Frank D Mills

US Patent:

8050420, Nov 1, 2011

Filed:

Jan 31, 2008

Appl. No.:

12/023551

Inventors:

Richard A. Close - Farmington Hills MI, US
Matthew R. Kirsch - Shelby Township MI, US
Frank A. Mills - Brighton MI, US
Rainer A. Glaser - Washington MI, US
James B. Milnar - St. Clair Shores MI, US

Assignee:

GM Global Technology Operations LLC - Detroit MI

International Classification:

H04B 1/00
H04R 1/02

US Classification:

381 87, 381 86, 381332, 381333

Abstract:

An integrated seat speaker includes a cushion, a seat frame defining a first internal air volume, and a speaker enclosure defining a second internal air volume. The second internal air volume is acoustically coupled to the first internal air volume through an air passageway, thus producing a continuous acoustical air volume. An acoustic sealing member is disposed between the enclosure and the frame. The frame includes a closure feature at one end for isolating a portion of the first internal air volume. The cushion includes an outer surface, and the speaker enclosure is enclosed within the seat cushion and at least partially concealed by the outer surface. A method optimizes the acoustical performance of a speaker assembly by acoustically coupling an internal air volume defined by a speaker enclosure to another internal air volume defined by a seat frame to create a continuous acoustical air volume.