Acoustically transmissive blanket system
View Patent ↗A blanket system, which can include a blanket, quilt, or similar bed-covering can include one or more localized sound-emitting areas, one or more separately-located sound-processing devices, and one or more acoustically transmissive communication channels coupled between the sound-processing devices and the sound-emitting areas. A control can be provided to adjust the sound characteristics provided at the sound-emitting areas. The system can be used to mask unwanted sounds.
1. A blanket system comprising:
a blanket that is sized and shaped to partially or fully cover a sleeping person, wherein some or all of the blanket comprises a sound-emitting area;
an acoustically transmissive communication channel, integrated with the blanket, wherein the acoustically transmissive communication channel includes a flexible tube comprising a lumen carrying a gaseous, liquid, or other non-solid medium that acoustically communicates acoustic energy from a sound-processing device to the sound-emitting area where this energy is emitted as sound, wherein the flexible tube is integrated with the blanket and has enough structural flexibility such that a portion of the blanket including at least a portion of the flexible tube can be pressed against a portion of the person's head or neck; and
wherein the flexible tube comprises, in the sound-emitting area of the blanket a diaphragm in the tube wall, the diaphragm configured to emit acoustic energy in sound-emitting area, wherein the diaphragm is configured to retain a gaseous, liquid, or other non-solid medium within the flexible tube, but to allow movement of the diaphragm in response to acoustic energy communicated via the medium within the flexible tube to emit acoustic energy from the tube via the diaphragm.
2. The blanket system of claim 1 , wherein the flexible tube is configured such as to emit sound that substantially masks a tinnitus ringing of the person using the blanket when the blanket is pressed against the portion of the person's head or neck.
3. The blanket system of claim 1 , wherein the flexible tube includes flexible loops of polymer tube.
4. The blanket system of claim 1 , wherein, outside of the sound-emitting area, the flexible tube is acoustically insulated, such that acoustic energy is not substantially emitted outside the sound-emitting area.
5. The blanket system of claim 1 , comprising a sound-processing device, wherein the sound-processing device communicates acoustic energy into the acoustically transmissive communication channel, which acoustically communicates the acoustic energy via the acoustically transmissive communication channel to the sound-emitting area, where at least a portion of the communicated acoustic energy is emitted as sound.
6. The blanket system of claim 5 , wherein the sound-processing device is configured to generate a source signal and to use the source signal to generate acoustic energy in correspondence with the source signal.
7. The blanket system of claim 5 , wherein the sound-processing device is configured to receive an input signal from another source, and to use the received input signal to generate acoustic energy in correspondence with the received input signal.
8. The blanket system of claim 5 , wherein the sound-processing device is configured to provide acoustic energy comprising at least one of a tone, music, or other sound pattern.
9. The blanket system of claim 5 , wherein the sound-processing device is configured to be located outside of and separate from the blanket.
10. The blanket system of claim 5 , wherein the sound-processing device is configured to be located inside of, or in close association with, the blanket, but separated from the sound-emitting area by the acoustically transmissive communication channel.
11. The blanket system of claim 1 , comprising a control, configured to adjust at least one characteristic of the sound emitted at the sound-emitting area.
12. The blanket system of claim 11 , wherein the control is configured to adjust at least one of a volume, a frequency, or a spatial sound output range, area, or pattern.
13. The blanket system of claim 1 , comprising a control, configured to differentially adjust a sound characteristic of first and second sound-emitting areas of the blanket, wherein the first and second sound-emitting areas are separated from each other by a region of the blanket that is not configured as a sound-emitting area.
14. A method comprising:
providing or obtaining a blanket that is sized and shaped to partially or fully cover a sleeping person, wherein some or all of the blanket comprises a sound-emitting area;
acoustically communicating acoustic energy to the sound-emitting area via an acoustically transmissive channel that is integrated with the blanket, wherein the acoustically transmissive channel includes a flexible tube comprising a lumen carrying a gaseous, liquid, or other non-solid medium, wherein the flexible tube is integrated with the blanket and has enough structural flexibility such that a portion of the blanket including at least a portion of the flexible tube can be pressed against the portion of the person's head or neck; and
emitting sound at the sound-emitting area in response to the acoustic energy communicated via the channel, wherein emitting sound at the sound-emitting area comprises vibrating a diaphragm at the sound-emitting area in response to acoustic energy that is communicated to the sound-emitting area via a medium in the acoustically-transmissive channel.
15. The method of claim 14 , wherein emitting sound at the sound-emitting area comprises emitting sound that substantially masks a tinnitus ringing of the person using the blanket when the blanket is pressed against the portion of the person's head or neck.
16. The method of claim 14 , wherein emitting sound at the sound-emitting area comprises allowing airflow in or out of the acoustically transmissive channel at the sound-emitting area.