Planar speaker

Claim 2

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm secured to the backing in confronting relation therewith and defining a vibratable area, the edges of the vibratable area being stationary against vibration with respect to the backing, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having a central portion with low frequency signal carrying conductive means thereon for vibrating the entire vibratable area generating low frequency sounds, said vibratable area also having an elongate and narrow strip portion with high frequency signal carrying conductive means affixed thereon and substantially throughout said strip portion for vibrating the narrow strip portion of the diaphragm and generating high frequency sounds, and the mass of the high frequency signal carrying conductor means per square inch of diaphragm area on said strip portion being substantially less than the mass of the low frequency signal carrying conductive means per sqare inch of area of the diaphragm, and said backing having means defining polarity characteristics to alternately attract and repel the diaphragm and cause diaphragm vibrations for sound production upon application of audio frequency electric signals to the conductive means.

Claim 3

The transducer according to claim 1 and the backing being spaced significantly closer to the diaphragm at said narrow strip portions than at said central portion of the vibratable area.

Claim 4

The transducer according to claim 1 and both of the conductive means including current carrying conductors on the diaphragm, the high frequency signal conductors on the narrow strip portion having significantly less mass per unit of lenth than the low frequency conductors on the central portion of the vibratable area, and the polarity characteristics defining means of the backing being magnetic.

Claim 5

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm having its edges secUred to the backing, the diaphragm being disposed in confronting and spaced relation with the backing and having a pair of adjacent vibratable areas, each of said vibratable areas having a central portion with conductive means thereon to receive bass audio frequency signals for vibrating the diaphragm area as a woofer, divider means between said adjacent vibratable areas and engaging and retaining the diaphragm against vibrating at the edge of the vibratable areas, the diaphragm having an elongate and narrow edge portion extending into both vibratable areas, said elongate and narrow edge portion of the diaphragm having conductive means thereon to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm as a tweeter, the tweeter forming a portion of and transcending adjacent woofers, and said backing having means defining polarity characteristics to alternatively attract and repel the diaphragm and cause diaphragm vibrations for sound production upon application of audio frequency electric signals to the conductive means.

Claim 6

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm having its edges secUred to the backing, the diaphragm being disposed in confronting and spaced relation with the backing and having a pair of adjacent vibratable areas, each of said vibratable areas having a central portion with conductive means thereon to receive bass audio frequency signals for vibrating the diaphragm area as a woofer, divider means between said adjacent vibratable areas and engaging and retaining the diaphragm against vibrating at the edge of the vibratable areas, the diaphragm having an elongate and narrow edge portion extending into both vibratable areas, said elongate and narrow edge portion of the diaphragm having conductive means thereon to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm as a tweeter, the tweeter forming a portion of and transcending adjacent woofers, and said backing having means defining polarity characteristics to alternatively attract and repel the diaphragm and cause diaphragm vibrations for sound production upon application of audio frequency electric signals to the conductive means.

Claim 7

The sound generating transducer according to claim 4 and said pair of adjacent vibratable areas of the diaphragm having different fundamental resonant frequencies separated significantly from each other.

Claim 8

The sound generating transducer according to claim 4 wherein both ends of the divider means are respectively spaced from opposite edges of the diaphragm, and the diaphragm also having an elongate edge portion located along the edge of the diaphragm opposite the tweeter and also extending across the adjoining end of the divider means and into both vibratable areas and carrying conductive means to receive midrange audio frequency signals for vibrating the diaphragm.

Claim 9

The sound generating transducer according to claim 4 and the divider means having one end in spaced relation with one edge of the diaphragm, said one end being disposed adjacent the tweeter.

Claim 10

The sound generating transducer according to claim 4 and said acoustically transparent backing including a magnetic means, the woofer and tweeter conductive means including current-carrying conductors cooperating with the magnetic means of the backing in vibrating the diaphram.

Claim 11

The sound generating transducer according to claim 8 and the conductors of the tweeter extending the full length of the tweeter and into both adjacent vibrating areas of the diaphragm.

Claim 12

The sound generating transducer according to claim 9 and the conductors of the tweeter extending longitudinally of the tweeter throughout substantially the full length of the diaphragm and to the edges thereof.

Claim 13

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape and including a magnetic means producing magnetic fields adjacent the backing, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm secured to the backing in confronting relation therewith and defining a vibratable area, the edges of the vibratable are being stationary against vibration with respect to the backing, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having a central portion with current-carrying conductors thereon to receive low audio frequency signals for vibrating the entire vibratable area, said vibratable area also having an elongate and narrow edge portion with current-carrying conductors thereon to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm, and the magnetic means of said backing having pole faces confronting the diaphragm and lying parallel to the diaphragm adjacent said elongate narrow edge portion and the pole faces also being spaced significantly closer to the diaphragm adjacent said elongate narrow edge portion than at said central portion.

Claim 14

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape and including a magnetic means producing magnetic fields adjacent the backing, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm secured to the backing in confronting relation therewith and defining a vibratable area, the edges of the vibratable are being stationary against vibration with respect to the backing, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having a central portion with current-carrying conductors thereon to receive low audio frequency signals for vibrating the entire vibratable area, said vibratable area also having an elongate and narrow edge portion with current-carrying conductors thereon to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm, and the magnetic means of said backing having pole faces confronting the diaphragm and lying parallel to the diaphragm adjacent said elongate narrow edge portion and the pole faces also being spaced significantly closer to the diaphragm adjacent said elongate narrow edge portion than at said central portion.

Claim 15

The sound generating transducer according to claim 11, and said magnetic means including a plate-like armature of magnetic material, and field generating means on the armature adjacent the central and Along the narrow edge portions of the vibratable area.

Claim 16

The sound generating transducer according to claim 12 and the field generating means including thin flexible magnets magnetically adhered to the armature and variously spaced from the diaphragm adjacent the edge portion and central portion of the vibratable area.

Claim 17

The sound generating transducer according to claim 11, and the conductors of the central and edge portions being separated from each other without overlap or commingling.

Claim 18

The sound generating transducer according to claim 11 and including a blocking coil connected in series with the current-carrying conductors on the central portion to exclude the high audio frequency signals therefrom.

Claim 19

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, the backing including magnetic means defining elongate zones to form magnetic pole faces, adjacent pole faces being of opposite polarity to define a plurality of elongate magnetic fields adjoining the magnetic means, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm having edges secured to the backing in confronting and spaced relation therewith and defining a vibratable area, the edges of the vibratable area being stationary against vibration with respect to the backing, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having a central portion with current-carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive low audio frequency signals and causing vibration of the entire vibratable area and generating low frequency sounds, said vibratable area also having an elongate and narrow edge portion with current-carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm, and the conductors in the elongate and narrow edge portion having a spacing from each other significantly less than the spacing between adjacent conductors at the central portion of the vibratable area, and the elongate zones and magnetic pole faces of the magnetic means being spaced from adjacent zones and faces in accordance with the spacing between adjacent conductors on the diaphragm.

Claim 20

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, the backing including magnetic means defining elongate zones to form magnetic pole faces, adjacent pole faces being of opposite polarity to define a plurality of elongate magnetic fields adjoining the magnetic means, an audio sound-producing flexible diaphragm having edges secured to the backing in confronting and spaced relation therewith and defining a vibratable area, the edges of the vibratable area being stationary against vibration with respect to the backing, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having a central portion with current-carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive low audio frequency signals and causing vibration of the entire vibratable area and generating low frequency sounds, said vibratable area also having an elongate and narrow edge portion with current-carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the narrow edge portion of the diaphragm, and the conductors in the elongate and narrow edge portion having a spacing from each other significantly less than the spacing between adjacent conductors at the central portion of the vibratable area, and the elongate zones and magnetic pole faces of the magnetic means being spaced from adjacent zones and faces in accordance with the spacing between adjacent conductors on the diaphragm.

Claim 21

The sound generating transducer according to claim 16, and the pole faces of the magnetic means being uniformly spaced from the diaphragm adjacent the elongate narrow edge portion of the vibratable area, and also being positioned significantly closer to the diaphragm and conductors thereon adjacent the elongate narrow edge portion of said area than adjacent the conductors on the central portion of the vibratable area.

Claim 22

The sound generating transducer according to claim 16 and the field generating means having a generally concavely shaped surface confronting and facing the diaphragm and being spaced significantly closer to the elongate and narrow edge portion of the vibratable area than from the central portion of the vibratable area of the diaphragm.

Claim 23

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, the backing including magnetic means defining a plurality of elongate and parallel magnetic zones forming magnetic pole faces, adjacent pole faces being of opposite polarity to define a plurality of elongate magnetic fields adjoining such faces, an audio sound producing flexible diaphragm having edges secured to the backing and defining a vibratable area in confronting and spaced relation with said pole faces, the diaphragm being permanently stretched in excess of its natural size, but within the elastic limits of the diaphragm, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having adjoining portions with current carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means, one of said portions of the vibratable area being broad with low frequency carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive low audio frequency signals and causing vibration of the entire vibratable area and generating sounds of comparable low frequencies, another of said portions of the vibratable area being in the form of an elongate and narrow strip with high frequency conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the elongate and narrow strip at such high audio frequencies, the spacing between said high frequency current carrying conductors in said strip being significantly less than the spacing between the low frequency carrying conductors on the diaphragm, the width of said elongate magnetic zones adjacent said high frequency current carrying conductors being substantially less than the width of the elongate magnetic zones adjacent said low frequency carrying conductors, and the spacing between adjacent elongate mangetic zones conforming to the corresponding spacing between the adjacent low frequency and high frequency current carrying conductors on the diaphragm, respectively.

Claim 24

A sound generating transducer comprising: a stiff and acoustically transparent backing having a broad and substantially flat shape, the backing including magnetic means defining a plurality of elongate and parallel magnetic zones forming magnetic pole faces, adjacent pole faces being of opposite polarity to define a plurality of elongate magnetic fields adjoining such faces, an audio sound producing flexible diaphragm having edges secured to the backing and defining a vibratable area in confronting and spaced relation with said pole faces, the diaphragm being permanently stretched in excess of its natural size, but within the elastic limits of the diaphragm, the vibratable area of the diaphragm having adjoining portions with current carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means, one of said portions of the vibratable area being broad with low frequency carrying conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive low audio frequency signals and causing vibration of the entire vibratable area and generating sounds of comparable low frequencies, another of said portions of the vibratable area being in the form of an elongate and narrow strip with high frequency conductors thereon and extending along the elongate zones of the magnetic means to receive high audio frequency signals for vibrating the elongate and narrow strip at such high audio frequencies, the spacing between said high frequency current carrying conductors in said strip being significantly less than the spacing between the low frequency carrying conductors on the diaphragm, the width of said elongate magnetic zones adjacent said high frequency current carrying conductors being substantially less than the width of the elongate magnetic zones adjacent said low frequency carrying conductors, and the spacing between adjacent elongate mangetic zones conforming to the corresponding spacing between the adjacent low frequency and high frequency current carrying conductors on the diaphragm, respectively.