A speaker assembly

Abstract

In an aspect, there is provided a speaker assembly for supporting a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV, the speaker assembly comprising: a speaker cabinet being elongated along a width dimension of the speaker cabinet and having a front side and a back side separated along a depth dimension of the speaker cabinet, a set of speaker drivers arranged within the speaker cabinet and distributed along the width dimension, a mounting bracket configured to support a flat-panel screen, the mounting bracket comprising a base portion configured to be attached to a top side of the speaker cabinet, and a standing portion configured to be attached to a back side of the flat-panel screen, and an attachment mechanism configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any one of a plurality of positions within an adjustment range along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet such that a distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable.

Description

[0001] A SPEAKER ASSEMBLY

[0002] TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present invention generally relates to a speaker assembly and a display-and-audio system comprising a speaker assembly and a flat-panel screen.

[0004] BACKGROUND

[0005] The advances in display technology in recent years has enabled flat-panel TVs (e.g. based on OLED, mini LED and micro LED) offering image quality of ever higher fidelity. Meanwhile, flat-panel TVs may be produced with large display surfaces (55”, 65”, 75” and greater), yet with slimmed depth and bezel dimensions. However, the sound quality offered by the internal speakers of modern flat-panel TVs has not improved at a same pace as the image quality.

[0006] While state of the art HiFi systems enabling high audio quality reproduction on par with the image quality offered by modern flat-panel TVs exist, many users may find the additional visual clutter and complexity introduced by connecting the TV to a separate HiFi system undesirable. A soundbar is often perceived as a less obtrusive option than a HiFi system. Although soundbars may provide a noticeable improvement over the sound quality of internal TV speakers, their audio reproduction quality is in general still limited by their constrained dimensions, and thus inferior to a dedicated discrete HiFi system. Additionally, with existing soundbar mounting systems it may still often be cumbersome for a typical user to align the soundbar with the TV so as to achieve a proper alignment in terms of audio and visual appearance.

[0007] SUMMARY

[0008] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new mounting solution for a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV, which enables a flat-panel screen to be combined with a multi-driver speaker system in a user-friendly and flexible manner to obtain an audio-visual setup with an integrated and uniform appearance.

[0009] These and other objects may according to a first aspect of the present invention be achieved by a speaker assembly for supporting a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV, the speaker assembly comprising: a speaker cabinet being elongated along a width dimension of the speaker cabinet and having a front side and a back side separated along a depth dimension of the speaker cabinet, a set of speaker drivers arranged within the speaker cabinet and distributed along the width dimension, a mounting bracket configured to support a flat-panel screen, the mounting bracket comprising a base portion configured to be attached to a top side of the speaker cabinet, and a standing portion configured to be attached to a back side of the flat-panel screen, and an attachment mechanism configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any one of a plurality of positions within an adjustment range along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet such that a distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable.

[0010] In the following, merits and details of the present invention will be discussed mainly in relation to a flat-panel screen in the form of a flat-panel TV (interchangeably “TV”). It is however to be noted that the discussion is generally applicable also to other types of flat-panel screens, such as flat-panel computer monitors.

[0011] Thus, the present invention is based on the idea of providing a speaker assembly configured to be used as a stand for a flat-panel TV (more generally a flat-panel screen). The novel design opens up for using the speaker assembly as a stand in both a (freestanding) floor standing configuration and a wall mounted configuration. In either case, the combined display-and-audio system defined by the speaker assembly and the flat panel screen only requires a single external supporting structure (i.e. the floor or the wall), since the flat-panel screen may be reliably supported on top of / being suspended above the speaker cabinet solely by the mounting bracket, which is attached to the speaker cabinet by the attachment mechanism. Thus, the need for separate stands or other mounting systems for the speaker cabinet and the flat-panel screen is obviated. This contributes both to user-friendliness and a simple and uncluttered setup.

[0012] The dimensions of commercially available soundbars are typically constrained along both depth and height. For instance, the depth dimension of a soundbar may be constrained to allow positioning the soundbar on a small surface of a media furniture in front of the TV. The depth dimension may also be constrained to avoid that a soundbar, when wall mounted, protrudes conspicuously in front of the flat-panel screen. Furthermore, the height dimension of a soundbar may be constrained to allow positioning the soundbar in front of the TV without obstructing the screen.

[0013] In contrast, mounting the TV on the top side of the speaker cabinet, according to the present invention, creates an increased design flexibility for the speaker cabinet in that both the depth and height dimensions may be increased beyond what is practical for currently available soundbars. For instance, the height dimension may be increased without considering the risk of obstructing viewing of the TV.

[0014] Additionally, the design of the speaker assembly in a sense enables the choice of depth dimension for the speaker cabinet to be “decoupled” from the depth of panel. That is, the inventor has recognized that TVs of different make and models may vary in depth dimension and therefore provided the speaker assembly with an attachment mechanism configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any one of a plurality of positions within an adjustment range along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet such that a distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable. Thereby, the position of the mounting bracket is adaptable so as to allow an alignment between a front side of a TV attached to the standing portion and the front side of the speaker cabinet to be controlled. A single design of the speaker assembly may hence be compatible with TVs with various depth dimensions.

[0015] In some embodiments, the distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable so as to allow a front side of a flat-panel screen (when attached to the standing portion) to be aligned with the front side of the speaker cabinet, or with a speaker cover configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet. This facilitates obtaining a setup with an integrated and uniform appearance as the aligned front sides of the speaker cabinet (e.g. defined by a speaker cover or grill) and the flat-panel screen (e.g. the TV) may appear as a substantially continuous uniform surface. This may further contribute to a more immersive audio-visual experience for a user. In case of aligning with respect to the speaker cover, the front side of the flat-panel screen may in particular be aligned with a front side of the speaker cover. That is, the front side of the flat-panel screen may be substantially flush with the front side of the speaker cover.

[0016] In some embodiments, the adjustment range is such that the distance from the standing portion to the front side is adjustable between a minimum distance and a maximum distance, wherein the minimum distance is between 0 mm and 30 mm and the maximum distance is between 50 mm and 120 mm. This allows alignment between a front side of a flatpanel screen and the front side of the speaker cabinet to be achieved for many commercially available TVs.

[0017] In some embodiments, the adjustment range includes a continuous adjustment range and wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any position within the continuous adjustment range. A continuous adjustment range facilitates achieving a precise alignment between the front sides of the TV and the speaker cabinet.

[0018] In some embodiments, the mounting bracket further comprises a pair of opposite sidewalls extending along opposite sides of the standing portion and connecting to the base portion. The sidewalls may thereby increase a resistance to bending of the standing portion relative the base portion.

[0019] In some embodiments, the mounting bracket further comprises a top wall extending along an upper side of the standing portion and connecting the pair of opposite sidewalls. This may further increase the bending resistance of the standing portion. The base portion, the sidewalls and the top wall may in other words extend along a periphery of the standing portion, and thus act as a supporting frame for the standing portion. In some embodiments, the base portion, the standing portion, the sidewalls and the top wall define a cavity for receiving and accommodating cables for the flat-panel screen. The mounting bracket may thus provide a double-function of supporting the TV on top of the speaker cabinet and facilitating cable management.

[0020] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet by clamping. Configuring the attachment mechanism as a clamping mechanism enables a releasable, reliable, user friendly and mechanically simple attachment of the mounting bracket, and thus of the TV, to the speaker cabinet.

[0021] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism has a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration the attachment mechanism is configured to allow a position of the base portion to be adjusted within the adjustment range in a sliding movement along the top side of the speaker cabinet, and wherein in the second configuration, the attachment mechanism is configured to fix the position of the base portion relative the top side of the speaker cabinet.

[0022] This further contributes to a user-friendly and flexible installation, by allowing the mounting bracket (e.g. with the TV attached to the standing portion) to be attached to the speaker cabinet at a fixed position within the adjustment range by bringing the attachment mechanism to the second configuration. As needed, the attachment mechanism may thereafter be brought to the first configuration to allow the position of the mounting bracket to be adjusted within the adjustment range, e.g. for improved alignment between the front sides of the TV and the speaker cabinet.

[0023] The first configuration may in particular correspond to a “partially clamped” configuration, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to impart a clamping force on the base portion of the mounting bracket so as to allow a user-actuated slidable movement of the mounting bracket along the top side of the speaker cabinet. The second configuration may correspondingly correspond to a “fixedly clamped” configuration, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to impart a clamping force on the base portion of the mounting bracket so as to counteract or prevent a user-actuated slidable movement of the mounting bracket along the top side of the speaker cabinet.

[0024] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism further comprises at least one guide member configured to guide a linear sliding movement of the base portion along the top side of the speaker cabinet, throughout the adjustment range. This may further contribute to the user-friendliness of the position adjustment, as the guide member may restrict the movement of the base portion to a linear movement along the depth dimension.

[0025] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism comprises at least one threaded fastener configured to, when tightened, cause the base portion to be clamped against a support surface fixedly arranged relative the speaker cabinet. The threaded fastener(s) enables a mechanically simple, yet reliable, attachment of the mounting bracket to the speaker cabinet. The clamping force imparted by the attachment mechanism to the base portion may be controlled by applying the proper torque to the threaded fastener(s). Conversely, the base portion may be released by loosening the threaded fastener(s). Accordingly, the attachment mechanism may be brought between the aforementioned first / “partially clamped” configuration and the second / “fixedly clamped” configurations may be the threaded fastener(s) by loosening or tightening the threaded fastener(s).

[0026] In some embodiments, each threaded fastener is configured to cooperate with a corresponding threaded mating surface disposed in the base portion or fixedly arranged relative the speaker cabinet so as to, when the fastener is tightened, cause the base portion to be clamped against a support surface fixedly arranged relative the speaker cabinet.

[0027] In some embodiments, the support surface is configured to abut a bottom side of the base portion, and wherein each fastener is configured to, when tightened, cause the bottom side of the base portion to be clamped against the support surface. This further contributes to a mechanically simple and reliable attachment of the mounting bracket in that the base portion may be attached by being pressed downwardly towards support surface. The support surface may in particular be defined by a surface portion of the top side of the speaker cabinet.

[0028] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet by a set of bolted joints, and wherein a respective threaded fastener of each bolted joints is configured to extend through a respective one of a set of slots provided in the base portion, wherein the set of slots extend in parallel along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet when the base portion is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet. This further contributes to a user-friendly, mechanically simple and reliable attachment of the mounting bracket in that the base portion may be firmly attached to the speaker cabinet by tightening the set of bolted joints.

[0029] In line with the above discussion, providing the attachment mechanism by a set of bolted joints allows a clamping force imparted by the attachment mechanism to the base portion to be controlled by tensioning the bolted joint(s). Conversely, the base portion may be released by loosening the bolted joint(s). Accordingly, the attachment mechanism may be brought between the aforementioned first / “partially clamped” configuration and the second / “fixedly clamped” configuration by loosening or tightening the bolted joint(s). Meanwhile, the provision of elongated parallel slots in the base portion allows the position of the mounting bracket to be adjusted by a sliding movement. The threaded fastener(s) of the bolted joint(s) may during the adjustment act as a respective guide member guiding a linear sliding movement of the base portion.

[0030] In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism comprises a first and a second row of threaded apertures, provided along the width dimension of the speaker cabinet, wherein each threaded aperture is configured to receive a threaded fastener of the attachment mechanism to form a respective bolted joint and wherein the rows are spaced apart along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet. This enables an extended adjustment range without a corresponding elongation of the base portion along the depth dimension. To illustrate, for a TV with a smaller depth dimension the mounting bracket may be attached using the row of threaded apertures closer to the front side of the speaker cabinet. For a TV with a greater depth dimension the mounting bracket may be attached using the row of threaded apertures farther from the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0031] In some embodiments, the standing portion is provided with a pair of elongated and vertically oriented mounting slots (i.e. vertically oriented when the base portion is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet) for receiving fasteners for attaching the flatpanel screen to the standing portion. The provision of vertically oriented mounting slots in the standing portion allows attaching a TV at an adjustable height above the speaker cabinet. A single design of the mounting bracket may hence be compatible with TVs with various height dimensions.

[0032] In some embodiments, the speaker assembly further comprises a screen attachment mechanism comprising a set of fastening members, wherein each fastening member is configured to be slidingly received in a respective one of the mounting slots of the standing portion, and fixedly arranged at any one of a plurality of positions along the mounting slot, wherein each fastening member is provided with an upper notch (i.e. groove) for receiving and retaining a mounting pin secured to the back side of the flat-panel screen. This enables a user-friendly and vertically-adjustable attachment of the screen along the standing portion of the mounting bracket. The fastening members may be adjusted to and fixed at a desired height wherein the flat-panel screen may be “hanged” on the standing portion by inserting the mounting pins into the upper notches. The fastening members may advantageously be configured to be fixedly arranged along the respective slots by a respective bolted joint.

[0033] In some embodiments, the speaker assembly further comprises a back plate comprising a foot portion disposed along a bottom edge of the back plate, wherein the back plate is configured to be attachable to a back side of the speaker cabinet in a first orientation and a second orientation, wherein, when attached in the first orientation, the back plate is configured to be used as a floor support for the speaker assembly wherein the foot portion is configured to protrude in a rearward direction to rest against a floor, and wherein, when attached in the second orientation, the back plate is configured to be used as a wall mount for the speaker assembly wherein the foot portion is configured to protrude in a forward direction to support a bottom side of the speaker cabinet. The back plate may accordingly provide a double function of acting as a floor support when using the speaker assembly in a freestanding / floor standing configuration and acting as a wall mount when using the speaker assembly in a wall-mounted configuration.

[0034] In some embodiments, a set of mounting notches (i.e. grooves) are disposed along a top edge of the back plate for receiving and retaining a set of fastening elements attached to back side of the speaker cabinet. This may facilitate wall mounting of the speaker assembly since the back plate may first be secured to the wall and the speaker cabinet may then be attached to the back plate by hanging the speaker cabinet on the foot portion and the mounting notches.

[0035] In some embodiments, the speaker cabinet comprises a set of interior brace members arranged within and (rigidly) attached to the speaker cabinet, wherein the brace members are distributed along the width dimension of the speaker cabinet or a height dimension of the speaker cabinet, and wherein each brace member is configured as a lattice. The bracing members may thus form a bracing system for stiffening the speaker cabinet. As the brace members are configured as lattices, the bracing members may further act as a diffuser, counteracting standing wave formation within the speaker cabinet. As the speaker cabinet is elongated along the width dimension, distributing the brace members along the width dimension may be the more beneficial option, in terms of stiffening and diffusing properties.

[0036] In some embodiments, the speaker assembly further comprises a speaker cover configured to be releasably attachable to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0037] In some embodiments, the speaker cover is configured to be magnetically attached to the speaker cabinet. This facilitates a releasable and user-friendly attachment of the speaker cover.

[0038] In some embodiments, a width dimension of the speaker cover is coextensive with, or greater than, the width dimension of the speaker cabinet. The speaker cover may hence cover the entire front side of the speaker cabinet, thereby contributing to the uniform and integral appearance of the speaker assembly. Using a speaker cover with a width dimension greater than the width dimension of the speaker cabinet provides an easy as well as cost- and material-efficient manner of adapting the speaker assembly to different TV widths. That is, a single speaker cabinet size may be used with differently sized TVs by attaching a speaker cover with a width dimension matching the width dimension of the TV.

[0039] In some embodiments, the speaker cover comprises an infrared-transparent upper edge portion configured to protrude above the top side of speaker cabinet when the speaker cover is attached to the speaker cover. The IR receiver of flat-panel TVs is typically disposed below the bottom edge of the TV panel, e.g. on a downwardly protruding tab. Achieving a gap-less vertical alignment between the top side of the speaker cabinet and the bottom edge of the TV panel may hence not be possible. The upper edge portion of the speaker cover may in this case cover the gap while still allowing the IR receiver to be used.

[0040] In some embodiments, the upper edge portion is configured to protrude above the top side of the speaker cabinet by 5 to 20 mm.

[0041] In some embodiments, the set of speaker drivers comprises at least a first speaker driver arranged to protrude relative the front side of the speaker cabinet, wherein the speaker cover comprises a frame portion and a fabric or mesh covering a front side of the frame portion, wherein the frame portion comprises a first aperture configured to receive the protruding portion of the first speaker driver and cooperate therewith to restrict translation of the speaker cover along the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0042] The speaker cover may thus be releasably attached in a more reliable manner to the front side of the speaker cover. The term “restrict translation” is here to be understood as preventing a translational movement of the speaker cover along the front side of the speaker cabinet when an edge of the aperture cooperates with a corresponding edge of the protruding portion of the first speaker driver. Hence, in case of a small play (e.g. due to tolerances during manufacture) between the edge of the aperture and the corresponding edge of the protruding portion of the first speaker driver, a small translation may be possible within the extent of the play, but restricted (i.e. prevented) upon engagement.

[0043] The set of speaker drivers may further comprise at least a second speaker driver arranged to protrude relative the front side of the speaker cabinet, wherein the frame portion comprises a second aperture configured to receive the protruding portion of the second speaker driver and cooperate therewith to restrict translation of the speaker cover along the front side of the speaker cabinet. Hence, both translation and rotation of speaker cover along the front side of the speaker cabinet may be restricted.

[0044] In some embodiments, the protruding portion of the speaker driver is configured to define a horn-shaped waveguide having a rear mouth configured to surround a perimeter of a membrane of the first speaker driver, and a front mouth configured to be arranged substantially flush with a front surface of the frame portion of the speaker cover. Diffraction which otherwise may occur at the edge of the aperture in the frame portion, may thus be mitigated.

[0045] The rear and front mouth of the waveguide may be connected by a throat portion of the waveguide, wherein a thickness of the waveguide increases from the rear mouth to the front mouth such that a thickness of the waveguide at the front mouth substantially matches a thickness of the frame portion of the speaker cover. The throat may thus define a smooth surface connecting the rear and front mouths. The thickness may in particular be monotonically increasing.

[0046] In some embodiments, the waveguide is integrally formed with the speaker driver or separately formed and attached to the speaker driver. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit of parts comprising: a speaker assembly according to the first aspect, or any of the embodiments thereof disclosed herein, and at least one speaker cover configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0047] The advantages of the kit of parts may be understood in light of the above.

[0048] In some embodiments, the kit of parts comprises at least a first speaker cover and a second speaker cover, wherein either of the first speaker cover and the second speaker cover is configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet, and wherein a width dimension of the second speaker cover is greater than a width dimension of the first speaker cover.

[0049] The kit of parts may hence be distributed with two or more different width speaker covers, allowing the speaker assembly to be adapted to the specific dimension of the flat panel screen by attaching the matching speaker cover.

[0050] In some embodiments, the kit of parts further comprises a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV.

[0051] The speaker assembly may thus be distributed together with a flat-panel screen, such as a TV, advantageously together with a speaker cover with a width dimension matching the width dimension of the flat-panel screen.

[0052] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display- and-audio system comprising: a speaker assembly according to the first aspect or any embodiments thereof; and a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV; wherein a back side of the flat-panel screen is attached to the standing portion of the mounting bracket and the base portion of the mounting bracket is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet of the speaker assembly by the attachment mechanism.

[0053] The above discussion of advantages, embodiments and details of the first and second aspects apply correspondingly to the third aspect. Accordingly, any embodiment of the first and second aspect may be combined with the system of the third aspect.

[0054] For instance, in some embodiments, the base portion is attached to the top side at a position within the adjustment range such that a front side of the flat-panel screen is aligned with the front side of the speaker cabinet, or with a speaker cover attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0055] In some embodiments, the base portion is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet at a position within the adjustment range such that a front side of the flat-panel screen is aligned with the front side of the speaker cabinet, or with a speaker cover attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0056] In some embodiments, the display-and-audio system further comprises a speaker cover releasably attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

[0057] In some embodiments, the speaker cover comprises an IR-transparent upper edge portion protruding above the top side of speaker cabinet to cover an IR receiver disposed along a bottom edge of the flat panel screen.

[0058] In some embodiments, a width dimension of the speaker cover matches a width dimension of the flat-panel screen.

[0059] It is considered that a speaker cabinet comprising a bracing system of vertically or horizontally oriented brace members as set out above may represent an independent aspect of the present invention, which may be used independently from any mounting bracket and / or attachment mechanism. That is, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a speaker assembly comprising: a speaker cabinet being elongated along a width dimension of the speaker cabinet and having a front side and a back side separated along a depth dimension of the speaker cabinet, a set of speaker drivers arranged within the speaker cabinet and distributed along the width dimension, and a set of interior brace members arranged within and attached to the speaker cabinet, wherein each brace member is configured as a lattice.

[0060] In some embodiments, the brace members are distributed along the width dimension of the speaker cabinet. The brace members may in this case be vertically oriented. The speaker assembly may for instance comprise at least one brace member, such as two, four or six brace members. In either case, a same number of brace members may be arranged in the left and right halves of the speaker cabinet.

[0061] In some embodiments, the brace members are distributed along the horizontal dimension of the speaker cabinet. The brace members may in this case be horizontally oriented. The speaker assembly may for instance comprise at least one brace members, such two brace members.

[0062] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0063] This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiments of the present invention.

[0064] Fig. 1 schematically shows a front view of a display-and-audio system in a floor standing configuration.

[0065] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the system in Fig. 1.

[0066] Fig. 3 is a back side view of a speaker assembly of the system in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the speaker assembly.

[0067] Fig. 5-6 show attachment of a TV to the speaker assembly.

[0068] Fig. 7 is a back side view of the assembled display-and-audio system.

[0069] Fig. 8 shows a back plate attached to a wall for use as a wall mount. Fig. 9 shows the speaker assembly in a wall mounted configuration. Fig. 10 shows the display-and-audio system in a wall mounted configuration. Fig. 11 shows an implementation of a bracing structure for a speaker cabinet. Fig. 12 shows a variation of a mounting bracket and an attachment mechanism of a speaker assembly.

[0070] Fig. 13-14 show an implementation of a speaker cover and a speaker driver.

[0071] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0072] Fig. l is a front view of a display-and-audio system 1 comprising a flat-panel TV 2 supported by a floor standing speaker assembly 4 comprising a speaker cabinet 6. Fig. 2 depicts the system 1 in a perspective side view. Fig. 3 shows in isolation the speaker assembly 4 and the speaker cabinet 6 from a back side. The speaker assembly 4 comprises a mounting bracket 8 (hidden from view in Fig. 1-2 but visible in Fig. 3) configured to support the TV 2 on top of the speaker cabinet 6. The speaker assembly 4 is hence configured to support the TV 2.

[0073] In Fig. 1-3, Ws, Ds and Hs denotes, respectively, a width dimension, a depth dimension and a height dimension of the speaker cabinet 6. The width and depth dimensions Ws, Ds define the dimensions of the speaker cabinet 6 in a horizontal plane while the height dimension Hs define the dimension of the speaker cabinet 6 in a vertical plane. Correspondingly, Wp, Hp and Dp denote, respectively, a width dimension, a depth dimension and a height dimension of the TV 2. Meanwhile, Wc and He denote, respectively, a width dimension and a height dimension of a speaker cover 60 of the speaker assembly 4.

[0074] The speaker cabinet 6 is elongated along the width dimension Ws. The speaker cabinet 6 has a front side 6a, a back side 6b, a top side 6c and a bottom side 6d. The front and back sides 6a-b are separated along the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6. The top and bottom sides 6c-d are separated along the height dimension Hs of the speaker cabinet 6. The walls of the speaker cabinet 6 may for example be formed by MDF, or any another conventional material typically used for speaker cabinets. The speaker cabinet 6 further comprises a pair of opposite lateral sides 6e separated along the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6. The lateral sides 6e connect the front side and the back side 6a-b. The lateral sides 6e may as shown be angled with respect to the front side and back side 6a-b such that the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6 at the front side 6a is greater than a width dimension of the speaker cabinet 6 at the back side 6b. This may reduce the resonance of the speaker cabinet 6, in addition to contributing to a slim appearance of the speaker cabinet 6. The speaker assembly 4 further comprises a set of speaker drivers 7 arranged within the speaker cabinet 6 and being distributed along the width dimension Ws. In the illustrated example, the cabinet 6 houses a pair of woofers, a pair of midrange drivers and a pair of tweeter drivers. This is however one non-limiting example of a possible driver configuration, and the speaker cabinet 6 is compatible also with other configurations. For instance, the speaker assembly may comprise a pair of passive radiators, a pair of midwoofers and a pair of tweeter drivers.

[0075] While not shown in the figures, the speaker cabinet 6 may further house electronic modules such as a power amplifier, digital signal processing modules (e.g. for room correction, cross-talk cancellation, spatial audio processing etc.) as well as various media input interfaces (e.g. streaming modules, HDMI eARC, etc.) Reference sign 6f indicates an optional opening for allowing routing of cables between the TV 2 and any electronic modules housed in the speaker cabinet 6.

[0076] TVs come in various panel sizes, such as 42-inch, 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77- inch and 83-inch, to name a few common sizes. Panels of different sizes typically have different width dimensions Wp. There may further be differences in width dimension Wp between TVs of different makes and models having the same panel size, although to a lesser extent than between different panel sizes.

[0077] While one option may be to provide the speaker cabinet 6 with different width dimensions Ws, each matching the width dimension Wp of a TV of a given panel size, this may be inflexible and turn out too costly from a manufacturing and stocking perspective. Therefore, the speaker assembly 4 may as shown in Fig. 1-3 comprise a speaker cover 60 releasably attached to the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6 and having a width dimension Wc substantially matching the width dimension Wp of the TV 2. Thus, from a front side view (which is the normal viewing position for the system 1), the width dimension of the speaker assembly 4 will be defined by the width dimension Wc of the speaker cover 60 and hence be perceived by a viewer as matching Wp of the TV 2. The width dimension of the speaker assembly 4 may thus be matched with the width dimension Wp of the TV 2 by attaching a speaker cover 60 with a matching width dimension Wc. The speaker assembly 4 may for instance be provided in a kit of parts, further comprising one or more speaker covers of different width dimensions Wc intended to match the width dimension Wp of one or more different TVs. As an illustrative example, speaker covers may be provided in width dimensions Wc matching the width dimension Wp of 55”, 65”, 75” and 77” TVs. Should a user at some point buy a larger TV, they may simply obtain and attach a new speaker cover with the matching width dimension.

[0078] The speaker cover 60 may be magnetically attached to the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6. For instance, a plurality of magnets (e.g. neodymium magnets) may be distributed along a periphery of a frame portion of the speaker cabinet 6 and in a corresponding pattern on the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet. However, other attachment solutions are also possible such as clips or Velcro.

[0079] The speaker cover 60 may in addition to a frame portion further comprise a mesh or fabric (e.g. textile) cover portion, supported by the frame portion.

[0080] In the illustrated example, the width dimension Wp of the TV 2 is only slightly greater than the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6. Hence, the width dimension Wc of the speaker cover 2 is only slightly greater than the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6. However, as may be appreciated, in case of greater width discrepancies between the TV 2 and the speaker cabinet 6, the width dimension Wc of the speaker cover 60 may exceed the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6 by a greater amount.

[0081] While a speaker cover 60 may contribute to a uniform and integral appearance of the display-and-audio system 1, as well as facilitate obtaining matching widths of the speaker assembly 4 and the TV 2, it is contemplated that a speaker cover 60 in some setups may be optional. For example, an end-user of the system 1 may prefer the appearance (visual or sonic) of the speaker assembly 4 without presence of a speaker cover 60. It is however envisaged that in such a use-case, it may be preferable that the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6 does not differ exceedingly from the width dimension Wp of the TV 2 (e.g. Ws may substantially match Wp).

[0082] In addition to varying width dimensions Wp, TVs of different panel sizes, as well as different makes and models of TVs of a given panel size, tend to present a variability in terms of depth dimension Dp. Therefore, to facilitate achieving a desired depth alignment between the front side of the speaker assembly 4 and the front side of the TV 2, the speaker assembly 4 comprises an attachment mechanism 12 allowing the position of the mounting bracket 8 to be adaptable so as to allow a desired alignment between the front side of the TV 2 and the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6 to be achieved.

[0083] Implementations of the mounting bracket 8 and the attachment mechanism will now be described in further detail with reference to Fig. 3-4. Fig. 3 shows the speaker assembly in a partially disassembled condition, before the mounting bracket 8 has been attached to the speaker cabinet 6. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view after the mounting bracket 8 has been attached to the speaker cabinet 6. In the following, the adjustable depth position of the mounting bracket 8 and the TV 2 will be discussed mainly with the assumption that the speaker assembly 4 comprises the speaker cover 60 and thus that the TV 2 is to be aligned with the speaker cover 60 (e.g. the front side of the speaker cover 60). However, it is to be understood that the following discussion applies correspondingly to a configuration without a speaker cover 60, wherein the front side of the TV 2 instead may be aligned with the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6. The mounting bracket 8 comprises a base portion 8a and a standing portion 8b. The base portion 8a is configured to be attached to a top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6. The standing portion 8b is configured to be attached to a back side of the flat-panel screen 2.

[0084] In the illustrated implementation, the top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6 forms a support surface for the base portion 8a, abutting a bottom side of the base portion 8a. The attachment mechanism 12 is configured to attach the base portion 8a to the top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6 by a set of bolted joints. In the illustrated example each bolted joint is realized by a threaded fastener 14, configured as a bolt or screw, which is threaded into a corresponding threaded aperture 16 provided at the top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6. The threaded apertures 16 are provided in a row (dashed line Rl) along the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6. The base portion 8a is provided with a set of parallel and elongated slots 10 intended to be aligned with the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6 when the base portion 8a is attached to the top side 6c. The threaded fasteners 14 are arranged to extend through a respective one of the slots 10. The attachment mechanism 12 is hence configured to attach the base portion 8a to the top side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6 by clamping. That is, by tensioning the fasteners 14, the bottom side of the base portion 8a becomes clamped against the support surface defined by the top side 6c.

[0085] Owing to the provision of the elongated parallel slots 10 in the base portion 8a, the position of the mounting bracket 8 may be fixed at any one of a plurality of positions within a continuous adjustment range A along the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6. A distance from the standing portion 8b to the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6, and accordingly also with respect to the speaker cover 60, is thus adjustable.

[0086] In the illustrated implementation, the attachment of the mounting bracket 8 is provided by four bolted joints (e.g. four threaded fasteners 14, four threaded apertures 16, and four slots 10). This is however merely one example and a smaller or greater number of bolted joints is also possible, however preferably at least two to ensure a reliable clamping. In general, the suitable number of bolted joints will depend on the size and weight of the TV 2.

[0087] In the illustrated implementation the support surface is formed by a surface portion of the top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6. However, it is also possible to provide the support surface by a separate plate (e.g. of metal), e.g. attached to the top side 6c, or folded into the top side 6c to become flush with the top side 6c. Regardless of using the top side 6c as the support surface or providing a separate plate, the support surface may advantageously be elongated along the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6 so as to allow the base portion 8a to be clamped against the support surface at any of the positions within the adjustment range A.

[0088] Providing the attachment mechanism 12 by a set of bolted joints allows a clamping force imparted by the attachment mechanism 12 to the base portion 8a to be controlled by tensioning the threaded fasteners 14 of the bolted joints. Conversely, the base portion 8a may be released by loosening the threaded fasteners 14 of the bolted joints. Accordingly, the attachment mechanism 12 may be brought between a first / “partially clamped” configuration and a second / “fixedly clamped” configuration by loosening or tightening the bolted joint(s). Meanwhile, the elongated slots 10 in the base portion 8a allows the position of the mounting bracket 8 to be adjusted by a sliding movement throughout the adjustment range A. By only partially releasing the fasteners 14, the fasteners 14 may during the adjustment act as respective guide members, guiding a linear sliding movement of the base portion 8a throughout the adjustment range A. The partially clamped configuration of the attachment mechanism 12 may hence considerably facilitate achieving a precise alignment between the respective front sides of the TV 2 and the speaker cover 60 (and / or the speaker cabinet 6).

[0089] As an example, during installation, prior to attaching the TV 2, the mounting bracket 8 may be fixedly clamped at an approximate position along the depth dimension Ds. The TV 2 may then be attached to the standing portion 8b (discussed below). Thereafter a fine adjustment of the position of the mounting bracket 8b along the depth dimension Ds may be performed by bringing the attachment mechanism 12 to the partially clamped configuration. When the desired alignment has been achieved, the attachment mechanism 12 may (again) be brought to the fixedly clamped configuration. This process may be repeated any number of times.

[0090] To avoid having the base portion 8a of the mounting bracket 8 protruding outside the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6, the depth or length of the base portion 8a may typically be smaller than the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet 6. For the same reason, the distance between the row R1 of threaded apertures 16 and either of the front side 6a and the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 may typically be less than the length of the adjustment range A.

[0091] To allow for an extended adjustment range, the attachment mechanism 12 may comprise a second row of threaded apertures, provided along the width dimension Ws of the speaker cabinet 6 and parallel to the first row of apertures 16. In Fig. 3, the actual apertures of such a second row are hidden by the mounting bracket 8, but the row is schematically indicated by the dashed line R2. The above discussion of the first row R1 of apertures 16 applies correspondingly to the second row R2 of apertures. The adjustment range A may in this case include two continuous sub-ranges. Provided the distance between the rows R1 and R2 is less than the length of the slots 10, the sub-ranges may partially overlap and thus together define an extended continuous adjustment range A.

[0092] Assuming the current design paradigm for TVs does not fundamentally change, it is envisaged that an adjustment range A, such that the distance from the standing portion 8b to the front side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6 (or the speaker cover 60 if attached) is adjustable between a minimum distance and a maximum distance, wherein the minimum distance is between 0 mm and 30 mm and the maximum distance is between 50 mm and 120 mm, will allow the speaker assembly 4 to be adaptable to the depth dimensions of most current TVs, and to TVs launched in a foreseeable future.

[0093] As discussed above, TVs of a given panel size tend to come in various depth dimension Dp. This applies correspondingly to the height dimension Hp of TVs. Furthermore, since different TVs of a given panel size may employ different attachment interfaces (e.g. different VESA standards) and also be provided with hole patterns at different positions along the height dimension Hp, the speaker assembly 4 may advantageously be configured to allow attaching the TV 2 at an adjustable height above the speaker cabinet 6. Therefore, implementations of the mounting bracket 8, and a screen attachment mechanism, for attaching the TV 2 to the standing portion 8b of the mounting bracket 8 will now be discussed with reference to Fig. 5-6.

[0094] Fig. 5 shows the speaker assembly 4 in an assembled state, before attaching the TV 2 to the mounting bracket 8. The standing portion 8b is provided with a set of elongated and vertically oriented mounting slots 9. In the illustrated example the set of slots 9 comprises three pairs of such slots, an inner pair, a middle pair and an outer pair, to accommodate for different widths of the hole patterns (such as 200, 300 and 400 mm VESA widths). However, if there is less variability in hole patterns, two pairs or even a single pair of slots 9 may suffice.

[0095] Furthermore, in the illustrated example, the standing portion 8b is partitioned into two parallel sections 8b’ and 8b”, separated by a gap, wherein a first slot of each pair of slots 9 is provided in the section 8b’ and a second slot of each pair of slots 9 is provided in the section 8b”. Sectioning the standing portion 8b may facilitate routing cables to the back side of the TV 2 and further reduce material use. However, alternative designs of the standing portion 8b are also possible, such as with a less wide and / or tall gap than illustrated, or even omitting the gap altogether, for instance introducing a smaller aperture for routing cables in a central portion of the standing portion 8b.

[0096] The screen attachment mechanism comprises a set of fastening members 18, each fastening member 18 being configured to be slidingly received in a respective slot 9 of the standing portion 8b. The screen attachment mechanism is configured to fixedly arrange each fastening member 18 at any one of a plurality of positions along the mounting slot 9 using a respective bolted joint 19 configured to clamp against opposite sides of the standing portion 8b. The fastening members 18 may be provided with a through-hole for receiving a respective threaded bolt of the bolted joints 19 and thus be fixedly attached and retained within their respective mounting slots 9. Each fastening member 18 is further provided with an upper notch, along its top edge, for receiving and retaining (by gripping) a mounting pin 20 secured to the back side of the TV 2. The mounting pins 20 may be provided with a head or flange configured to be supported against a back side of a respective fastening members 18, and thus be axially retained in the notch of the fastening member 18. The fastening members 18 may thus be adjusted to and fixed at a desired height wherein the TV 2 may be “hanged” on the standing portion 8b of the mounting bracket 8 by inserting the mounting pins 20 into the upper notches of the fastening members 18. Fig. 6 shows the TV 2 after being attached to the standing portion 8b.

[0097] To facilitate attachment of the TV 2, the speaker assembly 4 may comprise a pair of TV support spacers 11, intended to be temporarily attached to the top side 6a of the speaker cabinet 6 (e.g. by bolted joints), for supporting the TV 2 at a distance over the top side 6a while the fastening members 16 are moved along the slots 14 to engage with and grip the mounting pins 20. After securing the fastening members 16 (e.g. tensioning the bolted joints 18), the support spacers 11 may be removed, leaving the TV 2 suspended from the standing portion 8b.

[0098] Referring again to Fig. 3, in order to provide the mounting bracket 8 with an increased resistance to bending of the standing portion 8b relative the base portion 8a, the mounting bracket 8 may as shown further comprise a pair of opposite sidewalls 8c extending along opposite sides of the standing portion 8b and connecting to the base portion 8a. The sidewalls 8c may thus couple the base portion 8a to the respective sides of the standing portion 8b, and thus confer an increased stiffness to the mounting bracket 8. In particular, the base portion 8a may together with the sidewalls 8c define a substantially U-shaped frame, extending along and connecting to a periphery of the standing portion 8b. For a further increased bending resistance / stiffness, the mounting bracket 8 may further comprise a top wall 8d extending along an upper side or periphery of the standing portion 8b and connecting the pair of opposite sidewalls 8c. The base portion 8a may together with the sidewalls 8c and the top wall 8d define a substantially rectangular supporting frame, extending along and connecting to a periphery of the standing portion 8b. The mounting bracket 8 may for instance be formed by one or more sheets of metal, such as aluminium or steel, using conventional techniques such as extrusion, laser cutting, bending, welding and / or milling.

[0099] The (partially) open cavity defined by the base portion 8a, the standing portion 8b, the sidewalls 8c and the top wall 8d may be suitable for receiving and accommodating cables for the TV 2. Fig. 7 shows from a back side the system 1 in an assembled state, including the TV 2 and the speaker assembly 4, wherein an optional cover 8e has been mounted on the mounting bracket 8, to hide cables which may be accommodated in and routed through the cavity defined by the base portion 8a, the standing portion 8b, the sidewalls 8c and the top portion 8d of the mounting bracket 8. The sidewalls 8c may for instance be provided with a respective track having an open top end, to allow the cover 8e to be inserted and slidingly received in the tracks along a downward direction. However, the cover 8e may also be attached in other ways, such as by means clips or screws. As mentioned above, the TV 2 may be suspended by the mounting bracket 8 at a distance above the top side 6c of the speaker cabinet 6. To hide the thus formed gap or clearance between the bottom edge of the TV 2 and the top side 6c, the speaker cover 60 may comprise an upper edge portion 60a configured to protrude above the top side 6c of speaker cabinet 6. The upper edge portion 60a is indicated in Fig. 2, and may also be seen to protrude above the top side 6c in the view of Fig. 3. The upper edge portion 60a may for instance protrude above the top side of the speaker cabinet by a height Sh which may be in a range of 5 to 20 mm. The height Sh may be such that a substantially zero gap may be obtained between the bottom edge of the TV 2 and the speaker cover 2. That is, the upper edge portion 60a may for instance extend to the bottom edge of the TV 2. The upper edge portion 60a may advantageously be IR-transparent to avoid obscuring an IR receiver 21 of the TV 2, which may be protrude downwardly from the bottom edge of the TV 2 as shown in Fig. 2.

[0100] As discussed above, the speaker assembly 4 may be used both in a floor standing configuration (i.e. standing on a floor) and in a wall-mounted configuration (i.e. attached to a wall). To facilitate use of the speaker assembly 4 in either of these configurations, the speaker assembly 4 may comprise a back plate 22 configured to provide a double function of acting as a floor support when using the speaker assembly 4 in the floor standing configuration and acting as a wall mount when using the speaker assembly 4 in a wall-mounted configuration.

[0101] The back plate 22 is configured to be attachable to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 in both a first orientation and a second orientation relative the speaker cabinet 6. Fig. 1-7 all depict the speaker assembly 4 in a floor standing configuration, wherein the back plate 22 is attached to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 in the first orientation. Fig. 8 shows the back plate 22 in isolation, attached to a wall. Fig. 9 shows the speaker assembly 4 in a wall mounted configuration from a back side (omitting the wall to allow a view of the speaker assembly 4) wherein the back plate 22 is attached to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 in the second orientation.

[0102] As shown, the back plate 22 comprises a foot portion 22b (most clearly visible in Fig. 7 and 8) disposed along a bottom edge of the back plate 22. The foot portion 22b is angled relative a (substantially flat) main portion 22a of the back plate 22. The back plate 22 may for instance be formed by one or more sheets of metal, such as aluminium or steel, using conventional techniques such as extrusion, laser cutting, bending, welding and / or milling. The foot portion 22b is so configured or angled that when the main portion 22a is attached to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 in the first orientation, the foot portion 22b protrudes in a rearward direction from the back side 6b to rest against the floor (see e.g. Fig. 7). The back plate 22 may hence serve as a back rest for the speaker cabinet 6. The foot portion 22b is further so configured or angled that when the main portion 22a is attached to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6 in the second orientation, the foot portion 22b protrudes in a forward direction with respect to the speaker cabinet 6 to define a support or rest for the bottom side 6d of the speaker cabinet 6 (see e.g. Fig. 8-9).

[0103] For the floor standing configuration, the back plate 22 may advantageously be attached to the speaker cabinet 6 prior to attaching the TV 2 to the mounting bracket 8. For the wall mounted configuration, the back plate 22 may first be attached to the wall (e.g. by bolts or screws). After attaching the mounting bracket 8 to the speaker cabinet 6, the speaker cabinet 6 may then be positioned and attached to the back plate 22, resting on the foot portion 22b.

[0104] To facilitate the wall mounting, the back plate 22 may as shown in Fig. 8 and 9 be provided with a set of mounting notches 22c, disposed along a top edge of the back plate 22. The mounting notches 22c are configured to receive and retain a set of corresponding fastening elements in the form of mounting pins 24 configured to be (releasably) attached to the back side 6b of the speaker cabinet 6. The fastening elements 24 may, like the mounting pins 20, be provided with a head or flange configured to be supported against a back side of the back plate 22, and thus be axially retained in the notches 22c. The speaker cabinet 6 may thus be attached to the back plate 22 by hanging the speaker cabinet on the foot portion and the mounting notches 22c.

[0105] Fig. 10 shows the system 1 in assembled state (without a speaker cover), wherein the speaker assembly 4 is attached to the wall by the back plate 22, and the TV 2 is supported on top of the speaker cabinet 6 by the mounting bracket 8. Hence, no separate mounting bracket is needed for attaching the TV 2 to the wall.

[0106] While the double-function of the “hybrid” foot 22 may facilitate configuring the speaker assembly 4 for both floor standing and wall mounted use with a limited number of separate parts, it is also possible to use a separate and dedicated floor support and a separate and dedicated wall mount.

[0107] Fig. 11 shows an implementation of a bracing system which may be arranged in a speaker cabinet, such as the speaker cabinet 6, for stiffening the cabinet. The bracing system includes a set of interior brace members 81 arranged within and (rigidly) attached to the speaker cabinet 6. The brace members 81 may advantageously be attached to the interior surfaces of the cabinet walls (e.g. by an adhesive and / or fastening elements such as bolts, screws or clamps) forming the top side 6a and the bottom side 6d. The brace members 81 are distributed along the width dimension Ws (the dimensions indicated for the cabinet 6 in Fig. 3 apply correspondingly to the cabinet 6 in Fig. 11). The brace members 81 are vertically oriented, i.e. extend substantially parallel to the vertical plane. Each brace member 81 is configured as a lattice. The brace members 81 may advantageously be formed in a thermoplastic or composite polymer material such as PET, ABS, a ABS / PC mixture, glass- or carbon-filled Polyamide, etc. As the brace members 16 are distributed along the width dimension and configured as lattices, the bracing members 81 may further act as a diffuser, counteracting standing wave formation within the speaker cabinet 6. The cabinet 6 may as shown comprise a first (left) and second (right) section 6’ and 6”, wherein each section 6’, 6” comprises a same number of brace members 81 (e.g. 3+3). The first and second sections 6’, 6” may be separated by a vertically oriented partition wall 63. The number of brace members 81 shown in Fig. 11 represents an advantageous example, however the number of brace members 81 may more generally be chosen in dependence on the desired stiffness of the speaker cabinet 6.

[0108] According to a further implementation, a bracing system may instead comprise a set of horizontally oriented interior brace members, distributed along the height dimension Hs of the speaker cabinet 6. Each brace member may in this case, rather than being attached to the top and bottom sides 6a and 6d, be attached (rigidly) to the interior end surfaces of the oppositely disposed lateral sides of the speaker cabinet 6.

[0109] In either case, a bracing system as disclosed herein may efficiently improve the acoustic properties of a cabinet of a shape as the speaker cabinet 6 (i.e. a comparably large width (Ws) to depth (Ds) ratio). A conventional technique for improving stiffness of a speaker cabinet would otherwise be to use thicker cabinet walls. However, the thickness increase needed for this to make any appreciable improvement in stiffness, would consume about 20- 25% of the total acoustic volume of the cabinet 6, which may result in something like a 50% reduction in bass.

[0110] Fig. 13-14 shows a further implementation of a speaker cover 60. The speaker cover 60 comprises a frame portion 61 and a fabric or mesh 62 covering a front side of the frame portion 61. In Fig. 13-14 only a part of the fabric or mesh 62 is shown to allow a partially unobstructed view of the frame portion 61. The frame portion 61 is configured to provide a dimensionally stable support for the fabric or mesh 62. The frame portion 61 may for example be formed as a plastic, wooden or metallic plate. A set of attachment members configured to allow a releasable attachment of the speaker cover 60 to the speaker cabinet 6 (e.g. magnets, clips or Velcro) may be distributed on the backside of the frame portion 61 facing the front side of the speaker cabinet 6. The attachment members may for instance be distributed along a periphery of the frame portion 61. As further discussed above, the speaker cover 60 may comprise an upper IR-transparent portion 60a. As indicated in Fig. 13, the IR- transparent portion 60a may be incorporated or comprised in an upper portion of the frame portion 61.

[0111] A set of apertures 61a, 61b, 61c are defined in the frame portion 61, one for each speaker driver 71, 72, 73. The apertures 61a-c are arranged to align with a respective one of the speaker drivers 71-73 when the speaker cover 60 is attached to the speaker cabinet 6.

[0112] As shown in Fig. 14, at least one speaker driver 71 (“first speaker driver”) comprises a protruding portion 71a arranged to protrude relative the front side of the speaker cabinet 6. The aperture 61a (“first aperture”) is configured to receive (e.g. matingly receive) the protruding portion 71a of the first speaker driver 71 and cooperate therewith to restrict translation of the speaker cover 60 along the front side of the speaker cabinet 6. That is, a width dimension of the first aperture 61a may match a width dimension of the protruding portion 71a.

[0113] In the illustrated example, the protruding portion 71a is configured to define a horn-shaped waveguide 71a (i.e. a horn-shaped protruding waveguide portion 71a) having a rear mouth configured to surround a perimeter of a membrane of the first speaker driver 71, and a front mouth configured to be arranged substantially flush with a front surface of the frame portion 61 of the speaker cover 60. The rear and front mouth of the waveguide 71a are connected by a throat portion of the waveguide. A thickness of the waveguide 71a (as seen from the rear mouth to the front mouth) may increase from the rear mouth to the front mouth (e.g. monotonically or strictly monotonically) such that a thickness of the waveguide 71a at the front mouth substantially matches a thickness of the frame portion 61 of the speaker cover 6. The throat may thus define a smooth surface connecting the rear and front mouths.

[0114] The provision of the waveguide 71a may assist with mitigating diffraction due to the edge of the aperture 71. This may be especially advantageous if, as is the case in the illustrated example, the first speaker driver 71 is a tweeter (e.g. a treble speaker driver), since the wavelengths of the sound emitted by a tweeter are especially prone to be diffracted by at surfaces with sharp transitions, such as the edge of the aperture 71. However, it is also possible to provide a waveguide 71a at a non-tweeter driver, such as a mid-range driver 72 or a woofer 73. In any case, the protruding waveguide portion 71a of the first speaker driver 71, in combination with its cooperation with the aperture 61a, may hence provide a double effect of enabling a more reliable attachment of the speaker cover 60 to the speaker cabinet 6, and an improved acoustic performance of the speaker cabinet 6 when the speaker cover 60 is attached to the speaker cabinet 6.

[0115] In the illustrated example, the waveguide 71a is formed separately from the speaker driver 71 and attached thereto (e.g. by a mechanical coupling such as bolted joints). However, implementations wherein the waveguide 71a is integrally formed with the speaker driver 71 are also possible.

[0116] While not shown in Fig. 13-14 a corresponding protruding portion, e.g. also configured as a waveguide, may be provided at a second speaker driver, advantageously at a second tweeter 74 located at the opposite side of the speaker cabinet 6, as viewed along the width dimension.

[0117] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims.

[0118] For instance, while in the above the threaded fasteners 14 of the bolted joints of the attachment mechanism 12 are provided in the shape of bolts or screws, a threaded fastener may in another example be realized by a threaded shaft and a nut, wherein the threaded shaft first may be arranged to extend through a slot 10 and thereafter the nut may be threaded onto the threaded shaft to provide the clamping of the base portion 6a. It is envisaged that the threaded shaft either may be threaded into a threaded aperture such as an aperture 16, or be permanently attached to the speaker cabinet 6. While a permanent attachment may reduce the number of mounting steps needed, the extended adjustment range provided by the two rows of apertures 16 in the illustrated example may be lost.

[0119] Fig. 12 schematically depicts a further variation of an attachment mechanism 112 configured to attach a mounting bracket 108 (Fig. 12 only showing the base portion 108a of the mounting bracket 108) by clamping, wherein the clamping function is provided by bolted joints. The mounting bracket 108 is identical to the mounting bracket 8, except in that the slots 10 are replaced by through holes 110 in the base portion 108a. The attachment mechanism 112 comprises a set of parallel elongated tracks 116 disposed along the top side 6c (e.g. recessed in the wall forming the top side 6c) and extending along the depth dimension Ds of the speaker cabinet. The tracks 116 are as shown formed with a wider lower portion for accommodating a head of a respective threaded fastener 114 and a more narrow upper portion for allowing a threaded shank of the fastener 114 to extend axially / upwardly to exit the track 116. The tracks 114 are thus configured to allow and guide a sliding linear movement of the fasteners 114, while retaining the head in the upward / axial direction. The tracks hence act as guide members for the fasteners 114. Each threaded shank is further arranged to protrude into and through a respective through hole 110 in the base portion 108a of the mounting bracket 108. The base portion 108a may be clamped by threading a nut 115 onto the free end of the shanks. Analogous to the above discussion of the attachment mechanism 12, this variation of the attachment mechanism 114 may also be brought between partially and fixedly clamped configurations by tensioning or releasing the nuts.

[0120] Moreover, while the presence of sidewalls 8c and a top wall 8d may increase the stiffness of the mounting bracket 8, it is also possible to provide a mounting bracket in an L- shape, defined by a base portion (corresponding to base portion 8a) and a standing portion (corresponding to standing portion 8b). While less resilient to bending, such an L-shaped mounting bracket may suffice for TVs with smaller panel sizes, and hence lower weight.

[0121] Moreover, for an improved guiding of the base portion 8a or 108a during position adjustment, it is envisaged that the speaker cabinet 6 may be provided with one or more additional guide members, such as elongated ribs or tracks protruding from the top side 6a, and configured to extend alongside and thus guide the edges of the base portion 8a, 108a during movement. A guiding function of the guide base portion 8a or 108a may hence be provided even in absence of the fasteners 14, 114. While for the illustrated implementations reference has been made to a TV, the disclosure is equally applicable to other types of flat-panel screens, such as flat-panel computer monitors.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A speaker assembly for supporting a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV, the speaker assembly comprising: a speaker cabinet being elongated along a width dimension of the speaker cabinet and having a front side and a back side separated along a depth dimension of the speaker cabinet, a set of speaker drivers arranged within the speaker cabinet and distributed along the width dimension, a mounting bracket configured to support a flat-panel screen, the mounting bracket comprising a base portion configured to be attached to a top side of the speaker cabinet, and a standing portion configured to be attached to a back side of the flat-panel screen, and an attachment mechanism configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any one of a plurality of positions within an adjustment range along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet such that a distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable.

2. The speaker assembly according to claim 1, wherein the speaker assembly is configurable as a floor-standing speaker assembly and a wall-mounted speaker assembly.

3. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the distance from the standing portion to the front side of the speaker cabinet is adjustable so as to allow a front side of a flat-panel screen, when attached to the standing portion, to be aligned with the front side of the speaker cabinet, or with a speaker cover configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

4. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the adjustment range includes a continuous adjustment range and wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet at any position within the continuous adjustment range.

5. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting bracket further comprises a pair of opposite sidewalls extending along opposite sides of the standing portion and connecting to the base portion.

6. The speaker assembly according to claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket further comprises a top wall extending along an upper side of the standing portion and connecting the pair of opposite sidewalls.

7. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet by clamping.

8. The speaker assembly according to claim 7, wherein the attachment mechanism has a first configuration and a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration the attachment mechanism is configured to allow a position of the base portion to be adjusted within the adjustment range in a sliding movement along the top side of the speaker cabinet, and wherein in the second configuration, the attachment mechanism is configured to fix the position of the base portion relative the top side of the speaker cabinet.

9. The speaker assembly according to claim 8, wherein the attachment mechanism further comprises at least one guide member configured to guide a linear sliding movement of the base portion along the top side of the speaker cabinet, throughout the adjustment range.

10. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises at least one threaded fastener configured to, when tightened, cause the base portion to be clamped against a support surface fixedly arranged relative the speaker cabinet11. The speaker assembly according to claim 10, wherein the support surface is configured to abut a bottom side of the base portion, and wherein each fastener element is configured to, when tightened, cause the bottom side of the base portion to be clamped against the support surface.

12. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the attachment mechanism is configured to attach the base portion to the top side of the speaker cabinet by a set of bolted joints, and wherein a respective threaded fastener of each bolted joints is configured to extend through a respective one of a set of slots provided in the base portion, wherein the set of slots extend in parallel along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet when the base portion is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet.

13. The speaker assembly according to claim 12, wherein the attachment mechanism comprises a first and a second row of threaded apertures, provided along the width dimension of the speaker cabinet, wherein each threaded aperture is configured to receive a threaded fastener of the attachment mechanism to form a respective bolted joint and wherein the rows are spaced apart along the depth dimension of the speaker cabinet.

14. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the standing portion is provided with a set of elongated and vertically oriented mounting slots for receiving fasteners for attaching the flat-panel screen to the standing portion.

15. The speaker assembly according to claim 14, further comprising a screen attachment mechanism comprising a set of fastening members, wherein each fastening member is configured to be slidingly received in a respective one of the mounting slots of the standing portion, and fixedly arranged at any one of a plurality of positions along the mounting slot, wherein each fastening member is provided with an upper notch for receiving and retaining a mounting pin secured to the back side of the flat-panel screen.

16. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a back plate comprising a foot portion disposed along a bottom edge of the back plate, wherein the back plate is configured to be attachable to a back side of the speaker cabinet in a first orientation and a second orientation, wherein, when attached in the first orientation, the back plate is configured to be used as a floor support for the speaker assembly wherein the foot portion is configured to protrude in a rearward direction to rest against a floor, and wherein, when attached in the second orientation, the back plate is configured to be used as a wall mount for the speaker assembly wherein the foot portion is configured to protrude in a forward direction to support a bottom side of the speaker cabinet.

17. The speaker assembly according to claim 16, wherein a set of mounting notches are disposed along a top edge of the back plate for receiving and retaining a set of fastening elements attached to back side of the speaker cabinet.

18. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the speaker cabinet comprises a set of interior brace members arranged within and attached to the speaker cabinet, and wherein each brace member is configured as a lattice.

19. The speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising a speaker cover configured to be releasably attachable to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

20. The speaker assembly according to claim 19, wherein a width dimension of the speaker cover is coextensive with, or greater than, the width dimension of the speaker cabinet.

21. The speaker assembly according to any one of claims 19-20, wherein the speaker cover comprises an IR-transparent upper edge portion configured to protrude above the top side of speaker cabinet when the speaker cover is attached to the speaker cover.

22. The speaker assembly according to claim 21, wherein the set of speaker drivers comprises at least a first speaker driver arranged to protrude relative the front side of the speaker cabinet, wherein the speaker cover comprises a frame portion and a fabric or mesh covering a front side of the frame portion, wherein the frame portion comprises a first aperture configured to receive the protruding portion of the first speaker driver and cooperate therewith to restrict translation of the speaker cover along the front side of the speaker cabinet.

23. The speaker assembly according to claim 22, wherein the protruding portion of the speaker driver is configured to define a horn-shaped waveguide having a rear mouth configured to surround a perimeter of a membrane of the first speaker driver, and a front mouth configured to be arranged substantially flush with a front surface of the frame portion of the speaker cover.

24. The speaker assembly according to claim 23, wherein the rear and front mouth of the waveguide are connected by a throat portion, wherein a thickness of the waveguide increases from the rear mouth to the front mouth such that a thickness of the waveguide at the front mouth substantially matches a thickness of the frame portion of the speaker cover.

25. The speaker assembly according to any one of claims 23-24, wherein the waveguide is integrally formed with the speaker driver or separately formed and attached to the speaker driver.

26. A kit of parts comprising: a speaker assembly according to any of the preceding claims, at least one speaker cover configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

27. The kit of parts according to claim 26, comprising at least a first speaker cover and a second speaker cover, wherein either of the first speaker cover and the second speaker cover is configured to be attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet, and wherein a width dimension of the second speaker cover is greater than a width dimension of the first speaker cover.

28. A display-and-audio system comprising: a floor-standing or wall-mounted speaker assembly according to any one of the preceding claims; and a flat-panel screen, such as a flat-panel TV, wherein a back side of the flat-panel screen is attached to the standing portion of the mounting bracket and the base portion of the mounting bracket is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet of the speaker assembly by the attachment mechanism.

29. The display-and-audio system according to claim 28, wherein the base portion is attached to the top side of the speaker cabinet at a position within the adjustment range such that a front side of the flat-panel screen is aligned with the front side of the speaker cabinet, or with a speaker cover attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

30. The display-and-audio system according to any one of claims 28-29, further comprising a speaker cover releasably attached to the front side of the speaker cabinet.

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