Acoustic Horn Manifold Vertical Stacking for Speaker Arrays
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern loudspeaker systems face challenges in achieving compactness while maintaining directional control of high frequency audio, particularly in arrangements where high frequency horn-type speakers need to be closely spaced to avoid grating lobes and optimize energy distribution.
Innovation Solution
The speaker system employs a configuration of horn pairs with specific entrance and mouth alignments, including stacked relationships and curved throats, to achieve efficient sound dispersion and minimize physical space requirements, allowing for closer proximity of high frequency drivers without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If high frequency horn-type speakers are placed in close proximity to each other, then the physical spacing is reduced and grating lobes are minimized, but the directional control and sound dispersion may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs stacked horn pairs arranged in vertical layers, transitioning from horizontal to vertical spatial arrangement. This dimensional change allows close horizontal spacing while maintaining vertical separation for directional control, resolving the contradiction between compactness and sound dispersion quality
Solution Approach 2:
The horn pairs are configured with asymmetric orientations where adjacent horns in each pair face different directions (e.g., left horn faces left, right horn faces right). This asymmetric arrangement enables close proximity placement while maintaining proper sound dispersion patterns and avoiding grating lobes
2Reliability
If horn exits are spaced apart along a common plane, then directional control is improved, but the overall size of the speaker assembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves horn exits from a single-plane horizontal arrangement to a multi-layer vertical stacking configuration. This allows the horn exits to be spaced apart in the vertical dimension while maintaining a compact horizontal footprint, thus achieving directional control without increasing overall assembly size
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple horn pairs are stacked vertically in nested layers, with each pair containing adjacent horns of opposite orientation. This nesting arrangement packs multiple directional control elements into a compact vertical stack, reducing the horizontal area while maintaining proper spacing for sound dispersion
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration enables compact, high frequency horn-type speaker arrangements that provide wide dispersion of sound in both horizontal and vertical directions, achieving efficient summation of high frequency sounds and reducing the overall size of the speaker assembly.
Implementation Method 1
acoustic energy distribution
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 2
AI summary
A compact acoustical horn manifold structure (22) is composed of a vertical array of horn pairs (26A-26G) arranged in stacked relationship to each other. The horns (27L and 27R) of each pair have entrance openings (40L and 40R) at the same elevation and disposed side-by- side to each other. The mouths (50L and 5 OR) of the horn pairs are in directional alignment with each other and stacked vertically on top of each other.