Headrest with lateral emission loudspeakers
By designing the speaker module in the seat headrest and guiding the audio with waveguides, the problems of uneven sound radiation and low inter-ear performance caused by speaker design in the prior art are solved, and a more uniform sound field reproduction and better inter-ear performance are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411695966.1
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2023-12-06
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-06
AI Technical Summary
The speaker design in the existing seat headrests has problems such as uneven sound radiation, low inter-ear performance, and low efficiency of side-mounted speakers in controlling sound diffusion.
A speaker module is designed, including a first speaker driver and a first waveguide mounted behind the transverse non-contact surface of the headrest and directing audio to the front side of the headrest through the waveguide to achieve a non-converged listening direction.
Through this design, a more uniform sound field reproduction is achieved, inter-ear performance is improved, and the direction of sound diffusion is effectively controlled, improving the passenger's listening experience.
Smart Images
Figure CN120111418A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a loudspeaker incorporated into a headrest of a seat. Background Art
[0002] It may be desirable to install a speaker in the headrest of a seat, for example, in a car seat, a gaming chair, or a theater seat. Typically, the speaker is positioned behind the listener in the seat and reproduces sound, such as music, movie content, navigation prompts, or other audio content.
[0003] Some conventional configurations use the front surface of the headrest to form an acoustic radiator, resulting in a large headrest. In addition, the radiation pattern caused by this system configuration may reduce inter-aural performance. Because the speakers are positioned behind the listener, the sound field depends on the listener's head position. This may cause an undesirable listening experience in a vehicle, for example. When the listener turns his head to talk to another passenger in the vehicle, the speakers fire directly into the listener's ears.
[0004] To address headrest size and packaging constraints, some configurations mount speakers to one or more sides of the headrest. However, side-mounted speakers can be ineffective when it is desired to control sound diffusion in the listening environment. Summary of the invention
[0005] In one or more embodiments, a speaker module for mounting in a headrest has: a first speaker driver, the first speaker driver is mounted inside the headrest behind a first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest and is oriented so that a central radiation axis is along a lateral direction x of the headrest. A first waveguide has an opening along the lateral direction x and an outlet opening along a forward direction y. The forward direction y is substantially perpendicular to the lateral direction x. The first waveguide is mounted to the first speaker driver so that the opening is aligned with the radiation surface of the first speaker driver and the outlet opening extends outside the headrest along the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest. The first outlet opening is oriented vertically on the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest so that the central radiation axis of the waveguide points to the forward direction y.
[0006] In one or more embodiments, the speaker has an acoustic lens above the speaker driver.
[0007] In one or more embodiments, the first waveguide is externally mounted to the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest.
[0008] In one or more embodiments, the outlet opening extends the listening direction in a non-convergent manner towards the forward direction.
[0009] In one or more embodiments, the outlet opening is longer in a direction perpendicular to the central radiating axis than in a direction parallel to the central radiating axis.
[0010] In one or more embodiments, the outlet opening has an upper wall length that is different from a lower wall length. Also, in one or more embodiments, a transverse wall of the outlet opening slopes from the upper wall to the lower wall.
[0011] In one or more embodiments, a second speaker module is mounted inside the headrest behind the second lateral non-contact surface of the headrest, wherein the speaker assembly is a pair of speaker drivers mounted inside the headrest and spaced apart from each other. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly pointed out in the appended claims. However, other features of the various embodiments will become more apparent and will be best understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0013] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a headrest and speaker module according to one or more embodiments of the present subject matter;
[0014] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A top cross-sectional view of a headrest;
[0015] Figure 3 is an exploded view of one or more embodiments of a speaker module;
[0016] Figure 4 is an interior view of one or more embodiments of a waveguide of a speaker module;
[0017] Figure 5 is an end view of one or more embodiments of a waveguide and a speaker driver; and
[0018] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional side view of one or more embodiments of a speaker module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Detailed embodiments of the present invention are described herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary, and the present invention may be embodied in various alternative forms. The accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. Some features may be enlarged or minimized to show the details of specific components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the present invention.
[0020] The following description will be described in the context of a listening environment in a vehicle, but it should be noted that embodiments of the inventive subject matter may be applicable to other listening environments, such as, for example, but not limited to, a home, theater, or gaming environment. A vehicle sound system may benefit from individual sound reproduction for each passenger (also referred to as a listener). The speaker locations in the vehicle headrests are intended to provide better seat-to-seat separation. For example, the driver may be listening to navigation prompts while other passengers are listening to other audio content, such as music.
[0021] From an acoustic perspective, speakers in headrests have the following advantages: primarily, a listener seated in the seat can hear the sound from the speakers without disturbing other listeners. However, the speakers in the headrests are close to the listener's head, resulting in large sound variations depending on the listener's head position. In addition, the speakers in the headrests may be obscured by the occupant's head. It is known that side-firing speakers (speakers positioned on the sides of the headrests) transmit audio towards the sides of the headrests. While this can solve some positioning issues, side-firing speakers typically provide audio that is not limited to audio content intended only for the occupant directly in front of the headrest, thereby defeating the purpose of having separate sound zones separated from seat to seat by forward-firing speakers.
[0022] Aspects disclosed herein generally provide, but are not limited to, a side-oriented speaker configuration with a waveguide that directs audio content to the front side of a headrest for an occupant directly in front of the headrest.
[0023] Figure 1 A headrest 100 is generally depicted with a speaker assembly 300 integrated into the headrest 100. The headrest 100 has a forward contact surface 102 facing in a forward direction y. The headrest 100 has a left lateral side non-contact surface 104 and a right lateral side non-contact surface 106 each facing in a lateral direction x. A non-contact surface refers to a surface that does not contact an occupant of a seat (not shown). The centerline refers to the middle of the forward contact surface 102 of the headrest 100 in the forward direction y.
[0024] Figure 2 1 is a top cross-sectional view of the headrest 100, showing a speaker assembly 300 mounted inside the headrest 100, the speaker assembly consisting of a pair of speaker modules 300a, 300b spaced apart in the transverse direction x. Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, the speaker module 300a is mounted behind the left lateral non-contact surface 104 of the headrest 100, and the speaker module 300b is mounted behind the right lateral non-contact surface 106 of the headrest. Each speaker module 300a, 300b is mounted with a speaker waveguide (hereinafter waveguide) 302, and the outlet opening 310 of the waveguide 302 is exposed outside the headrest 100. The occupant 200 is shown at the forward contact surface 102 facing the forward direction y.
[0025] Figure 3 300a, 300b. Each speaker module 300a, 300b generally includes a speaker driver 304. The speaker driver 304 is mounted in an enclosed housing 308 and may be supported by a carrier tube (or push rod) 306. The waveguide 302 is mounted to the top surface of the housing 308 above the speaker driver 304. The speaker driver 304 and the housing 308 are mounted to the interior of a headrest (not shown). The first opening 312 of the waveguide generally corresponds to a radiating surface 314 of the speaker driver 304. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the first opening 312 and the radiating surface 314 are generally circular. It should be noted that any suitable shape of the first opening 312 connecting the speaker driver 304 and the waveguide 302 may be possible without departing from the scope of the present subject matter.
[0026] Re-reference Figure 2 , the speaker drivers (not shown) in the speaker modules 300a and 300b have a central radiating axis along the lateral x direction. Each speaker driver (not shown) in the speaker modules 300a, 300b faces laterally along the lateral direction x and emits laterally. The external waveguide 302 and the waveguide exit opening 310 are configured to radiate the audio from the speaker drivers (not shown) in a non-convergent manner toward a forward direction y relative to the front surface 102 of the headrest 100. The exit opening 310 extends the listening direction toward the forward direction y in a manner that does not converge toward the centerline of the headrest 100.
[0027] In one or more embodiments, the entirety of the waveguide 302 structure is externally mounted to the lateral side non-contact surfaces 104, 106 of the headrest 100. In one or more embodiments not shown, at least the exit opening 310 of the waveguide 302 is externally placed on the lateral side non-contact surfaces 104, 106 of the headrest 100, and the remainder of the waveguide 302 structure is internally positioned to the headrest at the lateral side non-contact surfaces 102, 104.
[0028] Figure 4302 is an internal view of the waveguide 302. The open area 400 inside the waveguide 302 is perpendicular to the first opening ( Figure 4 ), and has a curved shape to direct the light from the speaker driver ( Figure 4 The open area 400 of the waveguide 302 is perpendicular to the transverse direction x of the acoustic path, and the open area 400 increases from the first opening (not shown) to the outlet opening 310.
[0029] Figure 5 31 is an end view of the waveguide 302 and the speaker driver 304. The outlet opening 310 is a slot-shaped elongated opening having a height dimension h that is smaller than the width dimension w. The outlet opening 310 may be asymmetrical. The upper wall 502 may have a width w that is different from the width w of the lower wall 504. The outer wall 506 may be inclined so that the height and cross-section of the open area inside the waveguide 302 increases from the first opening 312 to the outlet opening 310. The open area of the waveguide 302 is perpendicular to the transverse direction x of the acoustic path and increases from the first opening 312 to the outlet opening 310.
[0030] When the waveguide is positioned on the lateral side non-contact surface of the headrest 100 , the height dimension h is along the lateral direction x. The width dimension w is positioned vertically on the lateral side non-contact surface of the headrest 100 .
[0031] Figure 6 310 is a cut-away side view of the speaker module 300. An acoustic lens 602 is mounted to the underside 604 of the inner surface of the waveguide 302, just above the speaker driver 304. The speaker driver 304 transmits the audio that passes through the acoustic lens 602. The waveguide 302 blocks the audio from passing through the acoustic lens in the lateral direction x, and evenly redirects the air pressure in front of the diaphragm of the speaker driver 304 to direct the audio through the open area and toward the outlet opening 310. The shape of the acoustic lens 602 extends as a continuation of the inner upper surface of the open area inside the speaker waveguide 302.
[0032] Re-reference Figure 4 , the open area 400 inside the waveguide 402 is in the first area ( Figure 4 ) and the outlet opening 310 to prevent the waveguide from acting as a resonator and to optimize the loudspeaker driver ( Figure 4 (not shown) and the acoustic coupling of air. For example, in one or more embodiments, Figure 4 The area 402 of the outlet opening 310 shown in middle hatching may be about 375% of the area 404 of the middle cross-sectional profile of the open area. The area 406 of the horn opening located above the speaker driver (not shown) may be about 35% of the area 404 of the middle cross-sectional profile of the open area.
[0033] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms of the invention. Instead, the words used in the specification are descriptive rather than restrictive, and it should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, in Figure 1 and Figure 2 In one or more of the embodiments shown, the waveguide 302 is mounted on the exterior of the headrest (not shown) such that the opening 310 of the waveguide 302 directs the audio in the forward direction y (generally away from the lateral direction x). Alternatively, (not shown), the waveguide 302 can be positioned with the housing inside the headrest, and only the opening 310 can be visible from the exterior of the right and left lateral surfaces of the headrest 100. Additionally, features of the various embodiments can be combined to form additional embodiments.
Claims
1. A speaker module for installation in a headrest, the speaker module comprising: a first speaker driver mounted on the interior of the headrest behind the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest and oriented with a central radiating axis along a lateral direction x of the headrest; a first waveguide having a first opening along the transverse direction x and an outlet opening along a forward direction y substantially perpendicular to the transverse direction x, the first waveguide being mounted to the first speaker driver such that the first opening is aligned with a radiation surface of the first speaker driver and the outlet opening extends along the first transverse non-contact surface of the headrest outside the headrest, the first outlet opening being vertically oriented on the first transverse non-contact surface of the headrest such that a central radiation axis of the waveguide points in the forward direction y.
2. The speaker module according to claim 1, further comprising: An acoustic lens is mounted to an underside of the first waveguide above the first speaker driver.
3. The speaker module of claim 1, wherein the entirety of the first waveguide is externally mounted to the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest. 4 . The speaker module of claim 1 , wherein the outlet opening extends a listening direction toward the forward direction y in a manner that does not converge toward a centerline of the headrest. 5 . The speaker module of claim 1 , wherein the size of the open area inside the first waveguide increases from the first opening toward the outlet opening.
6. The speaker module of claim 1, wherein the outlet opening is longer in a direction perpendicular to the central radiating axis of the first speaker driver than in a direction parallel to the central radiating axis of the first speaker driver.
7. The speaker module according to claim 1, wherein: The outlet opening has an upper wall having a different length than a lower wall of the outlet opening; and The outlet opening has a transverse wall which slopes from the upper wall to the lower wall.
8. The speaker module according to claim 1, further comprising: A second speaker module, the second speaker module is used to be installed in the headrest, and the second speaker module includes: a second speaker driver mounted on the interior of the headrest behind the second lateral non-contact surface of the headrest and oriented with a central radiating axis along a lateral direction x of the headrest; a second waveguide having a first opening in the transverse direction x and an outlet opening in a forward direction y substantially perpendicular to the transverse direction x, the second waveguide being mounted to the second speaker driver such that the first opening is aligned with a radiating surface of the second speaker, the outlet opening of the second waveguide extending along the second transverse non-contact surface of the headrest outside of the headrest, the first outlet opening of the second waveguide being oriented such that the central radiating axis points away from the transverse direction x towards the forward direction y; and The first speaker driver and the second speaker driver are spaced apart from each other.
9. The speaker module of claim 8, further comprising: An acoustic lens is mounted to an underside of the second waveguide above the second speaker driver.
10. The speaker module of claim 8, wherein an entirety of the first waveguide is externally mounted to the first lateral non-contact surface of the headrest, and an entirety of the second waveguide is externally mounted to the second lateral non-contact surface of the headrest.
11. The speaker module of claim 8, wherein the outlet opening extends a listening direction toward the forward direction y in a manner that does not converge toward a centerline of the headrest.
12. The speaker module according to claim 8, wherein: The size of the open area inside the first waveguide increases from the first opening to the exit opening; and The size of the open area inside the second waveguide increases from the first opening to the exit opening.
13. A speaker module as described in claim 8, wherein the outlet opening in each of the first waveguide and the second waveguide is longer in a direction perpendicular to the central radiation axis of each of the first speaker driver and the second speaker driver than in a direction parallel to the central radiation axis of the first speaker driver and the second speaker driver.
14. The speaker module according to claim 8, wherein: The exit opening of each of the first waveguide and the second waveguide has an upper wall having a different length than a lower wall of the exit opening; and The exit opening of each of the first and second waveguides has a transverse wall that slopes from the upper wall to the lower wall.
15. A speaker assembly for installation in a headrest, the speaker assembly comprising; a pair of speaker drivers mounted inside the headrest in spaced relation to one another and oriented such that a central radiating axis of each of the speaker drivers is in a transverse direction x; a pair of waveguides, each of the waveguides in the pair of waveguides having a first opening and an exit opening, each of the waveguides in the pair of waveguides extending from each of the speaker drivers in the pair of speaker drivers at the first opening of the waveguide, each of the waveguides in the pair of waveguides being configured to direct audio in a listening direction through the exit opening, the exit opening extending outside of the headrest and having a central radiating axis perpendicular to the central axis of the speaker driver; and Wherein the exit opening causes a listening direction to extend in a non-convergent manner along the central radiating axis of the waveguide.
16. The loudspeaker assembly of claim 15, further comprising: An acoustic lens is mounted to the underside of each waveguide, above each speaker driver.
17. The loudspeaker assembly of claim 15, wherein an entirety of each waveguide is externally mounted to the headrest.
18. The loudspeaker assembly of claim 15, wherein the open area within the waveguide increases in cross-section from the first opening to the outlet opening.
19. The loudspeaker assembly of claim 15, wherein the outlet opening is larger in a direction perpendicular to the central radiating axis of the waveguide than in a direction parallel to the central radiating axis of the waveguide.
20. The loudspeaker assembly of claim 15, wherein: The outlet opening has an upper wall having a different length than a lower wall of the outlet opening; and The outlet opening has a transverse wall which slopes from the upper wall to the lower wall.