Robert Boschgmbh

David Edward Carlson

Andrew M Grunloh

Alan J Babb

Mark Delay

Mark Thomas DeLay

A multi-stage mechanical suspension system extends a linear operating range for a loudspeaker and prevents mechanical damage on explosive peaks. The system includes a pair of spaced contact receivers that limit the travel of a contactor. The system provides a flat linear response at low frequencies as the contact receivers are intermittently or occasionally contacted by the contactor during operation of the loudspeaker. The system enables creation of different regions of non-linearity within a total stiffness versus deflection curve of a loudspeaker suspension system. The non-linearity in each region can be controlled individually, so long as the non-linearity by region increases moving away from the rest position. Thus, a plateau of substantially linear stiffness may extend for a large portion of the total displacement allowed for a voice coil and suspension components before a region of non-linear stiffness occurs only at the ends of an allowable excursion to limit the motion. More than two regions of stiffness also can be created to achieve maximum performance and stability.

Loudspeaker with multiple stage suspension system

The invention provides a high-frequency acoustic waveguide for use in coaxial loudspeaker systems. The waveguide is made up of a plurality of walls that define a conduit with an input end and an output end. Each of the walls includes a mask layer and a perforation layer. The mask layer has a plurality of holes sized and shaped to make the mask layer acoustically transparent to sound waves below a crossover frequency. The perforation layer has a plurality of micro-perforations sized and shaped to make the perforation layer acoustically opaque to sound waves above the crossover frequency. The waveguide directs sound waves above the crossover frequency, and is acoustically transparent to sound waves below the crossover frequency.

Acoustically transparent waveguide

An acoustic waveguide includes a plurality of projections to redirect sound waves to obtain a desired wave front, such as a flat plane wave front or an asymmetric curved wave front. The waveguide includes two waveguide members that are mirror images of each other. The waveguide members have corresponding vanes and projections. The waveguide includes an essentially circular input opening for alignment with a compression driver and provides a substantially rectangular output opening from the waveguide.

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Savage, MN, United States of America

David Edward Carlson