ILLUMINATION MODULE FOR A SPEAKER

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an illumination module for a speaker in an automotive vehicle. According to one aspect, there is provided an illumination module for a speaker, the illumination module comprising: a holder configured to be attachable to the speaker; one or more light sources for emitting light; and one or more lenses for projecting light from the one or more light sources onto an illuminable area of the speaker.

Claims

1. An illumination module for a speaker, the illumination module comprising: a holder configured to be attachable to the speaker; one or more light sources for emitting light; and one or more lenses for projecting light from the one or more light sources onto an illuminable area of the speaker.

2. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the lenses are integrated in or attached to the holder.

3. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein: the one or more light sources include a plurality of light sources; the one or more lenses include a plurality of lenses; and each of the plurality of lenses is configured to project light from a respective one of the plurality of light sources onto the illuminable area.

4. The illumination module of claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of lenses is configured to project light onto a respective portion of the illuminable area.

5. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the one or more lenses comprise one or more optical freeform lenses.

6. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein the one or more light sources are individually controllable.

7. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein: the holder is annular or ring-segment-shaped; and the holder is attachable concentrically to a back side of the speaker.

8. The illumination module of claim 1, further comprising: a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising the one or more light sources; wherein the PCB is configured to be attached to the holder whereby the one or more light sources are aligned with the one or more lenses.

9. The illumination module of claim 8, wherein the PCB is annular or ring-segment-shaped.

10. The illumination module of claim 8, wherein the lenses and the light sources are equidistantly arranged at a perimeter of the holder and the PCB, respectively.

11. The illumination module of claim 8, further comprising: a housing for receiving the holder and the PCB; wherein the housing is configured to be attached to the speaker.

12. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more light sources is a light emitting diodes (LED).

13. The illumination module of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more light sources is a red, green, blue+white (RGBW) light emitting diode (LED).

14. A speaker system comprising: a speaker having a membrane; and an illumination module comprising: a holder configured to be attachable to the speaker; one or more light sources for emitting light; and one or more lenses for projecting light from the one or more light sources onto an illuminable area of the speaker.

15. The speaker system of claim 14, wherein the membrane is cone shaped.

16. The speaker system of claim 14, wherein: the illumination module is attached to a backside of the speaker; and the illuminable area is formed by at least a portion of the membrane.

17. The speaker system of claim 16, wherein at least a portion of the illuminable area is translucent.

18. The speaker system of claim 14, wherein the illuminable area comprises one or more illuminable portions corresponding to a number of the one or more lenses and the one or more light sources.

19. The speaker system of claim 14, further comprising a controller to control the light sources in conjunction with at least one of an in-vehicle audio system, an in-vehicle navigation system, or a driving assistance system.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The features, objects, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the components of a system including an illumination module and a speaker, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

[0026] FIG. 2A illustrates a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 when assembled;

[0027] FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the assembled system of FIG. 2;

[0028] FIG. 3 illustrates an illumination module in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

[0029] FIG. 4 is another illustration of the illumination module of FIG. 3;

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates components of an illumination module in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

[0031] FIG. 6A illustrates the path of rays through a freeform lens that may be part of an illumination module in accordance with one of a number of embodiments;

[0032] FIG. 6B illustrates another view of the path of rays through the freeform lens of FIG. 6A; and

[0033] FIG. 7 illustrates speaker membranes partially or fully illuminated by an illumination module in accordance with one of a number of embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The illumination module for a speaker disclosed herein includes a holder, one or more light sources for emitting light, and one or more lenses for projecting light from the light sources onto an illuminable area of the speaker. The module can be attached to the speaker through the holder. By means of the holder, illumination module can be mounted to the speaker as an add-on module. The lenses may be part of the holder, and the light sources may be part of a printed circuit board which can be mounted to the holder, providing a compact and lightweight structure.

[0035] The illumination module of the present disclosure is suitable for use with conventional speakers. The elements of conventional speakers are considered to be known as such and therefore not described in detail herein.

[0036] With reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a speaker system 100 including an illumination module 118 and a speaker 104, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments. The illumination module 118 includes a holder 102 that may be ring-segment-shaped. The holder 102 can be attached to a backside of the speaker 104 so as to face a backside of a membrane 130 of the speaker 104. In the illustrated example, lenses 116 are arranged at equal distances around the perimeter of the holder 102. Specifically, the lenses 116 may be arranged in cavities 103 of the holder 102 to project light emanating from light sources 122, arranged at an underside of the holder 102, onto the backside of the membrane 130, as described in more detail below.

[0037] Lugs 105 may be arranged at the outer perimeter of the holder 102. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2A, the lugs 105 may be arranged to align with corresponding fastening elements 107 at the backside of the speaker 104. The fastening elements 107 may be formed by tubular extensions of a housing of the speaker 104. The fastening elements 107 may contain holes that axially align with the openings of the corresponding lugs 105. Fastening pins 106 may be used to fasten the holder 102 to the backside of the speaker, as illustrated in FIG. 2A. Accordingly, the lugs 105, the fastening elements 107 and the fastening pins 106 together form a fastening mechanism that allows the holder 102 to be attached to and detached from the speaker 104. Thus, the illumination module 108 can be provided as an add-on module to the speaker 104. It can be easily removed, for example for the purposes of repair. Also, it can be easily replaced, for example with a different illumination module having different lenses to provide other visual effects.

[0038] In one of a number of embodiments, the fastening pins 102 may be formed by screws, and the holes in the fastening elements 107 may be threaded holes.

[0039] The illumination module 118 further includes a printed circuit board, PCB, 108 and a housing 110. The holder 102, PCB 108 and housing 110 may be substantially congruent with one another. When assembled, the holder 102 and PCB 108 may be at least partially contained within the housing 110, as shown, for example, in FIGS. 2A and 2B.

[0040] The PCB 108 may include a plurality of LEDs 122 arranged on an upper surface of the PCB 108 facing the holder 102. The LEDs 122 may be arranged such as to align with the lenses 116 when the components of the module 118 are assembled. In one of a number of embodiments, the LEDs are RGBW LEDs to enable visual effects in different colors.

[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the housing 110 may be attached to the holder 102. To this end, the housing 110 may have a plurality of holes 111 around its perimeter. The holes 111 may be arranged to axially align with corresponding holes 126 in the PCB 108 and holes 124 extending through the holder 102 and through sleeves 112 arranged on the upper surface of the holder 102. Fastening pins 128 may be provided to be received in the holes 111, 126 and 124 and to fasten the housing 110 and the PCB 108 to the holder 102. In the assembled state of the module 118, the PCB 108 may be contained and fixed between the housing 110 and the holder 102.

[0042] In one of a number of embodiments, the holes 124 in the holder 102 and/or the sleeves 112 may be threaded, and the fastening pins 128 may be formed by screws.

[0043] In the illustrated embodiment, separate fastening mechanisms are provided to fasten the housing 110 to the holder 102, and to fasten the holder 102 to the speaker 104. This has the advantage that the housing 110 may be opened without having to remove the holder 102 from the speaker 104. Thereby, the PCB 108 may be accessed, for example for the purposes of repair or replacement. For example, the PCB 108 may be replaced with another PCB having different LEDs 122 to provide different visual effects.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the module 118 may be attached to the speaker 104 by means of fastening pins that extend through holes in the housing 110, the PCB 108, the holder 102 and the fastening elements 107 of the speaker 104. In other words, in this alternative embodiment, there is only one fastening mechanism for both the holder 102 and the housing 110. This has the advantage of a reduced number of parts.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, the holder 102 has the shape of a ring-segment and is to be attached concentrically with respect to a central axis of the speaker 104. However, the present disclosure is not limited in this regard. The holder 102, the PCB 108 and the housing 110 may have other shapes. In particular, the holder 102, the PCB 108 and the housing 110 may have shapes that correspond to the shape of a speaker to which the illumination module 118 is to be attached as an add-on module.

[0046] Also, whilst shown as a separate element in FIG. 1, the printed circuit board 108 may be an integral part of the holder 102. In another embodiment, the lenses 116, instead of being part of the holder 102, may be arranged on the surface of the PCB 108 on top of the light sources 122. In this embodiment, the holder 102 may have openings that align with the light sources 122 and lenses 116 to allow light emitted from the lenses 116 to pass therethrough and onto the backside of the membrane 130.

[0047] In the assembled state of the module 118, as illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the lenses 116 may be arranged at a distance from the backside of the membrane 130 of the speaker 104, so as to allow light emanating from the lenses 116 to spread. The backside of the membrane 130 may form an illumination area 120 onto which light from the light sources 122 is projected by the lenses 116. The membrane 130 may be formed by a diaphragm that is at least partially translucent. Thus, light projected onto the illumination area 120 is visible at the front side of the membrane. The front side of the membrane 130 is usually visible to a user, for example a driver or passenger of a car. The front side of the membrane may be visible directly or through a translucent or transparent speaker cover. Thus, the illuminated membrane 130 can provide ambient light or convey information to the user, for example a warning signal (e.g. flashing red illumination).

[0048] The lenses 116 may be freeform lenses, i.e. lenses with at least one optical freeform surface. The lenses 116 may partially protrude from the upper surface of the holder 102, as shown for example in FIGS. 2 and 4. As illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, the freeform lenses are formed and arranged at the holder 102 such as to enable illuminating the entire illuminable area 120. The result is shown in picture A of FIG. 7 where the entire membrane 130 is illuminated substantially evenly.

[0049] Each of the projection elements 114 may illuminate a respective part of the illuminable area 120, as indicated by light rays 202. Thereby, different portions of the illuminable area 120 can be selectively illuminated. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 3, six projection elements 114 are arranged equidistantly from one another on the ring-shaped illumination module 118.

[0050] Thus, the illuminable area 120 may have a number of separately illuminable sections (e.g. six). The number of lenses 116 and corresponding light sources 122 may correspond to the number of separately illuminable sections of the illuminable area 120. The light sources 122 may be controlled independently of one another. Accordingly, it is possible to generate different and varying illumination patterns. FIG. 7 shows pictures of fully (picture A) and partially (pictures B-D) illuminated membranes 130.

[0051] As illustrated in FIG. 4, the holder 102 may include a bridge 402 connecting the free ends of the ring-segment-shaped holder. The bridge 402 serves to increase the mechanical strength of the holder 102.

[0052] The holder 102 may be made of a plastic material, to provide a light-weight structure that is inexpensive to manufacture. Alternatively, the holder 102 may be made of metal, to provide extra strength to the structure. Similarly, the housing 110 may be made of plastic or metal.

[0053] FIGS. 6A and B illustrate the paths of the light rays 206 through one of the lenses 116 of the illumination module 118 in more detail, in accordance with one of a number of embodiments. Light is emitted by the light source 122 and deflected while passing through the lens 116, thereby to illuminate a portion of the illuminable area 120. The freeform lens 116 is shaped to optimize illumination of a non-ideal surface. In the illustrated example, the lens 116 has a planar lower surface 132 facing the light source 122, and a curved upper surface 134 facing the illuminable area 120. The lens 116 is shaped so as to provide the desired illumination characteristics on the illuminable area 120. For example, the membrane 130 may be conical, resulting in a curved illuminable area 120. The curvature of the curved upper surface 134 may be configured to compensate for the curvature of the illuminable area 120, in order to obtain an even illumination of at least a portion of the illuminable area 120.

[0054] In view of the above, an illumination module according to the present disclosure can be added to a speaker of an in-vehicle audio system to provide different kinds of illumination in the vehicle interior. The illumination module can be implemented by way of a lightweight add-on module that requires little extra space and energy.

[0055] The description of embodiments and aspects has been presented merely for purposes of illustration and description. Suitable modifications and variations to these embodiments and aspects may be performed in light of the above, and different embodiments and aspects may be combined where possible and appropriate, without departing from the scope of protection as determined by the claims.