Audio Speaker Assembly Using Vertical Glass Membrane
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional audio speakers require air enclosures and multiple elements to achieve acceptable sound reproduction, leading to resonant frequency accentuation and diminished sound clarity, particularly in low/mid frequency regions, and struggle with smooth transitions at all listening angles.
Innovation Solution
An audio speaker assembly featuring a flat, vertically extending glass membrane with varying frequency responses along its length, supported by a housing with distinct frequency responses, utilizing two transducers and signal processing to efficiently produce sound across different frequency ranges, ensuring smooth spatial frequency diversity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional air enclosures are used, then low/mid frequency sound reproduction is improved, but resonant frequency accentuation and diminished sound clarity occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the air enclosure from the speaker system, extracting the harmful resonant characteristics while retaining the ability to reproduce low and mid frequencies through a vertically extending planar membrane that radiates sound directly without enclosure resonance
Solution Approach 2:
The planar membrane is designed with varying properties along its vertical extent, with different regions optimized for different frequency ranges, allowing the structure to produce multiple frequency responses from a single element without requiring separate speaker components
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple speaker elements (woofers, midranges, tweeters) are used, then frequency range coverage is improved, but smooth transitions between elements at all listening angles become difficult to achieve
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of multiple speaker elements into a single planar membrane structure that extends vertically, with different portions of the membrane responsible for different frequency ranges, eliminating the need for separate woofers, midranges, and tweeters while achieving smooth spatial transitions
Solution Approach 2:
The speaker design transitions from horizontal cone speakers to a vertical planar membrane orientation, allowing frequency separation to occur in the vertical dimension rather than requiring multiple separate elements, thereby achieving smoother transitions across all listening angles
3Device complexity
If conventional cone speakers are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but naturalness and clarity of reproduced sound are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the air enclosure from the speaker system, removing the source of unnatural acoustic effects and resonance, while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure consisting of a planar membrane, housing, and transducer assembly
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the diaphragm from a conventional cone shape to a planar vertical membrane, which fundamentally alters the acoustic radiation pattern and eliminates enclosure resonance while maintaining structural simplicity
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
The solution enables efficient sound production across a wide frequency spectrum from a single speaker element, eliminating acoustic blending issues and enhancing sound quality by providing natural and clear sound reproduction without the need for air enclosures.
Implementation Method 1
A first transducer, configured to efficiently apply vibrational energy in accordance with the first frequency response of the elongated planar membrane, is directly coupled to the planar membrane
Implementation Method 2
A second transducer, configured to efficiently apply vibrational energy in accordance with the second frequency response of the housing, is directly coupled to the housing
Implementation Method 3
The elongated planar membrane may be configured to more efficiently produce sound in a high audio frequency range along an upper region of the membrane, and more efficiently produce sound in an upper mid-frequency range along central and lower regions of the membrane
Data Source
AI summary
An audio speaker assembly including a housing defining an internal compartment, and a glass membrane having a first portion supported in the housing and a second portion extending externally from the housing. The second portion having a length greater than its width, the length of the second portion extending orthogonal to the width of the housing, the second portion defining at least one aperture and a curved section formed along an edge of the glass membrane. A driver is mounted to the membrane that is responsive to an electrical signal causing the membrane to vibrate.