# US 9,517,732 B2 · Headrest speaker arrangement

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- Number: US 9,517,732 B2
- Document ID: US9517732B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 13/753,806
- Filed: 2013-01-30
- Published: 2013-06-06
- Granted: 2016-12-13
- Earliest claimed: 2010-07-30
- Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
- Applicants: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
- Inventors: Andreas Silzle; Ulrik Heise; Stefan Varga; Matthias Lang; Oliver Hellmuth
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9517732B2

## CPC

- B60R 11/0217: {for loud-speakers}
- H04R 1/025: {Arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture}
- H04R 1/323: {for loudspeakers (H04R1/34 and H04R1/40 take precedence)}
- H04R 5/023: {in a chair, pillow}
- B60R 2011/0028: {Ceiling, e.g. roof rails}
- B60R 2013/016: {integrating other functions or accessories}
- H04R 2499/13: Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)

## Abstract

In embodiments of the invention, a headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box which can be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest is described. The headrest or the speaker box may have at least one speaker integrated in the headrest or in the speaker box, wherein the speaker has a main sound emission direction and wherein the speaker is fixed in the headrest or in the speaker box in such a way that the main sound emission direction is inclined with respect to a backrest main direction of the backrest of the vehicle seat.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest, comprising:
a first speaker and a second speaker integrated in the headrest or in the speaker box, and
a chamber having a sound outlet opening arrangement being formed by one or more openings,
wherein each of the first and the second speaker has a main sound emission direction, and wherein each of the first and the second speaker is fixed in the headrest or in the speaker box in such a way that the main sound emission directions are inclined with respect to a backrest main direction of a backrest of the vehicle seat, and
wherein the first speaker and the second speaker are lowered arranged in the chamber with respect to the sound outlet opening arrangement, so that during operation sound waves emitted from the at least first and second speaker are mixed in the chamber formed in the headrest or in the speaker box.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1,
wherein an angle β between the backrest main direction and a seating surface of the vehicle seat is changeable, and wherein the speaker fixed in the headrest or in the speaker box comprises an inclined main sound emission direction relative to the changeable backrest main direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest, according to claim 1, wherein an angle α between the main sound emission direction of the speaker and the backrest main direction is equal or larger than 25°, 30°, 45° or 90°.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first speaker has a first main sound emission direction and the second speaker has a different second main sound emission direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 4, wherein an angle α1 between the first main sound emission direction and the backrest main direction is equal or between larger than 10°, 20°, 30°, 45° or 90° and an angle α2 between the second main sound emission direction and the backrest main direction is equal to 180°+α1.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 4, wherein an angle α1 between the first main sound emission direction and the backrest main direction is equal or between larger than 10°, 20°, 30°, 45° or 90° and an angle α2 between the second main sound emission direction and the backrest main direction is equal to 360°−α1.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1 wherein a distance D1 from a center of the first speaker and a distance from a center of the second speaker to the sound outlet opening arrangement is at least 3 cm, 4 cm or 5 cm.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second speaker are lowered arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box with respect to a top edge of the headrest or of the speaker box.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein a distance D2 from a center of the first speaker and distance D2 from a center of the second speaker to the top edge of the headrest or speaker box is at least 3 cm, 4 cm or 5 cm.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second speaker are arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box to irradiate at least one inner wall in the headrest or in the speaker box.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second speakers are arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box, so that during operation a sound wave from the first speaker emitted in the main sound emission direction of the first speaker and a sound wave from the second speaker emitted in the main sound emission direction of the second speaker are reflected from at least one inner wall in the headrest or in the speaker box before escaping through the sound outlet opening arrangement.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second speaker are arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box, so that a sound wave from the first speaker emitted during operation in the main sound emission direction of the first speaker and a sound wave from the second speaker emitted in the main sound emission direction of the second speaker irradiate a side wall and a bottom plate wall of the headrest or of the speaker box, wherein the sound waves escape through the sound outlet opening arrangement, which is arranged on a top side wall, opposite to the bottom plate wall of the headrest or speaker box.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 12, wherein during operation a de-correlated sound wave of a mixture of sound waves emitted by the first speaker and by the second speaker is emitted through the sound outlet opening arrangement.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second speaker are arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box, so that a sound wave from the first speaker emitted during operation in the main sound emission direction of the first speaker and a sound wave from the second speaker emitted in the main sound emission direction of the second speaker irradiate a wall of the headrest or the speaker box and a sound outlet opening arrangement so that a mixture of a direct sound wave and a reflected sound wave is emitted through the sound outlet opening arrangement.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the speaker box is a polyhedron, a cube, a cuboid or a rectangular parallelepiped having a top side wall, opposite to a bottom plate wall and a plurality of side walls.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first speaker is arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box, so that a sound wave emitted during operation in the main sound emission direction irradiates a side wall, and wherein the second speaker is arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box, so that the sound wave emitted during operation in the main sound emission direction irradiates a bottom plate wall.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the first speaker is arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box so that during operation a sound wave emitted in the main sound emission direction irradiates an side wall and the sound outlet opening arrangement and wherein the second speaker is arranged in the headrest or in the speaker box so that a sound wave emitted during operation in the main sound emission direction irradiates a side wall and a bottom plate wall of the headrest or of the speaker box, so that during operation a diffuse sound wave comprises a mixture of the sound waves emitted by the first speaker and by the second speaker is escaping through the sound outlet opening arrangement.

### Claim 18 (depends on 1)

The headrest of a vehicle seat or speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to a headrest according to claim 1, wherein the headrest or the speaker box further comprise a bass reflex tube.

### Claim 19

A vehicle comprising:
at least one vehicle seat with a headrest of the vehicle seat or a speaker box to be attached to the vehicle seat or to the headrest, wherein the headrest or the speaker box comprise:
at least one speaker integrated in the headrest or in the speaker box, wherein the speaker comprises a main sound emission direction, and wherein the speaker is fixed in the headrest or in the speaker box in such a way that the main sound emission direction is inclined with respect to a backrest main direction of a backrest of the vehicle seat,
and further comprising a dedicated sound wave reflector arranged above the headrest of the vehicle seat or a speaker box on a vehicle ceiling, wherein the sound wave reflector is configured to reflect sound waves emitted from the at least one speaker integrated in the headrest or in the speaker box with a lower sound wave loss than the vehicle ceiling in the vehicle.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the main sound emission direction is directed to the sound wave reflector, so that during operation a sound wave emitted from the at least one speaker is reflected from the sound wave reflector into the vehicle interior.

### Claim 21 (depends on 20)

The vehicle according to claim 20, wherein the vehicle is configured to generate during the operation of the at least one speaker integrated in the headrest or in the speaker box a diffuse sound perception in the vehicle interior.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the sound wave reflector comprises a curved concave surface, and wherein a thickness of the sound wave reflector at the vertex or a distance D3 from the vehicle ceiling to the vertex of the sound wave reflector may be between 0.5 cm and 5 cm.