U.S. patent application number 16/016907 was filed with the patent office on 2019-12-26 for accoustically and visually optimized projection screen.
The applicant listed for this patent is DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.. Invention is credited to STEVEN M. CHAPMAN, JEFFREY A. DAVIS, BRYAN L. JOLLEY, THOMAS F. LADUKE, MASON DARYL LEV.
Application Number | 20190394546 16/016907 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 68766277 |
Filed Date | 2019-12-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190394546 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHAPMAN; STEVEN M. ; et
al. |
December 26, 2019 |
ACCOUSTICALLY AND VISUALLY OPTIMIZED PROJECTION SCREEN
Abstract
An acoustical screen that can be utilized in a variety of
applications including as part of a projection screen to cover and
hide the presence of an audio speaker. The acoustical screen is
formed using multiple hole sizes, e.g., three or more hole
diameters or outer dimensions if not round. These differently-sized
holes are placed in pseudo-random positions so that there is no
perceivable repeating pattern of hole placement in the acoustical
screen. By avoiding an ordered grid of holes of a single diameter
as in prior speaker grills, the new acoustical screen disguises the
visible reflection pattern through non-uniformity. It also provides
an improved acoustic transmission surface that allows sound with a
greater variety of wavelengths to pass while reflecting a less
pronounced echo. The acoustical screen will be in demand for use in
entertainment venues using projection systems with speakers
positioned behind a front projected screen.
Inventors: |
CHAPMAN; STEVEN M.; (NEWBURY
PARK, CA) ; LEV; MASON DARYL; (SIGNAL HILL, CA)
; JOLLEY; BRYAN L.; (BURBANK, CA) ; DAVIS; JEFFREY
A.; (LONG BEACH, CA) ; LADUKE; THOMAS F.;
(ORANGE, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. |
Burbank |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
68766277 |
Appl. No.: |
16/016907 |
Filed: |
June 25, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R 1/023 20130101;
G03B 21/565 20130101; H04R 1/028 20130101; G03B 21/56 20130101;
G03B 31/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04R 1/02 20060101
H04R001/02; G03B 21/56 20060101 G03B021/56 |
Claims
1. A system for providing projection-based entertainment,
comprising: a projection screen with a front projection surface; a
projector operable to project light onto the front projection
surface for reflection into a viewing space; an audio speaker
operable to output sound into the viewing space and positioned
behind the projection screen adjacent a back surface of the
projection screen opposite the front projection surface; and a
screen assembly including an acoustical screen with an outer
surface facing toward the viewing space and adjacent the front
projection surface and covering the audio speaker, wherein the
acoustical screen comprises a plurality of holes with spacing
material sandwiched adjacent between each pair of the holes and
wherein the holes have at least a first size and a second size
greater than the first size and wherein the holes of the first and
second sizes are arranged in a pseudo-random pattern in the
acoustical screen, whereby the output sound from the audio speaker
is transmitted through the holes of the acoustical screen.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first size is in the range of
1/16 to 1/8 inches.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the holes further comprise a
third size greater than the second size.
4. The system of claim 3, wherein the holes have a circular cross
sectional shape.
5. The system of claim 4, wherein the holes have outer diameters in
the range of 1/16 to 3/16 inches.
6. The system of claim 3, wherein the pseudo-random pattern is
defined so that each of the holes has only a single neighboring one
of the holes with a matching size.
7. The system of claim 3, wherein the pseudo-random pattern is
defined with a predefined ratio of the holes having the first,
second, and third sizes and with the predefined ratio enforced when
randomly selecting an order of placement of the holes in the
pseudo-random pattern.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustical screen is coupled
about its periphery with the projection screen and wherein the
screen assembly further includes a backing fabric layer comprising
an acoustically transmissive material extending over an inner
surface of the acoustical screen.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the acoustical screen is formed
of thin sheet of a metal or a plastic and wherein the outer surface
is painted with a paint of a color matching a color of the
projection surface.
10. An acoustical screen for masking presence of an audio speaker
while effectively transmitting its output, comprising: a screen
body; in the screen body, a first set of circular holes with a
first outer diameter; in the screen body, a second set of circular
holes with a second outer diameter smaller than the first outer
diameter; and in the screen body, a third set of circular holes
with a third outer diameter smaller than the second outer diameter,
wherein the circular holes of the first, second, and third sets are
arranged in a pseudo-random pattern across a front surface of the
screen body.
11. The acoustical screen of claim 10, wherein the screen body is
formed from a thin sheet of metal or plastic and wherein the front
surface is colored or treated for use as a front projection
surface.
12. The acoustical screen of claim 10, wherein the third outer
diameter is equal to or less than 0.0625 inches and the first and
second outer diameters are in the range of 0.0625 to 0.25
inches.
13. The acoustical screen of claim 10, wherein the pseudo-random
pattern is defined so that each of the circular holes has only a
single neighboring one of the circular holes with a matching outer
diameter.
14. The acoustical screen of claim 10, wherein the pseudo-random
pattern is defined with a predefined ratio of the holes having the
first, second, and third sizes and with the predefined ratio
enforced when randomly selecting an order of placement of the holes
in the pseudo-random pattern.
15. A method of generating a pattern for holes of an acoustical
screen, comprising: selecting a number of sets of differently-sized
holes for use in the acoustical screen, wherein the number is sets
is greater than two; assigning a unique hole size to each of the
sets of differently-sized holes; defining outer dimensions of the
acoustical screen; generating a pattern based on the outer
dimensions; with a hole pattern generation program run by a
processor of a computing device, automatically selecting a new hole
to place in the pattern formed in the generating step from the sets
of differently-sized holes; with the hole pattern generation
program, automatically positioning the new hole in the pattern at a
random location, wherein the random location is selected to provide
a predefined spacing between adjacent hole pairs; and repeating the
selecting and the positioning until the pattern is filled.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the hole pattern generation
program performs the positioning of the new hole in the pattern by
randomly selecting a drop location along a defined upper edge of
the pattern and simulating a gravity-based drop of the new hole
from the drop location.
17. The method of claim 15, after the repeating step, performing
optimization to determine whether one or more of the holes has more
than a predefined number of neighboring holes with a matching size
and, in response to an affirmative determination, moving the one or
more of the holes to a new randomly selected location in the
pattern.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the predefined number is equal
to one.
19. The method of claim 15, further comprising defining a ratio of
numbers of holes from each of the sets of differently-sized holes
for inclusion in the pattern and wherein the selecting step is
performed based on the ratio.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein the number of the sets of
differently-sized holes is set to three, wherein each of the new
holes is circular, and wherein each of the hole sizes defines an
outer diameter in the range of 0.0625 to 0.25 inches.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Description
[0001] The present description relates, in general, to designs for
and methods of making projection screens and acoustic screens. More
particularly, the description relates to a screen (or mask) that is
optimized for projection while also being designed for improved
acoustical transmission from a speaker positioned behind the
screen.
2. Relevant Background
[0002] There are many applications where is desirable to position
an audio speaker behind a projection screen. For example, a front
projected screen may be provided in a theater, along an amusement
park ride, or in a show space of a theme park or other
entertainment venue, and one or more audio speakers are hidden from
view by positioning them behind the projection screen. In such
applications, it is desirable for the portion of the projection
screen covering the speaker to effectively transmit sound from the
speaker while also reflecting projected light to limit effects on
the projected imagery.
[0003] Unfortunately, to date, providing an acoustically and
visually optimized projection screen has proven difficult. Many
projection system designers have entirely avoided the problem of
acoustic transmission through the projection screen by offsetting
the speakers from the projection screen and using a solid
projection surface as the projection screen. However, in many
applications, this solution is not acceptable or desirable.
Offsetting the speakers can produce a notable dislocation of the
sound source from the projected sound emitter. For example, a
projected character will be at one location on the projection
screen while the character's voice will emit from a distinctly
different location from where their mouth is shown to be moving on
the projection screen.
[0004] In other system designs, the speaker is positioned behind
the projection screen, and the projection screen is fabricated
using construction techniques intended to be acoustically
transmissive while attempting to maintain attenuated light
reflection to prevent specular hotspots. To this end, a
conventional design for a speaker grill or screen is typically used
for the portion of the projection screen covering the speaker.
[0005] For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet 100 of material that
may be used as a speaker grill and a similar hole pattern may be
used in a projection screen to hide or mask the presence of a
speaker while being acoustically transmissive. As shown, the sheet
100, which may be a thin sheet of aluminum, includes numerous holes
110 that are arranged in a uniform pattern (e.g., staggered rows),
and each of the holes has a matching diameter (e.g., in the range
of 1/8-inch to 5/16-inch diameter holes or the like). FIG. 2 shows
a projection screen 200 with portions formed of convention
projection material (i.e., solid screen) and a speaker-covering
portion 220 that would be positioned over an audio speaker during
use. The speaker-covering portion 220 has a repeating pattern of
uniformly-sized (e.g., 1/8-inch diameter) holes 222 configured for
transmitting sound from a covered or masked speaker and has
material 224 between the holes 222 that is used to reflect light
that is front projected onto the projection screen.
[0006] The result of this combined duty of the portion of the
screen covering the speakers is neither of these two duties, or
design goals, is completely effective or fully satisfied.
Specifically, the ordered and uniformed holes (e.g., holes 110 and
222 in FIGS. 1 and 2) that allow passage of sound act to create a
wave barrier that negatively affects audio fidelity. Further, as
can be seen easily in FIG. 2, the repeating pattern of
uniformly-sized holes 222 presents a distinct visible grid pattern
that reveals itself as a dimensional surface that is readily
visible to the viewer even from relatively large distances (8 to 12
feet or the like). The visibility of the speaker-covering portion
220 spoils the illusion of greater depth that might be contained in
the media projected onto the screen 200.
[0007] Hence, there remains a need for a new design for a speaker
screen, mask, or grill that can be used as part of projection
screen. While the existing designs with uniform hole sizes and
spacing are easy to fabricate, the existing speaker screen
materials create audible and visual artifacts. The new designs
would, therefore, preferably reduce the visibility of the screen
material when used on a projection screen and provide improved
acoustic transmission from a speaker hidden behind the front
projected screen.
SUMMARY
[0008] To address the above and other needs, a new method for
designing and fabricating an acoustical mask or screen is provided
herein, and the acoustical screen can be utilized in a variety of
applications including as part of a projection screen to cover an
audio speaker. The screen is labeled "acoustical" because it is
designed to provide better transmission of sound than prior screens
with uniformly-sized holes, and the acoustical screen is useful in
front projected projection screens because it is better designed
for reflecting light than prior material as it is much less visible
to a typical viewer. In some testing, the acoustical screen was
unperceivable to a viewer at a planned viewing distance, e.g., in
the range of 8 to 15 feet or more.
[0009] Briefly, the acoustical screen is formed using multiple hole
sizes (e.g., three or more hole diameters or outer dimensions if
not round). These differently or non-uniformly-sized holes are
placed in pseudo-random positions so that there is no perceivable
repeating pattern of hole placement in the acoustical screen. By
avoiding use of an ordered grid of holes of a single diameter as in
prior speaker grills and acoustic mask materials, the new
acoustical screen disguises the visible reflection pattern through
non-uniformity. It also provides an improved acoustic transmission
surface that allows sound with a greater variety of wavelengths to
pass while reflecting a less pronounced echo by randomizing the
back-reflected sound space surface. The acoustical screen likely
will be in demand for use in home entertainment applications to
better hide speakers as well as in movie theaters, theme parks, and
other entertainment venues that use projection systems in which
speakers are positioned behind a front projected screen.
[0010] More particularly, a system is described that is adapted to
provide projection-based entertainment. The system includes a
projection screen with front projection surface and a projector
operable to project light onto the front projection surface for
reflection into a viewing space. The system also includes an audio
speaker operable to output sound into the viewing space, and this
speaker is positioned behind the projection screen adjacent a back
surface of the projection screen opposite the front projection
surface. Further, the system includes a screen assembly that has an
acoustical screen with an outer surface facing toward the viewing
space. The acoustical screen is positioned adjacent the front
projection surface and so as to cover the audio speaker. The
acoustical screen includes a plurality of holes with spacing
material or screen fill (i.e., material making up the body of the
screen) sandwiched adjacent between each pair of the holes.
Significantly, the holes have at least a first size and a second
size, greater than the first size, and the holes of the first and
second sizes are arranged in a pseudo-random pattern in the
acoustical screen, whereby the output sound from the audio speaker
is transmitted through the holes of the acoustical screen.
[0011] In some embodiments, the first size is in the range of 1/16
to 1/8 inches, and the holes further include holes of a third size
that is greater than the second size. The holes may have a circular
cross sectional shape, and the holes have outer diameters in the
range of 1/16 to 3/16 inches. In some preferred embodiments, the
pseudo-random pattern is defined so that each of the holes has only
a single neighboring one of the holes with a matching size. Also,
the pseudo-random pattern may be defined with a predefined ratio of
the holes having the first, second, and third sizes and with the
predefined ratio enforced during a process of randomly selecting an
order of placement of the holes in the pseudo-random pattern.
[0012] In some cases, the acoustical screen is coupled about its
periphery with the projection screen, and the screen assembly
further includes a backing fabric layer comprising an acoustically
transmissive material extending over an inner surface of the
acoustical screen. In these or other cases, the acoustical screen
is formed of thin sheet of a metal or a plastic, and the outer
surface is painted with a paint of a color matching a color of the
projection surface (such as with an acrylic gray paint or the
like).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet of material useful for a speaker
grill;
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary prior art projection screen
with a speaker grill or speaker-covering portion with a repeating
pattern of uniformly-sized holes;
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of an
entertainment system of the present description;
[0016] FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of an acoustical screen
or mask assembly of the present description that may be used in the
entertainment system of FIG. 3;
[0017] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a small section of the
acoustical screen or screen body of FIG. 4;
[0018] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a small section of the
acoustical screen or screen body of FIG. 4 showing an identified
cluster or clump of like-sized holes that can be eliminated prior
to fabrication;
[0019] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a projection screen assembly, which
includes the acoustical screen assembly of FIG. 4, during its use
from a first viewing position close to the screen surface and from
second viewing position a greater distance from the screen
surface;
[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates a flow diagram of an exemplary algorithm
or method for designing or generating a pseudo-random hole pattern
for use in fabricating an acoustical screen; and
[0021] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a system configured
for operating to generate a pseudo-random hole pattern for an
acoustical screen such as through implementing the algorithm of
FIG. 9.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Briefly, the following description provides an acoustical
screen that is useful, for example, as a screen-covering portion of
a projection screen to disguise or mask the presence of an audio
speaker behind the projection screen. The acoustical screen is
formed in a sheet of material (such as a thin metal (e.g.,
aluminum) sheet, a plastic sheet, or the like) using multiple hole
sizes rather than a single hole size throughout as in prior speaker
grill materials. The non-uniformly-sized holes are placed a
pseudo-random positions so that there is no perceivable pattern
repeated in the acoustical screen. The acoustical screen also
provides an improved acoustic transmission surface that allows
sound with a greater variety of wavelengths to pass while
reflecting a less pronounced echo by randomizing the back-reflected
sound space surface.
[0023] The method of designing and fabricating the acoustical
screen involves use of computer-implemented algorithm (e.g., a
computer running specially designed software) that is given input
as to the desired screen size, the desired hole sizes, the desired
separation distance between adjacent holes ("screen fill" or
"spacing sections or material"), the desired area ratios (i.e., how
many holes of each size), and, in some embodiments, additional
parameters to ameliorate randomly occurring clump patterns or
clumps/clusters of holes of a particular size. The software is
configured to process this input and generate a pattern for an
acoustical screen including the differently-sized holes in a
pseudo-random pattern. The software may also use a physics
simulation to "pack" or tighten the pattern to eliminate unwanted
voids. The output of the software is, in some cases, a
fabrication-ready file such as computer-aided design (CAD) file
that can then be used in fabrication of the material for the
acoustic screen.
[0024] FIG. 3 illustrates an entertainment or display system 300
implementing an acoustical screen 316, which may be fabricated as
discussed above and in more detail in the following paragraphs. The
system 300 includes a projection screen assembly 310 that may be
positioned in a space such as a theater or along a park ride for
viewing by a viewer 304. The assembly 310 includes a screen 312
that is configured for front projection, e.g., a sheet of
conventional projection screen material. A projector 320 is
included in the system 300 and is operated as shown to project
light or media 322 onto the screen 312, and light 324 is reflected
by the material of the screen 312 to the viewer 304 to allow them
perceive one or more images or a set of media.
[0025] More significantly, though, the system 300 further includes
an acoustical screen 316 formed with holes of three or more
differing diameters/sizes arranged in a pseudo-random pattern. The
screen or mask 316 is used to replace an area of the screen 312 and
is coupled or attached about its periphery to adjacent portions of
the screen 312. This may be achieved with caulking to mate with
nearby portions of the projection screen 312, and it may be useful
for this caulking to be intermittent in a random pattern to limit
the ability of the viewer 304 to perceive a seam between the
mask/screen 316 and adjacent portions of the projection screen
312.
[0026] The system 300 further includes an audio speaker 314
positioned behind the projection screen 312. The acoustical screen
316 is provided in a location of the assembly 310 such that is
covering the audio speaker 314. When the audio speaker 314 is
operated (e.g., to play a soundtrack associated with the media 322
projected by the projector 320), the sound or output audio 317 is
transmitted through the holes of the acoustical screen 316 so that
it can be heard by the viewer 324. As discussed above, the use of
differing sizes of holes in the acoustical screen 316 allows
differing wavelengths of sound to be effectively transmitted with
reduced echo so that it provides enhanced acoustical transmission
when compared with prior speaker covers using uniformly-sized
holes. The material of the acoustical screen 316 between the holes
("screen fill" or "spacing sections or material") may be a metal, a
plastic, or other material, and it may be painted to be the same
color as the front projected screen such as with an acrylic or
other projection paint (e.g., a gray such as Dover Gray (518-5)
from Pittsburgh Paints or the like).
[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates one example of an acoustical screen (or
mask) assembly 400 that may be used as the acoustical screen/mask
316 in the system 300 of FIG. 3. The assembly 400 includes an
acoustical screen or screen body 410, which may be formed from a
thin sheet of metal, gypsum, plastic, fiberglass, or the like (with
one embodiment using a sheet of stainless steel with a thickness in
the range of 3/1000 to 6/1000 inches such as 4/1000-inch SS), and a
backing layer 420, which may be provided as an acoustically
transmissive fabric attached to a back side of the acoustical
screen or screen body 410. In one embodiment, the backing layer is
provided as sheet of fabric such as poplin (e.g., a fog or
other-colored Janus curtain from Dazian or the like). FIG. 4
illustrates the assembly 400 as it would be oriented in use with a
front side of the acoustical screen or screen body 410 facing
outward toward a viewing space and with the backing layer 420
facing or contacting an audio speaker.
[0028] The screen body 410 is porous to allow it to transmit sound.
Specifically, the screen body 410 includes numerous holes or
passageways 414, 416, and 418 extending through its entire
thickness. As shown, the holes 414 have an outer diameter (OD) (or
first OD) that is greater than an OD (or second OD) of the holes
416, and the second OD of holes 416 is greater than the OD (or
third OD) of the holes 418. In some embodiments, the ODs of the
holes 414, 416, and 418 are chosen so as to fall within the range
of 1/32 to 1/4 inches (e.g., with the first OD at 3/16 inches, the
second OD at 1/8 inches, and the third OD at 1/16 inches).
[0029] The body 410 further includes screen fill or spacing
material 412 between pairs of adjacent holes 414, 416, and 418, and
the screen fill or spacing material 412 serves the dual purposes of
providing projection surfaces to reflect light projected onto the
screen body 410 and of providing the screen body 410 with
structural rigidity. In some embodiments, the spacing or separation
distance between adjacent holes 414, 416, and 418 is chosen to be
in the range of 1/16 to 1/8 inches, with the separation distance
typically being uniform throughout the body 410. As noted above,
the front side (showing in FIG. 4) of the body 410 may be treated
to allow to reflect light in a similar manner to nearby portions of
a projection screen such as by painting the screen fill or spacing
material 412 with an acrylic paint of a color (e.g., a gray, a
white, a silver, or the like) matching that of the front surface of
projection screen.
[0030] FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of a small section of the
acoustical screen or screen body 410 of FIG. 4. As shown, three
different sizes of holes 414, 416, and 418 are provided on the
screen body 410 and are separated by screen fill or spacing
material 412. The separation distance is shown to differ between
different pairs of adjacent holes, but the separation distance may
also be uniform to implement an acoustical screen of the present
description. Holes of three different sizes are shown, but other
embodiments may utilized four, five, or more sizes of holes. Also,
the holes 414, 416, and 418 are all shown to be circular in shape,
which is useful for ease of fabrication, but other embodiments may
use holes with differing shapes such as triangular, square, or
hexagonal holes.
[0031] In this specific implementation, the largest holes 414 are
shown to have an OD of 3/16 inches, the intermediately sized holes
416 are shown to have an OD of 1/8 inches, and the smallest holes
418 are shown to have an OD of 1/16 inches. Other OD sizes may be
utilized (as noted above), but these three were found to be
desirable in one tested prototype of the assembly 400.
Particularly, the 1/16-inch OD holes 418 were smaller than any
holes of prior speaker grill materials (e.g., half the size of
smallest prior grill openings), while still obtaining an
acoustically transparent screen body 410 (on average).
[0032] Referring again to FIG. 4, it can be seen that there is no
perceivable repeating pattern for the positioning of the
differently-sized holes 414, 416, and 418. Instead, as described
below, the inventors have developed a process for locating the
holes 414, 416, and 418 in a pseudo-random manner or with a random
hole pattern. This allows the use of smaller than normal holes such
as holes 418 to still achieve an on average acoustically
transparent screen 410. The random hole pattern also eliminates
visual artifacts such as a moire pattern, which may make the
presence of the acoustical screen 410 more apparent to an
observer.
[0033] In brief, the technique of selecting hole locations may
involve filling from the bottom of a screen area with the hole size
and drop point along the top edge of the screen area being randomly
selected, and this process is repeated until the screen area is
completely filled. The pattern in "pseudo" random in part because
the ratios of the various hole sizes to the total is often forced
or set by a screen designer as part of the process rather than
relying on pure randomness. Further, the random selection and drop
process may be modified to try to avoid clumps or clusters of holes
of a certain size in the body 410, as these clumps or clusters may
be perceived in some cases by a viewer.
[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates, for example, a portion of the body 410
in which the holes 414, 416, 418 have been arranged into a random
pattern. As shown in area 650, a cluster or clump of the smallest
holes 418 is present on the body 410. An additional step during
design can be used to identify and then break up this cluster or
clump of holes 418 in the area 650. For example, after completion
of the random selection and drop process, the design algorithm may
include a step where each hole 414, 416, and 418 in the
originally-formed hole pattern is inspected to determine whether or
not it has only a certain number of neighboring holes of the same
size (same OD in this case), with one prototype of the design
algorithm only allowing one neighbor of the same size. If the
maximum number of matching neighbors is exceeded, the hole 414,
416, or 418 presently being inspected or analyzed is moved (in a
random manner) and inserted into the pattern at the new location
(displacing nearby holes to move them to new locations, too). This
process is then repeated for each hole in the pattern to look for
clusters/clumps of like-sized holes and break up any found
clusters/clumps.
[0035] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a projection screen assembly 700
during its use with a projector (not shown) to display imagery and
as would be observed or perceived by a viewer in a viewing space.
FIG. 7 shows the projection screen assembly 700 from a very close
in viewing location such as 1 to 3 feet, which typically would not
be an intended viewing distance for viewers in the viewing space.
As shown, the assembly 700 includes a front projected screen 710
and the acoustical screen assembly 400 including the acoustical
screen or screen body 410 (e.g., mated about its periphery to
adjacent portions of the front projected screen 710).
[0036] From the close-in viewing location shown in FIG. 7, a viewer
is able to detect or perceive the seams between the screen 710 and
acoustical screen body 410 and also to detect the presence of the
holes even when arranged in the pseudo-random pattern. However,
FIG. 8 illustrates the same in-use projection screen assembly 700,
and, at this second viewing location (such as 8 to 12 feet or
more), a viewer is unlikely to be able to detect or perceive the
presence of the acoustical screen body 410 because the holes are
arranged in the pseudo-random pattern and because the holes have
three different sizes. In use, in effect, the acoustical screen
assembly 400 of the present description becomes lost in the larger
screen 710 and effectively hides the presence of a speaker
positioned behind its body 410, while still providing excellent
sound transmission to viewers in the viewing space.
[0037] FIG. 9 illustrates with a flow diagram an algorithm or
method 900 for designing a pseudo-random hole pattern for an
acoustical screen of the present description (such as screen 410 of
FIG. 4). The method 900 starts at 905 such as with running a hole
pattern design program on a computing device. The method 900
continues with step 910 that involves defining a set of design
parameters or inputs that are used to create the hole pattern
design. These parameters may be set as default values or be
selected from lists or ranges of predefined values by an operator
of the computing device. In some embodiments, the design parameters
include: (a) a number or quantity of holes of differing sizes; (b)
a hole size (e.g., diameter) for each (e.g., three or more hole
sizes); (c) a spacing between neighboring holes in the pattern; and
(d) a screen size.
[0038] The method 900 continues at 920 with spawning a randomly
chosen hole with a simulated mass and dropping it from a randomly
chosen location in a spawn area (an area "above" the top edge of
the screen area). For example, in step 910, the number of
differently-sized holes may be set at three. In step 920, the
method 900 involves randomly selecting one of these three
differently-sized holes to drop into the screen area next, and it
drops due to the use of a simulated gravity field and by applying
the simulated mass to the hole (e.g., with a mass of 1 unit or the
like). In some cases, the number of each type (or different size)
of hole is weighted to ensure an even area quantity of the three
(or more) hole types are present in the created hole pattern.
[0039] In step 930, the method 900 continues with determining
whether or not the dropped hole is now touching, hitting, or
intersecting another hole (previously dropped hole) or whether the
dropped hole is now resting on the bottom edge of the screen area.
If not, the method 900 continues at 940 with the hole continuing to
drop within the screen area toward the screen's bottom edge due to
SLM physics. The method 900 then continues at 930 until the hole is
dropped into a random location in the hole pattern being built up.
Then, the method 900 continues at 950 with a determination of
whether or not the screen area is now full of holes. If not full
(free space still exists), the method 900 returns to step 920 with
the selection of a next hole size/type to drop.
[0040] When the screen area is full, a preliminary hole pattern is
completed, and this may be used in some cases to fabricate an
acoustical screen by forming the differently-sized in the
pseudo-random hole pattern in sheet of metal, plastic, or other
material and then, optionally, painting a front or outer surface in
projection applications. In other cases, though, the method 900
continues at 960 with running an optimization pass to ameliorate
undesirable conditions. For example, as discussed above, it may be
desirable to identify and break up clusters or clumps of
single-sized holes from the pattern formed through step 950. The
optimization continues at 965 with inspecting a next hole in the
pattern from step 950 to determine whether it is in a bad or less
preferred position/location in the pattern. For example, it may
have too many neighboring holes (more than one, more than two, more
than three, or the like) that are of the same size, which may be
used to identify a cluster or clump.
[0041] If the hole being inspected is not in a bad location at step
965, the method 900 continues at 975 with determining whether or
not all holes in the pattern have been inspected. If yes, the
method 900 may continue at step 985 with saving the generated hole
pattern in memory for later use in fabricating an acoustical
screen. With the pseudo-random hole pattern saved, the method 900
may then end at 990. If all holes have not been inspected at step
975, the method 900 continues at 980 with selecting a next hole in
the pattern for inspection at step 965.
[0042] If the hole is determined to be in a bad position in step
965, the method 900 continues at 970 with reworking the hole
pattern. This may involve generating a random new location for the
hole presently being inspected and then moving the hole to the new
location (and pressing it into the pattern causing other
neighboring holes to be relocated or displaced from their prior
positions). In this way, the unwanted clump or cluster of holes of
like size is at least partially broken up. The method then
continues at step 975 with a determination of whether or not all
holes (which may each have an ID assigned to them in step 920 to
allow them to be traced during processing) have been inspected. If
yes, the method 900 continues with step 985, but, if no, the method
900 continues with step 980.
[0043] FIG. 10 illustrates a functional block diagram of a hole
pattern design system 1000, which may be provided with any
computing device specially configured as discussed herein. The
system 1000 includes a processor 1010 that executes code or
instructions (e.g., a software program) to provide the
functionality of a hole pattern generation program 1030 and,
optionally, a pattern optimization module 1035, and these
components 1030, 1035 may implement the algorithm 900 of FIG. 9.
The processor 1010 also manages operations of a set of input/output
devices 1020 and one or more memory devices 1040. The I/O devices
1020 may include keyboards, a mouse, a touchscreen/pad, voice
recognition software and hardware, and a display that may be used
to display a GUI to allow an operator of the system 1000 to
initiate the program 1030 and to provide input to define a set of
design parameters 1050 that are stored in memory 1040 and are used
by the program 1030 as input to create a random hole pattern for a
screen.
[0044] As discussed with reference to the method 900 of FIG. 9, the
design parameters 1050 may include: (a) a number or quantity of
holes of differing sizes 1052; (b) a hole size (e.g., diameter) for
each (e.g., three or more hole sizes) 1054; (c) a spacing between
neighboring holes in the pattern 1056; and (d) a screen size (and
shape in some cases) 1058. The hole pattern generation program 1030
processes the input values/design parameters 1050 and performs
steps 920-950 of method 900 of FIG. 9. During the performance of
these pattern generation steps, the program 1030 may operate to
periodically store an in-process hole pattern 1060 that includes
each hole 1062 selected and dropped into position so far, with a
size 1064 and a location 1066 for each. The hole pattern generation
program 1030 then may call the pattern optimization module 1035 to
perform steps 960-985 of the method 900 of FIG. 9, and this results
in the optimized pseudo-random hole pattern 1070 being generated
and stored in the memory 1040, with a record for each hole 1072
that includes its size 1074 and its final location 1076.
[0045] Although the invention has been described and illustrated
with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the
present disclosure has been made only by way of example, and that
numerous changes in the combination and arrangement of parts can be
resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention, as hereinafter claimed.
* * * * *