U.S. patent number 3,754,618 [Application Number 05/203,303] was granted by the patent office on 1973-08-28 for speaker system.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Pioneer Electronic Corporation. Invention is credited to Kizo Sasaki.
United States Patent |
3,754,618 |
Sasaki |
August 28, 1973 |
SPEAKER SYSTEM
Abstract
A speaker system employs a baffle board in the front part of the
cabinet with a woofer mounted on said baffle board. A
self-contained auxiliary speaker device covering middle and
high-pitch tone ranges is further mounted on the baffle board in
such a manner that the angle between the auxiliary speaker device
and the baffle board can be varied as desired.
Inventors: |
Sasaki; Kizo (Kakegawa,
JA) |
Assignee: |
Pioneer Electronic Corporation
(Tokyo, JA)
|
Family
ID: |
14731305 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/203,303 |
Filed: |
November 30, 1971 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
|
|
|
|
|
Nov 30, 1970 [JA] |
|
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45/118225 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
181/145;
381/304 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04R
1/323 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04R
1/32 (20060101); G10k 013/00 (); H04r 001/28 () |
Field of
Search: |
;181/31B,27A
;179/1GA |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Tomsky; Stephen J.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. In a speaker system comprising two laterally spaced speaker
assemblies, each speaker assembly being in the form of a cabinet
having a baffle board on the front of said cabinet with said
laterally spaced speaker assemblies generally facing an auditor at
right angles to a plane defined by the baffle boards of respective
cabinets with the auditor being spaced some distance therefrom, the
improvement comprising;
a woofer mounted on the baffle board of each cabinet with the sound
emanating therefrom generally at right angles to the baffle
board,
an auxiliary speaker device in the form of a self-contained speaker
for at least the high-pitch tone range, and
means for mounting said device on each baffle board such that the
angle of directivity between the auxiliary speaker device and the
plane of the baffle board may be varied universally to permit each
auxiliary speaker to have its sound directed specifically towards
said auditor.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said mounting means comprises a
universal mounting.
3. A speaker system as defined in claim 1 wherein said auxiliary
speaker device mounted on the baffle board is supported thereon
through vertical shafts and horizontal shafts so that the auxiliary
speaker device can be rotated about vertical and horizontal
axes.
4. A speaker system as defined in claim 1 wherein said auxiliary
speaker device mounted on the baffle board is supported thereon
through slidably contacting spherical surfaces so that the
auxiliary speaker device can be rotated in mutually distinct right
angle directions.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a speaker system, and more particularly
to a type thereof wherein a tweeter and a middle range speaker are
arranged in a special manner.
2. Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Because the wavelengths of the middle and high pitch tones are
shorter than those of the low pitch tones, the directivity of the
middle and high pitch tones is sharper than that of the low pitch
tones. This means that the sound field of an output tone from a
loudspeaker is increasingly narrower in accordance with the
increase in the tone frequency, whereby the middle and high pitch
tones suffer severe attenuation in a direction offset greater than
30.degree. to 60.degree. from the central axis of the loudspeaker,
depending on the frequency.
Accordingly, when a stereophonic reproduction is desired employing
conventional speaker systems (A,A) placed at two corners or a room,
adjacent to a wall thereof, as shown in FIG. 1a which will be
described hereinafter, an auditor (B) located at an apex of a
triangle, other apexes thereof being occupied by said speaker
systems (A,A), cannot hear the reproduced sound sufficiently
especially in the middle and high tone ranges.
That is, the sound fields (C,C) of the middle and high pitch tones
are shaped as shown at both sides of the auditor (B), thus being
difficult to hear these ranges of the sound, and this tendency is
even more apparent when the distance between the speaker systems
(A,A) increases.
In order to eliminate the above described difficulty in the
conventional speaker systems, the systems have been arranged as
shown by chain lines in the same drawing so that an angle is formed
between the center lines, in plan view, of the speaker systems, so
that an auditor can hear the middle and high pitch tone ranges in
the reproduced sound more completely. However, such an arrangement
of the speaker systems has reduced the utility of the room space
and degraded the aesthetical feature of the same room.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a primary object of the present invention is to provide
a speaker system whereby the above described drawback of the
conventional speaker systems can be substantially eliminated.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
speaker system whereby the highest quality of sound can be heard by
an auditor regardless of the sharp directivity characteristics of
the tweeter and the middle range speaker.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved speaker system capable of being arranged in versatile
manners whereby their utility in harmony with the room can be
substantially improved.
These and other objects of the present invention can be achieved by
a speaker system wherein a sub-speaker device self-containing a
speaker or speakers for middle and high pitch tone ranges is
provided in such a manner that the directional angle of the
sub-speaker device can be varied formed relative the baffle plate
of a cabinet on which another speaker for the low tone range is
mounted.
The nature, principle and the utility of the present invention will
be better understood from the hereinafter described detailed
description of the invention with respect to preferred embodiments
thereof, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
wherein like parts are designated by like reference numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a is a schematic diagram showing the sound field caused by a
conventional speaker system;
FIG. 1b showing that created by the speaker system according to the
present invention;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a speaker system which constitutes
a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along a vertical line
passing through the center of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a speaker system which constitutes
another embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along a vertical line
passing through the center of the speaker system shown in FIG.
4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1a, there are indicated a set of speaker systems
of a conventional type, each of the speaker systems A,A having a
directional characteristic as shown by C in its sound field. From
the hereinbefore described reason, this type of speaker systems
must be arranged as shown in chain lines so that an auditor B
positioned at an apex point of a triangle can hear the middle and
high-pitch tone ranges sufficiently.
According to the present invention, the directional characteristic
for the speaker or speakers creating the medium and high pitch
tones is allowed to be deflected as designated by C in FIG. 1b,
whereby an auditor B located at an apex point of the triangle can
hear the middle and the high pitch tone ranges as well as the low
pitch tone range.
Referring to FIG. 2, there is indicated in a perspective view, a
speaker system according to the present invention, and a sectional
view showing the detailed construction is indicated in FIG. 3. In
these Figures, a cabinet 1 for the speaker system includes a baffle
board 2 near the front surface of the cabinet 1, and the rear side
of the baffle board 2, aligned with a lower tone passage hole 2a
bored through the baffle board, there is mounted a woofer 3.
Extending through the baffle board 2 is a square or round hole 2b
for mounting the speakers for the middle and high-pitch tone
ranges. A freely rotatable frame body 4 is received within hole 2b
in such a manner that the frame body 4 is pivotally supported by
upper and lower shafts 4a so that the frame body 4 can be rotated
around the vertical axis aligning with the shafts 4a. All of the
above mentioned frame body 4 and the vertical shafts 4a project
rearwardly within an auxiliary box 2c, fixed to the baffle board 2.
A speaker box 5 is supported within the frame body 4 by shafts 5a
provided at the right and left sides thereof, so that the speaker
box 5 is allowed to be rotated around the horizontally extended
shafts 5a and a middle range speaker 6 and a tweeter 7 are included
in the speaker box 5 mounted on a baffle 5b. As assembly consisting
of the baffle 5b and the middle range speaker and the tweeter 7 is
hereinafter called an auxiliary speaker device. It should be noted
that the auxiliary box 2c and the speaker box 5 are not necessary,
and these may be omitted whenever considered preferable.
With the above described construction of the speaker system, when
the frame body 4 is rotated relative to the cabinet 1, the speakers
6 and 7 for middle and high-pitch tone ranges can be directed to
either of rightward or leftward direction against the cabinet 1,
and when the speaker box 5 is rotated relative to the frame body 4,
the speakers for the middle and high-pitch tone ranges can be
directed upwardly or downwardly relative to the cabinet 1. Thus it
is apparent that the speakers for the middle and high pitch tone
ranges can be deflected to either right-and-left or up-and-down, by
a universal mounting arrangement for the same.
Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, there is illustrated a speaker system
constituting another embodiment of the present invention. In this
embodiment, the cabinet 1 includes a baffle board 2 as in the first
embodiment, and through this baffle board 2 there is provided a
hole 2a for passing lower pitch tone from speaker 3 and another
circular hole 2b for supporting speakers for the middle and
high-pitch tone ranges.
More specifically, along the circumferential edge of the circular
hole 2b, a short cylinder 8 is fixed. The inner surface 8a of the
short cylinder 8 is formed into a spherical configuration to
receive a speaker box 9 for the middle and high-pitch tone ranges.
The speaker box 9 is constructed in a form of a semi-sphere, and a
baffle 9a for mounting speakers for the middle and high-pitch tone
ranges 6 and 7 overlies the opening within semi-spherical speaker
box 9. The combination of the baffle 9a and the speakers 6 and 7
forms an auxiliary speaker system similar to that of the first
embodiment.
Since the speaker box 9 including the speakers for the middle and
high-pitch tone ranges is slidably and freely rotatably received
and moves in either of two directions within the short supporting
cylinder 8, the direction of the speakers 6 and 7 can be adjusted
in either of two right angle directions without fear of dropping
out of the short supporting cylinder 8.
As is apparent from the above description, in either of the
embodiments of the present invention, the speakers 6 and 7 for the
middle and high-pitch tone ranges are mounted within a speaker box
5 and 9 which in turn is mounted freely rotatably in the baffle
board 2 also mounting the woofer 3. As a result, when the speaker
box 5 or 9 only is rotated toward a desired direction without
varying the orientation direction of the cabinet 1 as illustrated
in FIG. 1b, the auditor B can hear the sound in the middle and
high-pitch tone ranges together with the lower tone range,
regardless of the sharp directivity of the middle and high pitch
tone ranges, whereby the auditory sensation is much improved.
Furthermore, in the case of the second embodiment as shown in FIGS.
4 and 5, since the speaker box 9 accommodating the speakers for the
middle and high-pitch ranges can be freely rotated in either of two
right angle directions, a multi-cellular horn which has a
pre-determined mounting direction may also be equipped in the
speaker box 9, and by rotating the speaker box 9 90.degree., a
vertical type cabinet may be horizontally oriented.
Although the invention has been described with respect to preferred
embodiments thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the
art that various modifications thereof may also be carried out
without departing the scope of the invention as defined
hereinbelow. For instance, the speakers for middle and high tone
ranges as described in either of the embodiments may be substituted
by a single speaker covering these ranges.
* * * * *