Method for configuring an audio rendering and/or acquiring device, and corresponding audio rendering and/or acquiring device, system, computer readable program product and computer readable storage medium

• US 10,200,789 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2017
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jeanne, Ludovic, Bertin, Jean-Pierre, Peaudouye, Anne
• Primary Examiner(s): Kuntz, Curtis A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhu, Qin
• Application Number:
  US15/459,458
• Publication Number:
  US 20170272860A1
• Time in Patent Office: 692 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

The present principles relate to a method, for configuring an audio rendering and/or acquiring device of a communication system comprising a master device, the audio rendering and/or acquiring device being adapted to use at least one channel of a plurality of audio channels of the master device, the method being performed in the audio rendering and/or acquiring device. According to an embodiment, the method includes obtaining a state of at least one of the audio channels, the state of an audio channel being representative of a current assigning of the audio channel to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device and selecting the at least one audio channel to be used according to its state. The present principles also relate to the corresponding audio rendering and/or acquiring device, system, computer readable program product and computer readable storage medium.

Claims

1. An audio rendering and/or acquiring device belonging to a communication system comprising a master device, said audio rendering and/or acquiring device comprising at least one processor, the processor acting to configure said audio rendering and/or acquiring device to consume data from and/or to produce data to at least one first channel of a plurality of audio channels of said master device, said acting to configure comprising:

obtaining from said master device, for at least one second audio channel of said plurality of audio channels, an information representative of whether said second audio channel is currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system, said obtaining being performed sequentially on channels of said plurality of audio channels according to a numbering of said audio channels until an information representative of a second audio channel being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained or an information representative of all channels being currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system is obtained; and

when an information representative of a second audio channel being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained, the processor selects said at least one first audio channel as being said not currently assigned second channel.

2. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 1, wherein said channels of said plurality of audio channels are wireless audio channels.

3. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 1, wherein said obtaining and said selecting are performed during a pairing between said audio rendering and/or acquiring device and said master device.

4. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 1, wherein said audio rendering and/or acquiring device is configurable to use a variable number of audio channels.

5. An audio rendering and/or acquiring device belonging to a communication system comprising a master device, said audio rendering and/or acquiring device comprising at least one processor, the processor acting to configure said audio rendering and/or acquiring device to consume data from and/or to product data to at least two first channels of a plurality of audio channels of said master device, said configuring comprising:

obtaining, from said master device, for at least one second audio channel of said plurality of audio channels, an information representative of whether said second audio channel is currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system, said obtaining being performed successively on channels of said plurality of audio channels according to a numbering of said audio channels until information representative of at least two successive second channels being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained or an information representative of all channels being currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system is obtained; and

when an information representative of at least two successive second channels being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained, selecting said at least two first channels as being said at least two not currently assigned second successive audio channels.

6. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 5, wherein said channels of said plurality of audio channels are wireless audio channels.

7. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 5, wherein said obtaining and said selecting are performed during a pairing between said audio rendering and/or acquiring device and said master device.

8. The audio rendering and/or acquiring device of claim 5, wherein said audio rendering and/or acquiring device is configurable to use a variable number of audio channels.

9. A method, to be performed in an audio rendering and/or acquiring device belonging to a communication system comprising a master device, said method comprising:

configuring said audio rendering and/or acquiring device to consume data from and/or to produce data to at least one first channel of a plurality of audio channels of said master device;

obtaining from said master device, for at least one second audio channel of said plurality of audio channels, an information representative of whether said second audio channel is currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system, said obtaining being performed sequentially on channels of said plurality of audio channels according to a numbering of said audio channels until an information representative of a second audio channel being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained or an information representative of all channels being currently assigned to at least another audio rendering and/or acquiring device of said communication system is obtained; and

when an information representative of a second audio channel being not currently assigned to another audio rendering and/or acquiring device is obtained, the processor selects said at least one first audio channel as being said not currently assigned second channel.