| THX LTD. Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20120039492 | NARROW PROFILE SPEAKER CONFIGURATIONS AND SYSTEMS - A narrow profile speaker unit comprises at least one speaker outputting sound towards an internal surface and through a duct with an output terminus, such as a slot, having a narrow dimension, effectively changing the cross-section of the speaker's audio output wave. A pair of speakers may face one another, outputting sound towards a common output slot. Multiple pairs of speakers may be used to form an inline speaker unit for increased sound output. A slotted speaker unit may include multiple speakers facing the same direction, towards a ground plane or reflecting surface, and having parallel apertures for allowing sound radiation. The speaker units may be integral with or attached to electronic appliances such as desktop computers or flatscreen devices, or may be used in automobiles or other contexts. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20110261981 | VEHICLE SOUND SYSTEM - A vehicle sound system encompasses a combination of speaker configuration, speaker placement, and sound processing to improve sound quality. A pair of speakers (or rows of speakers) are placed close together and located in the front of the console or dashboard with their geometric center on or near the vehicle's central axis. A sound processor acts to “spread” the sound image produced by the two closely spaced speakers by employing a cross-cancellation technique in which the cancellation signal is derived from the difference between the left and right channels. The resulting difference signal is scaled, delayed (if necessary), and spectrally modified before being added in opposite polarities to the left and right channels. The pair of speakers may be placed on a common baffle or mounting surface or in a common housing enclosure, with sound being carried through one or more ducts and emanating out of a slot. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20090220112 | VEHICLE SOUND SYSTEM - A vehicle sound system encompasses a combination of speaker configuration, speaker placement, and sound processing to improve sound quality. A pair of speakers (or rows of speakers) are placed close together and located in the front of the console or dashboard with their geometric center on or near the vehicle's central axis. A sound processor acts to “spread” the sound image produced by the two closely spaced speakers by employing a cross-cancellation technique in which the cancellation signal is derived from the difference between the left and right channels. The resulting difference signal is scaled, delayed (if necessary), and spectrally modified before being added in opposite polarities to the left and right channels. The pair of speakers may be placed on a common baffle or mounting surface or in a common housing enclosure, with sound being carried through one or more ducts and emanating out of a slot. | 09-03-2009 |
| 20090147980 | NARROW PROFILE SPEAKER CONFIGURATIONS AND SYSTEMS - A narrow profile speaker unit comprises at least one speaker outputting sound towards an internal surface and through a duct with an output terminus, such as a slot, having a narrow dimension, effectively changing the cross-section of the speaker's audio output wave. A pair of speakers may face one another, outputting sound towards a common output slot. Multiple pairs of speakers may be used to form an inline speaker unit for increased sound output. A slotted speaker unit may include multiple speakers facing the same direction, towards a groundplane or reflecting surface, and having parallel apertures for allowing sound radiation. The speaker units may be integral with or attached to electronic appliances such as desktop computers or flatscreen devices, or may be used in automobiles or other contexts. | 06-11-2009 |
| 20090116677 | EARPHONE DEVICE - An earphone device comprises an inner casing enclosing one or more miniature drive units, and a movable cap or outer casing that moves relative to the inner casing. The inner casing has an extension member, such as a hollow post, terminating in an acoustic output port. A compressible foam bulb at least partially surrounds the extension member, and is decompressed and compressed by actuation of an adjustable member. The adjustable member may take the form, for example, of a pivoting lever, a helical cam, or a push-rod mechanism, among other things. A flange may be disposed around the periphery of the movable cap, in order to provide a seal surrounding the ear canal region. The compressible material may be gripped by the hollow extension member, and abut the movable cap or flange. Through actuation of the adjustable member, the compressible material may be decompressed and thus elongated for insertion into the wearer's ear, and may be compressed and thus widened or expanded to form an adequate seal with the wearer's ear canal region. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20090115531 | EFFICIENT POWER AMPLIFIER - A dynamic power supply for N amplifiers includes first and second power boost circuits which temporarily boost the positive or negative power supply rail, respectively. A control circuit monitors amplifier output signal levels and provides power boost control signals to the power boost circuits, which temporarily raise the positive supply voltage above the nominal voltage level in tandem with the highest output signal from the N amplifiers and lower the negative supply voltage below the nominal voltage level in tandem with the lowest output signal level from the N amplifiers. The power boost circuits each may be coupled to a reservoir capacitor from which current is drawn to provide the power boost. When inactive, the reservoir capacitors charge up from the respective power supply rails. The dynamic power supply is well suited for audio amplification systems. | 05-07-2009 |
| 20080212805 | LOUDSPEAKER LINE ARRAY CONFIGURATIONS AND RELATED SOUND PROCESSING - A sound reproduction system includes one or more arrays of drive units, coupled with sound processing allowing improved steerability, directional control, width control, and/or beam overlay. A speaker column may comprise two arrays facing one another, the drive units being perpendicular to the speaker unit front, with the acoustic output of each line array being compressed, turned and output from an elongate slot. The drive units may be staggered with respect to those in the opposing array. The arrays may be arc-shaped else straight. Selective delays to simulate an arced pattern. Differential delays applied to the drive units in a sub-array allow beam steering. Additional drive units, such as high frequency drivers, may be added along the length of the elongate slot or elsewhere to increase the dynamic frequency range of the speaker system. A collocated sound processor and amplifier output stage may be integrated with the speaker unit. | 09-04-2008 |
