Anti-sound beam method and apparatus
OwnerMichael Joseph DeLucainventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device generates a directional anti-sound beam by modulating an ultrasonic carrier with a sound canceling signal and exciting an ultrasonic transducer with the modulated signal. When the anti-sound beam is directed at a sound source, the level of sound from the sound source is reduced. A microphone monitors the resultant sound for adjusting the sound canceling signal. An alternate signal may be further modulated upon the anti-sound beam to provide a substitute sound at the sound source.
Claims20
A method of at least partially canceling sound produced by an audio source comprising the steps of:
- generating a sound canceling signal in response to the audio source;
- modulating an ultrasonic carrier signal with the sound canceling signal to produce a modulated carrier signal;
- exciting a transducer with the modulated carrier signal to produce a substantially directional anti-sound beam;
- and
- directing the anti-sound beam towards the audio source.
A method of reducing sound comprising the steps of:
- adding a sound canceling signal modulated upon an ultrasonic carrier with a sound signal to reduce the sound pressure level of the sound signal wherein the sound canceling signal modulated upon the ultrasonic carrier has a substantially directional characteristic and the sound signal is generated by a sound source;
- and
- sound, directing the sound canceling signal modulated upon the ultrasonic carrier towards the sound source.
A device for reducing sound comprising:
- a sound canceling generator for generating a sound canceling signal in response to a sound source;
- an ultrasonic carrier generator for generating an ultrasonic carrier signal;
- a combiner for producing a combined signal by combining the sound canceling signal with the ultrasonic carrier signal;
- and
- a transducer for producing a substantially directional anti-sound beam in response to the combined signal, whereby sound from the sound source is reduced by directing the anti-sound beam towards the sound source.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.