This invention relates to electrostatic audio loudspeakers.
Loudspeakers can generally be grouped into three classes of device, namely electrostatic (coil and magnet), piezoelectric and capacitative. Electrostatic loudspeakers are used in many applications, such as hi-fi systems, radios, televisions, computers etc. They have high efficiency and are cheap to produce, although they suffer from the first that they are relatively bulky and heavy. Whilst electrostatic loudspeakers can be made which cover the range of frequency from sub-audio (10 Hz) to the top of the hearing range (20 kHz), it is usual for two or three separate loudspeakers to be used together to span the whole audio frequency range if high fidelity reproduction is required.
Piezoelectric loudspeakers are currently of considerable interest as they can be used to produce relatively flat loudspeakers which are particularly advantageous where space is at a premium, for example in aircraft, cars etc. However such loudspeakers are relatively expensive and are typically several millimeters thick. An inexpensive example of a piezoelectric loudspeaker is the “unimorph” used in singing Christmas cards.
Electrostatic loudspeakers are often considered to give the highest quality audio reproduction. Generally such loudspeakers use an electrically conducting thin membrane between two electrode planes, and alternate the direction of the electric field to move the membrane. However such loudspeakers use very high voltages and require a bulky enclosure.
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel electrostatic audio loudspeaker which is capable of being used in a variety of applications, and particularly in applications where space is at a premium.
According to the present invention there is provided an electrostatic audio loudspeaker comprising a multi-layer panel incorporating an electrically insulating middle layer sandwiched between first and second electrically conducting outer layers, at least one of the layers having a profiled surface where it contacts the surface of another of the layers, and signal means for applying an alternating electrical voltage across the first and second layers to initiate vibration due to variation of the electrostatic forces acting between the layers.
Such a loudspeaker can serve as a low cost audio loudspeaker which can be made lightweight and flexible so as to render it suitable for a wide range of applications. For example such a loudspeaker may be in the form of a large area sheet which can be directly mounted on a wall to provide sound reproduction in a home environment without requiring any bulky enclosure or in a public address system such as may be required in a railway station, for example. Furthermore such a loudspeaker would be particularly suitable for use in applications where space is at a particular premium, for example in a notebook computer or mobile telephone. Since the loudspeaker may also be made transparent, it would also be possible to incorporate it in a computer screen or in a car side window. Because such a loudspeaker can be produced at very low cost, it may also be suitable for novelty items, such as noisy posters and talking or singing cards.
In order that the invention may be more fully understood, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which:
A simple construction of loudspeaker 1 in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to
As shown diagrammatically in
In a variation of such a loudspeaker 1′ having an electrically insulating middle layer 2′ sandwiched between first and second electrically conducting outer layers 3′ and 4′, the first layer 3′ is profiled instead of (or in addition) the middle layer 2′. In this case the first layer 3′ again comprises a polymer membrane 7′ to which a layer 8′ of metallisation has been applied, but in this case the first layer 3′ is profiled, for example by being scrunched up prior to being applied to the middle layer 2′ or by having a regular pattern embossed thereon so as to produce, in effect, recesses 9 on the surface of the first layer 3′ which contacts the middle layer 2′. It will be appreciated that, when such an arrangement is driven as described with reference to
Such a loudspeaker does not require the large voltages required by conventional electrostatic loudspeakers since the electrostatic field is large because the separation of the electrodes is small. A reasonably small voltage, say of the order of 36V may therefore be used to produce such an electric field (although higher voltages may be required in some cases to generate larger acoustic amplitudes).
In a further variation the d.c. supply 10 may be eliminated completely by using a permanently charged material for the membrane 7, 7′ and/or the middle layer 2, 2′. Such permanently charged materials are commercially available in sheet form at low cost, such as the Clingz film supplied by the Permacharge Corporation. Such an arrangement ensures that the layers 2 and 3 are held together by electrostatic attraction. Furthermore such electrostatic charges may even be used to hold the panel on a wall. Such an arrangement simplifies the operation of the loudspeaker (eliminating the need for a separate d.c. power supply), but may reduce the amplitude of sound generated.
In a further variation of loudspeaker 1″ having an electrically insulating middle layer 2″ sandwiched between first and second electrically conducting outer layers 3″ and 4″, as shown in
Because of the thinness of the layers, the loudspeakers in accordance with the invention described above are not only very thin, i.e. less than 0.5 mm, but are also flexible allowing them to be easily contoured. Such contouring can either be used to fit the loudspeaker to suit its environment, for example to fit within a room with curved walls or within a curved computer casing or screen, or to modify the emitted acoustic field, for example by being made concave to focus the sound or convex to spread the sound. Such a loudspeaker can be adapted very easily to a potential frequency bandwidth in air up to 2 MHz. Whilst the loudspeaker may have poorer low frequency response, such a low frequency response can be improved by careful design of the loudspeaker components.
The thin profile of such loudspeakers gives them an advantage over more conventional loudspeakers in applications where space is at a premium, for example in notebook computers and mobile telephones. Furthermore, by using transparent polymers and electrodes, it would be possible to produce transparent loudspeaker panels which can be used either in front of computer screens, giving advantages in terms of directionality of sound, or within car windows, both for the purposes of audio reproduction and noise reduction. The low weight of the loudspeakers, together with their thin profile, also offers considerable potential for use in aerospace and other specialist applications, either for audio reproduction or for noise cancellation.
The loudspeakers are inherently efficient at generating sound from electrical signals and can consequently be considered to be low power. This is of particular advantage where power consumption is at a premium, for example with battery powered devices such as notebook computers, novelty Christmas cards, or even novel audio advertising posters.
The ability to produce large areas of loudspeaker at relatively low cost using such a construction also offers novel applications for home audio systems, allowing loudspeakers to be hung as well as wallpaper on walls or ceilings. In this regard large area sound sources have potential advantages for the sound field of such audio systems. Furthermore, if a permanently charged polymer film is attached to the rear of the loudspeaker, the resulting electrostatic forces can be used to stick the loudspeaker to the wall, enabling the loudspeaker to be rolled up and moved to a new location when required.
It would also be a relatively straightforward task to enable a single loudspeaker sheet to be separated into separate elements, either by cutting the sheet or by screen-printing rear electrodes in multiple areas. This would provide the ability to produce surround sound by controlling separate speaker elements to provide the required audio image in a sound stage.
A further application of the invention is to noise cancellation systems in which ambient noise is cancelled by the generation of anti-noise by a loudspeaker component in accordance with the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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00215905 | Sep 2000 | GB | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/GB01/03837 | 8/28/2000 | WO | 00 | 2/27/2003 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO02/19764 | 3/7/2002 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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3942029 | Kawakami et al. | Mar 1976 | A |
5400414 | Thiele | Mar 1995 | A |
Number | Date | Country |
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23 30 800 | Jan 1975 | DE |
0 361 249 | Sep 1989 | EP |
356778 | Sep 1931 | GB |
60-46196 | Mar 1985 | JP |
9835529 | Aug 1998 | WO |
0219764 | Mar 2002 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 10363048 | Feb 2003 | US |
Child | 11865889 | US |