Smart passenger service unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10506339-B2
Application number	US-201715476785-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 31, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2014
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

In an illustrative embodiment, an integrated speaker-light unit includes a base unit adapted to be mounted to a fixture of an aircraft, a speaker unit disposed proximate the base unit, a horn element having a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end positioned proximate the speaker unit and defining a first aperture, and the distal end defining a second aperture, where a greatest measurement of the second aperture is larger than a greatest measurement of the first aperture, an LED unit disposed at least partially in the horn element, and a housing element at least partially surrounding the horn element. The greatest measurement of the second aperture may be less than 4 inches. The base unit may be mounted to a passenger service unit such that the integrated speaker-light unit is presented as a passenger reading light.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An integrated speaker-light unit for use in an aircraft, comprising:
a base member adapted to be mounted to a fixture of the aircraft;
a speaker unit disposed proximate the base member;
a horn element having a proximal end, a distal end, the proximal end positioned proximate the speaker unit and defining a first aperture, and the distal end defining a second aperture, wherein the first aperture is smaller than the second aperture, and wherein the horn element includes an interior space between the first aperture and the second aperture;
an LED unit disposed at least partially in the interior space of the horn element; and
a housing element at least partially surrounding the horn element;
wherein the second aperture has a width and length, both less than 4 inches;
wherein the housing element is articulably connected to the base member.

2. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 1 , further comprising a flexible printed circuit board comprising control circuitry for controlling the speaker unit and the LED unit.

3. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 2 , wherein the flexible circuit board comprises at least one flexible connector connecting at least one LED of the LED unit to the flexible printed circuit board, wherein the flexible connector is disposed in part within the horn element.

4. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 1 , wherein the second aperture is elongated.

5. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 4 , wherein the LED unit comprises a plurality of LEDs.

6. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 1 , wherein the integrated speaker-light unit is designed for use as a reading light.

7. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 1 , wherein the base member is mounted to a passenger service unit disposed underneath an overhead bin.

8. The integrated speaker-light unit of claim 1 , wherein the horn element is an asymmetric speaker horn.

9. An integrated speaker-light unit for use in an aircraft, comprising:
a base member adapted to be mounted to a fixture of the aircraft;
a speaker unit disposed proximate the base member unit;
a horn element having a proximal end, a distal end, the proximal end positioned proximate the speaker unit and defining a first aperture, and the distal end defining a second aperture, wherein the first aperture is smaller than the second aperture, and wherein the horn element includes an interior space between the first aperture and the second aperture;
an LED unit disposed at least partially in the interior space of the horn element; and
a housing element at least partially surrounding the horn element;
wherein the second aperture has a width and length, both less than 4 inches;
wherein at least a portion of the housing element is adapted to be gripped and articulated by a passenger or crew member.

10. A passenger service unit for an aircraft cabin, comprising:
an oxygen supply module comprising an oxygen canister and a plurality of oxygen masks;
a lighting module comprising a plurality of LED reading light units;
at least one mini-speaker comprising a horn element having a greatest diameter of no greater than four inches; and
control circuitry for controlling the oxygen supply module, the lighting module, and the at least one mini-speaker, wherein the control circuitry is connected to
a single power converter for converting an external power supply to voltage usable by the control circuitry, and
a single communications interface for communicating with an external management computing system,

wherein the control circuitry and a plurality of LED lights for illuminating the plurality of LED reading light units are disposed on a single contiguous flexible printed circuit board.

11. The passenger service unit of claim 10 , wherein a first mini-speaker of the at least one mini-speaker is integrated into a first LED reading light unit of the plurality of LED reading light units, wherein an LED for illuminating the first LED reading light unit is at least partially disposed in the horn element of the first mini-speaker.

12. The passenger service unit of claim 11 , wherein the at least one mini-speaker comprises three mini-speakers each integrated with a respective reading light.

13. The passenger service unit of claim 12 , wherein a sound output of the three mini-speakers is configured for delivery of enhanced combined sound quality to a corresponding three passenger seats positioned beneath the passenger service unit.

14. The passenger service unit of claim 11 , wherein a sound output of the first mini-speaker is directionally optimized to direct sound to a passenger positioned to use the first LED reading light unit.

15. The passenger service unit of claim 10 , wherein the passenger service unit weighs at least two pounds less than a corresponding conventional passenger service unit comprising conventional electric bulb reading light units and a conventional paper cone speaker.

16. The passenger service unit of claim 10 , wherein the control circuitry further comprises audio control circuitry for providing an audio signal to the at least one mini-speaker, the audio control circuitry including an amplifier and at least one audio filter.

17. The passenger service unit of claim 16 , wherein the audio control circuitry further comprises circuitry for applying noise cancellation to the audio signal.

18. The passenger service unit of claim 10 , further comprising an ambient noise receiver, wherein noise cancellation is applied based in part on an ambient noise signal from the ambient noise receiver.

Assignees

• Be Aerospace Inc

Inventors

• Dunn Matthew
• Johannessen Eric
• Gambeski Gannon T
• Barker John Terence
• Moss Ronnie R
• Peck Jesse Richard
• Linton Robert
• Todzia Jonathan
• Lasala Donald
• Sam Luis

Classifications

• G10K2210/1281

  Aircraft, e.g. spacecraft, airplane or helicopter · CPC title

• H04R3/12

  for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title

• F21V33/0056

  Audio equipment, e.g. music instruments, radios or speakers · CPC title

• G10K11/178

  by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase · CPC title

• G10K2210/3044

  Phase shift, e.g. complex envelope processing · CPC title