Vibration Actuator for Rigid Structures in Automotive Bass Playback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional loudspeakers used in motor vehicles for low-tone audio playback are bulky, heavy, and inefficient, consuming more space and increasing fuel consumption and pollutant emissions due to their size and weight.
Innovation Solution
An actuator that excites vehicle structures to vibrate, using a housing with a rigidly connected electrical coil and a movable magnet to generate a magnetic field, which induces vibrations in the structure, allowing for efficient low-tone audio reproduction without the need for additional resonance volume, resulting in a significantly smaller and lighter solution compared to conventional subwoofers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If conventional loudspeakers are used for low-tone audio playback, then sufficient bass output can be achieved, but the device occupies large volume and has high weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration by using an actuator to directly vibrate vehicle structures (floor panels, doors, trunk lids) to produce bass sound. Instead of using a conventional loudspeaker that generates sound through a diaphragm, the system induces vibrational motion in existing vehicle components, which then radiate sound. This approach eliminates the need for large speaker enclosures and resonance volumes, achieving powerful bass output with minimal space occupation.
2Power
If conventional loudspeakers are used for low-tone audio playback, then sufficient bass output can be achieved, but the device has high weight
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by utilizing the vehicle's existing structural components (floor panels, doors, trunk lids) as the sound-generating elements. These components serve dual purposes: they provide structural support for the vehicle and simultaneously act as vibrating surfaces for bass reproduction. By making the vehicle structure itself serve the audio function, the system eliminates the need for heavy dedicated speaker assemblies, achieving high-power bass output with minimal additional weight.
3Power
If conventional loudspeakers are used for low-tone audio playback, then sufficient bass output can be achieved, but additional resonance volume is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the resonance volume component from the traditional loudspeaker system. Instead of incorporating a separate enclosed resonance chamber that requires careful tuning and occupies significant space, the system directly couples the actuator to the vehicle structure, which naturally provides the necessary acoustic properties. This extraction of the resonance volume requirement simplifies the device architecture while maintaining powerful bass reproduction capability.
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 actuator achieves high-performance bass playback with reduced space and weight requirements, exceeding conventional subwoofers in power and durability, while maintaining sound pressure levels of at least 100 dB and continuous operation for extended periods.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator has an electrical coil which is rigidly connected to the housing and is configured to generate a magnetic field when an electrical current flows through it
Implementation Method 2
The actuator has a magnet which is arranged in the housing so as to be movable to a limited extent
Data Source
AI summary
An actuator for exciting a component of a motor vehicle with vibrations. The actuator has a housing, an electrical coil and a magnet that is movable to a limited extent in the housing.