may be levitated by a method such as suspending downward by an arm or the like, or may be levitated by magnetism by another method. This is as described above.

Next, the vibration means will be described.
The vibration means is a means for vibrating the vibration member 1 and, as described above, a piezoelectric element such as a giant magnetostrictive element whose shape changes due to a magnetic field or a piezoelectric element which causes distortion due to a change in voltage is directly attached to the vibration member. Alternatively, a so-called electromagnetic buzzer method in which the vibrating member is vibrated by an electromagnet may be employed. However, in this embodiment, the giant magnetostrictive element 6 is used as shown in FIG.

  The super magnetostrictive element 6 supplies an audio signal to an internal electromagnetic coil, thereby expanding and contracting the central super magnetostrictive rod 6a and connecting the tip of the super magnetostrictive rod 6a to the vibration member 1 to vibrate the vibration member 1. In this embodiment, the spherical vibration member 1 is connected to the apex on the back side of the spherical vibration member 1 by the fixing means s. At this time, the specific connection method by the fixing means s is arbitrary, and the tip of the rod 6a may be directly fixed to the vibration member 1 by adhesion or the like, or a male screw is engraved on the tip of the rod 6a. In addition, a plastic nut having a female screw may be bonded and fixed to the back side of the vibration member 1, and the tip of the rod 6a may be screwed into this, or other methods may be used.

  As means for supplying an audio data signal to the electromagnetic coil inside the giant magnetostrictive element 6, a method of sending it by radio, a memory medium such as an SD memory card or a micro SD memory card is mounted on a floating speaker, Alternatively, a method of forming an insertion port for mounting these memory media can be applied. However, in this embodiment, a short-range wireless communication means that supplies wirelessly is employed, and Bluetooth is provided on the substrate 7. Module (registered trademark name) is incorporated. In addition, when using a short-distance radio | wireless communication means, things other than a Bluetooth module may be used. As described above, wireless communication means other than short-range wireless communication means may be used.

As a power source, a rechargeable battery or the like can be incorporated in advance, or a system using a non-contact power transmission mechanism can be adopted. However, in this embodiment, both are used together. That is, a non-contact type power receiving mechanism 9 is connected to the battery 8 so that the battery 8 can be supplied with power and charged in a non-contact type.
Here, as the non-contact type power transmission mechanism, for example, a radio wave system in which power converted into electromagnetic waves is transmitted through an antenna, or two coils are adjacent to each other, and a current that flows wirelessly through one coil is used. The electromagnetic induction system may generate an electromotive force by electromagnetic induction in the other coil, or the electromagnetic resonance system that transmits power using the electromagnetic resonance phenomenon with two coils adjacent to each other. Good.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the embodiment in which the internal space of the vibration member 1 is sealed is illustrated. However, a hole 10 as an opening as shown in FIG. The vibration of air oscillated toward the back side (internal space) of the speaker may be led out to the front side (external space) of the speaker.

  In this way, the vibration of air oscillated toward the back side (internal space) of the speaker is led to the front side of the speaker through the hole, so that the vibration of air oscillated on the front side of the outer shell body It interferes with the vibrations of the air oscillated toward the back of the shell, especially amplifying the low-frequency sound.

  Note that the position, shape, size, number, etc. of the holes 10 in FIG. 5 are merely examples.

  In the above-described levitation speaker, the spherical vibrating member 1 that floats in the air emits sound as a speaker, and since there is nothing in contact with this speaker, there is no energy loss and it can be directed in all directions. Sound can be oscillated.

In addition, a completely new and novel design with speakers floating in the air can create a fantastic atmosphere, including not only the sound industry but also the entertainment industry related to sound, the information communication industry, and various event planners. Widespread use is expected.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the above embodiments. What has substantially the same configuration as the matters described in the claims of the present invention and exhibits the same operational effects belongs to the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the form of the vibration member 1 is an example, and may be other shapes as long as it floats in the air, and it is not necessarily required to be an outer shell body that forms a sealed space inside. Absent. Moreover, the kind, number, etc. of the giant magnetostrictive element 6 as the vibration means are examples, and further, a gas that is lighter than the surrounding atmosphere may be used as the levitation mechanism. Moreover, forming a hole as an opening is an example.

  Because it has an unprecedented design and has little energy loss when converted to sound, it can oscillate in all directions, so not only the sound industry, but also the information and communication industry related to sound, the entertainment industry, etc. Is expected to spread in a wide range of fields.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Vibration member, 6 ... Giant magnetostrictive element, 7 ... Board | substrate, 9 ... Non-contact-type electric power receiving mechanism, 10 ... Hole (opening part).

Claims (6)

A speaker that converts an electrical signal into physical vibration to generate sound such as music and voice. A vibrating member that vibrates by a vibrating means is levitated in the air by a levitating mechanism, and the vibrating member It faces the direction, and the vibration member is in a non-contact state with surrounding objects, so that vibration can be oscillated in all directions, and the vibration member surrounds the whole as a whole. Therefore, the levitation speaker is characterized in that a sealed space is formed inside, and the levitation mechanism is provided in the sealed space . The levitation speaker according to claim 1, wherein the levitation speaker is provided with a wireless communication means for sending an audio signal wirelessly, or a memory medium for storing the audio signal is attached or attachable to the levitation speaker. . The levitation speaker according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the levitation speaker incorporates a non-contact power receiving mechanism capable of receiving electric power transmitted in a non-contact manner. The predetermined portion of the outer shell body, according to claim, characterized in that the opening for leading out the vibration of the air is oscillated toward the rear side of the shell on the front side of the outer shell is formed 1 The levitation speaker according to claim 3 . The levitation speaker according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the levitation mechanism uses magnetism. The levitation speaker according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the levitation mechanism uses a gas that is lighter than an ambient atmosphere.

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