US 12,262,186 B2
System and method for delivering full-bandwidth sound to an audience in an audience space
John D. Meyer, Berkeley, CA (US); Roger Schwenke, Alameda, CA (US); Miles Rogers, San Rafael, CA (US); and Jon M. Arneson, Napa, CA (US)
Assigned to Meyer Sound Laboratories, Incorporated, Berkeley, CA (US)
Filed by Meyer Sound Laboratories, Incorporated, Berkeley, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/518,519.
Application 17/518,519 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2020/032102, filed on May 8, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/845,244, filed on May 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0060828 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 5/02 (2006.01); H04R 1/26 (2006.01); H04R 1/30 (2006.01); H04R 3/02 (2006.01); H04R 3/12 (2006.01); H04R 3/14 (2006.01); H04R 5/04 (2006.01); H04R 9/06 (2006.01); H04R 27/00 (2006.01); H04S 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 5/02 (2013.01) [H04R 1/26 (2013.01); H04R 1/30 (2013.01); H04R 3/14 (2013.01); H04R 5/04 (2013.01); H04R 27/00 (2013.01); H04S 7/302 (2013.01); H04S 7/305 (2013.01)] 23 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for delivering full-bandwidth sound to an audience in an audience space located in front of an acoustically reflective image screen, wherein the acoustically reflective image screen displays one or more static or moving images viewed by the audience and wherein the full-bandwidth sound delivered to the audience is spatially and contextually associated with the images displayed on the image screen, the system comprising:
one or more high frequency loudspeakers for reproducing high frequency components of the sound associated with the images displayed on the acoustically reflective image screen,
one or more low frequency loudspeakers reproducing low frequency components of the sound associated with the images on the acoustically reflective image screen,
a cross-over for splitting a full-bandwidth audio input signal into high and low audio signal inputs for, respectively, the one or more high frequency loudspeakers and one or more low frequency loudspeakers,
the one or more high frequency loudspeakers being positioned in front of the acoustically reflective image screen and being angled toward the image screen such that the sound emitted by the high frequency loudspeaker in response to the high audio signal input is reflected off of the image screen, the one or more high frequency loudspeakers each having a polar pattern meeting the following criteria: the polar pattern is large enough in the horizonal direction that sound from the one or more high frequency loudspeakers that is reflected from the image screen covers the audience space, yet is small enough in the vertical direction that direct sound from the high frequency loudspeaker does not extend into the audience space, and wherein substantially the entirety of the high frequency components of the sound produced by the one or more high frequency loudspeakers that are associated with the images displayed on the acoustically reflective image screen arrive at the audience space as reflected sound, and further wherein only high frequency sound produced by the one or more high frequency loudspeakers associated with the images displayed on the acoustically reflective image screen reaches the audience space,
the one or more low frequency loudspeakers being positioned and directed such that low frequency sound produced by the one or more low frequency loudspeakers in response to the low audio signal input is received by the audience as direct sound, and
delay compensation in front of the one or more low frequency loudspeakers for delaying the sound produced by the one or more low frequency loudspeakers relative to the sound produced by the one or more high frequency loudspeakers to time-align the direct sound from the one or more low frequency loudspeakers arriving at the audience space with the arrival of sound produced by the one or more high frequency loudspeakers that is reflected from the display screen.