Acoustic device

Abstract

A panel loudspeaker comprising a panel, at least one driver, and a frame connected to the panel. The panel has a plurality of edges and is capable of sustaining bending waves. The driver is connected to the panel at a location that is neither at or near the edges of the panel, nor at or near the center of the panel, to vibrate the panel to cause it to resonate and produce an acoustic output. The driver location is in a positioning area that lies between a center-of-gravity area, which is centered on the center of gravity of the panel, and an edge area, which abuts the edges of the panel.

1 . Panel loudspeaker comprising: 
 a panel, which includes a plurality of edges, a center-of-gravity area centered on a center of gravity of the panel, the center-of-gravity area having a diameter of at least 25% of a diagonal of the panel, an edge area abutting the plurality of edges and extending towards the center of gravity of the panel, and a positioning area extending between the edge area and the center-of-gravity area,    at least one driver, and    a frame connected to the panel,    wherein the at least one driver is connected to the panel only inside the positioning area.    
   
   
       2 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 1 , wherein the panel is fixedly clamped in the frame and the edge area of the panel has a width that is at least 5% of a diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       3 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 1 , wherein the panel is yieldably connected to the frame, and wherein the center-of-gravity area is a cross-shaped two-dimensional area and formed by two mutually perpendicular two-dimensional stripes that extend through the center of gravity of the panel and connect the respective edge area by a shortest possible distance.  
   
   
       4 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 3 , wherein the cross-shaped center-of-gravity area defines four positioning areas which each include a reduction proximate to an area where two respective intersecting edges of the panel form a corner.  
   
   
       5 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 4 , wherein the respective reductions of the positioning areas have a triangular shape, wherein two sides of each triangular-shaped reduction are formed by respective inner edges of the edge area and the remaining side of each triangular reduction is formed by a closed continuous line that connects respective centers of intersecting edges.  
   
   
       6 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 2 , wherein the panel has a rectangular shape, 
 wherein two intersecting edges of the panel that form a corner have a different length, and wherein a portion of the edge area that abuts an edge of the panel with one length has a different width than a portion of the edge area that abuts an edge of the panel with another length.    
   
   
       7 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 6 , wherein a first width of the edge area which abuts a long edge of the panel, is a greater than a second width of the edge area which abuts a short edge of the panel.  
   
   
       8 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 7 , wherein the first width is at least 10% and the second width is at least 5% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       9 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 3 , wherein the two two-dimensional areas that cross one another have a different width.  
   
   
       10 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 6 , wherein the two two-dimensional areas that cross one another have a different width, with a width of the two-dimensional area extending parallel to a long edge of the panel is greater than or equal to 2.5% and a width of the two-dimensional area extending parallel to a short edge of the panel is greater than or equal to 17% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       11 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 6 , wherein the at least one driver maintains a first distance to a center line that extends parallel to a long edge of the panel and a second distance to a center line that extends parallel to a short edge of the panel, with the center lines intersecting at the center of gravity, wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance.  
   
   
       12 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 11 , wherein the first distance is approximately 7% and the second distance is approximately 14% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       13 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 1 , wherein the panel has a rectangular shape.  
   
   
       14 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 13 , wherein a first width of the edge area which abuts a long edge of the panel, is a greater than a second width of the edge area which abuts a short edge of the panel.  
   
   
       15 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 14 , wherein the first width is at least 10% and the second width is at least 5% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       16 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 13 , wherein the center-of-gravity area is a cross-shaped two-dimensional area and formed by two mutually perpendicular two-dimensional stripes that extend through the center of gravity of the panel and connect the respective edge area by a shortest possible distance, the two two-dimensional areas that cross one another have different widths, and a width of the two-dimensional area extending parallel to a long edge of the panel is greater than or equal to 2.5% and a width of the two-dimensional area extending parallel to a short edge of the panel is greater than or equal to 17% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       17 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 13 , wherein the at least one driver maintains a first distance to a center line that extends parallel to a long edge of the panel and a second distance to a center line that extends parallel to a short edge of the panel, with the center lines intersecting at the center of gravity, wherein the first distance is smaller than the second distance.  
   
   
       18 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 17 , wherein the first distance is approximately 7% and the second distance is approximately 14% of the diagonal of the panel.  
   
   
       19 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 1 , wherein the panel has four edges.  
   
   
       20 . Panel loudspeaker according to  claim 1 , wherein two intersecting edges of the panel that form a corner of the panel have different lengths.  
   
   
       21 . A panel loudspeaker, comprising: 
 a frame;    a panel connected to the frame, the panel including:    a plurality of panel edges defining a shape of the panel;    a center of gravity;    an inner exclusion area, centered on the center of gravity of the panel and defined by exclusion-area edges, the shape of the inner exclusion area being the same as the shape of the panel, each exclusion-area edge corresponding to a different panel edge and having a length at least 25% of the length of the corresponding panel edge;    an outer exclusion area abutting the plurality of panel edges and extending towards the center of gravity of the panel;    a positioning area extending between the outer exclusion area and the inner exclusion area; and    a driver connected to the panel inside the positioning area.    
   
   
       22 . A panel loudspeaker as set forth in  claim 21 , wherein the panel is fixedly clamped in the frame.  
   
   
       23 . Panel loudspeaker comprising: 
 a panel capable of sustaining bending waves and including a plurality of edges, a center-of-gravity area centered on the center of gravity of the panel, the center-of-gravity area having a diameter of at least 25% of a diagonal of the panel, an edge area abutting the plurality of edges and extending towards the center of gravity of the panel, and a positioning area extending between the edge area and the center-of-gravity area for at least one driver to couple to plural modes of bending wave vibration;    at least one driver; and    a frame connected to the panel,    wherein the at least one driver is connected to the panel only inside the positioning area to vibrate the panel to cause it to resonate and produce an acoustic output.    
   
   
       24 . A panel loudspeaker, comprising: 
 a frame;    a panel connected to the frame, the panel being capable of sustaining bending waves and including:    a plurality of panel edges defining a shape of the panel;    a center of gravity;    an inner exclusion area, centered on the center of gravity of the panel and defined by exclusion-area edges, the shape of the inner exclusion area being the same as the shape of the panel, each exclusion-area edge corresponding to a different panel edge and having a length at least 25% of the length of the corresponding panel edge;    an outer exclusion area abutting the plurality of panel edges and extending towards the center of gravity of the panel;    a positioning area extending between the outer exclusion area and the inner exclusion area for at least one driver to couple to plural modes of bending wave vibration; and    a driver connected to the panel inside the positioning area to vibrate the panel to cause it to resonate and produce an acoustic output.