IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,236,606
Granted Patent B2
US 7,236,606 · App. 10/093,186 · Granted Jun 26, 2007

Sound system having a HF horn coaxially aligned in the mouth of a midrange horn

Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,236,606
App. No.
10/093,186
Granted
Jun 26, 2007
Kind
B2
Abstract

A sound system is provided that groups a midrange horn with a high frequency (“H”) horn. The sound system includes an HF horn coaxially coupled to a midrange horn, and two HF drivers aligned edge-to-edge. The sound system further includes two midrange drivers aligned edge-to-edge and coupled to the midrange horn. The edge-to-edge alignment of the two HF drivers is substantially perpendicular to the edge-to-edge alignment of the two midrange drivers. A method for grouping a plurality of midrange drivers and a plurality of high frequency drivers is also provided. This configuration may produce increased sound pressure levels while minimizing acoustic crossover interference problems.

Claims (46)

1. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled to a midrange horn, where the HF horn has a throat within the midrange horn;

two slots merging to form a common exit, where the common exit is coupled to the throat of the HF horn;

two midrange drivers aligned edge-to-edge and coupled to the midrange horn; and

two HF drivers aligned edge-to-edge and coupled to the two slots, respectively, where the edge-to-edge alignment of the two HF drivers is substantially perpendicular to the edge-to-edge alignment of the two midrange drives.

2. The sound system according to claim 1 , further including a damper covering the two HF drivers, where the damper is partially acoustically absorptive above about 700 Hz.

3. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the cross-section of the common throat is rectangular.

4. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the two slots expand smoothly in a cross-sectional area.

5. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the HF horn and the midrange horn each have a height and a width, where the height and width of the HF horn is about 0.25 to about 0.4 ratio of the height and width of the midrange horn, respectively.

6. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the HF horn has a HF lip and the midrange horn has a midrange lip, and where both the HF lip and the midrange lip have a rectangular shape.

7. The sound system according to claim 1 , where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is about 13% to about 19% of the radiating area.

8. The sound system according to claim 1 , where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is at least about 13% of the radiating area.

9. The sound system according to claim 1 , where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is less than 19% of the radiating area.

10. The sound system according to claim 1 , further including a signal processor for tuning the sound system.

11. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled within a midrange horn, where the HF horn is driven by a plurality of HF drivers that are aligned edge-to-edge; and

a plurality of midrange drivers aligned edge-to edge and coupled to the midrange horn, where the edge-to-edge alignment of the plurality of HF drivers is substantially perpendicular to the edge-to-edge alignment of the plurality of the midrange drivers.

12. The sound system according to claim 11 , further including a plurality of slots coherently summing wave fronts from the plurality of HF drivers to a throat of the HF horn.

13. The sound system according to claim 11 , further including a damper adapted to cover the plurality of HF drivers and to be partially acoustically absorptive of wave fronts above about 700 Hz.

14. The sound system according to claim 12 , where the throat has a rectangular shape.

15. The sound system according to claim 11 , where the HF horn and the midrange horn each have a height and a width, where the height and width of the HF born is about 0.25 to about 0.4 ratio of the height and width of the midrange horn, respectively.

16. The sound system according to claim 11 , where the HF horn bas a HF lip and the midrange horn has a midrange lip, where both the HF lip and the midrange lip have a rectangular shape.

17. The sound system according to claim 11 , where an area between the HF horn and the midrange horn is a radiating area for the midrange horn, and to one side of the HF horn defines a mask area, where the mask area is about 13% to about 19% of the radiating area.

18. The sound system according to claim 12 , further including two curved slots.

19. A sound system, comprising:

a high frequency (HF) horn coaxially coupled within a midrange horn, where the midrange horn is coupled to a plurality of midrange drivers that are aligned edge-to-edge;

means for driving a plurality of HF wave fronts toward the HF horn without substantially reflecting midrange wave fronts from the midrange drivers back into the midrange horn;

means for summing the plurality of HF wave fronts to a throat of the HF horn; and

where the means for driving the plurality of HF wave fronts includes a plurality of HF drivers that are aligned edge-to-edge within the midrange horn, where the edge-to-edge alignment of the plurality of HF drivers is substantially perpendicular to the edge-to-edge alignment of the plurality of midrange drivers.

20. The sound system according to claim 19 , further including means for partially acoustically absorbing the midrange wave fronts from the midrange drivers above about 700 Hz.

21. The sound system according to claim 19 , where the means for summing the plurality of HF wave fronts comprises two slots merging to form a common throat with the throat of the HF horn, and where the two slots connect to the two HF drivers, respectively.

22. A method for grouping a plurality of midrange drivers and a plurality of high frequency drivers, comprising:

coupling coaxially a high frequency (HF) horn within a midrange horn;

driving the midrange horn with a plurality of midrange drivers that are aligned edge-to-edge;

summing wave fronts from a plurality of HF drivers to a throat of the HF horn, the plurality of HF drivers being aligned edge-to-edge; and

edge-to-edge aligning the plurality of HF drivers substantially perpendicular to the edge-to-edge aliment of the plurality of midrange drivers.

23. The method according to claim 22 , further including absorbing wave fronts above about 700 Hz from the plurality of midrange drivers around the plurality of HF drivers.

24. The method according to claim 22 , further including tuning a digital loudspeaker processor to provide a clean system response.

25. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the midrange horn has a lip, and the two HF drivers are between the two midrange drivers and the lip of the midrange horn.

26. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the two HF drivers are in front of the two midrange drivers.

27. The sound system according to claim 1 , where the two HF drivers are within the midrange horn.

28. The sound system according to claim 11 , where the midrange horn has a lip, and the two HF drivers are between the two midrange drivers and the lip of the midrange horn.

29. The sound system according to claim 11 , where the two HF drivers are in front of the two midrange drivers.

30. The sound system according to claim 11 , where the two HF drivers are within the midrange horn.

31. The sound system according to claim 19 , where the means for driving the plurality of HF wave fronts are two HF drivers that are in front of the plurality of midrange drivers.

32. The method according to claim 22 , where the plurality of HF drivers are in front of the plurality of midrange drivers.

Assignments (5)
RELEASE Recorded Nov 14, 2012
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS GMBH
Reel/Frame 029294/0254 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Feb 17, 2011
From: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS GMBH
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
Reel/Frame 025823/0354 →
RELEASE Recorded Feb 15, 2011
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
To: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS GMBH
Reel/Frame 025795/0143 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded May 8, 2009
From: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED; BECKER SERVICE-UND VERWALTUNG GMBH; CROWN AUDIO, INC.; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS (MICHIGAN), INC.; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS HOLDING GMBH; HARMAN BECKER AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, INC.; HARMAN CONSUMER GROUP, INC.; HARMAN DEUTSCHLAND GMBH; HARMAN FINANCIAL GROUP LLC; HARMAN HOLDING GMBH & CO. KG; HARMAN MUSIC GROUP, INCORPORATED; HARMAN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL BETEILIGUNGS GMBH; HARMAN SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT GMBH; HBAS INTERNATIONAL GMBH; HBAS MANUFACTURING, INC.; INNOVATIVE SYSTEMS GMBH NAVIGATION-MULTIMEDIA; JBL INCORPORATED; LEXICON, INCORPORATED; MARGI SYSTEMS, INC.; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS (WAVEMAKERS), INC.; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS CANADA CORPORATION; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS CO.; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS GMBH; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS GMBH & CO. KG; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION; QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS, INC.; XS EMBEDDED GMBH (F/K/A HARMAN BECKER MEDIA DRIVE TECHNOLOGY GMBH)
To: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
Reel/Frame 022659/0743 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 11, 2002
From: WERNER, BERNARD M.
To: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 012981/0320 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 6027384400 · Mar 7, 2001
Related Publication 20020150270A1 · Oct 17, 2002