Acoustic device

Abstract

To provide an acoustic device that can be set to a first acoustic operation that applies vibrations from a speaker to a person sitting in a chair, and a second acoustic operation that allows the person to hear only sound.SOLUTION: In an acoustic device 1, a mounting rail 21 is fixed to a back surface 4 of a chair 2, and two speakers 10 are attached to a mounting rail 21. Since the sound generation center lines O of the two speakers 10 are oriented in the horizontal direction, the vibrations acting on the back surface 4 due to the vibration forces of the diaphragms 12b of the two speakers 10 tend to cancel each other out. Furthermore, when the sound generation center lines O of the speakers 10 are oriented in the front-to-rear direction, the vibrations of the speakers 10 can be felt by the seated person 5.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an acoustic device in which a speaker is attached to a chair such as a gaming chair, a driver's seat or a passenger seat of an automobile, and can give vibration to a seated person by sound pressure.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes an invention related to a seat device for an automobile. In this seat device, two tactile bass speakers are used together with a mid-high range speaker. The tactile bass speakers are respectively built into the seat cushion and the seat back, and when bass music flows from the tactile bass speakers, it is possible to directly feel the music by vibration on the body from the seating surface.

[0003] Patent Document 2 describes an invention related to electroacoustic conversion for a seat. In FIGS. 3 and paragraphs

[0016] to

[0018] , a device attached to a seat related to a video game, a game machine, a vehicle in an entertainment facility, or an automobile or a truck is described. In this device, the upper outlet of the upper acoustic chamber to which an electroacoustic transducer is attached opens near the head of a person sitting on the seat. When the electroacoustic transducer operates, the acoustic energy is applied from the upper outlet near the head of the person, and the acoustic energy can supply a tactile stimulus to the seated person by a pressure shock or a pressure wave.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The acoustic devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 can apply vibration stimuli to a seated person sitting on a chair when a woofer operates, and can enhance the impact and improve the sense of presence during game play, watching movies, or listening to music. However, when selecting a game play that requires concentration such as a first-person shooter (FPS), if vibration is applied to the seated player, it will rather interfere with the game play. Also, assuming a chair in the passenger compartment of a car, there are times when the seated driver wants to experience powerful music while receiving vibration, but there are also times when driving on a highway, at night, or on a narrow road, the driver wants to concentrate on driving by only listening to music without receiving vibration.

[0006] In Patent Document 1, it is pointed out that the body pressure distribution on the seat cushion and the seat back changes between the sitting posture during driving and the sitting posture when reclining the seat back to rest, so the physical sensation of bass is different, and there is a large difference in the concentration of nerves between during driving and during rest. Even if the sound quality and volume of the woofer are uniform, it cannot be said that the resulting physical sensation is always comfortable. As a countermeasure, in the vehicle seat device described in Patent Document 1, the output levels of the woofers provided in each of the seat cushion and the seat back can be individually changed to provide a physical sensation according to the driver's preference.

[0007] However, as described in Patent Document 1, if the output level of the woofer is lowered according to the driver's sitting posture, not only will the physical sensation for the driver decrease, but the sound pressure level of the emitted bass will also decrease, making it impossible to listen to music at an optimal volume.

[0008] The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object thereof is to provide an acoustic device capable of selecting and setting an acoustic operation that applies vibration to a seated person and an acoustic operation that reduces vibration to the seated person without extremely changing the output from the speaker.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] In an acoustic device having a chair and a speaker attached to the chair, a first acoustic operation in which sound pressure or vibration is applied to a seated person sitting on the chair by the sound emitted from the speaker, a second acoustic operation in which two speakers face each other with a space therebetween, and each of the diaphragms of the two speakers vibrates in the facing direction of the two speakers, are selectable and settable.

[0010] The acoustic device of the present invention is provided with a mounting device for mounting two speakers to the chair respectively, and the mounting device can be configured such that the two speakers can be selectively mounted in a first posture for performing the first acoustic operation and a second posture for performing the second acoustic operation.

[0011] For example, the mounting device has a mounting rail, and a first mounting portion and a second mounting portion orthogonal to each other are continuously formed on the mounting rail, the speaker in the first posture is fixed to the first mounting portion, and the speaker in the second posture is fixed to the second mounting portion.

[0012] In the acoustic device of the present invention, when the direction in which the seated person's line of sight faces is defined as the front, the opposite direction as the rear, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction as the lateral direction, in the first acoustic operation, the speaker located behind the seated person is set in a first posture in which its sound emission center line is directed in the front-rear direction and emits sound, in the second acoustic operation, the two speakers can be configured to be set in a second posture in which their sound emission center lines face each other in the lateral direction and the diaphragms of the two speakers vibrate in the lateral direction.

[0013] Furthermore, the acoustic device of the present invention can set each speaker in an angular posture intermediate between the first posture and the second posture.

[0014] The acoustic device of the present invention may be such that both the speaker that performs the first acoustic operation and the two speakers that perform the second acoustic operation are attached to the chair. In this case, it can be configured such that two speakers that perform the first acoustic operation are provided.

[0015] Also, in the acoustic device of the present invention, the speaker may be arranged below the seat surface of the chair, and in the first acoustic operation, it may be configured such that an upward vibration is applied from the speaker to the seat surface.

Effect of the Invention

[0016] In the first acoustic operation of the acoustic device of the present invention, the seated person can listen to the sound from the speaker, and the sound pressure or vibration or both can be applied to the seated person. In the second acoustic operation, the seated person can listen to the sound from the two speakers, but the vibration acting on the seated person can be reduced. Whichever of the first acoustic operation and the second acoustic operation is selected, there is no significant difference in the volume that can be listened to, and by selecting either the first acoustic operation or the second acoustic operation, it is possible to make the seated person feel vibration or not feel vibration.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] In the acoustic device of each embodiment, the Y1 - Y2 direction is the front - rear direction, the Y1 direction is the front direction in the direction of the line of sight of the seated person sitting on the chair, and the Y2 direction is the rear direction. The X1 - X2 direction is the lateral direction orthogonal to the front - rear direction and is the facing direction of the two speakers performing the second acoustic operation. The X1 direction is the left direction and the X2 direction is the right direction. The Z1 - Z2 direction is the up - down direction, the Z1 direction is the up direction, and the Z2 direction is the down direction.

[0019] The acoustic device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 has a chair 2. The chair 2 is for gaming, theater, cinema, or amusement facilities, etc., and further for the driver's seat or passenger seat in the vehicle interior of an automobile. The chair 2 has a seat surface portion (seat cushion) 3 and a back surface portion (seat back) 4. In each figure, only the torso 5a and the head 5b of the seated person 5 sitting on the chair 2 are shown. The left and right ears E are shown on the head 5b.

[0020] The audio device 1 is provided with two speakers 10. The speakers 10 have a frequency band to be emitted, for example, in the mid-low frequency range or the low frequency range. Each speaker 10 has an enclosure 11 and a transducer (electroacoustic transducer) 12 fixed to the enclosure 11. The transducer 12 has a frame 12a fixed to the enclosure 11, and a diaphragm 12b supported to be vibrationally free and an electromagnetic transducer are provided on the frame 12a. The electromagnetic transducer is composed of a magnetic circuit portion fixed to the frame 12a and a voice coil that operates together with the diaphragm. The enclosure 11 has a sounding surface 11a and an opposing surface 11b, and the diaphragm 12b of the transducer 12 appears on the sounding surface 11a. The vibration direction of the diaphragm 12b is the direction in which the sounding surface 11a and the opposing surface 11b face each other. The speaker 10 can define the vibration direction of the transducer 12 as the sound emission center line O. In the embodiment, the enclosure 12 has the sounding surface 11a and the opposing surface 11b as parallel planes to each other, and the vibration direction of the diaphragm 12b (the direction in which the sound emission center line O points) is orthogonal to the sounding surface 11a and the opposing surface 11b.

[0021] A pair of mounting devices 20 for mounting two speakers 10 are fixed to the back portion 4 of the chair 2. The mounting device 20 has a mounting rail 21. When viewed in the plane of FIGS. 3 and 4, the mounting rail 21 is bent approximately 90 degrees. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the rear fixing portion 21a of the mounting rail 21 is fixed to the rear surface of the back portion 4 of the chair 2, and the side fixing portion 21b of the mounting rail 21 is fixed to the side surface of the back portion 4. Two mounting rails 21 are provided in parallel at intervals in the vertical direction (Z1-Z2 direction), and have a first mounting portion 22 extending in the lateral direction (X1-X2 direction) and a second mounting portion 23 extending in the front-rear direction (Y1-Y2 direction).

[0022] Figure 5 shows a fixture 25 for fixing the speaker 10 to the mounting rail 21. The fixture 25 is formed of a metal plate or a synthetic resin plate. The fixture 25 is formed with a pair of recesses 25a that fit into the upper and lower mounting rails 21, and a pair of mounting holes 25b located above the upper (Z1 side) recess 25a and below the lower (Z2 side) recess 25a. A pair of female screw holes 27 corresponding to the respective mounting holes 25b are formed in the opposing surface 11b of the enclosure 11 of the speaker 10. When a pair of fixing bolts 26 are inserted through the mounting holes 25b and screwed into the female screw holes 27, the speaker 10 can be fixed to the mounting rail 21 by the fixture 25.

[0023] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the speaker 10 is fixed to the first mounting portion 22 of the mounting rail 21, the speaker 10 assumes a first posture with the sound emission center line O directed in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, when the speaker 10 is fixed to the second mounting portion 23, the two speakers 10 assume a second posture in which they face each other and emit sound with their sound emission center lines O directed in the lateral direction. In the mounting device 20, the fixing bolts 26 are loosened, and with the pair of recesses 25a of the fixture 25 lifted from the two mounting rails 21, the speaker 10 is moved along the mounting rail 21 together with the fixture 25. After the movement, the fixing bolts 26 are tightened, so that the speaker 10 can be switched from the first posture to the second posture and fixed, and conversely, switched from the second posture to the first posture and fixed.

[0024] Next, the settings and operations of the acoustic device will be described. Figures 1 and 3 show the state in which the acoustic device 1 performs the first acoustic operation. In each of the left and right mounting devices 20, a pair of speakers 10 are fixed to the first mounting portion 22 of the mounting rail 21 by the fixture 25, and the two speakers 10 are in the first posture in which the sound emission center line O is directed in the front-rear direction (Y1-Y2 direction). In the enclosure 11 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the sound emission surface 11a on which the diaphragm 12b appears is directed rearward (Y2 direction), and the opposing surface 11b is directed forward (Y1 direction). However, in the speaker 10 in the first posture, the sound emission surface 11a may be directed forward (Y1 direction), and the opposing surface 11b may be directed rearward (Y2 direction).

[0025] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, when the two speakers 10 are in the first posture, the sound mainly emitted rearward (Y2 direction) by the vibration of the diaphragms 12b of the two transducers 12 reaches the ears E of the seated person 5. Further, since the sound emission center line O is directed in the front-rear direction, the force of the vibration of the diaphragm 12b in the front-rear direction is applied to the main body portion 5a of the seated person 5 from the opposing surface 11b of the enclosure 11 via the rail 21 and the back portion 4. In addition, the rearward sound pressure applied to the inside of the enclosure 11 by the vibration of the diaphragm 12b is also applied to the body portion 5b from the back portion 4 through the wall of the opposing surface 11b of the enclosure 11, although slightly. In the first acoustic operation of the acoustic device 1, by setting the two speakers 10 in the first posture, the seated person 5 can listen to the sound and can feel the sound pressure and / or vibration or both as physical forces. In the first acoustic operation, even if only one of the two speakers 10 with the sound emission center line O directed in the front-rear direction emits sound, the seated person 5 can feel the vibration. Further, even if only one of the left and right speakers 10 is attached to the chair 2 and used, and the other speaker 10 is removed, the seated person 5 can similarly feel the vibration.

[0026] Figures 2 and 4 show the state in which the acoustic device 1 performs the second acoustic operation. In each of the left and right mounting devices 20, the pair of speakers 10 are in a second posture fixed to the second mounting portion 23 of the mounting rail 21 by the fixture 25. The speaker 10 in the second posture has its sound emission center line O directed in the lateral direction (X1-X2 direction). The diaphragms 12b of the left (X1 side) speaker 10 and the right (X2 side) speaker 10 vibrate in the lateral direction (X1-X2 direction), which is the facing direction (alignment direction) of the two speakers 10.

[0027] In the second acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the two speakers 10 in the second posture have their sound emission surfaces 11a of the enclosures 11 facing in directions opposite to each other. Sound is mainly emitted from the left (X1 side) speaker 10 in the left direction (X1 direction), and sound is mainly emitted from the right (X2 side) speaker 10 in the right direction (X2 direction). Since the directions of the sound emitted from the diaphragms 12b of the two speakers 10 are opposite, the sound emitted mainly in the left direction from the left speaker 10 and the sound pressure emitted mainly in the right direction from the right speaker 10 are less likely to interfere with each other, and the sound from the left speaker 10 easily reaches the left ear E, and the sound from the right speaker 10 easily reaches the right ear E. Therefore, when the output levels from the two speakers 10 are made equal in the first acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and the second acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the seated person 5 can listen to the sound at substantially the same sound pressure in the first acoustic operation and the second acoustic operation.

[0028] In the second acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, when the left speaker 10 emits sound, the vibration force of the left diaphragm 12b is transmitted from the enclosure 11 to the back portion 4 of the chair 2 via the mounting rail 21, and when the right speaker 10 emits sound, the vibration force of the right diaphragm 12b is transmitted from the enclosure 11 to the back portion 4 of the chair 2 via the mounting rail 21. When the same audio signal is applied to the two speakers in the second posture at the same timing, the vibrations acting on the chair 2 from the left speaker 10 and the vibrations acting on the chair 2 from the right speaker 10 will have a phase difference of 180 degrees. Therefore, the left and right vibrations cancel each other out, and the trunk 5a of the seated person 5 hardly feels any vibration. Also, even if the audio signals applied to the two speakers 10 are different, such as when the audio signal of the left channel of the stereo sound is applied to the left speaker 10 and the audio signal of the right channel is applied to the right speaker 10, since the main sound emission directions of the two speakers 10 are opposite to each other, many components of the vibrations acting on the mounting rail 21 from the left and right speakers 10 are likely to cancel each other out.

[0029] When the chair 2 of the acoustic device 1 of the first embodiment is used as a gaming chair and a game play that requires concentration such as a first-person shooter (FPS) is selected, if it is set to perform the second acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the sound emitted from the speaker 10 can be heard by the ear E, and since the seated person 5 does not feel a large vibration, it becomes easier to concentrate on the game play. Also, when a game play where vibration is desired to be felt is selected, by causing the first acoustic operation shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to be performed, the seated person 5 can feel the vibration synchronized with the sound from the speaker 10 at the trunk 5a. Further, when the chair of the acoustic device 1 is used as the driver's seat of an automobile, when it is desired to concentrate on driving such as night driving, driving on a narrow road, or highway driving, the second acoustic operation is caused to be performed so that the seated person 5 does not feel a large vibration, and during other driving times, by causing the first acoustic operation to be performed, the seated person 5 can feel the vibration at the trunk 5a and enjoy powerful music. When the chair 2 is used in a theater, a movie theater, or an amusement posture, etc., it is possible to select and set the first acoustic operation and the second acoustic operation according to the program.

[0030] FIG. 8 shows a modified example of the acoustic device 1 of the first embodiment. The mounting rail 21 of the mounting device 20 used in this modified example can fix two speakers in the first posture shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second posture shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, and further the third posture shown in FIG. 8. In the third posture, the sounding surface 11a and the opposing surface 11b of the enclosure 11 of each speaker 10 are inclined at an angle of θ with respect to the lateral direction (X1 - X2 direction). θ can be set in the range of 30 degrees to 60 degrees, but in FIG. 8, it is set to 45 degrees. When the speaker 10 is set to the third posture which is an intermediate angle between the first posture and the second posture, when the output level of the speaker 10 is set to be the same as that in the first acoustic operation, the vibrations acting on the chair 2 from the left and right speakers via the mounting rail 21 can be partially canceled, and the chair 2 can be given a vibration weaker than that in the first acoustic operation.

[0031] Figure 6 shows the acoustic device 101 of the second embodiment of the present invention. The acoustic device 101 has a mounting device 30 for fixing two speakers 10 to the back portion 4 of the chair 2. In the mounting device 30, a pair of upper and lower fixing rods 31 are fixed to the opposing surface 11b of the enclosure 11 of the speaker 10. A locking groove 31a is formed at the tip of the fixing rod 31. On the back portion 4 of the chair 2, a first mounting hole 32 that opens rearward (in the Y2 direction) and a second mounting hole 33 that opens in the lateral direction (in the X1-X1 direction) are opened. Inside the first mounting hole 32 and the second mounting hole 33, a locking member that fits into the locking groove of the fixing rod 31 is provided, and on the back portion 4, a lock release button for releasing the lock by the locking member is provided. As shown in FIG. 6(A), when the fixing rod 31 is inserted into the first mounting hole 32 and locked, the two speakers 10 are in the first posture and can perform the first acoustic operation. As shown in FIG. 6(B), when the fixing rod 31 is inserted into the second mounting hole 33 and locked, the two speakers 10 are in the second posture and the second acoustic operation is performed.

[0032] Figure 7 shows the acoustic device 102 of the third embodiment of the present invention. In this acoustic device 102, both two speakers 10-1 in the first posture and two speakers 10-2 in the second posture are fixed to the mounting rail 21 of the mounting device 20. The mounting posture of the speaker 10-1 is the same as that of the speaker 10 in the first posture in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the mounting posture of the speaker 10-2 is the same as that of the speaker 10 in the second posture in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In the acoustic device 102, by operating the pair of speakers 10-1 in the first posture, sound pressure and vibration can be applied to the body portion 5a of the seated person 5, and by operating the pair of speakers 10-2 in the second posture, sound can be heard by the ear E without applying a large vibration to the body portion 5a. The acoustic device 102 of the third embodiment can realize the first acoustic operation by selecting and operating only the speakers 10-1 in the first posture without changing the mounting postures of the speakers 10-1 in the first posture and the speakers 10-2 in the second posture, and can realize the second acoustic operation by selecting and operating only the speakers 10-2 in the second posture.

[0033] In the sound device 102 shown in FIG. 7, even if only one speaker 10-1 in the first posture is provided, sound pressure and vibration can be applied from the speaker 10-1 in the first posture to the torso 5a of the seated person 5.

[0034] In the above-described embodiment, in the pair of speakers 10 or 10-2 in the second posture, the sound emission surfaces 11a where the diaphragms 12b appear in the enclosure 11 are provided in opposite directions (opposing directions) in the lateral direction. Therefore, the sound pressure emitted from the left speaker in the left direction and the sound pressure emitted from the right speaker in the right direction reach both ears E without causing significant mutual interference. However, in the second sound operation, the diaphragm 12b of the left speaker 10 or 10-2 in the second posture may be directed to the right, and the diaphragm 12b of the right speaker 10 or 10-2 may be directed to the left, so that the diaphragms 12b face each other between the left and right speakers. In this structure, not only the vibrations applied to the chair 2 from the left and right speakers are canceled out, but also the sound pressures from the left and right speakers are easily canceled out, so that the sound reaching the ears of the seated person 5 can also be reduced.

[0035] In the present invention, the speaker 10 or 10-1 in the first posture is provided below the seat surface portion 3 of the chair 2, and the sound emission center line O of the speaker in the first posture is directed in the vertical direction. In the first sound operation, vibrations from two speakers or one speaker may be transmitted to the seated person 5 through the seat surface portion 3. In this case, the two speakers 10 or 10-2 in the second posture may be provided to face each other in the lateral direction behind the back surface portion 4 of the chair 2 as in each of the above-described embodiments, or may be provided to face each other in the lateral direction below the seat surface portion 3.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 1 Sound device 2 Chair 3 Seat surface portion 4 Back surface portion 5 Seated person 10, 10-1, 10-2 Speaker 11 Enclosure 12 Transducer 12b Diaphragm 20 Mounting device 21 Mounting rail 22 First mounting part 23 Second mounting part 25 Fixture 30 Mounting device 31 Fixed rod 32 First mounting hole 33 Second mounting hole O Sound emission center line

Claims

1. In an audio device having a chair and a speaker attached to the chair, a first acoustic operation in which sound pressure or vibration is applied to a seated person sitting on the chair by sound emitted from the speaker; a second acoustic operation in which two speakers face each other with a space therebetween, and each diaphragm of the two speakers vibrates in a direction facing each other of the two speakers; An audio device characterized in that it can be selectively set.

2. An attachment device for attaching two speakers to the chair is provided, The audio device according to claim 1, wherein the two speakers can be selectively attached to the attachment device in a first posture for performing the first acoustic operation and a second posture for performing the second acoustic operation.

3. The attachment device has an attachment rail, and a first attachment portion and a second attachment portion orthogonal to each other are continuously formed on the attachment rail, The audio device according to claim 2, wherein the speaker in the first posture is fixed to the first attachment portion, and the speaker in the second posture is fixed to the second attachment portion.

4. When the direction in which the line of sight of the seated person faces is the front, the opposite direction is the rear, and the direction orthogonal to the front-rear direction is the lateral direction, In the first acoustic operation, the speaker located behind the seated person is set to a first posture in which its sound emission center line is directed in the front-rear direction, The audio device according to claim 1, wherein in the second acoustic operation, the two speakers are set to a second posture in which their sound emission center lines face each other in the lateral direction and the diaphragms of the two speakers vibrate in the lateral direction.

5. The audio device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein each speaker can be set to an angular posture intermediate between the first posture and the second posture.

6. The acoustic device according to claim 1, wherein both the speaker that performs the first acoustic operation and the two speakers that perform the second acoustic operation are attached to the chair. **Claim 7** The acoustic device according to claim 6, wherein two speakers that perform the first acoustic operation are provided. **Claim 8** The acoustic device according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the speaker is disposed below the seat surface of the chair, and in the first acoustic operation, an upward vibration is applied from the speaker to the seat surface.

Images