Directional sound generating device

Abstract

A sound generating apparatus includes: a housing having a front portion and a top portion; a first electro-acoustic transducer, the first electro-acoustic transducer facing the front portion of the housing; a second electro-acoustic transducer, the second electro-acoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; and a third electro-acoustic transducer, the third electro-acoustic transducer facing the top of the housing. There is at least one processor configured to, during audio playback, generate a first array using the first and second electro-acoustic transducers and a second array using the first and third electro-acoustic transducers, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback, the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback, and the third array providing a right height component of the audio playback. The second array provides a right height component of the audio playback.

Description

Background Art

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sound generating device.

[0002] The reproduction of object-based audio requires a height component in order to achieve three-dimensional placement of sound objects. Audio devices and systems without overhead speakers are not inherently configured to reproduce the height component of object-based audio. Summary of the invention

[0003] Various aspects and examples are directed to a sound producing device including speakers that are generally coplanar and thus inherently configured to provide a surround sound output with multiple (typically 5 or 7) horizontal output channels. In the present disclosure, the speakers are used to generate a left speaker array and a right speaker array that provide a left height component and a right height component of the audio playback without any speakers being located above a listening position.

[0004] All examples and features mentioned below can be combined in any technically possible way.

[0005] In one aspect, a sound generating device includes: a housing having a front and a top; a first electroacoustic transducer facing the front of the housing; a second electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; a third electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; and at least one processor configured to generate a first array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the second electroacoustic transducer and a second array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback and the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback.

[0006] Some examples include one or any combination of the above and / or below features. In some examples, the first electroacoustic transducer is located between the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer. In one example, the front and top of the housing are perpendicular to each other.

[0007] Some examples include one or any combination of the above and / or following features. In some examples, all electroacoustic transducers used to generate the first array of electroacoustic transducers receive the same audio source signal, and all electroacoustic transducers used to generate the second array of electroacoustic transducers receive the same audio source signal. In one example, the first array and the second array each include an array filter that is applied to the audio source signal for each of the electroacoustic transducers of the corresponding array. In one example, the array filters for the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer include broadband filters.

[0008] Some examples include one or any combination of the above and / or following features. In one example, the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer rolls off above a predetermined frequency. In some examples, the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer includes a bandpass filter. In one example, the bandpass filter has a low frequency threshold of approximately 600 Hz and a high frequency cutoff of approximately 2 kHz. In one example, all array filters in the array filter include non-minimum phase filters.

[0009] Some examples include one or any combination of the above and / or following features. In some examples, the first array and the second array are applied only over an array frequency range. In one example, the array frequency range is about 600 Hz to about 6 kHz. In one example, the first electroacoustic transducer has a bandwidth of about 600 Hz to about 18 kHz.

[0010] Some examples include one or any combination of the features described above and / or below. In some examples, the housing has a left end and a right end, the device further includes a fourth electroacoustic transducer facing the left end of the housing and a fifth electroacoustic transducer facing the right end of the housing, and the processor is further configured to generate a third array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer during audio playback and generate a fourth array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer, the third array providing a left component of the audio playback, and the fourth array providing a right component of the audio playback. In one example, the processor is further configured to generate a fifth array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the fifth array providing a center component of the audio playback. In one example, the processor is further configured to generate a sixth array based on a combination of the first array and the third array and a seventh array based on a combination of the second array and the fourth array during audio playback, the sixth array providing a left surround component of the audio playback and the seventh array providing a right surround component of the audio playback.

[0011] On the other hand, a computer program product has a non-transitory computer-readable medium, which includes computer program logic encoded thereon, and a sound producing device includes: a housing having a front and a top; a first electroacoustic transducer, which faces the front of the housing; a second electroacoustic transducer, which faces the top of the housing; and a third electroacoustic transducer, which faces the top of the housing, and the computer program logic, when executed on the sound producing device, causes the sound producing device to generate a first array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the second electroacoustic transducer and a second array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback, and the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback.

[0012] Some examples include one or any combination of the above and / or following features. In one example, the first electroacoustic transducer is located between the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer. In one example, all electroacoustic transducers used to generate the first array of electroacoustic transducers receive the same audio source signal, and all electroacoustic transducers used to generate the second array of electroacoustic transducers receive the same audio source signal, and wherein the first array and the second array each include an array filter, which is applied to the audio source signal for each of the electroacoustic transducers of the corresponding array. In one example, the array filters for the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer include a broadband filter, and the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer includes a bandpass filter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] Various aspects of at least one example are discussed below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are not intended to be drawn to scale. The accompanying drawings are included to provide illustration and further understanding of the various aspects and examples, and are incorporated into and constitute a part of this specification, but are not intended to be used as a definition of limitations of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings, the same or nearly the same components illustrated in various figures may be represented by similar reference symbols or numbers. For clarity, not every component is labeled in every figure. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the sound producing equipment in the listening space.

[0015] Figure 2 is a block diagram of a sound producing device.

[0016] Figure 3 is a block diagram of audio sources and filters for a speaker array of a sound producing device.

[0017] Figure 4Magnitude responses of exemplary filters for a height array of loudspeakers including a sound producing device.

[0018] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C ] Representation of the three-dimensional directionality for the left channel, left height channel, and center playback channel, respectively, of an exemplary sound producing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Audio sources for object-based audio, such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, include spatial metadata. In order to properly render object-based audio, an audio device must have the ability to position sounds in three-dimensional space. Audio devices, such as sound bars commonly used for audio for video applications, as well as traditional surround sound systems are configured to produce horizontal sounds roughly in a plane that includes the intended listening position, and therefore are inherently unable to place sounds in three-dimensional space. Such audio devices and systems are therefore unable to accurately reproduce object-based audio.

[0020] In some examples, the audio device is configured as a sound bar with a housing that is generally in the shape of a rectangular prism with a front that generally faces the intended listening position in front of the TV / monitor, a top that faces upward (toward the ceiling of the room), and ends that face left and right. In some examples, a center speaker is located in the front face, and there are left and right facing upward speakers in the top surface of the housing near the left and right sides of the center speaker, respectively.

[0021] The sound bar is designed to be positioned close to a television or video monitor, usually just below it. The sound bar usually includes three to five speakers, which are more or less coplanar. In order to reproduce object-based audio, the sound bar needs to be configured to develop traditional horizontal surround sound channels (e.g., center, left, right, left surround and right surround) and also needs to be configured to develop left height components and right height components, but without any speakers located above the listener. In an example of the present disclosure, a speaker array including a center speaker and a left-facing upward speaker is used to provide the left height component. In one example, a speaker array including a center speaker and a right-facing upward speaker is used to provide the right height component.

[0022] The examples of the systems, methods, and devices discussed herein are not limited to application to the construction details and component arrangements listed in the following description or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. These systems, methods, and devices can be implemented in other examples and can be operated or performed in various ways. The examples of specific implementations provided herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. In particular, the functions, components, elements, and features discussed in conjunction with any one or more examples are not intended to be excluded from similar effects in any other examples.

[0023] The examples disclosed herein may be combined with other examples in any manner consistent with at least one of the principles disclosed herein, and references to "examples," "some examples," "alternative examples," "various examples," "an example," etc. are not necessarily mutually exclusive but are intended to indicate that the particular features, structures, or characteristics being described may be included in at least one example. The appearances of such terms herein do not necessarily all refer to the same example.

[0024] In addition, the wording and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be considered as limiting.Any reference to the examples, parts, elements, actions or functions of devices, computer program products, systems and methods referred to in the singular herein may also cover embodiments including plural, and any reference to any examples, parts, elements, actions or functions in the plural herein may also cover examples including only singular.Therefore, the reference in the singular or plural form is not intended to limit the system or method disclosed in the present invention, their parts, actions or elements.The use of "including", "comprising", "having", "containing", "involving" and its variants herein is intended to cover the items listed thereafter and their equivalents and additional items.The reference to "or" may be understood to be inclusive, so that any term described using "or" may indicate any of the single, more than one and all of the terms described.

[0025] An active speaker array includes more than a single speaker or element, where each speaker is driven by its own digital signal processor (DSP) and amplifier channel. In general, an active speaker array has the following characteristics: two or more speakers, all speakers receive the same source channel signal, and there is a unique transfer function, array filter (magnitude and phase of each frequency) for each speaker driven by each source channel input. If there are multiple source channels, the additional source channels along with their associated array filters are summed together just before each speaker.

[0026] In one example, a minimum speaker set solution includes five speakers arranged in an enclosure. In some examples, the enclosure has a generally rectangular prism shape in which the front and top surfaces are generally perpendicular. By generally perpendicular is meant that the front surface is planar or nearly planar, the top surface is planar or nearly planar (e.g., the surface may be circular, but will generally be nearly planar), and the front and top surfaces are approximately 90 degrees to each other, typically within approximately ±15 degrees, and typically at most within approximately ±45 degrees of each other. In one example, the center speaker in the front is a "twiddler" having a resonant frequency that is optimized to cover a midrange and treble frequency range (approximately 600 Hz to approximately 18 kHz in some examples). In one example, the center speaker is a main center channel speaker. In one example, the center speaker faces directly toward the intended listening position. In one example, the left upward or "upward" speaker and the right upward or "upward" speaker are full-range (bass producing) speakers that face directly upward (e.g., their main radiation axes are about 90 degrees to the main radiation axis of the center speaker) and are positioned close to (e.g., as close as possible in some examples given the hardware and housing constraints) the center speaker. In some examples, the left upward speaker and the right upward speaker are located in the housing so that their main radiation axes are transverse to the main radiation axis of the center speaker and point upward. In examples, the angle between the left upward speaker and the right upward speaker and the main radiation axis of the center speaker can be in the range of about 30 degrees to about 150 degrees. In addition, in some examples, there is a left speaker located in or near the left end of the housing and a right speaker located in or near the right end of the housing. In some examples, both the left speaker and the right speaker are full-range speakers and generally face directly to the left and right, perhaps within about ±15 degrees to ±45 degrees perpendicular to the main radiation axis of the center speaker and perpendicular to the ends of the housing (when the ends are generally planar and generally perpendicular to the front of the housing). Note that the housing need not have a face. For example, the housing may include a support structure that holds a speaker and other hardware, with the speaker positioned as described. The structure may be fully or partially encapsulated or covered in a more decorative outer surface that, at least in the portion covering the speaker, is configured to transmit sound to the external environment.

[0027] With this speaker arrangement, the devices and systems are configured to implement up to five unique active acoustic arrays: center, left, right, left height, and right height. For the surround source channels, the left height array is used in combination with the left height array to create the left surround channel, and similarly the right height array is used in combination with the right height array to create the right surround channel. The active array covers most of the mid-range frequencies, while the directivity of a single speaker dominates the high frequency range. In one example, the bass frequency range is not arrayed. Instead, all four full-range speakers (i.e., all speakers except the center speaker) are driven in phase for maximum efficiency.

[0028] Typically, for height channels, it is desirable to attenuate energy that is projected forwards towards the listening space. An arrangement as described above, with the centre speaker at the front of the enclosure, and the left and right up speakers at the top of the enclosure but close to the left and right of the centre speaker, is beneficial for the left and right height arrays, and also has minimal effect on the centre channel array.

[0029] In the examples herein, the sound generating device includes a housing having a front and a top. There are a first electroacoustic transducer, a second electroacoustic transducer, and a third electroacoustic transducer, the first electroacoustic transducer facing the front of the housing, the second electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing, and the third electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing. The device includes a processing capability that is configured to generate a first array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the second electroacoustic transducer and to generate a second array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback, and the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback. In one example, the first array and the second array are applied only over the array frequency range. The array frequency range is about 600 Hz to about 6 kHz in some examples, or more generally from low frequencies that are not arranged (which may include the lowest frequencies in some examples) to high frequencies where the directivity of a single speaker dominates, which depends in part on the specific speaker design and in some examples may be plus or minus about 3 kHz from this approximately 6 kHz target. Examples herein also include computer program products having a non-transitory computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon that, when executed, implements the functions described herein.

[0030] In an example, the first electroacoustic transducer is located between the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer. In a specific example, the front and top of the housing are perpendicular to each other. In one example, the first electroacoustic transducer is a twiddler with a bandwidth of about 600 Hz to about 18 kHz, and the second and third transducers are full-range transducers.

[0031] In some examples, all electroacoustic transducers in the electroacoustic transducers for generating the first array receive the same audio source signal, and all electroacoustic transducers in the electroacoustic transducers for generating the second array receive the same audio source signal. The first array and the second array each include an array filter, which is applied to the audio source signal of each of the electroacoustic transducers for the corresponding array. In an example, the array filter for the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer includes a broadband filter. More specifically, in some examples, the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer rolls off when it is higher than a predetermined frequency. In one example, the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer includes a bandpass filter. In a specific non-limiting embodiment, the bandpass filter has a low frequency threshold of about 600 Hz and a high frequency cutoff of about 2 kHz. In some examples, the range of the low frequency threshold is from about 200 Hz to about 600 Hz. In one example, the range of the high frequency cutoff is from about 2 kHz to about 4 kHz. All array filters in the array filter are usually non-minimum phase filters.

[0032] In an example of the present disclosure, the housing also has a left end and a right end, and the device includes a fourth electroacoustic transducer facing the left end of the housing and a fifth electroacoustic transducer facing the right end of the housing. In this example, the processor generates a third array and a fourth array during audio playback, both of which use the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer. The third array provides a left component of the audio playback and the fourth array provides a right component of the audio playback.

[0033] In one example, the processor also generates a fifth array that also uses the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer. The fifth array provides the center component of the audio playback. For examples with left surround components and right surround components, the processor generates a sixth array and a seventh array, wherein the sixth array provides the left surround component and the seventh array provides the right surround component. In some examples, the sixth array is based on a combination of the first array and the third array. In some examples, the seventh array is based on a combination of the second array and the fourth array.

[0034] Figure 1is a schematic diagram of a sound producing device 10 (e.g., a sound bar) in a listening space 48, with a user 50 represented by a head seen from behind. The sound bar housing 12 (shown in phantom so that its sides and speakers can be seen) has a generally rectangular prism shape with six generally rectangular, generally flat, and generally vertical sides, including a front 14, a top 16, a left end 18, and a right end 20 (the bottom and back sides are not numbered and are not further described herein). The sound bar need not have flat faces, need not have a rectangular prism shape, and need not have vertical sides. However, typically, the sound bar includes an elongated housing having a front, a top, and left and right ends.

[0035] In the example described herein, device 10 includes five speakers, all of which are configured to communicate with each other on a processor, etc. Figure 1 14). The center speaker 30 is carried so that it faces the housing front 14. Ideally, and by the design of the device 10, the device 10 is placed in the listening space 48 so that the primary radiation axis of the center speaker 30 is toward the listener 50. The left upward speaker 32 and the right upward speaker 34 are carried so that they face the housing top 16, and by the design of the device 10 so that their primary radiation axes point upward, approximately perpendicular to the axis of the center speaker 30, or at non-perpendicular angles as described above. In one example, the speakers 32 and 34 are positioned proximate to the left and right sides of the center speaker 30, respectively. In one example, given the particular speakers used and the soundbar construction and functionality, the speakers 32 and 34 are physically as close to the speaker 30 as possible. As explained in more detail elsewhere herein, speakers 30 and 32 are arranged to provide a left height component of the audio output with a primary radiation axis generally descending along a line 33 intersecting the two speakers, and speakers 30 and 34 are arranged to provide a right height component of the audio output with a primary radiation axis generally descending along a line 35 intersecting the two speakers.

[0036] Figure 2 6 is a block diagram of an active element 60 of a sound generating device 10. An audio signal input 62 may be implemented wirelessly or non-wirelessly. For a sound bar, audio input is typically received from a television or monitor, and a hard connection such as HDMI or an optical cable is typically used. Wireless sound input is typically implemented using Bluetooth or WiFi. However, the technology and method of receiving audio is not a limitation. A processor 64 receives input audio and uses a non-transitory computer readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon, which when executed is configured to use a transducer set 70 (which includes transducers 30, 32, 34, 36, and 38) to generate an array described herein that implements an audio output. In some examples, the processor 64 is a DSP.

[0037] Figure 3 8 is a block diagram of an audio source and filter 80 for a speaker array of a sound generating device. In this example, the array is a left height array. In this example, two audio channel sources 82 and 84 are used. In one example, sources 82 and 84 are a left height source channel and a right height source channel in a Dolby Atmos 5.1.2 audio stream, where .2 specifies two height source channels. However, for any or all of the described arrays, there may be one, two, or more audio channel sources. In the subject devices, systems, and methods, one or more audio sources may be used to create different components of an audio playback, such as an audio playback with two or more height components (e.g., a 5.1.2 output or a 5.0.2 output without a subwoofer, which may be created using only the soundbar described herein).

[0038] As described above, in order to reproduce object-based audio, the soundbar needs to be configured to develop traditional horizontal surround sound channels (e.g., center, left, right, left surround, and right surround) and also needs to be configured to develop left and right height components, but without any speakers located above the listener. In an example of the present disclosure, a speaker array including a center speaker 30 and a left-facing upward speaker 32 is used to provide the left height component. In one example, a speaker array including a center speaker 30 and a right-facing upward speaker 34 is used to provide the right height component. In addition, there are array filters for each audio channel source and each transducer of the array. Therefore, in Figure 3 In the illustrated example, the left height array includes two transducers 30 and 32, and there are four array filters 86, 88, 90, and 92, each filter being configured for one source channel and one output transducer. In some examples, the two height arrays are super-directional arrays that maximize directivity upward and away from the listening position and minimize acoustic energy toward the listening position. Additionally, in some examples, the array filters are non-minimum phase filters of at least 12th order and preferably at least 16th order.

[0039] Figure 4An exemplary magnitude response curve of an exemplary filter set 100 for a height array of a sound generating device is illustrated, the height array being for example the left height array and the right height array described above using a center speaker and a left upward pointing speaker or a right upward pointing speaker. Filter response 102 is a broadband filter for a left height (or upward) speaker or a right height (or upward) speaker, while filter response 104 is a bandpass filter for a center speaker. In some examples and as further described above, this bandpass filter has a low frequency threshold of about 300 Hz to about 600 Hz and a high frequency cutoff of about 2 kHz to about 4 kHz. These filters implement the arrangement at intermediate frequencies (which are further described above and are generally defined as about 600 Hz to about 2 kHz). At higher frequencies, the distance between the transducers limits the capabilities of the array; when the inter-transducer distance is greater than about half the wavelength of the sound, there is no directivity control that can be achieved by the arrangement. Moreover, most speakers become directional at higher frequencies (e.g., above about 6 kHz depending on the speaker configuration). Therefore, as the frequency increases, any effect of the arrangement decreases. Thus, the five active arrays cover most of the midrange frequencies, while the directivity of a single speaker dominates the high frequency range. In some examples, the array is not used in the bass frequency range. Instead, all four full-range speakers are driven in phase for maximum efficiency. Thus, bass can be created without the need for a subwoofer, although the audio system may include one.

[0040] Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C ] are representations of exemplary three-dimensional directivity for the left channel, left height channel, and center playback channel of an exemplary sound producing device, respectively. Using the five-speaker layout in the described soundbar configuration as a basis for acoustic system design, independent spatial coverage for different ATMOS or other object-based audio presentation channels is achieved. For example, FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C The three-dimensional acoustic radiation patterns at sample intermediate frequencies for the left array, left height array, and center array are illustrated, respectively. In one example, the sample intermediate frequencies are about 600 Hz to about 900 Hz. In one example, the sound pressure level (SPL) scale is in dB, illustrating a range of 20 dB. The right height array and the right height array are mirror images of the illustrated left height array and left height array. As previously mentioned, the surround channels drive the two arrays for a given side (left or right) with tunable relative gain so that the combination of the surround channels creates an immersive sound presentation anywhere except in front of the main listening space.

[0041] exist FIG. 5A to FIG. 5CIn the figure, X is the left-right direction (X=0, centered on the listening space), Y is the front-back direction, and Z is the vertical direction, and the sound pressure level is illustrated on a scale of 20 dB. The origin of the figure is at Figure 5A The left array output ( Figure 5A ) has a main lobe 116 pointing to the left along the Y axis at Y=0, with a smaller secondary lobe 117 pointing in the opposite direction. The secondary lobe is perceptually less significant than the main lobe. The left height array output ( Figure 5B ) has a main lobe 122 that points rearward (away from the listener) and tilted upward and to the left by approximately 45 degrees, and a smaller secondary lobe 123 that points in the opposite direction. To achieve unique left and right height presentation, the angle of the height should be in the range of approximately 30 to 60 degrees relative to the vertical (Z) axis. The height output is away from the user rather than toward the user because the height speakers are located slightly behind the center speaker due to the center speaker being naturally located at the front of the soundbar housing and the height speakers being located at the top of the housing. Therefore, the left and right height array directions ( Figure 1 The height channel sounds reach the listener after reflecting from the ceiling and therefore have essentially the same effect as sound emitted from a speaker located above the listener. The center array output ( Figure 5C ) has a main lobe 132 pointing outwards along the Y axis at X=0 towards the listening position and a smaller secondary lobe 133 pointing in the opposite direction. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C As shown, the main lobe points in the desired direction and there is minimum energy directed into the listening space for the left, right, left height and right height outputs; the desired goal is to have at least a 15dB SPL difference between the main direction and the direction of the listening space.

[0042] The elements in the figure are shown in the block diagram and described as discrete elements. These elements can be implemented as one or more of analog circuits or digital circuits. Alternatively or in addition, they can be implemented with one or more microprocessors that execute software instructions. Software instructions may include digital signal processing instructions. Operations can be performed by analog circuits or by microprocessors that execute software, and the software performs equivalent analog operations. Signal lines can be implemented as discrete analog or digital signal lines, discrete digital signal lines with appropriate signal processing that can handle individual signals, and / or elements of wireless communication systems.

[0043] When a process is represented or implied in a block diagram, the steps may be performed by one element or multiple elements. The steps may be performed together or at different times. The elements performing the activity may be physically identical or close to each other, or may be physically separated. An element may perform the actions of more than one box. The audio signal may be encoded or not, and may be transmitted in digital or analog form. In some cases, conventional audio signal processing equipment and operations are omitted from the figure.

[0044] Examples of the systems and methods described herein include computer components and computer-implemented steps that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-implemented steps can be stored as computer-executable instructions on a computer-readable medium, such as, for example, a hard disk, an optical disk, a flash ROM, a non-volatile ROM, and a RAM. In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-executable instructions can be executed on various processors, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor, a gate array, and the like. For ease of illustration, not every step or element of the above-mentioned systems and methods is described herein as part of a computer system, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that each step or element can have a corresponding computer system or software component. Therefore, it is within the scope of the present disclosure to implement such computer systems and / or software components by describing their corresponding steps or elements (i.e., their functions).

[0045] The functions, methods and / or components of the methods and systems disclosed herein according to various aspects and examples may be implemented or executed in a digital signal processor (DSP) and / or other circuits (analog or digital) suitable for performing signal processing and other functions according to the aspects and examples disclosed herein. In addition or alternatively, a microprocessor, a logic controller, a logic circuit, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a general purpose computing processor, a microcontroller, etc. or any combination of these may be suitable and may include analog or digital circuit components and / or other components relative to any particular implementation.

[0046] The functions and components disclosed herein may operate in the digital domain, the analog domain, or a combination of the two, and although there is a lack of illustration of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) or a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in the various figures, certain examples include ADCs and / or DACs where appropriate. In addition, the functions and components disclosed herein may operate in the time domain, the frequency domain, or a combination of the two, and certain examples include various forms of Fourier analysis or similar analysis, synthesis, and / or transformation to accommodate processing in various domains.

[0047] Any suitable hardware and / or software (including firmware, etc.) may be configured to implement or realize the components of the various aspects and examples disclosed herein, and various specific implementations of the various aspects and examples may include components and / or functions other than those disclosed. Various specific implementations may include stored instructions for a digital signal processor and / or other circuits to cause the circuits to perform, at least in part, the functions described herein.

[0048] Having described several aspects of at least one example above, it should be understood that various changes, modifications and improvements will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes, modifications and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure and are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above description and drawings are only exemplary, and the scope of the present invention should be determined by the appropriate construction of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A sound generating device, comprising: a housing having a front portion and a top portion; a first electro-acoustic transducer, the first electro-acoustic transducer facing the front of the housing; a second electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; a third electro-acoustic transducer, the third electro-acoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; and At least one processor, the at least one processor being configured to, during audio playback: generating a first array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the second electroacoustic transducer, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback, and A second array is generated using the first electro-acoustic transducer and the third electro-acoustic transducer, the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback. 2 . The sound generating device according to claim 1 , wherein the first electroacoustic transducer is located between the second electroacoustic transducer and the third electroacoustic transducer.

3. The sound producing device according to claim 1, wherein the front and the top of the housing are perpendicular to each other.

4. The sound generating device according to claim 1, wherein all of the electroacoustic transducers used to generate the first array receive the same audio source signal, and all of the electroacoustic transducers used to generate the second array receive the same audio source signal.

5. The sound producing device of claim 4, wherein the first array and the second array each include an array filter, the array filter being applied to the audio source signal for each of the electroacoustic transducers of the respective array. 6 . The sound producing device according to claim 5 , wherein the array filters for the second electro-acoustic transducer and the third electro-acoustic transducer include broadband filters.

7. The sound producing device according to claim 5, wherein the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer rolls off above a predetermined frequency.

8. The sound producing device according to claim 5, wherein the array filter for the first electroacoustic transducer comprises a bandpass filter.

9. The sound generating device of claim 8, wherein the bandpass filter has a low frequency threshold of approximately 600 Hz and a high frequency cutoff of approximately 2 kHz.

10. The sound producing device according to claim 5, wherein all of the array filters include non-minimum phase filters.

11. The sound generating device according to claim 1, wherein the first array and the second array are applied only over an array frequency range.

12. The sound generating device of claim 11, wherein the array frequency range is approximately 600 Hz to approximately 6 kHz.

13. The sound generating device of claim 1, wherein the first electroacoustic transducer has a bandwidth of approximately 600 Hz to approximately 18 kHz.

14. A sound producing device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a left end and a right end, the device further includes a fourth electroacoustic transducer facing the left end of the housing and a fifth electroacoustic transducer facing the right end of the housing, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate a third array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer and the fifth electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the third array providing a left component of the audio playback, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate a fourth array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer and the fifth electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the fourth array providing a right component of the audio playback.

15. The sound producing device of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a fifth array using the first electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer, the third electroacoustic transducer, the fourth electroacoustic transducer, and the fifth electroacoustic transducer during audio playback, the fifth array providing a central component of the audio playback.

16. A sound producing device according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a sixth array based on a combination of the first array and the third array during audio playback, the sixth array providing a left surround component of the audio playback, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate a seventh array based on a combination of the second array and the fourth array during audio playback, the seventh array providing a right surround component of the audio playback.

17. A computer program product having a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer program logic encoded thereon, a sound generating device comprising: a housing having a front portion and a top portion; a first electro-acoustic transducer facing the front portion of the housing; a second electroacoustic transducer, the second electroacoustic transducer facing the top of the housing; and a third electro-acoustic transducer, the third electro-acoustic transducer facing the top of the housing, the computer program logic, when executed on the sound producing device, causes the sound producing device to perform the following operations during audio playback: generating a first array using the first electroacoustic transducer and the second electroacoustic transducer, the first array providing a left height component of the audio playback, and A second array is generated using the first electro-acoustic transducer and the third electro-acoustic transducer, the second array providing a right height component of the audio playback.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first electro-acoustic transducer is located between the second electro-acoustic transducer and the third electro-acoustic transducer.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein all of the electro-acoustic transducers used to generate the first array receive the same audio source signal, and all of the electro-acoustic transducers used to generate the second array receive the same audio source signal, and wherein the first array and the second array each include an array filter that is applied to the audio source signal for each of the electro-acoustic transducers of the respective array.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the array filters for the second and third electro-acoustic transducers comprise broadband filters, and the array filter for the first electro-acoustic transducer comprises a bandpass filter.

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