Speaker device

• US 10,070,226 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2017
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Shimazu, Takamori
• Primary Examiner(s): Laekemariam, Yosef K
• Application Number:
  US15/609,966
• Publication Number:
  US 20170265004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 381 17, 381 74, 381 77, 381172, 381300, 381387, 381 87, 381386, 381322, 381355
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/00 Cameras or camera modules comprising electronic image sensors; Control thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/00 Details of television systems scanning details or combination thereof with generation of supply voltages H04N3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 5/02 of the pseudo four-channel type, e.g. in which rear channel signals are derived from two-channel stereo signals

Abstract

Provided is a speaker device including a cabinet whose direction is changed in accordance with an installation state, and capable of detecting the direction of the device based on received optical signals. The speaker device can be installed in a state in which the speaker device is placed on a rack such that a receiving unit faces a listening position, and a state in which the speaker device is hung on a wall such that a receiving unit faces the listening position. Voltage converting units are configured to convert photocurrents output by light receiving elements according to received light amounts of an infrared ray from an infrared remote controller to voltage signals to output the signals to a controller. The controller compares amplitudes of the voltage signals to each other, thereby detecting a state (direction) of the speaker device.

Claims

1. A speaker device, comprising:

a cabinet having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface being different from the second surface;

a first speaker unit provided at the first surface, the first speaker unit configured to emit a first sound in accordance with a first acoustic signal that is input to the first speaker unit;

a second speaker unit provided at the second surface, the second speaker unit configured to emit a second sound in accordance with a second acoustic signal that is input to the second speaker unit and the second sound has a sound emission direction different from a sound emission direction of the first sound of the first speaker unit;

a first light receiver provided at the first surface and a second light receiver provided at the second surface, the first light receiver being different from the second light receiver, wherein the first light receiver and the second light receiver are configured to simultaneously receive an optical signal from a remote controller at a listening position, and the first receiver outputs a first signal in accordance with the received optical signal and/or the second light receiver outputs a second signal in accordance with the received optical signal; and

a control unit configured to;

determine whether the speaker device is in a first installed state or a second installed state based at least in part on the first signal and/or the second signal, and

perform processing on the first acoustic signal and the second acoustic signal based on whether the speaker device is in the first installed state or the second installed state.

2. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the first signal is a first photocurrent, and wherein the second signal is a second photocurrent.

3. The speaker device according to claim 2, further comprising a voltage converting unit configured to convert the first photocurrent and the second photocurrent to voltages and output the voltages to the control unit,

wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the cabinet is in the first state or the second state based on the voltages from the voltage converting unit.

4. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein one or more of:

(i) the first optical signal and (ii) the second optical signal is from a remote controller.

5. The speaker device according to claim 3, further comprising a signal processing unit configured to receive and decode the first and second signals,

wherein the control unit is configured to detect whether the cabinet is in the first state or the second state based on whether or not the decoded signal has a valid value.

6. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to stop a light receiving operation of the second light receiver in response to a detection that the cabinet is in the first state in accordance with the first photocurrent and the second photocurrent.

7. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to perform control based on the detection result when the speaker device is turned on.

8. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the first light receiver and the second light receiver are provided independently of a light receiving element configured to receive an optical signal from a remote controller.

9. The speaker device according to claim 1, wherein the second speaker unit has a large diameter as compared to the first speaker unit.