Granted Patent B2

US 9,661,423 · App. 15/072,126 · Granted May 23, 2017

Abstract

Claims (34)

1. An electronic content device, comprising:

a power supply;

a content engine coupled to receive power from the power supply and to generate electrical signals representing audio content and electrical signals representing display content;

a display coupled to the content engine and configured to receive the electrical signals representing display content and to generate a visual representation of the display content; and

a transparent ultrasonic audio emitter disposed on the display, the emitter comprising:

a first transparent conductive layer;

a second transparent conductive layer; and

a plurality of transparent spacers disposed between the first and second transparent conductive layers of the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter, the transparent spacers having a thickness and being arranged to define an open area between the first and second transparent conductive layers.

2. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a modulator coupled to receive the electrical signals representing audio content, and to modulate the received electrical signals onto an ultrasonic carrier; and

a driver circuit, comprising:

two inputs configured to be coupled to receive the electrical signals representing audio content modulated onto an ultrasonic carrier signal;

a first output coupled to the first transparent conductive layer; and

a second output coupled to the second transparent conductive layer.

3. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter comprises a screen of the display.

4. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the first transparent conductive layer comprises a first transparent conductive layer adjacent a first transparent nonconductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer comprises a second transparent conductive layer adjacent a second transparent nonconductive layer.

5. The electronic content device according to claim 4 , further comprising a hard coat layer disposed on the first transparent conductive layer.

6. The electronic content device according to claim 4 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter has a resonant frequency and wherein the resonant frequency is defined by a spacing between the first and second transparent conductive layers and a thickness of the first non-conductive layer.

7. The electronic content device according to claim 4 , further comprising a hard coat layer disposed on the first transparent non-conductive layer.

8. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the spacers comprise a pattern of transparent structures disposed between the first and second transparent conductive layers.

9. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the spacers comprise a plurality of transparent ridges arranged in a pattern between the first and second transparent conductive layers.

10. The electronic content device according to claim 9 , wherein the transparent ridges comprise a plurality of parallel ridges, a plurality of cross-wise ridges or a plurality of ridges arranged as concentric rings.

11. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second transparent conductive layers and the transparent spacers as disposed between the two layers have a combined transmittance of greater than 75% in the visible spectrum.

12. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter has a resonant frequency and wherein the resonant frequency is defined by spacing between the first and second transparent conductive layers and dimensions of the spacers.

13. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the spacers are of a dimension chosen to define a resonant frequency of the ultrasonic audio emitter.

14. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the spacers are of a dimension chosen to define a resonant frequency of the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter, and to prevent contact between the first and second transparent conductive layers at a given level of bias.

15. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first transparent conductive layer and the second transparent conductive layer are divided into multiple segments by one or more nonconductive regions.

16. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter comprises a plurality of transparent ultrasonic audio emitters, and wherein each of the plurality of transparent ultrasonic audio emitters is connected to a respective audio channel and electrically separated from an adjacent transparent ultrasonic audio emitter by an insulating barrier.

17. The electronic content device according to claim 16 , wherein the insulating barrier comprises glass or acrylic.

18. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter comprises first and second transparent ultrasonic audio emitters, and wherein each of the first and second transparent conductive layers comprises a nonconductive region electrically separating the first and second transparent ultrasonic audio emitters.

19. The electronic content device according to claim 18 , wherein the transparent ultrasonic audio emitter is a single channel phased array emitter or a multi-channel phased array emitter.

20. The electronic content device according to claim 18 , wherein the first transparent ultrasonic audio emitter is connected to a first audio channel, and wherein the second transparent ultrasonic audio emitter is connected to a second audio channel.

21. The electronic content device according to claim 20 , wherein the first and second transparent ultrasonic audio emitters are disposed on the display such that they are oriented in different angles.

22. The electronic content device according to claim 1 , wherein the electronic content device comprises a laptop, a tablet, a smartphone, a television, a digital camera, a navigation device, a gaming device, a point-of-sale terminal, a kiosk, or a slot machine.

Assignments (9)