Dielectric elastomer actuator speaker

Abstract

This paper discusses a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) speaker with a concave shaped vibrating surface to control a sound radiation pattern without multiple speakers. DEAs have a sandwich structure that is a dielectric elastomer layer is wedged between flexible electrodes. Since flexibility DEAs can deform a desired shape easily, the authors developed the DEA speaker with a hemispherical shell or a spherical shell, yielding an omnidirectional radiation pattern. In our experiment, we formed the concave shaped DEA speaker using a vacuum chamber to create a directional sound source. We used a microphone array to visualize the generated sound radiation pattern.