CN-122002193-A - Electrostatic speaker system for vehicle

Abstract

Aspects of the invention relate to an electrostatic speaker system (225), a vehicle audio system (200) including the electrostatic speaker system (225), and a vehicle (300) including the vehicle audio system (200). An electrostatic speaker system (225) includes a voltage conversion module (245) and an electrostatic transducer (230). The voltage conversion module (245) is configured to receive a low voltage "speaker level" signal (220) from a vehicle audio source (205) and to convert the received low voltage speaker level signal (220) to a high voltage audio signal (220 a). The electrostatic transducer (230) is configured to receive a high voltage audio signal (from the voltage conversion module) and convert the high voltage audio signal (220 a) to sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system (225). The voltage conversion module (245) comprises at least one audio transformer (250) configured to boost the voltage of the low voltage speaker level signal (220) to a predefined voltage level for the high voltage audio signal (220 a).

Inventors

• Paul Wiles

Assignees

• 捷豹路虎有限公司

Dates

Publication Date

20260508

Application Date

20251103

Priority Date

20241101

Claims (11)

1. 1. An electrostatic speaker system for a vehicle, comprising: A voltage conversion module configured to: receiving a low voltage speaker level signal from a vehicle audio source, and Converting the low voltage speaker level signal to a high voltage audio signal, wherein the voltage conversion module comprises at least one audio transformer configured to step up the voltage of the low voltage speaker level signal to a predefined voltage level for the high voltage audio signal, and An electrostatic transducer configured to receive the high voltage audio signal and convert the high voltage audio signal to sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system.
2. 2. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, wherein the transformer is a toroidal transformer.
3. 3. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, wherein the speaker level signal has a voltage in a range between 8V and 42V, and the predefined voltage level is about 600V.
4. 4. The electrostatic speaker system as claimed in claim 1, and the electrostatic speaker system is arranged in any one of a head protection device of a vehicle seat, an interior trim part of the vehicle, and a front seat of the vehicle.
5. 5. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, wherein the audio signal is in a frequency range between 125 Hz and 50 kHz.
6. 6. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, further comprising a high voltage module configured to output high voltage power to control the electrostatic transducer.
7. 7. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, configured to be retrofittable into an existing vehicle audio system.
8. 8. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, the electrostatic speaker system configured to be powered by a battery of the vehicle.
9. 9. A vehicle audio system comprising a plurality of electrostatic speaker systems according to claim 1.
10. 10. The vehicle audio system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of electrostatic speaker systems are of different sizes and/or are arranged in different locations within the vehicle.
11. 11. A vehicle comprising the electrostatic speaker system according to claim 1 or the vehicle audio system according to claim 9.

Description

Electrostatic speaker system for vehicle Technical Field The present disclosure relates to a speaker system, in particular to the use of an electrostatic speaker system in an audio system for a vehicle. Aspects of the invention relate to an electrostatic speaker system, a vehicle audio system, and a vehicle. Background Audio systems in vehicles undergo periodic upgrades and modifications, particularly as the current need to develop and adapt to vehicle audio system designs based on the changing needs of the consumer and the entire vehicle industry. For example, consumers desire improvements in the sound quality of their vehicle audio systems. The demand for increasingly immersive and/or interactive experiences in listening to audio in their vehicles is also growing. In addition, in recent years, there has been a trend toward increasingly sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches to vehicle design, as can be seen, for example, from the use of increased cleaning technologies and the use of increased electric (or hybrid) vehicles. It is desirable to be able to retrofit modern vehicle audio systems up to date into existing designs of vehicle sound and power systems to avoid the costs associated with extensive changes in the base vehicle design. It is an object of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. Disclosure of Invention Aspects and embodiments of the present invention provide an electrostatic speaker system, a vehicle audio system including the electrostatic speaker system, and a vehicle including the vehicle audio system as described below. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic speaker system for a vehicle. The speaker system includes a voltage conversion module and an electrostatic transducer. The voltage conversion module is configured to receive a low voltage "speaker level" signal from a vehicle audio source and to convert the received low voltage speaker level signal to a high voltage audio signal. The electrostatic transducer is configured to receive a high voltage audio signal (from the voltage conversion module) and convert the high voltage audio signal to sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system. The voltage conversion module includes at least one audio transformer configured to boost a voltage of the low voltage speaker level signal to a predetermined voltage level for the high voltage audio signal. As used above, the terms "low voltage" and "high voltage" are primarily intended to enable distinguishing between the relative voltages of the input signal and the output signal of the voltage conversion module-i.e., the voltage of the output signal is significantly higher than the voltage of the input signal. In addition, the term "speaker level" signal is a common technical term that will be understood by those skilled in the relevant art, indicating an audio signal that has been amplified. For example, in the above case, the speaker level signal corresponds to an audio signal output from an audio system of a vehicle including an audio amplifier. This term is used herein to contrast with "line level" signals, which are also common technical terms that will be understood by those of skill in the relevant art, which refer to different types of signals, and more particularly to audio signal pre-amplification. The term "audio transformer" as used herein is also a common technical term as will be understood by a person skilled in the relevant art, indicating that the transformer in question corresponds to a transformer particularly suitable for processing audio signals, as it produces a lower/minimal amount of distortion in the typical audio frequency range. The above-described electrostatic speaker system is capable of converting an incoming audio signal to a predefined output voltage level required to operate the electrostatic transducer, as the operating voltage of the electrostatic transducer is typically much higher than the voltage used for the audio signal in standard vehicle audio systems. As a result of implementing the above system, the vehicle audio source for providing the input signal may correspond to a standard audio source currently installed in a vehicle audio speaker system, i.e., a combination of a normal audio system and an amplifier implemented in an existing vehicle. Thus, the above-described electrostatic speaker system allows for retrofitting of an electrostatic transducer into an existing vehicle system to provide improved audio quality and efficiency over existing audio speakers, while still maintaining as many original vehicle audio system components as possible. Optionally, the transformer is a toroidal transformer. In some cases, the speaker level signal has a voltage in the range between 5V and 50V, for example between 5V and 45V, and more particularly between 8V and 42V. In some cases, the predefined voltage level is between 550V and 650V, and