Sound Transducer Wavefront Synthesis for Uniform Public-Area Coverage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sound systems struggle to uniformly distribute sound pressure across large public areas, leading to variations in sound quality due to directional limitations and undesired reflections, especially in complex event venues with non-uniform seating arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a sound transducer arrangement with individually controlled delay times to superimpose elementary waves, forming a common wavefront that adapts to the geometry of the public area, using a coordinate system to determine position and direction vectors for each transducer, ensuring uniform sound distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sound transducers emit sound waves in a less directional manner, then the sound distribution becomes more uniform across the public area, but sound pressure drops and undesired reflections increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sound transducer arrangement is divided into multiple individually controllable sound transducers, each emitting elementary waves that can be independently delayed and weighted. This segmentation allows precise control over the wavefront formation, enabling uniform sound distribution while maintaining adequate sound pressure levels through coordinated emission from multiple sources.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple elementary waves from individual sound transducers are superimposed to form a common wavefront. By combining the acoustic fields of multiple transducers with appropriately calculated delay times and weighting factors, the system achieves both uniform sound distribution and maintained sound pressure levels that neither individual transducer could achieve alone.
2Manufacturing precision
If loudspeaker arrangements direct sound more strongly into distant public areas, then sound pressure is maintained at a distance, but sound pressure differences between front and rear areas increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic electronic control of delay times and weighting factors for each sound transducer based on their spatial positions and the geometry of the public area. This dynamic adaptation allows the wavefront to be continuously optimized for uniform sound distribution across the entire public area, compensating for distance-related attenuation without creating excessive pressure differences.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the curvature of sound transducer surfaces is increased, then the vertical opening angle increases, but sound pressure drops more rapidly with distance
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the temporal parameters (delay times) and amplitude parameters (weighting factors) of the elementary waves emitted by each sound transducer. By adjusting these parameters according to the spatial configuration and desired wavefront shape, the system achieves the required vertical opening angle while compensating for sound pressure attenuation through constructive interference of the superimposed waves.
4Manufacturing precision
If wave field synthesis is used to reconstruct spherical sector wavefronts, then directional characteristics are improved, but adaptation to complex public area geometries is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extends wave field synthesis from traditional spherical sector wavefronts (limited to elevation plane control) to arbitrary wavefront shapes by introducing independent delay and weighting control for each transducer in a two-dimensional array. This dimensional expansion allows the system to adapt to complex public area geometries in both azimuth and elevation, going beyond the limitations of conventional spherical sector approaches.
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 method achieves a uniformly distributed sound pressure level across the public area, minimizing sound pressure variations and reducing reflections, thereby enhancing sound quality and intelligibility.
Implementation Method 1
The individual sound transducers of the at least one sound transducer arrangement—in operation—emit elementary waves which are superimposed to form a common wavefront
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for filling at least one public area with sound by at least one sound transducer arrangement with a plurality of sound transducers, wherein the individual sound transducers of the at least one sound transducer arrangement each emit elementary waves, which are superimposed to form a common wavefront, whereinthe at least one sound transducer arrangement and the at least one public area are geometrically linked with each other by a coordinate system, anda spatial allocation exists between the physical positions of the individual sound transducers in the at least one sound transducer arrangement and position vectors si for defining coordinates in the area of the at least one sound transducer arrangement, and furthermorethere exists an allocation of points of the coordinate system to points in the at least one public area corresponding to a position vector.