Arraying speakers for a uniform driver field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016379618-A1
Application number	US-201514749801-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 25, 2015
Priority date	Jun 25, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and system for a noise cancellation comprises an amplifier in communication with the three or more speakers disposed in an area. A system controller produces a driver signal for each of the speakers in response to a signal from at least one microphone detecting sound in the area and communicates the driver signals to the amplifier. The amplifier drives each speaker with the driver signal produced for that speaker. In response to the driver signals, the speakers emit sound that combined produces a substantially uniform sound pressure field for a particular zone within the area. The substantially uniform sound pressure field produced by the speakers has a magnitude and phase adapted to attenuate a noise field in the area corresponding to the sound detected by the at least one microphone.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A noise cancellation system comprising:
three or more speakers disposed within an area; an amplifier in communication with the three or more speakers; and a system controller in communication with at least one microphone and the amplifier, the system controller producing a driver signal for each of the three or more speakers in response to a signal from the at least one microphone produced in response to sound detected within the area and communicating the driver signals to the amplifier, the amplifier applying each driver signal to drive a different one of the three or more speakers, the three or more speakers emitting sound that, in response to the driver signals, combined produces a substantially uniform sound pressure field for a particular zone within the area, the substantially uniform sound pressure field produced by the three or more speakers having a magnitude and phase adapted to attenuate a noise field corresponding to the sound detected by the at least one microphone.

2 . The noise cancellation system of claim 1 , wherein the three or more speakers are arranged along a common plane.

3 . The noise cancellation system of claim 1 , wherein the three or more speakers include a left speaker, a center speaker, and a right speaker, the particular zone surrounds an expected location of a head of an occupant of the area, the left and right speakers are disposed an equal distance from the expected location of the head of the occupant, and the center speaker is closer to the expected location of the head of the occupant than the left and right speakers.

4 . The noise cancellation system of claim 1 , wherein the system controller comprises:
a compensator in communication with the at least one microphone, the compensator producing a command signal in response to the signal from the at least one microphone, the command signal being configured to attenuate noise in the particular zone; and an arrayed speaker controller in communication with the compensator to receive the command signal and to apply signal transformations, based on predetermined parameter values, to the command signal to produce the driver signals used to drive the three or more speakers in such manner that the sound emitted by three or more speakers combined produce the substantially uniform sound pressure field for the particular zone.

5 . The noise cancellation system of claim 1 , wherein each driver signal is generated by applying a gain to the command signal.

6 . The noise cancellation system of claim 5 , wherein a sum of the gains for the driver signals is approximately equal to one.

7 . The noise cancellation system of claim 1 , wherein the driver signal for one of the three or more speakers includes a delay.

8 . A method of attenuating noise comprising:
producing a driver signal for each of three or more speakers disposed in an area in response to a signal produced in response to sound detected within the area by at least one microphone; and generating within a particular zone in the area, by combined sound emitted by the three or more speakers in response to the driver signals, a substantially uniform sound pressure field that attenuates a noise field corresponding to the sound detected by the at least one microphone.

9 . The method of claim 8 , further comprising arranging the three or more speakers along a common plane.

10 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the three or more speakers include a left speaker, a center speaker, and a right speaker, the particular zone surrounds an expected location of a head of an occupant of the area, the left and right speakers are disposed an equal distance from the expected location of the head of the occupant, and the center speaker is closer to the expected location of the head of the occupant than the left and right speakers.

11 . The method of claim 8 , wherein producing a driver signal for each of three or more speakers in response to the signal from the at least one microphone comprises:
producing a command signal configured to attenuate noise in the particular zone in the area in response to the signal from the at least one microphone; and applying signal transformations, based on predetermined parameter values, to the command signal to produce the driver signals used to drive the three or more speakers in such manner that the combined sound emitted by the three or more speakers produce the substantially uniform sound pressure field for the particular zone.

12 . The method of claim 8 , wherein each driver signal is generated by applying a gain to the command signal.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a sum of the gains for the set of driver signals is approximately equal to one.

14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein one of the driver signals includes a delay.

15 . A vehicle comprising:
a passenger compartment; a noise cancellation system comprising:
three or more speakers disposed within the passenger compartment;
an amplifier in communication with the three or more speakers; and
a system controller in communication with at least one microphone and the amplifier, the system controller producing a driver signal for each of the three or more speakers in response to a signal produced in response to sound detected within the area by the at least one microphone and communicating the driver signals to the amplifier, the amplifier driving each of the three or more speakers with the driver signal for that speaker, the three or more speakers emitting sound, in response to the driver signals, that combined produces a substantially uniform sound pressure field for a particular zone within the area, the substantially uniform sound pressure field produced by the three or more speakers having a magnitude and phase adapted to attenuate a noise field corresponding to the sound detected by the at least one microphone.

16 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the three or more speakers are arranged along a common plane.

17 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the three or more speakers include a left speaker, a center speaker, and a right speaker, the particular zone surrounds an expected location of a head of an occupant of the area, the left and right speakers are disposed an equal distance from the expected location of the head of the occupant, and the center speaker is closer to the expected location of the head of the occupant than the left and right speakers.

18 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the system controller comprises:
a compensator in communication with the at least one microphone, the compensator producing a command signal in response to the signal from the at least one microphone; and an arrayed speaker controller in communication with the compensator to receive therefrom the command signal and to produce the driver signals used to drive the three or more speakers in response to command signal.

19 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein each driver signal includes a gain to be applied to the command signal.

20 . The vehicle of claim 19 , wherein a sum of the gains for the driver signals is approximately equal to one.

21 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein one of the driver signals of the driver signals includes a delay.

Assignees

• Bose Corp

Inventors

• Torres Wade
• Easterbrook David
• Bender Paul T
• Warkentin David
• Isabelle Steven H
• Struzik Ryan

Classifications

• H04R1/028

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title

• H04R3/12

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

• G10K2210/3215

  Arrays, e.g. for beamforming · CPC title

• H04R1/403

  loud-speakers · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title