Audio system arranged in listening environment

Abstract

An audio system arranged in a listening environment in a vehicle (10) includes at least one multimedia unit (306) configured to output an audio signal, and at least one display speaker (300) configured to display the audio signal, wherein each of the at least one display speaker (300) is coupled to the at least one multimedia unit (306) and receives the audio signal from the at least one multimedia unit (306); and each of the at least one display speakers (300) includes an OLED panel (302) and at least one exciter (304) coupled to the OLED panel (302) and configured to vibrate the OLED panel (302) to reproduce the audio signal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an audio system arranged in a listening environment, in particular in a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Integrating loudspeakers into a vehicle can be challenging. When integrating an audio system comprising one or more loudspeakers into a vehicle, many different aspects and constraints have to be taken into account. One important aspect to consider is that each occupant of the vehicle should have a satisfying listening experience, which is usually achieved by increasing the number of loudspeakers in combination with complex digital signal processing algorithms that require significant processing power. Increasing the number of loudspeakers in the listening environment in a vehicle is often costly and challenging due to the limited space available within the vehicle. Each additional electro-dynamic loudspeaker that is typically used in a vehicle (e.g., loudspeakers arranged in speaker boxes or housings) requires additional installation space. Ideally, the audio system should also offer the possibility to create separate listening zones, one for each occupant of the vehicle.

[0003] There is a need for an audio system disposed in a listening environment in a vehicle that provides a satisfactory listening experience for all occupants present in the listening environment while requiring only a small amount of assembly space. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention discloses an audio system arranged in a listening environment in a vehicle. The audio system includes at least one multimedia unit and at least one display speaker, the at least one multimedia unit is configured to output an audio signal, each of the at least one display speaker is coupled to the at least one multimedia unit and receives the audio signal from the at least one multimedia unit, and each of the at least one display speaker includes an OLED panel and at least one exciter, the at least one exciter is coupled to the OLED panel and is configured to vibrate the OLED panel to reproduce the audio signal.

[0005] After reviewing the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, other systems, features and advantages of the present disclosure will be or will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is expected that all such additional systems, methods, features and advantages are included in this description, are within the scope of the present invention, and are protected by the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] The arrangement may be better understood with reference to the following description and accompanying drawings. The components in the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, but emphasis is placed on illustrating the principles of the present invention. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

[0007] Figure 1 A top view of an audio system arranged in a listening environment in a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0008] Figure 2 Schematic representation of the effect of the sound emitted by a classical electro dynamic loudspeaker with wide directivity, including sound reflections from surfaces in the vehicle cabin, on different occupants of a vehicle.

[0009] Figure 3 An audio system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0010] Figure 4 A flat sound wave emitted by a display speaker is schematically shown.

[0011] Figure 5 The effect of the sound emitted by the display speakers on different occupants of the vehicle is schematically shown.

[0012] Figure 6 An example of a classic engine order elimination system is schematically shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Figure 1 A top view of a vehicle 10 is schematically shown. The vehicle 10 includes a driver's seat 20, a front passenger seat 22, and two rear passenger seats 24. The vehicle may typically include fewer seats (e.g., only the driver's seat 20 and the front passenger seat 22), or even more than four seats (e.g., more than two rear passenger seats 24). When audio is played through an audio system arranged in a listening environment in the vehicle 10, all passengers should experience a similar satisfactory listening experience. However, this may be challenging. The assembly space in the vehicle 10 is typically limited, and therefore, as few speakers as possible should be used to achieve a satisfactory listening experience for all passengers. If possible, the audio system should also provide the possibility of creating separate listening zones, with one listening zone for each passenger of the vehicle 10.

[0014] Figure 2The effect of a conventional electro-dynamic speaker with wide directivity on different passengers of a vehicle 10 is schematically shown. As can be seen, each passenger of the vehicle 10 perceives direct sound from each of the plurality of speakers 400, 402, 404, 406 mounted at different locations of the vehicle 10 (e.g., in the side panels). The sound output by the first speaker 400 is indicated by a solid line, the sound output by the second speaker 402 is indicated by a dashed line, the sound output by the third speaker 404 is indicated by a dashed line, and the sound output by the fourth speaker 406 is indicated by a dotted line. Each of the different speakers 400, 402, 404, 406 in the vehicle typically outputs the same audio content (preliminarily processed using audio processing techniques (e.g., digital audio signal processing algorithms)), and each passenger sitting on one of the seats 20, 22, 24 perceives the audio content similarly. Conventional audio systems in vehicles 10 typically include a plurality of speakers mounted, for example, in the dashboard or side panels of the vehicle 10. Each of the plurality of speakers requires a large amount of mounting space and its own cable to connect it to the vehicle's (at least one) multimedia unit.

[0015] Reference again Figure 1 And further reference Figure 3 , the audio system in the listening environment in the vehicle 10 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes at least one multimedia unit 306 and at least one display speaker 300, wherein the at least one multimedia unit is configured to output an audio signal. Figure 3 Only one multimedia unit 306 is exemplarily shown in FIG. 1 . Each of the at least one display speaker 300 is coupled to at least one multimedia unit 306 and receives an audio signal from the at least one multimedia unit 306. Figure 3As shown, each of the at least one display speaker 300 includes an OLED panel 302 and at least one exciter 304, which is coupled to the OLED panel 302 and is configured to vibrate the OLED panel 302 to reproduce an audio signal. The OLED panel 302 can be any conventional OLED (organic light emitting diode) panel or display, which is well known and will not be described in further detail herein. Compared to, for example, LCD displays, OLED panels are generally very thin and require only a small amount of mounting space. The OLED panel 302 can be vibrated by one or more exciters 304. One or more exciters 304 can be attached to the back of the OLED panel 302 and are therefore invisible to passengers of the vehicle 10. Since the OLED panel 302 does not require a backlight, the exciters 304 attached to the back of the OLED panel 302 do not affect the general function of the panel (i.e., they do not affect the presentation of video content on the OLED panel). When video content is presented on the OLED panel 302, the corresponding soundtrack can be easily synchronized with the video content when the soundtrack is produced by vibrating the OLED panel 302 (in time and / or space where the sound should be emitted to match the video content).

[0016] Each of the one or more exciters 304 can be an exciter of any suitable type. For example, similar to a conventional speaker, the exciter 304 may include a magnet and a coil (not specifically shown). The OLED panel 302 has a function similar to a diaphragm in a conventional speaker. In general, in the display speaker 300, bending resonance is encouraged so that the OLED panel 302 vibrates as randomly as possible. According to one example, each display speaker 300 may include two exciters 304, which are coupled to the corresponding OLED panel 302 at different positions. However, in general, due to the relatively small size of the (OLED) panel 302 used in the vehicle, a single exciter 304 may be sufficient. Each display speaker 300 may also include even more than two exciters 304.

[0017] Generally speaking, any surface can be vibrated to produce sound waves. (OLED) displays are often mounted directly in front of vehicle passengers to present video content to the user. When the corresponding OLED panel 302 is vibrated to produce sound waves (presenting audio content to the user), the user will perceive the sound as coming from directly in front. Therefore, the sound provided to the user is provided from the same direction as the video itself (where the image and sound match). This gives the user a very intense experience and maximizes the effect of information delivery. The direction of the sound emitted by the display speaker 300 is determined by Figure 1 The arrows in FIG. 2 are schematically shown.

[0018] exist Figure 1In the example shown, the audio system includes four display speakers 300, one display speaker 300 is arranged in front of the driver's seat 20 of the vehicle 10, one display speaker 300 is arranged in front of the front passenger seat 22 of the vehicle 10, one display speaker 300 is arranged behind the driver's seat 20 and in front of the first rear passenger seat 24, and one display speaker 300 is arranged behind the front passenger seat 22 and in front of the second rear passenger seat 24. However, this is only an example. The audio system may include less than four display speakers 300 (e.g., only for the driver, only for the front passenger, only for one or more of the rear passengers, or any combination thereof), or even more than four display speakers 300.

[0019] The sound waves emitted by the display speaker 300 are generally flat sound waves. Figure 4 Schematically shown, Figure 4 A user 50 is shown sitting in front of the display speaker 300 and a flat sound wave emitted by the display speaker 300. When receiving the sound wave from the direction of the display, the sound perceived by the user 50 is more natural. In addition, compared with the spherical sound waves emitted by conventional electrodynamic speakers, the planar sound waves have high directivity. This allows different listening zones to be easily created in the vehicle 10. Figure 5 As can be seen in FIG. 1 , for example, the sound output by the display speaker 300 is mainly perceived only by the user sitting directly in front of the corresponding display speaker 300. Other passengers in the vehicle 10 will not receive the direct sound from the corresponding display speaker 300. For example, only the driver of the vehicle 10 will receive the direct sound output by the display speaker 300 arranged directly in front of the driver's seat 20. All other passengers (for example, front passengers or rear passengers) will only receive the indirect sound caused by reflection from the display speaker 300 arranged in front of the driver's seat 20. This is achieved by Figure 5 Similarly, direct sound and sound caused by reflection within the vehicle 10 are indicated by dashed lines for the display speaker 300 arranged in front of the front passenger seat 22, by dashed lines for the display speaker 300 arranged in front of the first rear passenger seat 24, and by dotted lines for the display speaker 300 arranged in front of the second rear passenger seat 24. As can be seen, Figure 2 Compared to conventional audio systems, crosstalk between different display speakers 300 and different occupants of the vehicle 10 is significantly less. Any reflections received from adjacent display speakers 300 can be significantly compensated using, for example, suitable sound absorbing materials in the vehicle cabin.

[0020] As an alternative to or in addition to conventional speakers, the display speaker 300 may be used in an audio system in a listening environment in the vehicle 10. That is, in addition to including at least one display speaker 300, the audio system may also include one or more (conventional) speakers, such as, for example, one or more front passenger speakers, one or more rear passenger speakers, one or more woofers, and / or one or more tweeters.

[0021] The audio system as disclosed herein can provide a satisfactory listening experience for each passenger of the vehicle while requiring only a small amount of installation space. In addition, compared to an audio system that only includes conventional electrodynamic speakers, fewer wires will be required to couple one or more display speakers 300 to at least one multimedia unit 306. Therefore, the audio system can be implemented in a smaller, lighter and cheaper manner like a conventional audio system of a vehicle. Personalized content can be provided to each passenger of the vehicle in a very simple, cost-effective and space-saving manner. No speakers need to be installed on the side panels (doors) of the vehicle or at least fewer speakers need to be installed. Therefore, the corresponding installation space in the door can be used for other systems or components, or the car manufacturer can design the door in a more efficient manner according to various criteria, such as lighter weight, less air resistance (so that, for example, the fuel and / or energy consumption of the vehicle is lower), higher convenience for the vehicle user, etc.

[0022] Furthermore, the direction of the display speaker 300, and therefore the direction of the sound waves perceived by the user, corresponds not only to the direction of the video content provided on the OLED panel 302, but also to the direction of the most critical and disturbing engine sounds. The plane waves emitted by the display speaker 300 and their directivity can therefore be advantageously used in an engine order cancellation system. As a result, the sweet spot (e.g., the space where the engine order compensation effect occurs) is much larger than in conventional systems. As a result, the effects of the engine order cancellation are more noticeable to the occupants of the vehicle 10. Furthermore, due to the directivity of the plane waves, the engine order compensation effect can be personalized for each individual passenger. Algorithms that actively compensate for conventional components of engine noise by emitting counter-waves (engine order compensation (EOC) systems) are well known.

[0023] Figure 6 An example of an EOC system is schematically shown in FIG. Figure 6 The engine sound shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 passes through the vehicle cabin. Since the engine 102 is generally located at the front of the vehicle 10, the engine sound reaches each passenger from the front. The control unit 308 can use the microphone signals sensed by the microphones M1, M2 as a reference to generate Figure 6The conventional anti-noise component indicated by the dashed line in FIG. For example, one or more reference microphones M1, M2 can be arranged in the roof lining of the vehicle 10. The anti-noise component is a harmonic signal with a phase opposite to the phase of the engine harmonic order. The anti-noise component is usually emitted by the speakers L1, L2 arranged in the door. In order to make the noise elimination more effective over a wide range, the speakers L1, L2 that emit anti-noise can be arranged in the direct path of the engine noise. In other words, the signal that eliminates the engine noise is output in the same direction as the engine noise itself (the noise to be eliminated). The more deviation from this general rule (the greater the deviation between the engine noise and the direction of the sound elimination), the smaller the spatial elimination area (optimal point). The size of the elimination area also depends on the frequency of the harmonic (that is, the higher the frequency, the smaller the compensation area or optimal point). However, the direction of emission of the elimination signal plays a vital role in the efficiency of engine noise elimination. The display speaker 300 as described herein is arranged in front of the passenger's face, so it directly blocks the engine noise from the front of the vehicle 10. That is, the direction is almost completely matched, so that the compensation area is large. In addition, since the sound waves emitted by the display speaker 300 are plane waves, they are directed directly to the corresponding passengers, which further reduces the impact of the emitted compensation signal on adjacent passengers. This makes the problem of crosstalk elimination redundant and further improves the efficiency of engine noise compensation.

[0024] In summary, the audio system according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may also include one or more reference microphones M1, M2 arranged in the cabin of the vehicle 10, one or more speakers L1, L2 arranged in the cabin of the vehicle 10, and a control unit 308. The control unit 308 receives a reference signal from the one or more reference microphones M1, M2, and the reference signal indicates the engine sound present in the vehicle cabin. The control unit 308 generates an anti-noise component having a phase opposite to the phase of the engine sound based on the reference signal, and the anti-noise component is output by one or more display speakers 300. That is, the display speaker 300 can also replace the speaker used in the conventional engine order compensation system. It should be noted that the engine order elimination algorithm is usually implemented through the car multimedia system.

[0025] The general concepts have been described above for a listening environment in a passenger vehicle. However, in general, the vehicle 10 can be any type of vehicle, such as, for example, a passenger car, a van, a camper, a caravan, a truck, a bus, a tractor, an airplane, a ship, etc. It will be appreciated that the illustrated system is merely an example. Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that there may be more embodiments and implementations within the scope of the present invention. Specifically, the technician will recognize the interchangeability of various features from different implementations. Although these techniques and systems have been disclosed in the context of certain embodiments and examples, it will be appreciated that these techniques and systems can be extended beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other embodiments and / or their uses and obvious modifications. Therefore, the present invention is not limited except in accordance with the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0026] The description of the embodiment has been presented for the purpose of illustration and description. Suitable modifications and variations of the embodiment can be performed according to the above description or can be obtained by the practice method. The arrangement is exemplary in nature and may include additional elements and / or omit elements. As used in this application, elements listed in singular form and preceded by the word "a / an" should be understood as not excluding multiple elements, unless such exclusion is indicated. In addition, reference to "one embodiment" or "an example" of the present disclosure is not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also include the listed features. The terms "first", "second" and "third" etc. are only used as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements or specific positional order on their objects. The system is exemplary in nature and may include additional elements and / or omit elements. The subject matter of the present disclosure includes all novel and non-obvious combinations and sub-combinations of the various systems and configurations disclosed and other features, functions and / or properties. The attached claims specifically point out the subject matter that is considered to be novel and non-obvious from the above disclosure.

Claims

1. An audio system arranged in a listening environment in a vehicle (10), comprising at least one multimedia unit (306) and at least one display speaker (300), wherein the at least one multimedia unit is configured to output an audio signal, wherein Each of the at least one display speaker (300) is coupled to the at least one multimedia unit (306) and receives the audio signal from the at least one multimedia unit (306), and Each of the at least one display speaker (300) includes an OLED panel (302) and at least one exciter (304) coupled to the OLED panel (302) and configured to vibrate the OLED panel (302) to reproduce the audio signal.

2. The audio system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the following: A display speaker (300) is arranged in front of a driver's seat (20) of the vehicle (10), A display speaker (300) is arranged in front of a front passenger seat (22) of the vehicle (10), a display speaker (300) is arranged behind the driver's seat (20) and in front of the first rear passenger seat (24), and A display speaker (300) is arranged behind the front passenger seat (22) and in front of the second rear passenger seat (24).

3. The audio system of claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the at least one display speaker (300) comprises two exciters (304) coupled to a respective OLED panel (302).

4. The audio system of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The at least one multimedia unit (306) is further configured to output a video signal, and Each of the at least one display speaker (300) is configured to output the video signal on the OLED panel (302).

5. The audio system of claim 4, wherein the audio signal represents an audio track corresponding to the video signal.

6. The audio system of any of the preceding claims, further comprising at least one additional speaker (400, 402, 404, 406) coupled to the at least one multimedia unit (306).

7. The audio system of claim 6, wherein the at least one additional speaker (400, 402, 404, 406) comprises at least one of: one or more front passenger speakers; one or more rear passenger speakers; one or more subwoofers; as well as One or more tweeters.

8. An audio system as claimed in any preceding claim, further comprising: one or more reference microphones (M1, M2) arranged in a cabin of the vehicle (10); one or more speakers (L1, L2) arranged in the cabin of the vehicle (10); as well as a control unit (308), wherein The control unit (308) receives a reference signal from the one or more reference microphones (M1, M2), the reference signal being indicative of an engine sound present in the vehicle cabin, The control unit (308) generates an anti-noise component having a phase opposite to that of the engine sound based on the reference signal, and The anti-noise component is output by the one or more display speakers (300).

9. The audio system of any of the preceding claims, wherein the vehicle (10) is a passenger car, a van, a camper, a caravan, a truck, a bus, a tractor, an aircraft or a ship.

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