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EP-4738887-A1 - ELECTROSTATIC SPEAKER SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE

EP4738887A1EP 4738887 A1EP4738887 A1EP 4738887A1EP-4738887-A1

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention relate to an electrostatic speaker system (225), a vehicle audio system (200) comprising the electrostatic speaker system (225), and a vehicle (300) comprising the vehicle audio system (200). The electrostatic speaker system (225) comprises 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 (220a). The electrostatic transducer (230) is configured to receive the high-voltage audio signal (from the voltage conversion module) and to convert this high-voltage audio signal (220a) into sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system (225). The voltage conversion module (245) comprises at least one audio transformer (250) configured to step-up the voltage of the low-voltage speaker-level signal (220) to a predefined voltage level for the high-voltage audio signal (220a).

Inventors

  • WILES, Paul

Assignees

  • Jaguar Land Rover Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251103

Claims (11)

  1. An electrostatic speaker system for a vehicle comprising: a voltage conversion module configured to: receive a low-voltage speaker-level signal from a vehicle audio source; and convert 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 to convert the high-voltage audio signal into sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system.
  2. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1, wherein the transformer is a toroidal transformer.
  3. The electrostatic speaker system of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the speaker-level signal has a voltage in the range between 8 and 42 V, and the predefined voltage level is around 600V.
  4. The electrostatic speaker system of any preceding claim, and disposed in any one of the following vehicle components: a head restraint of a vehicle seat; an interior trim component of the vehicle; and a front seat of the vehicle.
  5. The electrostatic speaker system of any preceding claim, wherein the audio signal lies in a frequency range between 125 Hz to 50 kHz.
  6. The electrostatic speaker system of any preceding claim, further comprising a high voltage module configured to output high voltage power to control the electrostatic transducer.
  7. The electrostatic speaker system of any preceding claim, configured to be retrofittable into an existing vehicle audio system.
  8. The electrostatic speaker system of any preceding claim, configured to be powered by the battery of the vehicle.
  9. A vehicle audio system comprising a plurality of electrostatic speaker systems according to any preceding claim.
  10. The vehicle audio system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of electrostatic speaker systems are of different sizes and/or are disposed in different locations within the vehicle.
  11. A vehicle comprising the electrostatic speaker system of any of claims 1 to 8, or the vehicle audio system of claim 9 or claim 10.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a speaker system, particularly in relation 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, to a vehicle audio system, and to a vehicle. BACKGROUND Audio systems in vehicles undergo periodic upgrades and improvement, particularly at the present time where there is a need to evolve and adapt vehicle audio system designs based on the ever-changing requirements of consumers as well as the vehicle industry as a whole. For example, consumers desire improvements to be made in the sound quality of their vehicle audio systems. The demand for increasingly immersive and/or interactive experiences when listening to audio in their vehicles is also growing. Additionally, in recent years, there has been a drive to adopt an increasingly sustainable and eco-friendly approach to vehicle design, for example as can be seen from the rise in use of clean technologies, and the increased adoption of electric (or hybrid) vehicles. It is desirable to be able to retrofit the most up-to-date and modern vehicle audio systems into existing designs of vehicle sound and power systems, so as to avoid the costs associated with large-scale alterations of underlying vehicle design. It is an aim of the present invention to address one or more of the disadvantages associated with the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Aspects and embodiments of the invention provide an electrostatic speaker system, a vehicle audio system comprising the electrostatic speaker system, and a vehicle comprising the vehicle audio system as claimed in the appended claims. According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrostatic speaker system for a vehicle. This speaker system comprises 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 the high-voltage audio signal (from the voltage conversion module) and to convert this high-voltage audio signal into sound waves for output by the electrostatic speaker system. 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. As used hereinabove, the terms 'low-voltage' and 'high-voltage' are primarily intended to enable a distinction to be made between the relative voltages of the input and output signals of the voltage conversion module - namely, that the voltage of the signal output is significantly higher than the voltage of the input signal. Additionally, the term 'speaker-level' signal is a commonly used technical term that would be understood by a skilled person in the relevant technical field to indicate an audio signal that has already undergone amplification. For example, in the above case, the speaker-level signal corresponds to an audio signal output from the vehicle's audio system which includes an audio amplifier. This term is used here in contrast to a 'line-level' signal which is also a commonly used technical term that would be understood by a skilled person in the relevant technical field to refer to a different type of signal, and more particularly to indicate an audio signal pre-amplification. The term 'audio transformer' as used herein is also a commonly used technical term that would be understood by a skilled person in the relevant technical field to indicate that the transformer in question corresponds to one that is particularly suitable for processing audio signals as it creates low / minimal amounts of distortion in the typical audio frequency range. The above-described electrostatic speaker system is able to convert incoming audio signals to a predefined output voltage level that is needed to operate the electrostatic transducer, since the operational voltages of electrostatic transducers are typically much higher than the voltages that are used for audio signals in a standard vehicle audio system. As a result of implementing the above-described system, the vehicle audio source that is used to provide the input signal can correspond to the standard audio source that is currently installed in vehicle audio speaker systems - i.e., a normal audio system-and-amplifier combination implemented in existing vehicles. As such, the above-described electrostatic speaker system allows for retrofitting of the electrostatic transducer into existing vehicle systems to provide an improved audio quality and efficiency over existing audio speakers, whilst nevertheless maintaining as many of the original vehicle audio system components as possible. Optionally, the transformer is a toroidal transformer. In some instances,