Patent Publication Number: US-11643811-B2

Title: Acoustic panel and system

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of European Patent Application Serial No. 20182676.5 filed Jun. 26, 2020 and entitled “ACOUSTIC PANEL AND SYSTEM”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of acoustic panels for modifying the acoustic properties of a room or building. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Since the advent of sound recording, numerous solutions have been proposed for modifying the acoustic properties of a venue of the recording. In particular, it is usually desirable to dampen acoustic reflections at walls or other elements of a room in which the recording takes place. Many of the proposed solutions are directed to recording studios or other professional venues in which relatively complex constructions and relatively high costs can be tolerated. 
     However, in recent years there has been increasing interest in sound recordings in a personal or semi-professional setting. This not only concerns music production using inexpensive computer programs, but also the recording of videos to be published on video platforms such as YouTube® or social media platforms such as Facebook® or Twitter®. Another growing field concerns computer gaming, namely both the creation of gameplay videos and the participation in online computer games. In both cases, the gamer would like his or her voice to be clearly audible for viewers of the gameplay video or other participants of the online game even in the presence of loud background noise from the game or other sources. Most recently, an increased interest in video conferencing and teleworking has created a need for an acoustically optimized environment at home or in a general office setting. 
     For all of the above applications, questions of cost and ease of installation are more important than they are in professional studio settings. Good acoustic properties also continue to be an objective. Consequently, a need exists to provide an acoustic panel and an acoustic panel system which are relatively inexpensive and/or which are relatively easy to install. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,046 discloses an acoustic wall panel which is mounted to a wall or similar surface using a mounting frame. The panel includes a wooden support frame, low density fiberglass batts positioned within the support frame, and a generally rigid acoustic board positioned in front of an against the frame. The mounting frame and support frame include fastening elements, such as hook and loop fastener strips, which mate and detachably hold together. 
     SUMMARY 
     A first aspect of the invention provides an acoustic panel, which comprises a mounting element and an acoustic damping element. The mounting element is adapted to be mounted to a wall or another structure of a building with a rear side of the mounting element towards the wall or other structure of the building. The mounting element comprises a plurality of protrusions extending from a front side of the mounting element. The acoustic damping element comprises a plurality of openings at a rear face of the acoustic damping element. The acoustic damping element is adapted to be mounted to the mounting element with the plurality of protrusions fitting into the plurality of openings to hold the acoustic damping element in place at the mounting element. This construction can be relatively inexpensive to produce and/or relatively easy to install in various settings. 
     A second aspect of the invention provides an acoustic panel system comprising a plurality of acoustic panels and a plurality of connecting brackets. Each acoustic panel comprises a mounting element and an acoustic damping element adapted to be mounted to the mounting element. Each mounting element comprises a plurality of connecting slots so that a first mounting element adjacent to a second mounting element are connectable to each other by means of a connecting bracket inserted into a first connecting slot of the first mounting element and a second connecting slot of the second mounting element. This construction facilitates the installation of acoustic panel systems to a wall or another building structure. 
     The present invention is not limited to the field of sound recordings, but can be used whenever it is desired to mount acoustic damping elements to a wall or another structure of a building, both in private and in commercial settings. As non-limiting examples, the present invention may be used to improve the acoustic properties of private or commercial television rooms, cinemas, computer gaming environments, videoconferencing rooms, audiophile music playback rooms, concert and performance environments, ballet, yoga and mediation studios, and so on. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Further features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, in connection with the annexed schematic drawings, in which: 
         FIG.  1    shows a perspective front and side view of an acoustic panel with drawn-apart elements, according to an embodiment; 
         FIG.  2    shows a perspective rear and side view of the acoustic panel of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    shows a perspective front and side view of a mounting element that is part of the acoustic panel according to the embodiment shown in  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  4    shows a front view of the mounting element of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  5    shows a side view of the mounting element of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  6    shows a side view of an acoustic panel comprising the mounting element of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  7    shows a back view of the mounting element of  FIG.  3   ; 
         FIG.  8    shows a front view of the mounting element of  FIG.  3    with drawn-apart parts; 
         FIG.  9    shows an enlarged perspective view of some of the parts of the mounting element of  FIG.  8   ; 
         FIG.  10    shows a perspective front and side view of a portion of two adjacent mounting elements and a connecting bracket; 
         FIG.  11    shows a sectional view though a connecting bracket inserted into connecting slots of two adjacent mounting elements; 
         FIG.  12    shows a drawn-apart front view of seven mounting elements and twelve mounting brackets of an acoustic panel system; 
         FIG.  13    shows a front view of the mounting elements and mounting brackets of  FIG.  12    connected to each other; and 
         FIG.  14    shows a front view of an acoustic panel system comprising seven acoustic panels. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in  FIG.  1    through  FIG.  9   , an embodiment of the present invention provides an acoustic panel  10  having a mounting element  12  and an acoustic damping element  14 . The mounting element  12  and the acoustic damping element  14  each have a generally hexagonal shape. However, other embodiments are envisaged in which the mounting element  12  and the acoustic damping element  14  have other shapes, such as a square or rectangular or circular shape, or a shape formed by three or four connected squares. 
     In the presently described embodiment, the mounting element  12  and the acoustic damping element  14  have essentially identical outer contours in plan view. Thus, when the mounted acoustic panel  10  is viewed at its front side, only a front face  16  of the acoustic damping element  14  is visible. In other words, the acoustic damping element  14  completely covers the mounting element  12  when the acoustic panel  10  is viewed at its front side. In the presently described embodiment, as shown in  FIG.  6   , the sides of the mounting element  12  are visible when the acoustic panel  10  is viewed from the side, but embodiments are also contemplated in which the acoustic damping element  14  has a larger lateral extension than the mounting element  12  so that the acoustic damping element  14  also covers the sides of the mounting element  12 . 
     In the presently described embodiment, the mounting element  12  has essentially the form of a hexagonal frame  20  with a front side  22  and a rear side  24 . When the acoustic panel  10  is mounted to a wall or another structure of a building, the rear side  24  contacts the wall or other building structure, and the front side  22  of the mounting element contacts a rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element. In some embodiments, the frame  20  may surround a large central opening at which the rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element  14  faces, but is spaced apart from, the wall or other building structure to which the acoustic panel  10  is mounted. In other words, the frame  20  acts as a spacer which prevents the rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element  14  from touching the wall or other building structure. 
     The distance between the rear face  18  and the wall or other building structure is determined by the thickness of the portions of the frame  20  against which the acoustic damping element  14  rests. This distance may be, as non-limiting examples, in the range of 2 mm-20 mm, or in the range of 5 mm-10 mm. The central opening may comprise, as non-limiting examples, at least 50% of the area of the rear face  18 , or at least 70%, or at least 90%. This arrangement may improve the acoustic absorption properties of the acoustic panel  10  and/or may prevent an undesirable accumulation of moisture at the wall or other building structure behind the mounted acoustic panel  10 . 
     In the presently described embodiment, the mounting element  12  further comprises an outer rim  26 , a plurality of connecting slots  28 , a plurality of mounting holes  30 , and a plurality of protrusions  32 . 
     The outer rim  26  generally increases the stability of the mounting element  12  so that the mounting element  12  can be formed of relatively thin plastic material. The outer rim  26  further provides the necessary structure against which the connecting slots  28 , which will be explained below in further detail, can be formed. Yet further, in some embodiments the outer rim  26  assists in holding the acoustic damping element  14  to the mounting element  12 . However, in the presently described embodiment the outer rim  26  generally has a smaller height than the protrusions  32  and therefore is less effective than the protrusions  32  for holding the acoustic damping element  14  to the mounting element  12 . 
     The mounting holes  30  enable the mounting element  12  to be fixed to the wall or other building structure by means of screws. In the presently described embodiment, the rear side  24  of the mounting element  12  is configured substantially flat, so that the mounting element  12  can also be fixed to the wall or other building structure by means of double-sided adhesive tape. These two mounting options allow the acoustic panel  10  to be used in a variety of settings. 
     The protrusions  32  extend from the front side  22  of the mounting element  12  in a direction towards and into the acoustic damping element  14 . More specifically, when the acoustic damping element  14  is mounted the mounting element  12  (as shown in  FIG.  6   ), each protrusion  32  fits snugly into a respective opening  34  formed in the rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element  14 . The engagement of the protrusions  32  with the openings  34  and the frictional connection between outer side walls of the protrusions  32  and inner side walls of the openings  34  hold the acoustic damping element  14  securely in place at the mounting element  12 , especially if the acoustic panel  10  is vertically mounted to a wall. The openings  34  are separate from side faces  36  of the acoustic damping element  14  which extend between, and connect, the front face  16  and the rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element  14 . In other words, the openings  34  are not merely parts of, or recesses in, the side faces  36 . 
     For the use case of an acoustic panel  10  that is vertically mounted to a wall, embodiments in which the outer side walls of the protrusions  32  and inner side walls of the openings  34  extend substantially perpendicular to the rear side  24  of the mounting element  12  and/or the rear face  18  of the acoustic damping element  14  may be particularly easy to manufacture. However, embodiments are also contemplated in which the protrusions  32  and/or the openings  34  have cross-sections which vary along the longitudinal extensions of the protrusions  32  and/or the openings  34 . For example, if some or all of the protrusions  32  are club-shaped with a small diameter stem section and a large diameter head section, then the engagement of the protrusions  32  in matching openings  34  may be strong enough to enable even an overhead mounting of the acoustic panel  10  at a ceiling of a room. 
     Each of the protrusions  32  shown in the drawings has the general form of a fin which is curved in a semicircular fashion. However, numerous other forms are contemplated. As non-limiting examples, the protrusions  32  may also be formed as solid or hollow pegs with any kind of cross-sectional shape, such as round, square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, or star-shaped. The protrusions  32  may also be formed as straight fins, as relatively narrow pins, or in a variety of other forms. The openings  34  in the acoustic damping element  14  generally have a shape which matches, with a permissible amount of deformation, the shape of the protrusions. The question which amount of deformation is permissible depends on the material of the acoustic damping elements  14  in which the openings  34  are formed. In embodiments which use an easily deformable material, such as a foam or a mat, the shape of the protrusions  32  may be substantially different from the shape of the openings  34  when the mounting element  12  and the acoustic damping element  14  are separate from each other. 
     The acoustic damping element  14  may generally be formed of any material or materials which has or have the desired acoustic and structural properties. In the presently described embodiment, the acoustic damping element  14  is free from any rigid structural elements. The acoustic damping element  14  may be formed from a single block of suitable material, such as a plastic foam material. However, in the presently described embodiment the acoustic damping element  14  has a front layer  38  and a back layer  40 , which are glued or otherwise connected together, durably or removably. Using two layers of different materials allows a wider range of desirable properties to be obtained. Furthermore, if two layers of material are used, the openings  34  do not need to be formed as blind holes, but can simply be punched through the back layer  40  and then covered by the front layer  38 . 
     In the presently described embodiment, the back layer  40  is formed of a non-woven mat of a type which is also used for noise suppression in automotive applications, and the front layer  38  is formed of a noise absorbing plastic foam. However, numerous other materials and combinations of materials can be used. The front face  16  of the acoustic damping element  14  may be formed in a manner which is aesthetically pleasing and/or further improves the acoustic damping properties. In the presently described embodiment, the front face  16  is formed with an undulated surface structure, i.e., in a wave pattern. Numerous other surface structures are envisaged in other embodiments. 
     The mounting element  12  may be made of any suitable material, such as a relatively rigid plastic material. Manufacturing and transport may be facilitated by forming the mounting element  12  in a number of individual parts, which may be connected or assembled together by the end user. In the presently described embodiment, the mounting element  12  consists of six identical parts  42 , each of which comprising one corner and one side of the hexagonal frame  20 . The corner portion comprises one mounting hole  30  and one protrusion  32 , and the side portion comprises one connecting slot  28  arranged approximately in the middle of the side portion. 
     As shown in  FIG.  8    and  FIG.  9   , the parts  42  may be plugged together, without using any tools, to form the hexagonal frame  20 . Each of the parts  42  comprises a mushroom-shaped locking element  44  which engages with a matching recess  46  in the outer rim  26  of an adjacent part  42  to lock two of the parts  42  securely together. 
     The presently described embodiment further allows a plurality of mounting elements  12  to be linked together by means of connecting brackets  48 . This has the advantages that proper alignment of the mounting elements  12  with each other is facilitated, and/or that not all of the mounting elements  12  need to be fixed to the wall or other building structure. For example, in an acoustic panel system  50  shown in  FIG.  12    through  FIG.  14   , it may be sufficient to fix only the middle mounting element  12  to the wall or other building structure by means of screws or adhesive tape, while the surrounding mounting elements  12  may be held merely by virtue of the connecting brackets  48 . This is especially true if the acoustic panel system  50  shown in  FIG.  12    through  FIG.  14    is part of an even larger installation, such that there will be further fixedly mounted mounting elements  12  surrounding the mounting elements  12  shown. For example, it may be sufficient if less than 50%, or less than 30%, or less than 20%, of the mounting elements  12  are directly fixed to the wall or building structure. 
     As shown in  FIG.  10    and  FIG.  11   , each connecting bracket  48  comprises a bridge portion  52  which connects two insertion portions  54 . Each insertion portion  54  has an approximately U-shaped cross-section and fits into a respective connecting slot  28  of a respective mounting element  12 . Each insertion portion  54  further has a locking structure  56  in the form of a ridge which normally protrudes beyond an outer arm of the U-shaped insertion portion  54 . However, the two locking structures  56  are flexibly arranged and can be moved towards the bridge portion  52  by pressing the two handling portions  58  towards each other. The connecting bracket  48  may be formed from a plastic material which provides the required flexibility. 
     When the connecting bracket  48  is inserted with its two insertion portions  54  into the respective connecting slots  28  of two adjacent mounting elements  12 , as shown in  FIG.  11   , the two adjacent mounting elements  12  are firmly held together. The locking structures  56  of the insertion portions  54  engage with corresponding locking structures  60  of the connecting slots  28 , thus enabling the connecting bracket  48  to snap-in into its locked position. The connecting brackets  48  do not impede the mounting of the acoustic damping elements  14  on the mounting elements  12  because the acoustic damping elements  14  comprise longitudinal slots  62  (shown in  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   ) which accommodate the handling portions  58  of any inserted connecting brackets  48 . 
     When the user wishes to separate the two adjacent mounting elements  12 , he or she presses the two handling portions  58  of the connecting bracket  48  towards each other. This will cause the locking structures  56  of the connecting bracket  48  to disengage from the corresponding locking structures  60  of the connecting slots  28 , thus allowing the connecting bracket  48  to be removed and re-used. 
     The exemplary acoustic panel system  50  shown in  FIG.  14    comprises a total of seven acoustic panels  10 , but it is apparent that the system  50  can be extended in any desired manner. The undulated front faces  16  of the acoustic damping elements  14  directly abut against each other, without any irritating gaps. The mounting elements  12  are not visible at all in front view. Even if the acoustic panel system  50  is viewed from the side, only the relatively low outer rims  26  of the mounting elements  12  are visible. Because of the hexagonal and rotationally symmetric arrangement of all elements of the acoustic panels  10 , each acoustic damping element  14  can be arranged at each mounting element  12  in any of six possible rotational orientations, i.e., at 0°, 60°, 120°, 180°, 240° and 300°. This enables the user to create his or her own patterns on the front faces  16  of the acoustic panel system  50 , which can further be changed simply by re-arranging the acoustic damping elements  14  on the mounting elements  12 , without any change to the mounting elements  12 . 
     In exemplary and non-limiting embodiments, the dimensions of each acoustic panel  10  may be in the range of 200 mm-1000 mm between two corners, or in the range of 300 mm-800 mm, or in the range of 400 mm-600 mm, or substantially 500 mm, each time between two corners. The overall height of each acoustic panel  10  may be in the range of 20 mm-100 mm between the rear side  24  and the front face  16 , or in the range of 30 mm-70 mm, or in the range of 40-50 mm, or substantially 45 mm, each time between the rear side  24  and the front face  16 . 
     The particulars contained in the above description of sample embodiments should not be construed as limitations of the scope of the invention, but rather as exemplifications of some embodiments thereof. Many variations are possible and are immediately apparent to persons skilled in the art. In particular, this concerns variations that comprise a combination of features of the individual embodiments disclosed in the present specification. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 
     LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS 
     
         
         
           
               10  acoustic panel 
               12  mounting element 
               14  acoustic damping element 
               16  front face (of acoustic damping element  14 ) 
               18  rear face (of acoustic damping element  16 ) 
               20  hexagonal frame 
               22  front side (of mounting element  12 ) 
               24  rear side (of mounting element  12 ) 
               26  outer rim 
               28  connecting slot 
               30  mounting hole 
               32  protrusion 
               34  opening (in acoustic damping element  14 ) 
               36  side face (of acoustic damping element  14 ) 
               38  front layer (of acoustic damping element  14 ) 
               40  back layer (of acoustic damping element  14 ) 
               42  part (of mounting element  12 ) 
               44  locking element (of part  42 ) 
               46  recess (in outer rim  26 ) 
               48  connecting bracket 
               50  acoustic panel system 
               52  bridge portion (of connecting bracket  48 ) 
               54  insertion portion (of connecting bracket  48 ) 
               56  locking structure (of connecting bracket  48 ) 
               58  handling portion 
               60  locking structure (of connecting slot  28 ) 
               62  longitudinal slot