LG Display develops “invisible“ speakers for automobiles

 

LG Display (Seoul, Korea), a world leading innovator of display technologies, has developed the Thin Actuator Sound Solution, a new sound technology for automobiles. This innovative solution will be commercialised in the first half of 2023, ushering in a new era of vehicle infotainment.

While conventional speakers are large and heavy due to components such as the voice coil, cone, and magnet, the Thin Actuator Sound Solution is extremely thin and lightweight thanks to LG Display’s film-type exciter technology. The company’s unique technology allows the device to vibrate off display panels and various materials inside the car body to enable a rich, 3D immersive sound experience.

The Thin Actuator Sound Solution comes in a passport-like size (150mm x 90mm) with a thickness of 2.5mm, equivalent to that of two coins stacked together, and a light weight of 40g, making it just 30 percent of the weight and 10 percent of the thickness of a conventional car speaker.

Its compact size and innovative form factor allow it to be installed in various parts inside the car such as the dashboard, headliner, pillar, and headrests while eliminating the deviation in audio quality for passengers inside. The device’s built-in nature not only allows the removal of speaker grills, but also enhances space efficiency by freeing up the space normally occupied by in-car speakers without compromising sound quality.

In addition, LG Display has excluded the use of rare earth elements such as neodymium (Nd) normally used in conventional speakers, boosting the speaker’s eco-friendly factor.

The Thin Actuator Sound Solution has received the CES 2023 Innovation Award (‘In-Vehicle Entertainment & Safety’ category) from the Consumer Technology Association in recognition of its space efficiency, design innovation, sound experience innovation, and eco-friendliness. At CES 2023, LG Display is set to showcase the Thin Actuator Sound Solution, which was jointly developed with a global audio company.

"We have transformed the conventionally heavy and bulky speaker into a high-quality 'invisible' sound solution by using our cutting-edge technology to elevate space, design, and eco-friendly factors and provide a next-level sound experience like none before," said Yeo Chun-ho, VP and head of the business development division at LG Display.

Caption: The Thin Actuator Sound Solution (photo: LG Display)

<< view all news