Abstract:
An LED light ring for ceiling mounted speakers having flanged enclosures with flip dogs is presented. The LED light ring is a flat annular transparent or translucent piece that is clamped between the enclosure flange and the ceiling tile and emits RGB LED light radially outward through the LED light ring. The LED light emits from LEDs mounted on a circular electronic circuit board (flexible or not) on the inner circumference of the LED light ring. The circular electronic circuit is coupled to a controller that controls the color, blink rate, and intensity and has firmware for interpreting simple controller commands into complex LED light patterns and sequences. A plurality of light ring equipped loudspeakers may be in communication with a common controller that can create patterns and sequences among the plurality of light ring equipped loudspeakers.
Abstract:
A sleek ceiling speaker having an annular magnetic assembly and annular dust cap through which extends an elongated actuator, which may also be a light pipe. The elongated actuator supports a variable transformer tap which is manually operated by rotating a bottom end of the elongated actuator which is expanded into a sound disperser plug. Changing the transformer tap changes the volume produced by the speaker. The elongated actuator may also support an LED board that provides light to the light pipe and to the transparent or translucent sound disperser plug. Rotating the elongated actuator may also be used to change the lighting. The housing is secured to a ceiling tile by attaching a releasably attachable outwardly extending circumferential flange to a sound funnel that supports the sound disperser.
Abstract:
An amplifier-resident device for protecting amplifiers and loudspeakers from shock transient audio signals from dropped microphones that may use either an amplifier control signal from the microphone or a sequential sampling of the incoming audio (optionally switchable) to determine if a microphone drop, or other shock transient, is occurring. If a shock transient is occurring, the device blocks audio signal access to the amplifier. The audio signal goes through a delay line to allow processing time for detecting a shock transient and switching the shock transient audio signal out of the path to the amplifier. The delay may be variable. The device may be integral to the amplifier or may plug into a microphone jack of the amplifier, allowing use with legacy amplifiers. In an embodiment, the device may store safe, predetermined audio signals to send to the amplifier during, and in place of, a shock transient.
Abstract:
A manually operated flip dog mountable ceiling speaker enclosure, for ceiling or other panel installation, provides a plurality of flip dogs mounted tangentially on an annular flange around an opening of a speaker can and operated by either pulling on an actuator to create a cam-driven rotation to a radial alignment and a downward dog movement to a ratcheted clamping position, or by first rotating the manual actuator to rotate the dog and then pulling the actuator to pull the dog down into a ratcheted clamping position. Ratchet points on the dog are urged into ratchet points on a wall by a releasable biasing member. Three embodiments are illustrated.
Abstract:
An element of an automatic gain control system that automatically calibrates a Composite Gain vs Ambient Noise look-up table responsive to user zone gain inputs at various ambient noise levels. The table is a graph of adjacent (horizontally or diagonally) data points (nodes) mapping ambient noise to composite gain. Three algorithmic rules determine position changes of the nodes responsive to zone gain inputs. A curve may be fit to an arrangement of adjacent nodes. The curve, or the interpolated table value, is used with an ambient noise input to determine the current composite gain. The element may be used with many traditional ANC systems. Once calibrated over the full range of ambient noises in the user's space, the ANC system may never need further user zone gain inputs.
Abstract:
A corrugated plastic sheet with an acoustically effective material with fold lines as centerlines of V-shaped grooves between panels that can be folded by hand into a covered plastic acoustic enclosure, with or without additional corrugated plastic panels. The sheet has a speaker opening and a speaker support fixture, ring, or panel may assist in supporting the speaker on the enclosure. Foldable flanges and foldable narrow panels with adhesive strips, preferably with release layers, enable assembly of the covered enclosure without tools, other than for speaker installation. An amplifier attached to a panel of the enclosure, preferably on an external surface, is presented. An enclosure that supports more than one speaker is presented. The plastic acoustic enclosure can be shipped flat and unassembled and then assembled by a user. The enclosure is lightweight, and so ships economically and does not significantly burden automobiles in which such enclosures may be installed.
Abstract:
A loudspeaker placement visualizer system includes a calibrated adjustable laser beam tool that can generate a beam cone angle corresponding to the predetermined sound dispersion angle of a loudspeaker. The tool is secured parallel to the central axis of the loudspeaker and adjusted to the predetermined sound dispersion angle to show what the acoustic coverage area of the loudspeaker will be in a particular venue. The laser beam projector has a cylindrical main body with an external reference indicator and a forward section that is rotatable relative to the main body to adjust the laser beam cone angle. The forward section has a calibrated scale proximate the reference indicator to enable the user to set and to see the beam cone angle. The tool may also be used during venue survey and acoustic design to determine the required sound dispersion angle of a loudspeaker to be installed.
Abstract:
A small dual-speaker ceiling speaker system including a loudspeaker and a tweeter with an acoustic diffuser that is adjustable over a range of lengths for different thicknesses of ceiling tile and is independently adjustable over a range of acoustic port sizes. The loudspeaker sends acoustic waves into a acoustic channel that includes a truncated conical shell, or acoustic channel cone, with a cylindrical acoustic channel shell extending therefrom. A tweeter is mounted in the acoustic channel shell. A diffuser couples to the acoustic channel shell using threads that may be engaged or disengaged. The diffuser has a diffuser element that can be raised or lowered with a screw to adjust the size of the acoustic port. The diffuser element has demarcations for visually indicating acoustic port size. A housing with a base having extendable braces supports the speaker system on the ceiling grid, rather than on the tile.
Abstract:
An electronics rack crown for controlling illumination of an electronics rack responsive to door events, externally visually signaling fault conditions in electronic modules mounted in the rack, providing an interchangeable user brand logo panel with back illumination controllable as to intensity and color, and providing for configuration via DIP switches or by SD card. The electronics rack crown has a front piece and an attached rear piece, with a window in the front piece. In the front piece, a logo plate holder holds a replaceable transparent logo plate aligned to the window in a vertical orientation. An electronics compartment with a transparent top panel is horizontally oriented and aligned to the window. High intensity RGB/W LEDs emit from the top of a circuit board below the transparent top panel and back light the logo plate. The LEDs are controllable based on user configuration, fault detection, and door events.
Abstract:
A small dual-speaker ceiling speaker system including a loudspeaker and a tweeter with an acoustic diffuser that is adjustable over a range of lengths for different thicknesses of ceiling tile and is independently adjustable over a range of acoustic port sizes. The loudspeaker sends acoustic waves into a acoustic channel that includes a truncated conical shell, or acoustic channel cone, with a cylindrical acoustic channel shell extending therefrom. A tweeter is mounted in the acoustic channel shell. A diffuser couples to the acoustic channel shell using threads that may be engaged or disengaged. The diffuser has a diffuser element that can be raised or lowered with a screw to adjust the size of the acoustic port. The diffuser element has demarcations for visually indicating acoustic port size. A housing with a base having extendable braces supports the speaker system on the ceiling grid, rather than on the tile.