Patent Application
20110216925
In traditional surround sound systems, a listener places 5 or more speakers at various positions around a listening position (sometimes also referred to as a listening area) to create an immersive sound experience for a listener. Each of the speakers in the system typically receives its own audio signal from an audio source, and consequently, the listener typically must wire each of the speakers to the audio source. The speakers in the audio system then produce sound that converges at the listening position to properly create a surround sound experience for the listener.
Virtual surround is a surround sound technique that can make sound appear to come from locations other than the location of the actual speakers in order to create a surround sound experience for a listener. As a result, virtual surround sound systems typically use fewer speakers than traditional surround sound systems, and the speakers in a virtual surround sound system are usually located in front of the listener. Virtual surround sound systems are thus more practical for a variety of different setups, such as with a personal computing system or a television.
Virtual surround sound widens the soundscape beyond the physical location of the speakers used to produce the sound, and is based on how humans localize sound. Humans localize sound using three methods: 1) Interaural Intensity Difference (IID), 2) Interaural Time Difference (ITD), and 3) Spectrally, with the Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF). Interaural Intensity Difference occurs when a sound is louder at one ear than at the other ear. This can occur when the sound source is closer to one of the ears. Similarly, Interaural Time Difference occurs when the sound reaches one ear before it reaches the other ear because the sound source is closer to one of the ears. This can cause a difference in time and therefore a difference in phase between the ears. A Head Related Transfer Function refers to the unique spectral shaping of sound as it reflects off of the pinna (outer ear), head, and shoulders of the listener. The spectral shaping can vary depending on the location of the sound source. Additionally, the spectral shaping can vary depending on the particular listener.
Virtual surround sound may employ one or more different techniques to create the impression on a listener that sound is coming from a location other than the location of the speakers based on one or more of the three above methods. For example, dipole beamforming is one method for creating virtual surround using IID. Dipole pairs of transducers can be used to artificially increase the difference in sound level between the ears. The transducers in a dipole pair are driven out of phase with each other in order to create a null for certain frequencies or channels, and a delay is used to steer the radial direction of the null. The result is that sound for certain frequencies or channels is more intense at one ear of the listener compared to the other ear, and the listener is left with the impression that the sound is originating from a location other than the actual location of the transducers producing the sound.
The transducers used in a dipole beamforming array are generally chosen for their dispersion characteristics in the targeted array frequency range. For example, woofers have good efficiency and near omni-directional radiation at lower frequencies. Woofers thus are a good choice for a lower frequency array. At higher frequencies, woofers start to beam and have less consistent directionality. This phenomenon is related to the size of the transducer relative to the wavelength of sound that it produces. In contrast, tweeters are physically smaller and thus have better dispersion for higher frequencies with smaller wavelengths. Therefore, tweeters are a good choice for a high frequency array. However, higher frequencies can be difficult to properly implement with a dipole beamforming array. Ideally, the distance between the center of the transducers used to form a dipole pair in a dipole beamforming system should be separated by a quarter-wavelength; the relative wavelength in this case is the center frequency for which the dipole pair is optimized. Since higher frequencies have smaller wavelengths, it may not always be physically possible to place tweeters (or other transducers) close enough together for an optimized dipole beamforming system. The array is optimized over approximately 4 octaves: 2 octaves above and below the center frequency. Above this frequency range, the distance between the transducers can become large relative to the wavelength of sound being produced, and more nulls are created as the frequency increases. The implication of this is that the sound at one ear may no longer be louder than at the other ear, and the virtual surround effect is lost. Below this range, the efficiency of sound production can decrease as sound from the out of phase transducers cancels.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a better virtual surround system that produces constant directivity across a wide range of frequencies in a small system that is useful for a variety of different setups. A number of different techniques are known in the art for creating virtual surround sound. For example, U.S. Application Pub. No. 2006/0072773 entitled “Dipole and monopole surround sound speaker system,” U.S. Application Pub. No. 2009/0060237 entitled “Array Speaker System,” U.S. Application Pub. No. 2008/0273721 entitled “Method for spatially processing multichannel signals, processing module, and virtual surround-sound systems,” and U.S. Application Pub. No. 2003/0021423 entitled “System for transitioning from stereo to simulated surround sound” all show different virtual surround systems. However, each of these systems could be improved to have more constant directivity across a wider range of frequencies.
Various embodiments provide virtual surround with only 1 or 2 enclosures that can be placed in front of the listener. These embodiments also have substantially constant directivity across a range of frequencies. Various embodiments accomplish this by combining techniques that can be effective at different frequency ranges. For example, some embodiments combine dipole beamforming with pointing transducers to the side (i.e., away from the listening area). Pointing a transducer to the side provides directionality due to transducer beaming at higher frequencies. Additional directionality from “shading” can occur when the sound is shaded by the edge of the speaker box. Sound from the side firing transducers that is reflected off nearby objects or walls can also increase the sense of spaciousness, listener envelopment, and the apparent source width.
One embodiment of the invention is directed to a speaker system comprising at least one speaker enclosure, a first array of horizontally displaced transducers, mounted in the speaker enclosure, and at least a second array of horizontally displaced transducers. The speaker system further comprises a speaker input port and a controller operatively coupled with the speaker input port. The controller is configured to provide signals to the transducers such that the first and second arrays of horizontally displaced transducers are tuned to different center frequencies. The controller is further configured to provide signals to the transducers to cause dipole beamforming.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a speaker system comprising at least one speaker enclosure having a front face, a plurality of transducers mounted in the speaker enclosure and at least two of said transducers forming a horizontally displaced array. The speaker system further comprises a speaker input port and a controller operatively coupled with the speaker input port. The controller is configured to provide high frequency signals to a high frequency transducer, wherein the high frequency transducer is a side firing transducer. The high frequency transducer is positioned in the enclosure so that the center line of a sound beam emitted from the enclosure is at an angle to the front face of the enclosure. The controller is further configured to provide lower frequency signals to the transducers forming the horizontally displace array to cause dipole beamforming.
Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a speaker system comprising at least one speaker enclosure having a front face, a speaker input port, and a controller operatively coupled with the speaker input port. The controller is configured to provide low frequency signals to a low frequency transducer. The controller is configured to provide high frequency signals to a high frequency transducer and not to the low frequency transducer. The high frequency transducer is positioned in the enclosure so that the center line of a sound beam emitted from the enclosure is at an angle to the front face of the enclosure. The high frequency transducer is further positioned to take advantage of shading caused by at least one of a baffle, a waveguide, a lens, or a side of the speaker enclosure. The controller is further configured to provide signals to the transducers to cause dipole beamforming.
Various embodiments use combinations of different methods for creating virtual surround. Some of the methods used in various embodiments include: dipole beamforming, multi-stage arrays, transducer directionality, and enclosure shading. In general, each of these methods may operate over a specific frequency band in various embodiments. The use of multiple methods to create virtual sound can increase the virtual sound effect and better maintain sound quality compared to the use of a single method for creating virtual surround. Each method used to create virtual surround can be optimized for a specific system configuration based on factors such as physical locations of the transducers, directionality of the transducers, the size and shape of the enclosure, and the input signal configuration. Various embodiments allow for an intensity difference to be created for a listener across a wide range of frequencies in order to produce constant directionality.
As used herein, a “transducer” can refer to a device that converts electrical signals from an electrical source into sound for a listener. As used herein, the term “driver” may be used interchangeability with transducer.
As used herein, “dipole beamforming” can refer to a method for creating virtual surround sound based on Interaural Intensity Difference (IID). More specifically, a system that uses dipole beamforming may have one or more dipole pairs of transducers that can be used to artificially increase the difference in sound level between the ears of a listener. The transducers in a dipole pair can be driven out of phase with each other to create a null for certain frequencies or channels. A delay can be used to steer the radial direction of the null created by the transducers. Dipole beamforming may also be referred to as crosstalk cancellation.
As used herein, the transducer “region of operation” is the frequency region where a transducer operates at a high enough level to contribute to the overall sound. It is a combination of the audio frequencies sent to the driver using filtering and the dispersion characteristics of the driver itself.
As used herein, “transducer directionality,” also called “driver beaming,” can refer to the change in the sound polar radiation pattern from the transducer over its operating frequency range. In the lower frequency end of the operating range, the sound is radiated more uniformly in all directions. For higher frequencies, the sound intensity is generally stronger on-axis, or directly in front of the transducer, than it is off-axis. Additionally, at the higher end of the frequency operating range, there can be “lobing,” where the sound intensity varies from high to low depending on the polar degree. Lobing is generally avoided because it is by definition, inconstant directivity. However, transducer directionality can be used to an advantage for virtual surround when it is used to increase the sound level at one ear relative to the other. This effect is enhanced when used with enclosure shading.
As used herein, “enclosure shading” can refer to the use of a speaker enclosure to “shade” a sound. Shading can also be caused by use of a baffle, a waveguide, or a lens. As with transducer directionality, this effect is frequency dependant. At lower frequencies, the shading effect is less. The wavelengths are longer and the sound wraps around the enclosure. At higher frequencies, the shading is increased. This effect is also dependant upon the size of the enclosure, where smaller enclosures do not shade as low in frequency as larger enclosures. As described in the next paragraph, this effect can be combined with transducer directionality for a better virtual surround effect.
To maintain the IID to higher frequency regions with more constant directivity, enclosure shading and transducer beaming are used instead of dipole beamforming. Enclosure shading and transducer beaming are ways of using the inherent directionality of objects to create the IID. When a transducer(s) is placed on the side of a speaker, the low frequency sound will bend around the enclosure and reach the listener. At higher frequencies, the enclosure begins to “shade” the sound such that higher frequencies are directed more to the side. The transducer beaming will further focus the sound. Transducer beaming occurs above the enclosure shading frequency. These two effects create a gradient in the sound field were the sound is louder at one ear than at the other ear.
Enclosure shading may occur above the enclosure transition frequency, F_et. F_et=(0.6*c)/(2*π*R_e), where “c” is the speed of sound in meters per second and “R_e” is the effective radius of the enclosure section that is shading the side firing transducer, given in meters. The enclosure transition frequency is expressed in Hertz, or cycles/second. Similarly, the transducer beaming may occur above transducer transition frequency, F_tt, F_tt=(0.6*c)/(2*π*R_t), where “c” is the speed of sound in meters per second and “R_t” is the effective radius of the transducer, given in meters. To allow for optimization of system components, the frequency region of transition for enclosure shading and transducer beaming shall be banded by +/− one octave, which translates to ½ transition frequency to 2 times the transition frequency.
In addition to multi-staged dipole beamforming arrays, enclosure shading, and transducer beaming, other effects that are used to create virtual surround and widen the listening soundscape are driving the surround channels out of phase, and using the side firing transducers in conjunction with front firing transducers to maximize the width of the speaker, while maintaining full audio bandwidth at the listening position.
The operating frequency range for constant directivity of the dipole beamforming array is limited by the physical center to center distance between the transducers. At the higher frequencies, dipole beamforming does not produce a good virtual surround experience because the IID is inconstant. The radiation from the transducers interfere producing irregular “lobing,” which is inconstant in directivity. A more stable IID with more constant directivity can be created by using a single side firing transducers and tuning both the transducer directionality and enclosure shading at the higher frequencies. Thus the difference in sound levels at each ear can be maintained and “lobing” can be minimized. A side-firing transducer also increases the reflected energy of the sound. The reflected sound can enhance the sensation of spaciousness, listener envelopment, and the apparent source width.
The center frequency of a dipole array is determined by the distance between the centers of the transducers used to form a dipole pair. This distance corresponds to one quarter wavelength. The center frequency, f_c, is given by the formula f_c=c/(4d) , where “c” is the speed of sound and “d” is the center to center distance between the dipole array transducers.
As used herein, “multi-stage arrays” can refer to the use of different transducers and virtual surround IID generation across for different frequencies. A multi-stage dipole beamforming array has transducer pairs that are optimized for different frequency ranges. The various transducers in a multi-stage array can be configured to produce different frequencies of sound in order to create a better surround sound effect for a listener. In some embodiments, the array may comprise one or more dipole pairs that use dipole beamforming to create virtual surround sound. Such a dipole pair is typically optimized for a four octave bandwidth. Below two octaves, the efficiency of the array may be greatly reduced due to the cancellation of sound. Above two octaves, spatial interference may cause multiple unwanted nulls. Multiple nulls reduce the virtual surround effect and lead to inconstant directivity, which additionally can reduce the sound quality. In a dipole beamforming setup, the center frequency of an optimized band for a dipole pair generally occurs at the frequency corresponding to the quarter-wavelength of the transducer separation. For more constant directivity, multiple transducer arrays can be optimized to cover different frequency bands. Some frequency bands may use dipole beamforming to create virtual surround, while other frequency bands may rely on transducer directionality or enclosure shading to create a virtual surround effect.
As used herein, “controller” refers to a digital signal processor or analog circuitry that processes sound content from an audio source. The controller may be operatively coupled between a speaker input port and one or more transducers. Alternatively, or in addition, processing of sound content can be carried out by software or firmware on a computer readable medium on a computer (e.g., personal computer, laptop computer, portable music player, personal digital assistant (PDA), phone, etc.) and then multichannel content used as input into a speaker.
As used herein, “computer readable medium” for containing computer code or instructions, or portions of computer code or instructions, can include any appropriate media known or used in the art, including storage media and communication media, such as but not limited to volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage and/or transmission of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data, including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, data signals, data transmissions, or any other medium which can be used to store or transmit the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer. Based on the disclosure and teaching provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate other ways and/or methods to implement the various embodiments.
As used herein, “listening area” or “listening position” refers to the intended position of a listener or the area around a listener in a surround sound system or a virtual surround sound system. This area or position is used in the design of the surround sound system to create a good surround sound experience for a listener.
The speaker 400 may comprise any combination of the above described components. For example, the speaker 400 may include the audio source 451, controller 405, amplification of the signal, and the transducers 401-404. In the alternative, just the processor 405, amplification, and the transducers 401-404 may be in the speaker. In another alternative, only amplification and transducers may be in the speaker. In yet another alternative, only the transducers 401-404 may be in the speaker.
Sound bar Embodiment
According to one embodiment, multiple transducers are placed within a single enclosure. Some of the transducers are pointed straight ahead toward a listening position, while some of the transducers are pointed to the side, away from the listening position.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
Referring to
The high frequencies from the left surround channel 140, after passing through high pass filter 143, are then sent to the left firing 101 transducer.
The medium frequencies from the left surround 140 channel, after passing through high pass filter 142 and low pass filter 144, are then further split. The medium frequency signal from the left surround 140 channel is sent to the left front 103 transducer. The medium frequency signal from the left surround 140 channel is also inverted by an inverter 147 and sent to the right front 104 transducer after a 0.023 millisecond (ms) delay 148. The time delay can be tuned for listening position.
The low frequencies from the left surround 140 channel, after passing through low pass filter 141, are also further split. The low frequency signal from the left surround 140 channel is sent to the left firing 101 transducer. The low frequency signal from the left surround 140 channel is also inverted by an inverter 145 and sent to the right firing 102 transducer after a 0.113 ms delay 146. The time delay can be tuned for desired listening position.
The inverted high frequencies from the right surround channel 150, after passing through high pass filter 153, are then sent to the right firing 102 transducer.
The inverted medium frequencies from the right surround 150 channel, after passing through high pass filter 152 and low pass filter 154, are then further split. The inverted medium frequency signal from the right surround 150 channel is sent to the right front 104 transducer. The inverted medium frequency signal from the right surround 150 channel is also inverted again by an inverter 157 and sent to the left front 103 transducer after a 0.023 ms delay 158. The time delay can be tuned for listening position.
The inverted low frequencies from the right surround 150 channel, after passing through low pass filter 151, are also further split. The inverted low frequency signal from the right surround 150 channel is sent to the right firing 102 transducer. The inverted low frequency signal from the right surround 150 channel is also again inverted by an inverter 155 and sent to the left firing 101 transducer after a 0.113 ms sample delay 156. The time delay can be tuned for listening position.
As can be seen from the above signal processing diagrams, a low frequency array is created using the two side firing transducers. The low frequencies from the left surround channel 140 are sent to the left firing 101 transducer and the right firing 102 transducer, with the signal to the right firing 102 transducer inverted and delayed so as to create a virtual surround sound effect using dipole beamforming. This can create the impression to a listener in the listening area that the left surround channel 140 is being created from a speaker to the far left of the listener. The low frequencies from the right surround channel are first inverted and then sent to the left firing 101 transducer and the right firing 102 transducer. The signal to the left firing 101 transducer are inverted and delayed so as to create a virtual surround using dipole beamforming. As a result, the listener is given the impression that the right surround channel 140 is being created from a speaker to the far right of the listener.
A medium frequency array is created from the left and right firing channels 140 and 150 using the two transducers in the front of the enclosure 103 and 104. The medium frequency array, by inverting and delaying signals as described above, uses dipole beamforming to create a virtual surround sound for those frequencies.
High frequency IID is created using the two side firing transducers 101 and 102. The high frequencies may not create their virtual surround through the use of dipole beamforming in the same way that the low and medium frequencies may do. Rather, the high frequencies rely on the directionality of the sound from left firing 101 and right firing 102 to create virtual surround using the transducer directionality and the shading of the enclosure. This is used for the surround channel content. The side-firing transducer also increases the reflected energy, which enhances the sensation of spaciousness and apparent source width.
Stand Embodiment
According to one embodiment, multiple transducers are placed within a single enclosure. Some of the transducers are pointed straight ahead toward a listening area, while some of the transducers are pointed to the side.
In the embodiment illustrated in
In the embodiment shown in
Two Speaker Embodiment
According to another embodiment, two speakers are used to create virtual surround sound.
In many dipole beamforming setups, getting the transducers close together in order to optimize the canceling effect is a problem. As mentioned previously, the quarter-wavelength rule dictates the optimum distance between the centers of transducers of a dipole pair for canceling certain frequencies. For a high frequency dipole pair, this lends itself to closely spaced small drivers. Additionally, dipole beamforming at low frequencies may cause some sound to cancel. Thus, the low frequencies may need to be more efficient in this region and may need to be boosted to create a better surround sound experience. In various two speaker embodiments, these problems are addressed by having dipole arrays of different sized drivers optimized for lower and higher frequencies and by having an additional set of drivers to boost low frequencies.
In the embodiment shown in
According to one embodiment, transducers 511 and 512 are a low frequency woofer array. Similarly, 521 and 522 are also a low frequency woofer array. Transducers 515-516 and 525-526 are high frequency tweeter arrays. According to one embodiment, the high frequency tweeter array is centered at 2.5 KHz. According to one embodiment, the low frequency woofer arrays are centered at 800 Hz.
If the transducers are centered on the frequencies listed above, the quarter-wavelength spacing rule may dictate the desirable separation of the transducers. According to one embodiment, transducer pairs 521 and 522 are separated by 11 cm between their centers. Similarly, 511 and 512 are separated by 11 cm between their centers. Transducers 525 and 526 are separated by 3.4 cm between their centers according to one embodiment. Similarly, transducers 516 and 515 are separated by 3.4 cm between their centers according to one embodiment.
As with the embodiment shown in
Alternative embodiments could apply dipole beamforming to the left signal and right signal in addition to the left surround and right surround signals. Various embodiments may use the left and right outputs from a computer or television without the use of any center or surround channels. The left and right outputs may be processed like surround channels to achieve a wider stereo image.
According to various embodiments, one channel of surround is inverted.
Having described and illustrated the principles of various embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that embodiments can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles. Many of the examples given above are meant to be illustrative and not limited to the precise details given. One or more features from any embodiment may be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention. In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles may be put, it should be recognized that the detailed embodiment is illustrative only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention.
Any of the software components or functions described in this application, may be implemented as software code to be executed by a processor using any suitable computer language such as, for example, Assembly, C, or C++ using, for example, conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions, or commands on a computer readable medium, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a magnetic medium such as a hard-drive or a floppy disk, flash drive, or an optical medium such as a CD-ROM. Any such computer readable medium may reside on or within a single computational apparatus, and may be present on or within different computational apparatuses within a system or network.
A recitation of “a”, “an” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more” unless specifically indicated to the contrary.
All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptions mentioned above are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. None is admitted to be prior art.
