Voice coil actuator and loudspeakers containing same
Voice coil actuators and loudspeakers containing same. The voice coil actuators include moving voice coil assemblies that have multiple segments. Each segment of a moving voice coil assembly is separately controlled by an amplifier, one channel of an amplifier, and combinations thereof utilized in combination with a position sensor that senses the position of the moving voice coil assembly. By this arrangement, the voice coil actuators produce a linear force per unit current throughout the range of motion while obtaining the benefits and advantages associated with both over-hung and under-hung voice coil actuator designs.
1. A loudspeaker comprising:
(a) a sealed enclosure;
(b) a sound panel mechanically connected to the sealed enclosure;
(c) a voice coil actuator operable to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy for movement of the sound panel, wherein
(i) the voice coil actuator comprises a plurality of voice coil segments;
(d) one or more amplifiers, wherein
(i) each voice coil segment in the plurality of voice coil segments is operatively connected to an amplifier in the one or more amplifiers for applying segment current to the voice coil segment, and
(ii) the one or more amplifiers comprises at least one amplifier having two channels that can independently control the application of current in two different voice coil segments in the plurality of voice coil segments; and
(e) a position sensor that senses the position of one or more of the sound panel and the voice coil actuator, wherein
(i) the segment current applied to each voice coil segment is independently controlled by the amplifier operatively connected thereto based upon the position sensed by the position sensor.
2. The loudspeaker of claim 1 further comprising one or more stationary magnets that define one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(a) the plurality of voice coil segments comprises i number of voice coil segments;
(b) the voice coil actuator is operable to move the voice coil segments to change fractional portions of the voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(i) the fractional portions for the i number of voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps are voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i , respectively, and
(ii) each of voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i is between 0 to 1, inclusive; and
(c) the segment currents applied to the voice coil segments are operatively controlled by one or more amplifiers based upon the voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i at the position sensed by the position sensor.
3. A loudspeaker comprising:
(a) a sealed enclosure;
(b) a sound panel mechanically connected to the sealed enclosure;
(c) a voice coil actuator operable to convert electrical energy into mechanical energy for movement of the sound panel, wherein
(i) the voice coil actuator comprises a plurality of voice coil segments;
(d) one or more amplifiers, wherein each voice coil segment in the plurality of voice coil segments is operatively connected to an amplifier in the one or more amplifiers for applying segment current to the voice coil segment;
(e) a position sensor that senses the position of one or more of the sound panel and the voice coil actuator, wherein
(i) the segment current applied to each voice coil segment is independently controlled by the amplifier operatively connected thereto based upon the position sensed by the position sensor;
(f) one or more stationary magnets that define one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(i) the plurality of voice coil segments comprises i number of voice coil segments;
(ii) the voice coil actuator is operable to move the voice coil segments to change fractional portions of the voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(A) the fractional portions for the i number of voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps are voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i , respectively, and
(B) each of voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i is between 0 to 1, inclusive; and
(iii) the segment currents applied to the voice coil segments are operatively controlled by one or more amplifiers based upon the voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i at the position sensed by the position sensor, wherein
(A) the segment currents applied to each of the voice coil segments 1 through i, are, respectively, i j with
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
±
10
%
;
(B) K is based upon a magnetic force to be created by the voice coil segments; and
(C) j is an integer from 1 to i.
4. The loudspeaker of claim 3 , wherein
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
±
5
%
.
5. The loudspeaker of claim 3 , wherein
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
.
6. The loudspeaker of claim 3 , wherein K is based upon the magnetic force to be created for application at the position sensed by the position sensor.
7. The loudspeaker of claim 3 , wherein K is a constant.
8. The loudspeaker of claim 2 , wherein i is between 2 and 6.
9. The loudspeaker of claim 8 , wherein i is between 3 and 4.
10. The loudspeaker of claim 2 , wherein, in at least some positions sensed by the position sensor, at least some, but not all, of the voice coil segments have voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i that are 0.
11. The loudspeaker of claim 2 , wherein the one or more stationary magnets can be one or more permanent magnets.
12. The loudspeaker of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor is selected from a group consisting of infrared position sensors, capacitive position sensors, inductive position sensor, and combinations thereof.
13. The loudspeaker of claim 1 , wherein the one or more amplifiers is one amplifier having two channels.
14. The loudspeaker of claim 1 , wherein the one or more amplifiers comprises at least two amplifiers with each having two channels.
15. A method of using a loudspeaker comprising:
(a) selecting a loudspeaker comprising
(i) a sealed enclosure,
(ii) a sound panel mechanically connected to the sealed enclosure,
(iii) a voice coil actuator, wherein the voice coil comprises a plurality of voice coil segments,
(iv) one or more amplifiers, wherein
(A) the one or more amplifiers comprises at least one amplifier having two channels, and
(v) a position sensor;
(b) utilizing the voice coil actuator to move the sound panel;
(c) utilizing the position sensor to sense the position of one or more of the sound panel and the voice coil actuator; and
(d) utilizing the one or more amplifiers to independently apply a plurality of segment currents, wherein
(i) each segment current in the plurality of segment currents is applied to a respective voice coil segment in the plurality of voice coil segments,
(ii) amounts of each segment current in the plurality of segment currents are varied based upon the position sensed by the position sensor, and
(iii) the utilizing of the one or more amplifiers comprises using the amplifier having two channels to independently apply current in two different voice coil segments in the plurality of voice coil segments.
16. The method of claim 15 , wherein
(a) the loudspeaker further comprises one or more stationary magnets that define one or more stationary magnet gaps;
(b) the plurality of voice coil segments comprises i number of voice coil segments;
(c) movement of the voice coil actuator moves the voice coil segments to change fractional portions of the voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(i) the fractional portions for the i number of voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps are voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i , respectively, and
(ii) each of voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i is between 0 to 1, inclusive; and
(d) the amounts of each segment current applied by the one or more amplifiers are varied based upon the voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i at the position sensed by the position sensor.
17. A method comprising:
(a) selecting a loudspeaker comprising
(i) a sealed enclosure,
(ii) a sound panel mechanically connected to the sealed enclosure,
(iii) a voice coil actuator, wherein the voice coil comprises a plurality of voice coil segments,
(iv) one or more amplifiers, and
(v) a position sensor;
(b) utilizing the voice coil actuator to move the sound panel;
(c) utilizing the position sensor to sense the position of one or more of the sound panel and the voice coil actuator; and
(d) utilizing the one or more amplifiers to independently apply a plurality of segment currents, wherein
(i) each segment current in the plurality of segment currents is applied to a respective voice coil segment in the plurality of voice coil segments,
(ii) Amounts of each segment current in the plurality of segment currents are varied based upon the position sensed by the position sensor,
(iii) the loudspeaker further comprises one or more stationary magnets that define one or more stationary magnet gaps,
(iv) the plurality of voice coil segments comprises i number of voice coil segments,
(v) movement of the voice coil actuator moves the voice coil segments to change fractional portions of the voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps, wherein
(A) the fractional portions for the i number of voice coil segments within the one or more stationary magnet gaps are voice coil segment fractions x 1 though x i , respectively, and
(B) each of voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i is between 0 to 1, inclusive; and
(vi) the amounts of each segment current applied by the one or more amplifiers are varied based upon the voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i at the position sensed by the position sensor, wherein
(A) the segment currents applied to each of the voice coil segments 1 through i, are, respectively,
i
j
with
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
±
10
%
;
(B) K is based upon a magnetic force to be created by the voice coil segments; and
(C) j is an integer from 1 to i.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
±
5
%
.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein
i
j
=
{
Kx
j
/
[
∑
k
=
1
i
(
x
k
)
2
]
}
.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein K is based upon the magnetic force created for application at the position sensed by the position sensor.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein K is a constant.
22. The method of claim 16 , wherein i is between 2 and 6.
23. The method of claim 22 , wherein i is between 3 and 4.
24. The method of claim 16 , wherein, in at least some positions sensed by the position sensor, at least some, but not all, of the voice coil segments have voice coil segments fractions x 1 though x i that are 0.
25. The method of claim 16 , wherein the one or more stationary magnets can be one or more permanent magnets.
26. The method of claim 15 , wherein the position sensor is selected from a group consisting of infrared position sensors, capacitive position sensors, inductive position sensor, and combinations thereof.
27. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more amplifiers is one amplifier having two channels.
28. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more amplifiers comprises at least two amplifiers with each having two channels.