US2089391A - Sound reproducing apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 10, 1937. F. R. MARION 2,089,391

SOUND REPRODUCING APPARATUS Filed June 12, 1956 2 sheets-sneak l'Nl /VTOR By .E RMAR/ON ATTORNEY Filed June 12, 1936 F. R. MARION SOUND REPRODUCING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /Nl/EN7'OR y E R. MAR/0N mmww ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 10, I 1937 Frederick R. Marion, Floral Park, N. Y.. assignor .to Electrical Research Products, Inc., New York. N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application June 12, 1936, Serial No. 84,841

12 Claims. (cum-2'1)- This invention relates to sound reproducing apparatus and more particularly. to acoustictransducers capable of distributing sound over a large space angle and adapted to have a plu-' rality of acdustic devices coupled thereto.

One object of this invention is to distribute sound faithfullyand with substantially uniform intensity throughout alarge space angle.

Another object of this invention is to insure substantially uniformsound distribution throughout a desired space angle from a plurality of horns delivering'sound from a plurality of receivers, in the 'event of failureof one of the receivers.-

, In one illustrative embodiment of this invention, a loud-speaker comprises a transducer ineluding a plurality of groups of elongated flaring horns, horns of one group being interleaved with those of another. The horns are arranged sidev by side and in a number of equal rows, and are coupled to a pair of receivers 1' or supplying sound energy.- Preferably the.horns have their outlets or mouths disposed in a plane.

In accordance with one feature of this inven- 5 tion the inlets or throats of each group of horns, for example of alternate horns in each of'the rows are acoustically coupled. For example, the inlets of alternate horns may merge into a common sound duct or extend into a coupler mem-- 0 her to which one of the receivers is coupled.

' In accordance with another feature of'thisin- L vention, the several horns are so designed that a smooth transition is obtained between the. in-

let of the coupler member and the throats of the horns associated therewith. For. example,

the horns may have rectangular .mouths and the coupler member may have a circular inlet and may flare to a substantially square outlet.

The horns are then flared so that they termi nate in substantially square inlets, the square form preferably obtaining only immediatelyadjacent the inlets.

The invention and the foregoing and other features thereof will be understood more clearly and fully from the following detailed'description with reference-to the accompanying drawings in which'z, a Fig. l isa perspective view of a loud-speaker including a transducer constructed in accordance 0 with this invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are front and "side views, respectively, of the transducer shown in Fig. 1; and

' Fig. 4 is an end view of a coupler member for connecting the inlets or throats of alternate horns 5 of the transducer.

The horns l0 .to2l preferably are 'of substan- Referring now to the drawings, the'device therein shown comprises a plurality of horns ID to 2| .inclusive, disposed adiacent one another and arranged in three rows-of'four horns each.

tially the same length and flare continuously from their inlets to their mouths or outlets, preferably so that the cross-sectional area of each of the passageways increases exponentially to,- ward and to the mouth or outlet. The passage- 10 ways in the horns are substantially identical and may be square in section at the inlet end and rectangular in section at all other points. Preferably the outlets or mouths of the several horns are disposed in a plane, adjacent edg'esof the mouths being substantially coincident as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and suitably secured together, for example by welding.

The outermost of the horns may be suitably secured, as by welding, to. a rigid rectangular 2 frame 22 having afllxed thereto suitable rings a or eyelets 23 by means of which the loud-speak er may be supported. As shown clearly in Figs. land 3, alternate horns in each of the horizontal rows and corre- '2 sponding horns in the vertical rows are acoustically' connected at their inlets or throats,'as, for example, by coupler members 24. More specifically, referring particularly to Fig. 2, all of the even numbered horns are connected at their throats to one of the coupler members 24 and all of'the odd numbered horns are similarly connected to the other of the coupler members 24.-

Metalllc bands 30 may be provided to hold the I throat portions of the horns of a group to- 35 gether. I

Aswill be seen from Fig. 4, thecoupler members 24 have circular inlets 26 and flare, preferably exponentially, to square outlets 21 in which the inlets or throats of the horns are fitted. 4o

Each of the coupler members hasconnected thereto a suitable receiver 25, which may be, for example, of the design disclosed in Patent 2,037,- 187 granted April, l4, 1936 to Edward C. Wente.

As a result of the flare and change in section of; 45

the passageways in each of the coupler memj bers a smooth transition results between the outlets of the receivers 25 and the inlets or throats of the horns whereby distortion of the sound output of the receivers is prevented. 50.

Becauseof the association of the various horns with the receivers as above described, the com; bined sound outputof the two receivers will be distributed uniformly throughout a large-space angle so that uniform quality and intensity of speech and music will obtain throughout the sound field of the loud-speaker. This uniformity will obtain, it will be seen, even though one of the receivers should become inoperative.

Although in the specific embodiment shown in the drawings corresponding or vertically aligned horns are coupled to and receive energy from a common receiver, the various horns maybe connected in other manners. For example, horns II, it, I, H, il and 2| may have their inlets or throats connected to one coupler member and the remaining horns may have their inlets or throats connected to another coupler member.

The various horns I I to It may be fabricated of sheet metal and may have the outer surfaces thereof covered with a vibration damping material. For example, sheets of mating p pe may be cemented to the walls of the horns .to prevent 'vibration thereof. Also, if desired, the spaces betweenthewaiisofthehorns maybefilied with a sound absorbing material, such, forexample, as felt or cotton waste, to eliminate ton oi vibrations between the horns.

Although a specific embodiment ot the invention has been shown and described, it will be understood, of course, that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention as defined in the appended claims What is claimed .is:-

plicity of horns disposed. adjacent one .another and each having an inlet and an outlet, and: means acoustically coupling the inlets of only alternate horns.

2. An acoustic transducer comprising a plurality of horns having inlets and outlets and I eachhaving therein a sound passageway flaring from the inlet to the outlet, the passageways in said horns being of the same configuration and of substantially the same length, the outlets of said horns being adjacent one another, and means acoustically connecting only the ,inlets corresponding to alternate of said outlets.

8. An acoustic device comprising a multiplicity of horns each having 'an inlet and an outlet, the

ternate outlets in said rows.

of horns disposed in a plurality of equal rows and having their mouths laterally adjacent one another, means acoustically coupling only the 1. An acoustic transducer comprising a muiti connecting only --the inlets. corresponding'to al- 5. An acoustic device comprising a plurality 7. An acoustic device comprising a pair of receivers, a pair of coupler members'each connected to one of said receivers, a group of horns having their throats connected to one of said coupler members, and a second group of horns having their throats connected to the other of said coupler members, said horns having their mouths disposed adjacent one another and the mouths of the horns of one group being alternately arranged with the mouths of the horns of the other group.

-8. An acoustic device comprising a group'of horns arranged with their mouths in a plurality mouths in rows, andv means acoustically separate from said first means coupling the throats of said second horns, at least one row of mouths of the horns in each group being' disposed between two 'ws of mouths-oi the horns in the other group.

. of rows, means couplingthe throats of said horns, a second group of horns arranged with their 9. An acoustic device in accordance with claim 8 wherein the mouths of all of the horns are disposed in a plane.

10. An .acousticdevice comprising a pair of coupler members having square outlets, a pair of receivers each connected to the inlet of one of said coupler members, and a transducer comprising a plurality of horns havingmectangular mouths and square throats, said horns being disposed in a plurality of equal rows, one group of corresponding alternate horns in said rows having their throats. connected to the outlet of one of'said coupler'members, and the remainder of said horns having their throats connected to the other of said coupler members.

1l.-' Sound reproducing apparatus comprising a plurality of groups of horns, portions of the horns of one group being interleaved with portions of the horns of another group, means acoustically coupling the inlets 'of only the horns in each of said groups, and a plurality of receivers each associated only with the horns of one of said groups.

12. An acoustic transducer comprising a plurality of groups of horns, each .group comprising a plurality of horns, the horns of each group having a common inlet, the inlet of each group being acoustically separate from each other group, and the outlets oi. a portion of the horns of one group being interleaved with the outlets of a portion of the horns of another group.

I mnnaiucx a MARION.

Images