US Patent 8116508 Dual-mode loudspeaker

An apparatus uses a transducer to produce vibration in the ultrasonic frequency range and in the audible frequency range. A membrane or cantilever structure is coupled to the transducer to produce acoustic waves. When the vibration is in the audible frequency range, the membrane structure works like a conventional loudspeaker. When the vibration is in the ultrasonic frequency range, the ultrasonic signal is modulated by audio signal for creating better directivity. The acoustic waves in the ultrasonic frequency range can reproduce directional audible sound due to the nonlinear interaction of ultrasonic waves in air.