Patent Grant
11457296
Installations of home intercom systems can cost thousands of dollars and generally requires professional electricians to implement. Home surround sound system and video/audio security system installation is also expensive, can take days to accomplish and may also require professional electricians to implement and safely configure. For this reason many home owners find the convenience of non-hardwired Bluetooth speakers and video devices to be a reasonable alternative to structurally hardwired electrically integrated speaker and video systems. However, those systems and devices must either be charged, requiring one or more power cords, or batteries that must be changed out periodically.
Thus, what is needed is an improved receptacle/switch cover that is easy to install for the do-it-yourself consumer and which also provides the functionality provided by surround sound systems as well as video/audio security surveillance systems designed for in or outdoor use.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description section. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
In general terms, aspects of this disclosure are directed to an electrical receptacle cover comprising: a first transmission tab configured to be electrically connected to neutral terminal of the receptacle; a second transmission tab configured to be electrically connected to a live terminal of the electrical receptacle; a speaker device in electrical communication with the first and second transmission tabs; and a speaker grille cover secured to the receptacle cover.
Additional aspects of this disclosure are directed to a system comprising: a mode throttling device in contact with a vibrating surface, the mode throttling device comprising: an adjustable mass component; and an adjustable stiffness component located between the adjustable mass component and the vibrating surface; and an exciter device in communication with the vibrating surface, wherein the mode throttling device is remotely located from the exciter device and the mode throttling device influences resonant modes of the vibrating surface energized with the exciter device.
Various aspects of the current disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various aspects and/or embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible aspects in which the appended claims may be practiced.
The speaker apertures 102 may amplify and direct sound from speakers 310 integrated in electrical receptacle cover 300 discussed with reference to
The electrical receptacle cover 100 may provide notifications to a user that a doorbell is ringing by communicating with the doorbell using wired or wireless communications means. For example, an electrical receptacle cover 100 may be utilized in a basement or other location in a building where a doorbell is unlikely to be heard. The doorbell may send a wired or wireless signal to the electrical receptacle cover 100 when it is rung and the electrical receptacle cover 100 may provide a notification that the doorbell has been rung such as a sound output from a speaker (not shown) within the electrical receptacle cover 100, a flashing of the light 108, changing the color projected by the light 108, or other suitable means. This feature may be especially useful to individuals with hearing disabilities in that a doorbell can be cheaply and easily modified to provide communicate with the electrical receptacle cover 100 and direct it to project non-audible cues that a doorbell has been rung.
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The combination of receptacle box gasket 316 and electrical receptacle cover 300 may also create an apparatus that provides enhanced base sound by utilizing interior wall cavity volume of surrounding electrical receptacle installation.
Electrical receptacle cover 300 may include a cover plate mounting screw aperture 304 for mounting electrical receptacle cover 300 to an electrical receptacle via a cover plate mounting screw aperture such as cover plate mounting screw aperture 206 depicted in
It should be noted that although the transmission tabs 306 provide power to the electrical receptacle cover 300, that the speaker grille cover 318 and the electrical receptacle cover 300 may be insulated from the transmission tabs 306. This may prevent the transmission tabs 306 from providing electricity to components that may come into contact with a user or otherwise may cause an unintended shock.
The power from the neutral terminals 202 and the live terminals 204 may be routed to voltage reducing circuitry that may be embedded within or coupled to the electrical receptacle cover 300 in any suitable manner. The circuitry may be in communication via a connection wire (or other device) with the transmission tabs 306. In this manner, the circuitry may reduce the voltage from the transmission tabs 306 but also provide control, provide power to, and/or facilitate communication between the various components of the electrical receptacle cover 300. Electrical receptacle cover 300 and speaker grille cover 318, as well as corresponding circuitry may be in electrical contact via one or more magnetically inductive connections rather than or in addition to opposing male and female electrical plugs.
In addition to reducing the voltage, the circuitry may also be operable to convert AC voltage to DC voltage (i.e., provide a DC power supply). The DC power supply may be used to power various devices including, but not limited to, a light 312, speakers 310, a microphone, a camera, etc.
Electrical receptacle cover 300 may include internal speaker grille cover mounting apertures 308 for mounting the speaker grille cover 318 to the electrical receptacle cover 300 by inserting screws through external speaker grille cover mounting apertures 320 through internal speaker grille cover mounting apertures 308 while still providing access to outlets such as outlets 208 depicted in
According to additional aspects electrical receptacle cover 300 may include internal magnetic component 314 and speaker grille cover 318 may include external magnetic component 324 such that when speaker grille cover 318 is placed over electrical receptacle cover 300 the two components are magnetically secured, aligning the two components such that the light aperture 322, the external speaker grille cover mounting apertures 320 and the external outlet apertures 326 are properly aligned with the light 312, the internal speaker grille cover mounting apertures 308 and the internal outlet apertures 315, respectively. Securing the speaker grille cover 318 to the electrical receptacle cover 300 with external magnetic component 324 and internal magnetic component 314 may also make it more difficult to remove the components, providing an additional level of security and making the components more difficult to steal.
Electrical receptacle cover 300 may include speakers 310 as well as a light 312 powered by way of transmission tabs 306. Speakers 310 may utilize Bluetooth integration and other radio frequency (RF) technologies incorporated within electrical receptacle cover 300. Electrical receptacle cover 300 may also include an internal magnetic component 314 for fixing itself to speaker grille cover 318, which may also employ a magnetic component such as external magnetic component 324 for fixing itself to electrical receptacle cover 300.
Although electrical receptacle cover 300 is shown with a pair of external outlet apertures 326 so as to fit a standard double-gang electrical receptacle box, in examples, electrical receptacle cover 300 may be configured with a single outlet aperture so as to fit a single-gang electrical receptacle box, or three or more single outlet apertures to fit a corresponding electrical receptacle box as needed.
According to yet other examples, an electrical receptacle cover may be configured to obtain power from a phone line rather than an electrical receptacle. For example, an electrical receptacle cover may be directly connected to a phone line in the case that the power goes out. That is, standard phone lines generally maintain approximately 50 volts of power even in the instance of a power outage due to phone companies maintaining their own backup power generators. As such, an electrical receptacle cover in accordance with this disclosure may be connected to a phone line rather than an electrical receptacle, and one or more charging devices, such as an inductive phone charger, may be associated with the phone line-connected electrical receptacle cover, which may provide a charging source for devices even in the event of a power outage. It should be understood that, in accordance with aspects of this disclosure, various components of the electrical receptacle cover 300 may be modified to accommodate a phone line power source rather than an electrical receptacle power source.
According to some examples, an electrical receptacle cover may be configured to obtain power from a light switch rather than an electrical receptacle. That is, in place of external outlet apertures 326, electrical receptacle cover 300 may have one or more light switch apertures and obtain power from a light switch receptacle.
According to aspects, the speaker grille cover 518 and/or the electrical receptacle cover 500 may include integrated circuitry for any of the various components of the electrical receptacle cover 500 discussed herein. Accordingly, the speaker grille cover 518 and/or the electrical receptacle cover 500 may house, accommodate, and otherwise be integrated with circuitry for speakers, charging devices, lights, magnets, microphones, cameras, computer hardware, wired and wireless communication means, etc.
According to examples any or all of these components may be powered directly by connection to the transmission tabs 506. Alternatively or additionally these components may be powered by one or more battery or capacitors (not shown) in the case that there is a power outage or short in the building containing the electrical receptacle cover 500. The one or more battery or capacitors may be rechargeable and connected to the transmission tabs 506 or directly to a structure's power source such that when power is returned to the electrical receptacle cover 500 via the transmission tabs 506 the battery or capacitors may be recharged. In addition, these charging components may allow the electrical receptacle cover 500 to report wirelessly to a predesignated device (e.g., smart phone, tablet, etc.) and provide updates regarding the removal of the electrical receptacle cover 500 from an electrical receptacle (e.g., theft), power outage and/or other environmental changes (e.g., temperature, movement, light, sound, etc.), via integrated circuitry and software.
According to additional aspects the speaker grille cover 518 and the electrical receptacle cover 500 may be used as a portable device when removed from an electrical receptacle and powered by one or more batteries. When removed from an electrical receptacle the speaker grille cover 518 and the electrical receptacle cover 500 may be secured by way of attachment mechanisms (e.g., screws) being placed through the external speaker grille cover mounting apertures 520 and the internal speaker grille cover mounting apertures 508. Alternatively or additionally, the speaker grille cover and the electrical receptacle cover 500 may be secured by way of the external magnetic component 524 and the internal magnetic component 514. Thus a user may make use of the various components of the electrical receptacle cover 500 and the speaker grille cover 518 at locations where mounting those components to an electrical receptacle is not feasible or practical.
As shown in
Additionally, the visual indicator 612 may be substantially any shape or size. In some examples the visual indicator 612 may be a “light bar” or “light diffuser” (e.g., one or more LED lights may be positioned behind a transparent barrier). In other examples the electrical receptacle cover 600 may be formed substantially (or completely) of the visual indicator 612. For example, the electrical receptacle cover 600 may be formed of a self-illuminating plastic material, a plastic material that illuminates upon application of voltage, a LED plastic sheet, or translucent/electroluminescent material (e.g., electroluminescent panel), or may be coated with an illuminating material. Thus, any suitable visual light source configuration may be used, which may include single or multiple bulbs, diodes, or other sources.
According to additional aspects the electrical receptacle cover 600 may further include a sensor such as a photosensor or photodetector in communication with the visual indicator 612. As appreciated by those skilled in the art, photosensors or photodetectors are electronic components that are operable to detect the presence of visible light, ultraviolet energy, infrared energy, or the like. Thus, when the sensor is a photosensor or photodetector, the sensor may function to detect the level of light within a room and automatically switch the visual indicator 612 on/off accordingly. In this example, the visual indicator may be automatically turned on or off depending on the ambient light within the room. This may allow the visual indicator 612 to be activated at night to provide a “night light” or source of light in a dark room, and turned off when the room has a light turned on or during the day.
In other examples, the sensor may be a motion detector, which may allow the visual indicator 612 to be activated when there is movement near the electrical receptacle cover 600. This may allow the visual indicator 61 to be turned on if a user is walking near the electrical receptacle cover 600, which may provide illumination for a predetermined area near the electrical receptacle cover 600.
In some examples the electrical receptacle cover 600 may include an on/off switch that may be coupled to the sensor and/or the visual indicator 612. For example, in some instances, the on/off switch may activate the visual indicator 612 and may override the sensor. Similarly, this may allow the sensor to be deactivated so that the visual indicator 612 may not be turned on even if there is an event which would normally have the sensor trigger the visual indicator 612 (e.g., motion, decrease in ambient light).
The visual indicator 612 may be directly coupled to a power supply via transmission tabs 606 so that when activated, it remains on for a duration dictated by a notification mechanism even though an internal processor (not shown) and other components might shut down to conserve energy. The visual indicator 612 may be programmed to remain on indefinitely until a user takes action to indicate the power-on status of the device. This embodiment of the electrical receptacle cover 600 also includes a microphone 618 to receive audible input, such as to facilitate a telephone conversation or inter-home/office communication as traditionally accomplished by way of an intercom system. In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the microphone may also serve as an audio sensor to facilitate control of notifications, as well as to communicate with a voice-controlled personal assistant. The voice-controlled personal assistant may be integrated as part of the electrical receptacle cover 600, or the speaker grille cover may be synced to one or more devices having a voice-controlled personal assistant, such as a smart phone, a tablet, a laptop, a personal computer, a smart TV and the like. The electrical receptacle cover 600 according to this embodiment further includes a video interface that enables an operation of an on-board camera 616 to record still images, video stream, and the like.
According to aspects the on-board camera 616 may be utilized as a home security system, as well as a baby or pet monitor. When utilized in this manner, the on-board camera 616 may stream video, as well as audio via the microphone 618 to a smart phone, a tablet, a personal computer, a smart TV and the like, as well as to secondary electrical receptacle covers in communication with electrical receptacle cover 600, directly via wired or wireless communication, or by way of the Internet and/or a local area network (LAN). Various applications may be utilized by any of these devices to control these functions.
According to examples, the on-board camera and microphone may be coupled to a photosensor, an audiosensor and/or a motion sensor such that video and audio is only streamed to other devices when the sensors are activated. Further, the other devices (e.g., a smart phone) may receive a notification via an application running on an operating system when one or more of the sensors have been activated, indicating that audio and/or video streaming is in progress. Additionally, a user may provide input using a device in communication with the electrical receptacle cover 600 to turn audio and video streaming on to one or more devices.
The electrical receptacle cover 600 may have additional features or functionality. For example, the electrical receptacle cover 600 may also include additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storage may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.
Data/information generated or captured by the electrical receptacle cover 600 may be stored locally on the electrical receptacle cover 600, as described above, or the data may be stored on any number of storage media that may be accessed by the device via an on-board radio or via a wired connection between the electrical receptacle cover 600 and a separate computing device associated with the electrical receptacle cover 600, for example, a server in a distributed computing network, such as the Internet.
Aspects of the disclosure may be practiced in an electrical circuit comprising discrete electronic elements, packaged or integrated electronic chips containing logic gates, a circuit utilizing a microprocessor, or on a single chip containing electronic elements or microprocessors. For example, aspects of the disclosure may be practiced via a system-on-a-chip (SOC) where each or many of the components illustrated in
The electrical receptacle cover 600 may also have one or more input device(s) such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound or voice input device, a touch or swipe input device, etc. The output device(s) such as a display, speakers, etc. may also be included. The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used. The electrical receptacle cover 600 may include one or more communication connections allowing communications with other computing devices. Examples of suitable communication connections include, but are not limited to, radio frequency (RF) transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver circuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports.
The term computer readable media as used herein may include computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory, the removable storage device, and the non-removable storage device are all computer storage media examples (e.g., memory storage). Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacture which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by the electrical receptacle cover 600. Any such computer storage media may be part of the electrical receptacle cover 600. Computer storage media does not include a carrier wave or other propagated or modulated data signal.
Communication media may be embodied by computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” may describe a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), infrared, and other wireless media.
The different aspects described herein may be employed using software, hardware, or a combination of software and hardware to implement and perform the systems and methods disclosed herein. Although specific devices have been recited throughout the disclosure as performing specific functions, one of skill in the art will appreciate that these devices are provided for illustrative purposes, and other devices may be employed to perform the functionality disclosed herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
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Each of the devices shown in
The various examples described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the various aspects, examples and applications illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims. Further, one of skill in the art will appreciate that the scale of systems such as distributed computing systems 800, 900 and 1000 may vary and may include more or fewer components than those described in
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A finished interior wall surface, such as plasterboard sheeting between two studs of a stud wall frame, may act as a diaphragm to transmit acoustic energy to an environment. The mode throttling device 1410 may be attached to the wall surface, such as with an adhesive, to adjust a structural mode of the wall surface. Additional mass, such as additional modal mass provided by the mode throttling device 1410, may increase the inertia of a structural mode which may increase the displacement of the structural mode during excitation as compared to a static condition, such as to increase the acoustic energy transmitted to the environment by the structural mode. An exciter device 1440 may be in communication with the wall surface, such as to transmit energy to the wall surface causing the wall surface to vibrate and amplify acoustic energy transmitted to the environment at the frequency of the adjusted structural mode. The mode throttling device 1410 may be removed and reattached to the wall surface, such as to amplify or attenuate the transmitted acoustic energy or adjust the frequency of the structural mode.
The loudspeaker system 1400 may be used to improve the acoustic environment of a building. In an example, the loudspeaker system 1400 may enhance the frequency response, such as the low frequency response, of an entertainment system, such as audio from a DVD or streaming video program, by providing a relatively large diaphragm surface to generate acoustic signals.
The loudspeaker system 1400 may be used to alert occupants of a building to different conditions. In an example, the mode throttling device 1410 may be used to “tune” or otherwise adjust a structural mode of a vibrating surface, such as a wall surface, from a first frequency to a specified frequency to amplify the specified frequency. For example, the loudspeaker system 1400 may receive signals at the exciter device 1440, such as indications of a ringing doorbell, a ringing telephone, a weather alert, etc., and transform the signals, such as to a lower frequency that correlates with a structural mode at a specified frequency of the vibrating surface, to a specified frequency that may be more easily perceived by those with physical impairments as to conditions in the environment.
The adjustable mass component 1520, may include a first area with a first surface 1521, a second area with a second surface 1523 facing in a direction generally opposite of the first surface 1521, and an edge surface 1525, the edge surface 1525 connecting the periphery of the first surface 1521 with the periphery of the second surface 1523, such as to define a volumetric shape. The volumetric shape may assume any three-dimensional shape without affecting performance of a loudspeaker system, such as loudspeaker system 1400, including symmetrical shapes, such as: a cube, a cone, a hemisphere, and a torus; and non-symmetrical shapes, such” an amorphous volume (or a “blob”).
The adjustable mass component 1520 may include regular shapes, such as shapes that may be visually unobtrusive to an observer. In an example, the second surface 1523 may be generally parallel to and facing in an opposite direction from the first surface 1521, with a generally uniform thickness, such as the distance between the first and second surfaces 1521 and 1523, and may be approximately the same as measured perpendicularly between specified locations on the first and second surfaces 1521, 1523.
The volumetric shape of the adjustable mass component 1520, may be characterized by a shape parameter, such as a parameter defining a ratio of physical dimensions of the volumetric shape. As used herein, a shape parameter may include an area-thickness ratio parameter, such as the ratio of the area of the first surface 1521 to the thickness of the adjustable mass component 1520, such as the distance between the first and second surfaces, 1521 and 1523, respectively. For a given area of the first surface 1521, as the thickness of the sheet decreases, the area-thickness ratio increases. In an example, the adjustable mass component 1520 may take the form of a broad, flat piece of material, such as sheet, with an area of the first surface 1521 being greater than the thickness of the adjustable mass component 1520.
The adjustable mass component 1520 may assume an area-thickness ratio, such as a range of area-thickness ratio. The area-thickness aspect ratio may include a range of about 1 to about 1,000,000, such as a range from about 1 to about 100,000, a range from about 1 to about 10,000, a range from about 1 to about 1,000, and a range from about 1 to about 100. In an example, the adjustable mass component 1520, may assume the shape of a sheet, such as a sheet with an area-thickness ratio in a range from 10 to 1,000.
The adjustable mass component 1520, may be constructed from one or more materials that provide an adjustable mass component that exhibits one or more specified physical properties. For example, the adjustable mass component may exhibit one or more specified physical properties, based on the one or more materials that comprise the adjustable mass component 1520, such as mass density property. In an example, the mass density property for the adjustable mass component 1520 may include a range of about 2 g/cc (i.e., g/cc=grams per cubic centimeter) to about 15 g/cc. For example, the adjustable mass component 1520 may be constructed from mass-loading materials such as at least one of aluminum (2.7 g/cc), zinc (7.0 g/cc), iron (7.1 g/cc), tin (7.4 g/cc), common steel (7.8 g/cc), brass (8.5 g/cc), nickel (8.6 g/cc), copper (8.9 g/cc), lead (11.3 g/cc), and alloys of the aforementioned materials. A specified physical property may include formability of the material. Formability may include an indication of malleability, such as the property of a material to deform under compression, and an indication of ductility, such as the property of a material to stretch under load. In an example, the adjustable mass component 1520 may be constructed from mass-loading materials with at least one of malleability and ductility greater than common steel.
The adjustable mass component 1520 may be formed, such as by a user of the adjustable mass component 1520, to meet specified weight requirements. In an example, a user may acquire a mass-loading material with a specified form and density, such as a sheet of material 4 mm in thickness with density in a range of about 2 g/cc to about 15 g/cc, and trim the mass-loading material, such as with scissors or shears, to form an adjustable mass component 1520, such as an adjustable mass component 1520 with a specified area-thickness ratio.
The adjustable stiffness component 1530, may include a third area with a third surface 1531, a fourth area with a fourth surface 1533 facing in a direction generally opposite of the third surface 1531, and a stiffness edge surface 1535, the stiffness edge surface 1535 connecting the periphery of the third surface 1531 with the periphery of the fourth surface 1533, such as to define a volumetric shape. In an example, the fourth surface 1533 may be generally parallel to and facing in an opposite direction from the third surface 1531 with a generally uniform thickness, such as the distance between the third and fourth surface 1531, 1533 is approximately the same as measured perpendicularly between specified locations on the third and fourth surfaces 1531, 1533.
The adjustable stiffness component 1530, may assume a volumetric shape, such as a volumetric shape selected for a specific application requirement. In an example, the adjustable stiffness component may include an area-thickness ratio parameter, such as the ratio of the third surface 1531 to the thickness of the stiffness edge surface 1535.
The adjustable stiffness component 1530, may assume an area-thickness aspect ratio, such as a range of area-thickness aspect ratios. The area-thickness aspect ratio may include a range of about 1 to about 1,000,000, such as a range from about 1 to about 100,000, a range from about 1 to about 10,000, a range from about 1 to about 1,000, and a range from about 1 to about 100. In an example, the adjustable stiffness component 1530, may assume the shape of a sheet, such as a sheet with an area-thickness ratio in a range from about 100 to about 10,000.
The adjustable stiffness component 1530, may be constructed from materials, such as stiffness-loading material, with a specified stiffness. In an example, the specified stiffness may include a range of about 10 N/m to about 10,000 N/m. For example, the adjustable stiffness component 1530 may be constructed from an adhesive material, such as physically hardening materials including plastisols, water-based adhesives, organic solvent adhesives, and glues, such as craft glues, rubber cement, and hot glues; chemically curing materials, such as anaerobics, cyanoacrylates, heat/moisture/radiation cure materials, silicones, epoxies, methyl methacrylates, silicone adhesives, urethanes; and pressure sensitive adhesives (or PSA) including spray adhesives including pressure sensitive tapes and fabrics.
According to examples, an exciter device, such as exciter device 1440, may include a source of energy capable of transmitting the energy to a vibrating surface. The exciter device may include at least one of a servohydraulic, servopneumatic, or electric generator, such as inductive, capacitive, and piezoelectric generators. In an example, the exciter device 1440 may include a “thumper”, such as a seismic mass attached to a linear electric motor, directly coupled to the vibrating surface. In an example, the exciter device 1440 may include a speaker, such as a loudspeaker, indirectly coupled to the vibrating surface, such as by transferring energy from the speaker via acoustic waves impinging on the vibrating surface and causing the vibrating surface to move. In an example, the exciter device 1440 may comprise an electrical receptacle cover comprising: a first transmission tab configured to be electrically connected to a neutral terminal of the electrical receptacle; a second transmission tab configured to be electrically connected to a live terminal of the electrical receptacle; a speaker device in electrical communication with the first and second transmission tabs; and a speaker grille cover secured to the receptacle cover.
The exciter device 1440 may generate energy at one or more frequencies, such as a range of frequencies. The generated frequencies may include a range of about 0.1 Hz to about 25 kHz, such as a range from about 0.1 Hz to about 20 kHz, from about 0.1 Hz to about 15 kHz, from about 0.1 Hz to about 10 kHz, from about 0.1 Hz to about 5 kHz, from about 0.1 Hz to about 2 kHz, and from about 0.1 Hz to about 500 kHz. In an example, the exciter device 1440 may generate specified frequencies, such as frequencies in the audible range of human hearing (i.e., about 20 Hz to about 20 kHz).
A mode throttling device, such as mode throttling device 1410 may be formed by attaching the adjustable stiffness component 1530 to the adjustable mass component 1520. Attaching the adjustable stiffness component 1530 may include applying the adjustable stiffness component 1530 to the adjustable mass component. In an example, applying may include spreading an adhesive, such as from an applicator device, or spraying an adhesive, such as from a pressurized spray may, onto the second surface of the adjustable mass component 1520. In an example, applying may include adhering a sheet of the adjustable stiffness component 1530, such as a pressure sensitive tape, onto the second surface of the adjustable mass component 1520.
The function of the mode throttling device 1510 may be influenced by the amount of surface area contact between the adjustable mass component 1520 and the adjustable stiffness component 1530. The third side 1531 of the adjustable stiffness component 1530 may be in contact with a specified percentage of to the second side 1523 of the adjustable mass component 1520, such as the third side 1531 may contact about 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%, 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%, 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95% of the second side 1523. In an example, the third side 1531 may be in complete contact with the second side 1523 when the third side 1531 contacts about 100% of the second side 1523.
The mode throttling device 1510 may function as a tuning mass, such as a mass that may be attached to a vibrating surface to adjust the natural frequency of the vibrating surface. The mode throttling device 1510 may amplify or attenuate a structural mode when applied as a tuning mass. In an example, the mode throttling device 1510 may act as a tuning mass when about 100% of the second side 1523 contacts the third side 1531.
According to examples, a loudspeaker system (e.g., loudspeaker system 1400) may be energized, such as by an exciter device, such as exciter device 1440 depicted in
The exciter device 1440 may be directly coupled to the vibrating surface, such as in direct contact with the vibrating surface. Directly coupling the exciter device 1440 to the vibrating surface may enhance energy transmission efficiency by minimizing energy loss through dissipative mechanisms, such as friction.
Moving from operation 1902, flow continues to operation 1904, where the mode throttling device may be modified to achieve a specified acoustic response from the vibrating surface. A specified acoustic response may include amplifying a structural mode of the vibrating surface by changing inertia of a structural mode, such as by increasing the modal mass associated with the structural mode. A specified acoustic response may include attenuating a specified structural mode of the vibrating surface, such as by locating the mode throttling device to adjust the structural mode from a first frequency to a second frequency, the second frequency different from the first frequency.
Modifying the mode throttling device at operation 1904 may include changing the adjustable mass component. For example, the mode throttling device may be modified by reducing its mass. Reducing the mode throttling device's mass may include trimming the adjustable mass component, such as with scissors or shears, to reduce the modal mass associated with a structural mode. Reducing the mass may include forming the adjustable mass component with a perforation or parting line, such as an area of local weakness in the adjustable mass component, that may allow a user to modify the adjustable mass component without the use of hand tools, such as scissors or shears.
Modifying the mode throttling device at operation 1904 may additionally or alternatively include adding mass to the mode throttling device, such as one or more adjustable mass component (e.g., adjustable mass component 1520 depicted in
This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/442,679, filed on Feb. 26, 2017, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/300,536, entitled “OUTLET RECEPTACLE COVER”, filed Feb. 26, 2016, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 15442679 | Feb 2017 | US |
| Child | 16681578 | US |
