AU2004201525B2 - Harmonic amplifier and corresponding electroacoustic transducer - Google Patents

Description

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AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant/s: Actual Inventor/s: Address for Service:

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Pica-Sound International Marc Charbonneaux and Patrice Morchain and Pierre Piccaluga and Claude Annie Perrichon Baldwin Shelston Waters MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 3710000352 Invention Title: HARMONIC AMPLIFIER AND CORRESPONDING ELECTROACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER Details of Original Application No. 49157/99 dated 22 Jul 1999 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- File: 31136AUP01 500337464 1.DOC/5844 -la- ELECTRO-ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER HARMONIC AMPLIFIER Any discussion of the prior art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an admission that such prior art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.

In the field of sound reproduction, it is normal practice to use membranes excited by diamond motors or electrostatic strip systems.

It is normal to identify these products by acoustic efficiencies and acceleration speeds.

All these products have significant masses in movements to produce the sound. On the other hand, sound is an impact between air particles which have infinitely small masses conferring high sound propagation speeds, namely about 300 meters per second.

One product, such as the plasma chamber, was close to the physical performances of air since it acted on the level of the air particles. The drawback of this method was that it went through a chemicl transformation of the composition of the air, and in order to do this, relatively expensive means were used.

The present method is a complement to current sound reproduction systems, such as the acoustic chambers used. These chambers create the required sound bases but are not refined and in particular have a characteristic defect in that they do not observe sound intermodulation. The present method and device superimpose on the coarse sound signal of the chambers the fine sound information contained in the original electric audio signal.

This sound information has the precise order and amplification of space-time harmonics.

According to one aspect, the present invention provides a process for improving audio sound reproduction by at least one acoustic baffle, wherein the process does not involve use of a diaphragm, and wherein the process superimposes on the audio sound or raw acoustic signal of said baffle or baffles the refined acoustic information contained in the original audio electric signal delivered to said baffle or baffles, and wherein said superimposed refined acoustic information results from the amplification and precise order of the harmonics of said source audio signal in space-time.

According to another aspect, the present invention provides a device for improvement in the audio sound emitted by at least one acoustic baffle, wherein such device has no diaphragm and wherein said device comprises means for superimposing on the audio sound or raw sound signal of said baffle or baffles the refined sound information contained in the source audio electric signal, which is the amplification and (Ni precise order of harmonics in space-time, and wherein said device is made up of at least one coil of wire in free ambient air to which is supplied an electric signal which is Sthe same as the audio signal which the device delivers to the baffle or baffles, the device as a whole being adapted so as to constitute itself a harmonic amplifying electro-acoustic transducer supplementing conventional electro-acoustic baffles or transducers.

The present method preferably uses low level electromagnetism which is applied to the ambient air particles, thus creating a new magnetic field on the terrestrial magnetic field. Thus, the air particles are agitated by the new magnetic field which varies in opposition to the stable reference terrestrial magnetic field.

The new magnetic field is defined by the sole usage of at least one excited solenoid activated by the electric audio sound signal of an acoustic amplifier.

Thus, the preferred form of the present method amplifies the low-level sound harmonics, but to a larger extent for auditive perception and thus may permit extremely clear sound reproduction. The speed of sound execution of this method is characterised by the absence of inertia and mechanical viscosity as it is executed by the solenoid without any apparent mechanical movement. Sound emission is therefore effected by firstly agitating the molecules in space, and secondly, according to the types of methods of winding, can be effected by the sound micro-vibrations of electric wires or solenoids.

A variant of the method is a solenoid added to at least one magnet inside or outside which has its effect but reduces its sensitivity owing to the residual magnetism 2a of the magnetic field of the magnet which imposes its magnetic field constant, masking the terrestrial magnetic field.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

This method is characterised by a device made up (Fig 1) of at least one winding of 3 electric wires in this figure, 1 10 th of a millimeter being wound onto a flexible polymer support 10 cm long and having a diameter of 0.8 cm. The impedance of this winding is 8 Ohms and winding is characterised in that each layer 4) is wound in the same winding direction, the return wire being placed along the winding. This winding method allows micro-vibrations between the spires given the fact of the tension difference between the spires of the first and second layer. These micro-vibrations take part in the sound amplification of the harmonics. This device is connected to an electric audio signal of an acoustic chamber or an acoustic supply. This device complements normal electro-acoustic transducers. This device is produced by a specialist in this field and represents a nonrestrictive example of the embodiment of this method. This device (Fig 1) is integrated (Fig 2) in an acoustic chamber in front of the facade The electro-acoustic transducer solenoid of the present device is mounted free in the ambient air next to the Tweeter It is mounted on the facade and supported mechanically by two screws and is mounted electrically with the Tweeter by the electric wires 6) derived from the electro-acoustic filter The winding of the electric wire can have any type of shape, having for example a round, conical or square section or take any other shape. This mounting does not restrict the applications of the device. This new electro-acoustic transducer could be mounted directly on the general audio power supply between the amplifier and the acoustic chamber.

These new electro-acoustic transducers can be mounted in series or in parallel or both.

These acoustic transducers may be harmonic amplifiers.

Preferably, the present method and electro-acoustic device use a winding of a nomembrane electric wire to provide unequalled acoustic fineness. Several windings of one onto another also constitute an electro-acoustic transducer of the same type as the one submitted in the present method but whose embodiment is more complex.

This device and method can be used on all audio and audio-video systems and in any method of communication, such as telephones, radio, as well as by the medical profession for improving the auditive comfort of deaf persons.

Claims (17)

1. A device for improvement in the audio sound emitted by at least one acoustic baffle, wherein such device has no diaphragm and wherein said device comprises means for superimposing on the audio sound or raw sound signal of said baffle or t 5 baffles the refined sound information contained in the source audio electric signal, (-i t which is the amplification and precise order of harmonics in space-time, and wherein said device is made up of at least one coil of wire in free ambient air to which is Ssupplied an electric signal which is the same as the audio signal which the device (-i delivers to the baffle or baffles, the device as a whole being adapted so as to constitute itself a harmonic amplifying electro-acoustic transducer supplementing conventional electro-acoustic baffles or transducers.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said device comprises means for utilizing low-level electromagnetism which is based on ambient air particles and thus creates a new magnetic field which is superimposed on the terrestrial magnetic field, so that the air particles are agitated by the new variable magnetic field in contrast to the reference terrestrial magnetic field, which is stable.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein said device receives the same as the audio signal delivered to the baffle or baffles, comprises means for amplifying the low-level sound harmonics of said audio sound and for superimposing them on said audio sound.

4. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein emission of sound is first effected by agitation of molecules in space and may then be effected by sound microvibrations of electric wires of a solenoid or of solenoids.

A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, including the addition of at least one magnet in order to augment the magnetic field effects.

6. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said device comprises a solenoid to which is added at least one magnet on the exterior or in the interior adapted so as to activate its effect but diminish its sensitivity because of the remanence of the magnetic field of the magnet, which imposes its magnetic field constant, thereby masking the terrestrial magnetic field.

7. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein said device is made up of at least one coil of electric wire wound on a flexible polymer base.

8. A device as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the electric wire or wires has/have a diameter of 1/10 of a millimeter, wherein the polymer base is 10 centimeters long and 0.8 centimeter in diameter, and wherein the impedance of this coil is 8 ohms.

9. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coil is produced in such a way that each layer is wound in the same direction of winding, the return wire being placed along the winding so as to allow microvibrations (which participate in acoustic amplification of the harmonics between the turns, the difference in voltage between the turns of the first and second layers being given.

A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 9, wherein the device is connected to an audio electric signal of a baffle or of an acoustic feed and supplements conventional baffle(s) or electro-acoustic transducers.

11. A device as claimed in Claim 10, wherein the device is integrated into a baffle positioned before the front.

12. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 11, including an electro-acoustic transducer solenoid mounted free-standing in ambient air beside a tweeter, wherein the solenoid is mounted in position before the front, being fastened by mechanical means, -6- and is mounted electrically with the tweeter by electric wires coming from an electro- acoustic filter.

13. A device as claimed in any of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the coil of wire may be in any form, including round, conical, or square in cross-section.

14. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 13, wherein the device is mounted directly on the general audio feed between the amplifier and the baffle.

A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 14, wherein a plurality of such devices is mounted serially, in parallel, or both.

16. A device as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 15, wherein the device is limited to one coil of electric wire without a diaphragm or comprises several coils one atop the other.

17. A device for improvement of audio sound substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.