Meta patents speaker that switches sound direction for privacy
Meta has been granted a patent for an audio system that uses multiple vibrating membranes inside a shared air chamber. The device can switch between modes to project sound in a wide, room-filling pattern or a narrow, directional beam.
In the filing’s own words
An audio system comprises a plurality of membranes within an enclosure. A first surface of each membrane is part of a shared back volume within the enclosure and pressure within the shared back volume is configured to be isobaric. A second surface of each membrane is part of a front volume within the enclosure that includes a plurality of ports. A controller of the audio system is configured to drive the plurality of membranes. In a mode of operation, the controller is configured to match audio output between the plurality of ports, forming pressure waves of equal amplitude and opposite phase and generating a substantially dipole or linear quadrupole sound wave radiation pattern for frequencies above a predefined threshold and mismatch audio output between the plurality of ports for frequencies at or below the predefined threshold to generate a substantially monopole or cardioid sound wave radiation pattern.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method comprising: determining a first mode of operation of an audio device; generating, based at least in part on the determined first mode of operation, first mode input signals for voice coils that drive a plurality of membranes of the audio device, a first surface of each of the plurality of membranes being part of a shared back volume within an enclosure, a second surface of each of the plurality of membranes being part of a front volume within the enclosure that includes a plurality of ports, and pressure within the shared back volume being substantially isobaric; and providing a driving current through the voice coils in accordance with the first mode input signals, such that the plurality of membranes generates sound that is output from the plurality of ports to form a first sound wave radiation pattern of a plurality of predetermined sound wave radiation patterns that are associated with different modes of operation.
Facts
- Company
- Meta (Meta Platforms Technologies, LLC)
- Official title
- Force-cancelling, isobaric audio system with configurable bass and privacy modes
- Patent number
- US12739558B2
- Application number
- 18930944
- Filed
- Oct 29, 2024
- Granted
- Sep 15, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
H04R 1/2803 Electricity & electronicsH04R 1/1041 Electricity & electronicsH04R 3/00 Electricity & electronicsMore from Meta in Audio & voice
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.