RU2793245C2 - Loudspeaker device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: acoustics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to acoustics, in particular to loudspeakers. The loudspeaker contains a cylindrical case including an upper part, a lower part, and a side surface, while the side surface of the case additionally forms a phase inverter port; at least one loudspeaker placed inside the case, containing a flange facing the lower part; a waveguide including at least the first surface forming at least one sound channel for conductance of a given sound generated with at least one loudspeaker. The first surface is formed in the lower part of the case, and it contains a conical protrusion having a vertex facing the loudspeaker flange, wherein the vertex of the conical protrusion and a center of the loudspeaker flange are located on the common axis, so that the channel includes three areas. The first area is characterized with the first size in a cross-section along the side surface of the case between the vertex of the conical protrusion and the center of the loudspeaker flange. At the same time, the first size is selected so that resonance phenomena in a frequency characteristic of the given sound at frequencies corresponding to a middle range and an upper range are minimized. A size of the second area allows for maximization of acoustic resistance. A size of the third area corresponds to the maximum value of a wavelength.

EFFECT: reduction in distortions, increase in the sound quality, increase in compactness.

21 cl, 5 dwg

Description

Technical field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to loudspeakers and their acoustic characteristics, and more specifically to a loudspeaker device.

State of the art

[0002] Generally speaking, a loudspeaker (also referred to herein as a "loudspeaker device") is a device including a housing and dynamic drivers capable of converting an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound.

[0003] In the manufacture of a loudspeaker, its quality can usually be assessed by specific acoustic characteristics indicating the user's perception of the sound it produces. Such acoustic characteristics may include, for example, the consistency of the frequency response associated with the loudspeaker and the resonant frequencies of the loudspeaker. Generally speaking, the foregoing indicates the ability of a loudspeaker to maintain a constant audio signal amplitude within the operating frequency range of the loudspeaker. Meanwhile, one of the resonant frequencies can be related to the loudspeaker's bandwidth, which defines its lower limit, since it can be experimentally demonstrated that at a frequency below the resonant frequency, the amplitude can decrease significantly (for example, by 12 dB per octave), which can cause distortion of the reproduced sound, recognizable by the ear.

[0004] Typically, the operating frequency range of a loudspeaker may be defined by a plurality of dynamic loudspeaker heads, respectively, configured to operate within predetermined frequency subbands such as: bass subband (from about 20 Hz to about 320 Hz), midrange subband (from about 320 Hz to about 1280 Hz) and a subrange of treble frequencies (from about 1280 Hz to about 20400 Hz) spanning the audio range of human hearing.

[0005] However, when reducing the size of the speaker cabinet, for example, to improve its ergonomics, you can use only one full-range driver. Therefore, this can cause high values of the resonant frequency associated with the loudspeaker, for example, from about 200 to 250 Hz, thereby reducing the operating frequency range of the loudspeaker.

[0006] Smart loudspeaker devices (speakers) have recently been introduced to the market. Smart speaker manufacturers have faced the challenge of finding a balance between the size of the smart speaker and the acoustic quality of the sound produced by the smart speaker.

[0007] Specific prior art approaches have been proposed to address the above technical problems.

[0008] European Patent No.: 2577987, issued on October 17, 2018 and titled "Loudspeaker device with a circumferential funnel-shaped sound outlet", discloses a loudspeaker device containing at least one sound generation means, and in the sound emission direction, the sound generation means sound, an at least partially sound-conducting channel is formed, which is configured to direct the sound generation means emitting sound along the course of the sound-conducting channel so that the sound induced by the second end, made in the form of a sound outlet of the sound-conducting channel, comes out at an angle specified by the sound output radiation from the loudspeaker.

[0009] Another typical prior art approach to reducing the negative effects of high resonant frequencies is to use a passive radiator. However, this approach has proven to be inefficient, as a passive radiator may require several times the size of a single speaker driver to be effective, which falls short of the original goal of downsizing a loudspeaker or smart loudspeaker.

[0010] Another approach to solving this technical problem can be the use of a conical diffuser. However, this approach may also be inefficient for a compact loudspeaker implementation, because to achieve the desired efficiency, the size of the cone and its distance from a single driver must be significantly larger than the wavelength associated with the upper limit of the loudspeaker's operating frequency range, which in turn , due to the significant overall dimensions of such an implementation.

The essence of the invention

[0011] The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate at least some of the disadvantages inherent in the prior art.

[0012] Non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are directed to a loudspeaker including (1) a cylindrical bass reflex housing; (2) a dynamic head oriented horizontally inside the cylindrical housing of the phase inverter; and (3) a conical waveguide located at a predetermined distance from the single dynamic head.

[0013] In particular, a cylindrical bass reflex housing including a ring-shaped bass reflex can improve the acoustic performance of a loudspeaker in the bass sub-band. This can be achieved, for example, (1) by optimizing the inlet and outlet geometry of the annular port of the bass reflex (for example, by using appropriate bells), and (2) damping the annular port of the bass reflex by covering the output with a sound-transparent cloth. This implementation of the ring-shaped port of the bass reflex allows minimizing the power supplied to the loudspeaker and the amount of distortion within the bass subband, such as overtones, due to airflow turbulence.

[0014] In addition, the conical waveguide defines three specific regions within the loudspeaker to: (1) significantly reduce unwanted resonant effects in the mid and treble subbands; (2) effective matching of acoustic impedance in the operating frequency range of the loudspeaker; and (3) a diffraction phenomenon, further allowing the formation of a spherical uniform sound field characterized , inter alia, by a constant directivity associated with the loudspeaker.

[0015] According to non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, such a loudspeaker implementation allows high quality audio to be reproduced within an operating frequency range extending from at least 100 Hz to 20,000 Hz.

[0016] More specifically, in accordance with a first broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided a loudspeaker device for reproducing sound within an audio spectrum including low range, mid range, and high range. The speaker device comprises: a housing including a top part, a bottom part and a side surface; at least one loudspeaker placed inside the cylindrical housing, and at least one loudspeaker includes a loudspeaker flange facing the bottom; a waveguide including at least a first surface forming at least one sound channel for conducting a given sound generated by at least one loudspeaker, wherein: the first surface is formed in the lower part of the housing and includes a conical protrusion having a top, facing the loudspeaker flange, wherein the top of the conical protrusion and the center of the loudspeaker flange are located on a common axis, essentially perpendicular to the lower part of the housing, so that said at least one channel includes a first region, a second region and a third region successively formed along its length, wherein: the first region is formed by at least the first cross-sectional dimension of the said at least one channel along the side surface of the housing between the top of the conical protrusion and the center of the loudspeaker flange, the first cross-sectional dimension is determined so that the resonant phenomena inside the frequency response of a given sound at frequencies corresponding to the middle range and the upper range are minimized; the second region is formed by at least a second cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel along the side surface of the body, the second cross-sectional dimension being defined such that the acoustic impedance of a given sound is maximized therein; and the third region is formed by at least a third cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel along the side surface of the housing at the outlet of said at least sound channel, the third cross-sectional dimension being defined to correspond to the maximum wavelength value associated with the sound spectrum, to create a homogeneous sound field near the loudspeaker within the sound spectrum.

[0017] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker, a uniform sound field is characterized by matching the frequency response of the loudspeaker to a given sound in the vicinity of the loudspeaker within the audio spectrum.

[0018] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the consistency of the frequency response of the loudspeaker device is provided at frequencies from about 100 Hz to about 20,000 Hz of the audio spectrum.

[0019] In some speaker device implementations, frequency response consistency is achieved by iteratively changing at least one of the second cross-sectional dimension and the third cross-sectional dimension of the at least one channel to determine its respective optimum values.

[0020] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, changing at least one of the second cross-sectional dimension and the third cross-sectional dimension at each iteration is performed in predetermined increments, the predetermined increment being selected from a predetermined range of increments of about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm.

[0021] In some embodiments of the loudspeaker device, the second cross-sectional dimension is defined to be from about 2 mm to about 4 mm.

[0022] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the third cross-sectional dimension is defined to be from about 15 mm to about 20 mm.

[0023] In some embodiments of the loudspeaker device, the third region is further formed by gradually expanding said at least one audio channel from its second cross-sectional dimension to its third cross-sectional dimension.

[0024] In some embodiments of the loudspeaker device, the third region is further configured to: amplify the amplitude of a given sound at least at some frequencies in the upper range of the audio spectrum; and attenuating the amplitude of the given sound, at least at some frequencies of the lower range and the middle range of the audio spectrum.

[0025] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the gain is from about 15 dB to about 20 dB.

[0026] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the first cross-sectional dimension is selected from a first predetermined distance range of about 2 mm to about 4 mm.

[0027] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker, the speaker flange is configured to receive the concave membrane of the loudspeaker.

[0028] In some embodiments of the loudspeaker device, the side surface of the housing additionally forms a bass reflex port, the bass reflex port is configured to minimize one or more sound distortions of a given sound at frequencies corresponding to the lower range of the audio spectrum.

[0029] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, one or more audio distortions include overtones and non-linear audio distortions of a given sound at frequencies corresponding to the lower range of the audio spectrum.

[0030] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the phase inverter port is made as a Helmholtz resonator.

[0031] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the bass reflex port includes at least one bell.

[0032] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the bass reflex port further comprises a damping cap.

[0033] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, an acoustically transparent fabric is used in the damping cover.

[0034] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker, the port of the bass reflex is configured to divert sound pressure associated with a given sound from the loudspeaker at at least frequencies from about 150 Hz to about 200 Hz.

[0035] In some embodiments of a loudspeaker device, the audio spectrum includes all of the low range, mid range, and high range.

[0036] In some embodiments of the loudspeaker device, the waveguide further includes a second surface protruding from the side surface at least partially above the first surface, and the second cross-sectional dimension and the third cross-sectional dimension of the at least one channel are formed as corresponding distances between the first surface and the second surface of the waveguide.

[0037] For the purposes of this application, terms relating to spatial orientation, such as forward, backward, up, down, left, right, etc., are as they are commonly understood by the user or operator of the device. Terms relating to spatial orientation when describing or referring to components or subsystems of a device separate from the device should be understood as they will be understood when those components or subsystems are installed in the device.

[0038] In addition, it should be clearly understood that the terms relating to the spatial orientation listed above should be interpreted in the context of the present description, as depicted in the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Each embodiment of the present invention has at least one of the above aspects, but does not necessarily have all of them. It should be understood that some aspects of the present invention, which have arisen in an attempt to achieve the above goal, may not satisfy this goal and/or satisfy other goals that are not explicitly described in this document.

[0040] Additional and/or alternative features, aspects, and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0041] For a better understanding of the present invention, as well as other aspects and additional features thereof, reference is made to the following description, which is to be used in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0042] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a loudspeaker device in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;

[0043] FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view taken from above the loudspeaker device of FIG. 1 showing an acoustic unit placed within it, in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;

[0044] FIG. 3 is a side view and a vertical section of the loudspeaker device shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;

[0045] FIG. 4 is a plan view of the speaker device of FIG. 1 in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention;

[0046] FIG. 5 is an example of a frequency response diagram of a given sound produced by the loudspeaker of FIG. 1, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed description

[0047] Referring first to FIG. 1, it depicts a speaker device 100 in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention. The speaker device 100 can be placed by an operator (not shown) on a flat support surface such as a table (not shown) for example. Generally speaking, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, loudspeaker device 100 may be configured to convert electrical signals into corresponding sounds within a predetermined audio spectrum. For example, speaker device 100 may be configured to play songs and/or other audio streams that an operator of speaker device 100 desires to hear. In additional non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the loudspeaker device 100 may be configured to reproduce appropriate sounds in response to predetermined speech utterances and/or tactile interactions by an operator of the loudspeaker device 100.

[0048] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined audio spectrum associated with speaker device 100 may correspond to the range perceived by the human ear. To this end, in these embodiments, the predetermined audio spectrum may cover a range of electromagnetic radiation with a frequency of about 100 Hz to about 20,000 Hz. In this regard, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the predetermined audio spectrum may include: (1) the lower range from about 100 Hz to about 320 Hz (also referred to herein as the "bass frequency range"); (2) a mid-frequency range from about 320 Hz to about 1280 Hz (also referred to herein as "mid-range"); and (3) the upper range from about 1280 Hz to about 20400 Hz (also referred to herein as the "treble frequency range"). In addition, each of the lower range, middle range, and high range can be further subdivided into a lower sub-band, a middle sub-range, and an upper sub-range, as may become apparent to a person skilled in the art. Thus, by way of example, the low range can be represented as the union of the low bass sub-range, the mid-bass sub-range, and the high-bass sub-range. How the loudspeaker device 100 is configured to reproduce a given sound in a preformed audio spectrum will be described hereinafter.

[0049] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, loudspeaker device 100 may be configured to operate within a predetermined audio spectrum using a specifically designed acoustic unit, such as acoustic unit 120 as depicted in Figure 2, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the components of which will be described below.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 1 and 2, the speaker device 100 includes a housing further including a side surface 102 configured to receive an upper unit 104 and a lower unit 106.

[0051] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the cabinet of the speaker device 100 is, for example, a compact cabinet whose largest dimension does not exceed 100 mm.

[0052] With reference to FIG. 4, in a broad sense, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the upper unit 104 may be configured to (i) receive commands from an operator (not shown) of the loudspeaker 100; and (ii) providing a visual indication to the operator. To this end, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the top block 104 may include a plurality of different apertures, including, for example, LED apertures 302 configured to receive respective LED light sources. In addition, the upper unit 104 may further include buttons such as touch buttons 304 configured to modulate the amplitude of a given sound produced by the speaker device 100, as an example.

[0053] Finally, in accordance with certain non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the top unit 104 may further define a plurality of acoustic openings 306 configured to conduct the desired sound produced by the speaker device 100 into its external environment. The plurality of acoustic openings 306 may vary in shape and number, suitable for providing a smooth distribution of sound waves associated with a given sound in an external environment. By way of example, and not limitation, a plurality of acoustic holes 306 may be formed around the top block 104 in a circle, as shown in FIG. 4.

[0054] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 may have a cylindrical shape configured to receive an upper unit 104 and a lower unit 106 such that when the loudspeaker 100 is assembled, the upper unit 104 and the lower unit 106 aligned flush with the top and bottom of side surface 102, respectively.

[0055] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 may form a speaker grille 114. As shown in FIG. 2, speaker grille 114 may be formed around side surface 102 in an annular shape (however, other form factors are possible) parallel to one of upper unit 104 and lower unit 106. In addition, speaker grille 114 may be vertically shifted along side surface 102, to match the audio output of the speaker device 100, as will be described below. As can be understood, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, loudspeaker grille 114 may be located in the sectional view shown in FIG. 3, prior to the output of the audio channel (eg, at least one channel 204 shown in FIG. 3) of the loudspeaker 100, thereby conducting the predetermined sound generated by it into its environment, as will be described below.

[0056] In addition, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the loudspeaker device 100 may be configured to include a bass reflex (bass reflex) enclosure. To this end, as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the side surface 102 may define a port 112 of the bass reflex port 112 configured to attach to it a tubular system 116 of the bass reflex located inside the side surface 102 of the acoustic unit 120.

[0057] In accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the pipe system 116 of the bass reflex can be connected to the top unit 104, thereby forming its closed inner surface. Furthermore, the first end 117 of the bass reflex conduit 116 may be connected to the bass reflex port 112 of the loudspeaker 100; while the second end 119 of the bass reflex tube 116 may be connected to the inner surface of the side surface 102 of the loudspeaker 100. As such, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the bass reflex tube 116 may be implemented as a Helmholtz resonator.

[0058] In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the pipe system 116 of the phase inverter can be damped, for example, at the port 112 of the phase inverter. In these embodiments, damping can be implemented by covering port 112 of the bass reflex with an acoustically transparent cloth (not shown). In a broad sense, the term "acoustically transparent" as used herein refers to the properties of a fabric indicating its permeability to sound waves passing through it. In some non-limiting embodiments, any acoustic textile may be used.

[0059] In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, port 112 of the reflex port may further include at least one bell (not shown) attached thereto outside the speaker device 100. In these embodiments, at least one bell (not shown) can be configured to optimize the geometry of the reflex tube 116, further allowing minimization of air turbulence effects within the reflex tube 116 that can occur when at least one loudspeaker 118 reproduces a given sound. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, at least one flare may be made in a substantially conical shape, expanding outward, and the corresponding dimensions.

[0060] Accordingly, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the bass reflex tube system 116 can thus be configured to minimize the sound distortion caused by air turbulence within the bass reflex tube system 116, a given sound produced by the loudspeaker device 100 at frequencies corresponding to the lower range of a predetermined audio spectrum. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the bass reflex tube system 116 may be configured to minimize audio distortion, including at least one of overtones and non-linear audio distortion.

[0061] In the context of the present description, the term "overtones" means unwanted (unnecessary) sound waves having frequencies exceeding a given fundamental frequency from a predetermined audio spectrum of a given sound produced by at least one loudspeaker 118, which can cause distortion in it, and, as a consequence, in its overall clarity and quality.

[0062] In addition, in the context of the present description, the term "nonlinear audio distortion" refers to the phenomenon of non-linear relationship between the input signal of at least one speaker 118 and its output signal. Such a phenomenon can occur, for example, when an electrical audio signal indicative of a given sound is provided to at least one loudspeaker 118 and further converted into corresponding sound waves that include additional (undesired) harmonics indicative of frequencies that were not present in the electrical audio signal.

[0063] In this way, the bass reflex tube system 116 can be configured to divert the sound pressure caused by the predetermined sound produced by the loudspeaker device 100. As a result, the efficiency of the loudspeaker device 100 at frequencies corresponding to the lower band can therefore be increased. More specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the bass reflex tube system 116 may thus be configured to divert sound pressure from loudspeaker 100 at frequencies from about 100 Hz to about 200 Hz. Accordingly, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the bass reflex tube system 116 may be configured to minimize the resonant frequency of the loudspeaker 100 in the low range to some level of about 100 Hz.

[0064] In the context of the present invention, the term "resonant frequency" of a given speaker device, such as speaker device 100, denotes a frequency level below which the amplitude of a given sound produced by speaker device 100 drops significantly at a predetermined rate. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, in a frequency response diagram, such as the frequency response diagram 502 depicted in Figure 5, of loudspeaker device 100, the amplitude of a given sound below the resonant frequency may fall at a predetermined rate equal to or greater than 3 dB per octave. . Thus, in some embodiments of speaker device 100, its resonant frequency can be said to form the lower end of a predetermined audio spectrum within which speaker device 100 is capable of reproducing a given sound.

[0065] In addition, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 may form various ports for electrical signals (not shown). The electrical signal ports may allow the speaker device 100 to be connected to a power source and other electronic devices (not shown) using a wired connection. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the side surface 102 may define an audio port 308 allowing an electrical audio signal (using, for example, an audio connector) indicating a target sound to be input to the speaker device 100 from another electronic device.

[0066] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 may be configured to accommodate at least one speaker 118 (also referred to here as a "speaker" or "dynamic head") of the acoustic unit 120 to reproduce a given sound received , for example, from audio port 308, by loudspeaker 100 within a predefined audio spectrum. Generally speaking, a given sound is a combination of sound waves having different sound frequencies. The at least one speaker 118 may be respectively configured to generate sound waves in the low range, mid range, and high range, as described above.

[0067] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, at least one loudspeaker 118 is a single loudspeaker housed within the loudspeaker housing 100.

[0068] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, at least one speaker 118 may include a concave membrane 212 (also referred to herein as a “speaker diaphragm”) configured to convert an electrical audio signal supplied to the speaker device 100 into a predetermined sound. The concave membrane 212 may be made of a thin material such as polypropylene, polyether ether ketone, polycarbonate, biaxially oriented polyethylene terephthalate, and the like, to provide a desired level of sensitivity to at least one loudspeaker 118.

[0069] Finally, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 at its bottom may define a speaker opening 110 for receiving a speaker flange of at least one speaker 118, such as a speaker flange (not individually numbered), including a concave membrane 212 that faces the bottom 106 of the loudspeaker 100 when it is assembled. As can be understood from FIG. 2, in these embodiments, speaker opening 110 may be centered at the bottom (in the orientation shown in FIG. 2, not separately numbered) side surface 102 and may substantially follow the shape of the speaker flange of at least one speaker 118.

[0070] In addition, as shown in FIG. 2 and 3, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the lower part of the side surface 102 may be tapered downward to the bottom block 106, thereby forming a side raised surface 202 oriented inwardly relative to the side surface 102. Thus, the side raised surface 202 may be formed at least partially above the lower unit 106 of the loudspeaker 100.

[0071] In additional non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the side surface 102 may be configured to accommodate a variety of additional hardware components (not shown) of the speaker device 100, which have been omitted from the accompanying drawings for their clarity and simplicity, as well as the simplicity of the present description. . In this regard, side surface 102 may further form respective mounting members for receiving each of a plurality of additional hardware components (not shown). For example, a plurality of additional hardware components of speaker device 100 may include a processor (not shown). When the speaker device 100 is assembled, the processor is communicatively connected to the upper unit 104 (for example, via a wired connection), to at least one speaker 118, and to each of the various electrical signal ports, such as the audio port 308.

[0072] It should be noted that in some embodiments of the present invention, the processor may include one or more processors and/or one or more microcontrollers configured to execute instructions and perform operations associated with the operation of the loudspeaker device 100, which includes, without restrictions, instructions associated with receiving commands from an operator of the speaker device 100, instructions associated with generating instructions in response to receiving them, and the like. In various non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, a processor may be implemented on a single chip, on multiple chips, and/or as other electrical components including one or more integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. The processor may further comprise a cache unit for temporarily storing instructions, data, or additional computer information locally. By way of example, the processor may include one or more processors or one or more controllers dedicated to specific processing tasks of the speaker device 100, or one multifunctional processor or controller.

[0073] In addition, explicit use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be construed as referring solely to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware. ), network processor, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), read-only memory (ROM) for software storage, random access memory (RAM), and non-volatile storage.

[0074] In addition, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, a variety of additional hardware components (not shown) of the speaker device 100 may include a communication module (not shown). Such a communication module may be configured to implement one of the communication protocols (both wireless and wired) allowing the processor to connect to other electronic devices or remote servers. Various examples of how a communication module may be implemented include, but are not limited to, a Bluetooth™ communication module, a UART™ communication module, a Wi-Fi™ communication module, an LTE™ communication module, and the like.

[0075] According to non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, communication between the processor and other of a variety of additional hardware components, such as a communication module, as well as among themselves, can be implemented by one or more internal and/or external buses (for example, a PCI bus , Universal Serial Bus, IEEE 1394 "Firewire" bus, SCSI bus, Serial-ATA bus, etc.) to which a corresponding one of the many additional hardware components of the loudspeaker device 100 is electrically connected.

[0076] In addition, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the lower block 106 may form a conical protrusion 108 with its apex (not individually numbered) facing the speaker flange (not individually numbered) of at least one speaker 118. In these embodiments, the top of the cone 108 and the center of the loudspeaker flange of at least one loudspeaker 118 may be located on a common vertical axis (not shown) that may be substantially perpendicular to one of the upper block 104 and the lower block 106.

[0077] Although in Figure 3 the conical protrusion 108 is depicted as having the shape of a truncated cone, it should be clearly understood that in other non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the conical protrusion 108 may be in the form of a regular cone with a more pronounced apex, for example.

[0078] Thus, the side raised surface 202 and the inner surface of the lower unit 106 can form a waveguide (not individually numbered) of the acoustic unit 120, further defining at least one channel 204 of the loudspeaker 100, configured to conduct a given sound produced by at least at least one loudspeaker 118.

[0079] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, at least one channel 204 in its vertical cross section can be structurally divided into at least three regions sequentially formed along it: a first region, a second region, and a third region, each of which will be described below.

[0080] Continuing to refer to FIG. 3, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the first region may be defined by at least a first cross-sectional dimension 206 of at least one channel 204. As can be understood from FIG. 3, a first cross-sectional dimension 206 may be defined between the top of the cone 108 and the center of the flange of at least one loudspeaker 118. In these embodiments, the first cross-sectional dimension 206 may be defined to minimize resonant phenomena at frequencies of a given sound corresponding to an average range and upper range of the specified audio spectrum. As may become apparent to one skilled in the art, the term "resonance phenomenon" as used herein refers to the phenomenon of a significant increase in the amplitude of a given sound at the respective frequency levels. For example, in the frequency response diagram 502 of loudspeaker 100, a given resonant phenomenon can be defined as an amplitude peak of a given sound at a respective frequency level having a rise followed by a corresponding fall, at least one of which is equal to or greater than 6 dB per octave.

[0081] More specifically, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the first region may thus be configured to minimize resonant phenomena of a given sound at frequencies from about 500 Hz to about 20,000 Hz. Thus, in specific non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the first cross-sectional dimension 206 may be selected from a first predetermined distance range extending from about 2 mm to about 4 mm. In some non-limiting embodiments, the first cross-sectional dimension 206 may be selected as the smallest possible overall dimension of the loudspeaker device 100 while achieving the function described above.

[0082] In addition, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the second region may be formed by a second dimension 208 in the cross section of at least one channel 204. As can be understood from FIG. 3, the second region may be characterized by a significant narrowing of at least one channel 204 after the first region. Thus, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the second region may be formed as a "slit" within at least one channel 204.

[0083] Thus, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the second region may be configured to maximize acoustic impedance values for a given sound conducted into it from the first region. Accordingly, in these embodiments, the second region may be configured to control input of a given sound from there to the third region.

[0084] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the second cross-sectional dimension 208 may be selected from a second predetermined distance range of about 2 mm to about 4 mm.

[0085] Finally, in some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the third region may be formed by a third cross-sectional dimension 210. In other words, as can be understood from FIG. 3, a third region may be formed by gradually expanding at least one channel 204 from a second cross-sectional dimension 208 to a third cross-sectional dimension 210 at the outlet of at least one channel 204, thereby further forming the horn structure of the loudspeaker 100.

[0086] Thus, according to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the third region can be configured to amplify the amplitude of a given sound produced by at least one speaker 118 at at least some frequencies corresponding to the upper range of a predetermined audio spectrum. . In these embodiments, for example, the gain may be from about 15 dB to about 20 dB.

[0087] In addition, the third region can be configured to attenuate the amplitude of the given sound at at least other frequencies corresponding to the lower range and the middle range of the given sound spectrum. As may become apparent, in these embodiments, the attenuation may be performed by a diffraction phenomenon occurring within the third region and allowing sound waves of a given sound to pass around the body of the loudspeaker 100.

[0088] Thus, the third region can be configured to provide a uniform sound field around the loudspeaker device 100. In accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, a uniform sound field can be formed as a sound field generated by a given sound, within which at a predetermined distance from the loudspeaker 100 in its vicinity, the frequency response for a given sound is substantially consistent, that is, the change in the amplitude of a given sound at each and every frequency level within a predetermined audio spectrum does not exceed 3 dB. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, a uniform sound field may have a spherical profile. Such a configuration of the homogeneous sound field thus created around the loudspeaker 100 may allow a more realistic reproduction of the intended sound to the user of the loudspeaker 100.

[0089] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the third cross-sectional dimension 210 may be determined based on a wavelength value corresponding to the upper end of a predetermined audio spectrum associated with the speaker device 100. Thus, in specific non-limiting embodiments embodiment of the present invention, the third cross-sectional dimension 210 may be selected from a third predetermined distance range of about 15 mm to about 20 mm.

[0090] According to some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the respective optimal value of each of the first cross-sectional dimension 206, the second cross-sectional dimension 208, and the third cross-sectional dimension 210 within a respective one of the first predetermined distance range, the second predetermined a certain distance range and a third predetermined distance range can be determined by iteratively changing at least one of them, so that the frequency response match of the loudspeaker device 100 with the given sound within the predetermined sound spectrum is maximized.

[0091] In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, the change may be performed using a predetermined pitch, which may be, for example, from about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm. In addition, the change at each iteration may be followed by the manufacture of models of the speaker device 100, for example, from plastic and/or molding clay, to test at least some of the acoustic parameters of the speaker device 100. In some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention, at least some of the acoustic parameters may include the range of a predetermined audio spectrum and the consistency of the frequency response diagram with it. Thus, the overall geometry of at least one channel 204 may be formed in the speaker device 100.

[0092] With reference to FIG. 5 shows an example frequency response diagram 502 for a given sound produced by loudspeaker device 100, in accordance with some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention.

[0093] As can be understood, frequency response diagram 502 represents substantially constant amplitude values, ie, about 60 dB, for example, within frequency levels of about 100 Hz and about 20,000 Hz. In addition, the frequency response diagram 502 does not include any resonant phenomena representing corresponding rises and falls within the frequency response diagram 502 greater than 6 dB per octave, which may indicate a smoother distribution of a given sound in the external environment of the loudspeaker 100.

[0094] Thus, some non-limiting embodiments of the present invention are directed to a loudspeaker device enclosed in a compact package and including a single speaker, such as a loudspeaker device 100, whose frequency response is substantially matched within a predetermined audio spectrum. from about 100 Hz to about 20,000 Hz.

[0095] Modifications and improvements to the embodiments of the present invention described above may become apparent to those skilled in the art. The preceding description is intended to be exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited only by the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims (30)

1. Loudspeaker device for reproducing sound within the audio spectrum, including the low range, medium range and high range, and the loudspeaker device contains: a cylindrical body including a top part, a bottom part and a side surface, wherein the side surface of the body further defines a bass reflex port; at least one loudspeaker placed inside the housing, and at least one loudspeaker includes a loudspeaker flange facing the bottom; a waveguide including at least a first surface forming at least one sound channel for conducting a given sound produced by at least one loudspeaker, wherein: the first surface is formed in the lower part of the housing and includes a conical protrusion having a vertex facing the loudspeaker flange, and the top of the conical protrusion and the center of the loudspeaker flange are located on a common axis, essentially perpendicular to the lower part of the housing, so that the said at least one the channel includes the first region, the second region and the third region, sequentially formed along its length, while: the first region is formed by at least a first cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel along the side surface of the housing between the top of the conical protrusion and the center of the loudspeaker flange, the first cross-sectional dimension is determined so that resonant phenomena in the frequency response of a given sound at frequencies , corresponding to the middle range and the upper range, are minimized; the second region is formed by at least a second cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel along the side surface of the body, the second cross-sectional dimension being defined such that the acoustic impedance of a given sound is maximized therein; And the third region is formed by at least a third cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel along the side surface of the housing, at the outlet of said at least sound channel, the third cross-sectional dimension being determined to correspond to the maximum wavelength value associated with the sound spectrum to create a uniform sound field near the loudspeaker within the sound spectrum. 2. The loudspeaker according to claim 1, wherein the homogeneous sound field is characterized by the consistency of the frequency response of the loudspeaker with a given sound in the vicinity of the loudspeaker within the audio spectrum. 3. The loudspeaker of claim 2, wherein the frequency response of the loudspeaker is consistent at frequencies from about 100 Hz to about 20,000 Hz of the audio spectrum. 4. The loudspeaker device according to claim 3, wherein the frequency response consistency is achieved by iteratively changing at least one of the second cross-sectional dimension and the third cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channel to determine its respective optimal values. 5. The loudspeaker device according to claim 4, wherein said change of at least one of the second dimension in the cross section and the third dimension in the cross section at each iteration is performed with a predetermined step, and the predetermined step is selected from a predetermined range of steps from about 0.5 mm to about 1 mm. 6. The loudspeaker of claim 4, wherein the second cross-sectional dimension is defined to be from about 2 mm to about 4 mm. 7. The loudspeaker of claim 4, wherein the third cross-sectional dimension is defined to be from about 15 mm to about 20 mm. 8. The loudspeaker device according to claim 1, wherein the third region is further formed by gradually expanding said at least one sound channel from its second cross-sectional dimension to its third cross-sectional dimension. 9. The loudspeaker device according to claim 8, wherein the third region is further configured to: amplifying the amplitude of a given sound, at least at some frequencies of the upper range of the sound spectrum; And attenuating the amplitude of a given sound, at least at some frequencies of the lower range and the middle range of the audio spectrum. 10. The loudspeaker of claim 9, wherein the gain is from about 15 dB to about 20 dB. 11. The loudspeaker of claim 1, wherein the first cross-sectional dimension is selected from a first predetermined distance range of about 2 mm to about 4 mm. 12. The loudspeaker according to claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker flange is adapted to receive the concave membrane of the loudspeaker. 13. The loudspeaker device of claim 1, wherein the bass reflex port is configured to minimize one or more audible distortions of a given sound at frequencies corresponding to the lower range of the audio spectrum. 14. The loudspeaker of claim 13, wherein the one or more audio distortions include overtones and non-linear audio distortions of a given sound at frequencies corresponding to the lower range of the audio spectrum. 15. Loudspeaker device according to claim 13, in which the phase inverter port is made in the form of a Helmholtz resonator. 16. The loudspeaker device of claim 13, wherein the bass reflex port comprises at least one bell. 17. The loudspeaker device of claim 13, wherein the bass reflex port further comprises a damping cover. 18. The loudspeaker of claim 17, wherein the damping cover uses an acoustically transparent fabric. 19. The loudspeaker of claim 18, wherein the reflex port is configured to divert the sound pressure resulting from the target sound from the loudspeaker at at least frequencies from about 150 Hz to about 200 Hz. 20. The loudspeaker of claim 1, wherein the audio spectrum includes all of the low range, mid range, and high range. 21. The loudspeaker device of claim 1, wherein the waveguide further includes a second surface projecting from the side surface at least partially above the first surface, and a second cross-sectional dimension and a third cross-sectional dimension of said at least one channels are formed as corresponding distances between the first surface and the second surface of the waveguide.

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