Sound processing unit, sound processing system, audio output unit and display device

• US 20030185400A1
• Filed: 01/15/2003
• Published: 10/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kabuto, Nobuaki, Yoshioka, Atsushi, Yoshizawa, Kazuhiko
• Application Number:
  US10/346,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20030185400A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/485 End-user interface for client configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/607 for more than one sound signal, e.g. stereo, multilanguages H04N5/602 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• 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

Abstract

The present invention identifies practical speaker connection using a device having a sound channel of a 5.1 channel or 7.1 channel, and provides the device that can easily reproduce the optimum multiple channels.

The present invention can identify actual speaker arrangement by for example, measuring the impedance of a terminal at the side of an audio amplifier. If incorrect connection is found, a warning is issued. This information is transmitted to a signal source with an EDID and a signal with the optimum a number of sound channel is sent. The EDID is also used for the connection with a display unit and the speaker connection with which the display unit is provided uniquely. For example, a sound through the 7.1 channel is easily reproduced using the speaker of the display unit in the channel of the front speaker.

Claims

1. A sound processing unit which receives a sound signal including a plurality of sound channels from a sound signal source, processes the input sound signal, and supplies the processed sound signal to a connected speaker or headphone, comprising:

a state storage unit that stores a connected state of the speaker or headphone, and the state storage unit storing a detection result of a detection circuit for detecting whether the speaker or headphone is connected or not, a user setting or any setting of their combinations; and

a control circuit for sending information dependent on the connected state of the speaker or headphone to the sound signal source based on the storage of the state storage unit.

2. The sound processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the detection circuit detects the speaker connection by measuring electrical impedance of an output terminal.

6. The sound processing unit according to claim 1, wherein the sound processing unit receives a video signal with a sound signal from the audio signal source, and is incorporated in a display device for displaying the video signal from the audio output unit.

3. A sound processing system that is provided with a sound signal source and

a sound processing unit which receives a sound signal including a plurality of sound channels from the sound signal source, and processes the input sound signal, and supplies the processed signal to a connected speaker or headphone, comprising:

a state storage unit that stores a connected state of the speaker or headphone, and the state storage unit storing a detection result of a detection circuit for detecting whether the speaker or headphone is connected or not or, a user setting or any setting of their combinations; and

a control circuit for sending information dependent on a number of sound channel that corresponds to a connected number of the speaker or headphone to the sound signal source, based on the storage of the state storage unit.

4. The sound processing system according to claim 3, wherein the sound signal source receives the information about the number of sound channel output from the sound processing unit and generates a sound signal of the number of sound channel that corresponds to the information, then supplies it to the sound processing unit.

5. The sound processing system according to claim 3, wherein the sound signal source sends a video signal with a sound signal, and the sound processing unit supplies the video signal to a display device.

7. A sound processing unit for processing a video signal and a sound signal including a plurality of sound channels and supplying the video signal to a display device, then supplying the sound signal to a speaker, comprising:

a sound multiplex circuit for multiplexing the sound signal of the number of sound channel that corresponds to the speaker number belonging to the display device, with the video signal, then supplying the multiplexed signal to the display device.

8. The sound processing unit according to claim 7, wherein a headphone connection terminal and a headphone detection circuit are provided in the sound processing unit and the transmitting a sound signal to the display device is stopped according to a detection result of the headphone detection circuit.

9. A sound processing unit for processing a video signal and a sound signal of plural sound channels and supplying the video signal to a display device, then supplying the sound signal to a speaker, comprising:

a first detection circuit for detecting whether the speaker is connected to a speaker connection terminal of the sound processing unit or not;

a second detection circuit that detects the speaker belonging to the display device; and

a sound multiplex circuit that performs sound processing of the sound signal including a plurality of input sound channels in accordance with detection results of the first and second detection circuits and multiplex the sound signal equal or below the number of sound channel in accordance with the detection result of the second detection circuit, then supplies the multiplexed signal to the display device.

10. The sound processing unit according to claim 9, wherein if it is detected by the first detection circuit that a speaker is not connected to a speaker connection terminal of a specific channel, the sound multiplex circuit multiplex a sound signal of the specific channel with the video signal and reproduces the sound signal of the specific channel by the speaker belonging to the display device.

11. The sound processing unit according to claim 9, wherein if it is detected by the first detection circuit that a speaker is connected to a speaker connection terminal of a specific channel, the sound multiplex circuit lowers a level of a sound signal of the specific channel rather than usual and multiplexes the sound signal with the video signal or stops to multiplex the sound signal of the specific channel with the video signal.

12. The sound processing unit according to claim 9, wherein the multiplex circuit multiplex the sound signal of the front right (FR) channel and front left (FL) channel, and/or the center (C) channel with video signal, if the input sound signal is the 5.1 channel.

13. The sound processing unit according to claim 9, wherein if it is detected by the first detection circuit that a speaker of a first group is connected to the speaker connection terminal, the sound multiplex circuit multiplex a sound signal of a second group with the video signal.

14. The sound processing unit according to claim 13, wherein the first group is the front right (FR) channel, the front left (FL) channel, and the center (C) channel and the second group is the front right center (FRC) channel and the front left center (FLC) channel, if the input sound signal is the 7.1 channel.

15. The sound processing unit according to claim 9, further comprising:

an OSD (on screen display) for supplying a visual message regarding a speaker connected state to the user using a detection result by the first detection circuit;

the OSD (on screen display) circuit which provides the visual message about the state of speaker connection; and

an addition circuit that overlap the OSD circuit output on an input a video signal or switches from input video signal to the OSD circuit output and supplies it to the video signal display device.

16. A display device in which receives a video signal and a sound signal from a signal source processes the input video and sound signal, displays the processed video signal on the display device and supplies the processed sound signal to a speaker or a headphone, comprising:

a state storage unit that stores a detection result of a detection circuit for detecting an connected state of the speaker or headphone, a user setting about an operation of the speaker or head phone, or their combinations; and

a control circuit for sending information about the connected state of the speaker or headphone to the signal source based on the information of the state storage unit.

17. A display device that processes and displays a video signal output from an external sound processing unit to which a speaker is connected, comprising:

a headphone connection terminal and a headphone detection circuit; and

a control circuit that sends a detection result of the headphone detection circuit to the external sound processing unit.

18. A sound processing unit that receives a signal from a sound signal source, processes and outputs this signal, comprising:

a hot plug function for posting that the sound processing unit is connected to the sound signal source;

a plug and play function that transmits the configuration of the sound processing unit to the sound signal source; and

a function that allows the sound processing unit requests the sound signal source for starting a plug and play function as a reconnected state after the sound processing unit disconnects the connection with the sound signal source when the configuration of the sound processing unit changes,

wherein if the sound processing unit identifies that the sound signal source can respond to even short-time disconnection for the indication of the starting the hot plug function, the disconnection state is for a short period of time in comparison with the case where it is not identified.

19. A display device that displays an image and reproduces a sound, comprising:

a hot plug function for posting that the display device is connected to a video signal source;

a plug and play function that transmits the configuration information of the display device to the video signal source; and

a function that allows the display device to request the video signal source for starting a plug and play function as a reconnected state after the display device disconnects with the video signal source when the configuration of the display device changes,

wherein if the display device identifies that the video signal source can respond to even short-time disconnection for the indication of the starting the hot plug function, the disconnection state is for a short period of time in comparison with the case where it is not identified.

20. A device provided with a circuit that processes a sound signal, comprising:

an OSD (On Screen Display) circuit for providing the user with a menu screen including a plurality of choices regarding a number of a sound channel of a sound signal to be reproduced; and

a signal generation circuit that generates a control signal for controlling the cannel number of the sound signal based on the number of sound channel which is selected by the user from the menu screen displayed by the OSD circuit.

21. The device according to claim 20, further comprising:

a channel number control circuit that controls a number of sound channel of a sound signal based on a control signal from the signal generation circuit.

22. The device according to claim 20, wherein the menu screen includes a message to connect a speaker to the device when the speaker is not connected to the device.

23. An apparatus that reproduces a sound by receiving a television broadcasting signal having a video signal, a sound signal, and program information that includes program type, comprising:

a memory that stores data of a number of sound channel of a sound to be reproduced corresponding to a program type respectively;

a read circuit that reads the data of the channel number of the sound to be reproduced corresponding to the data regarding the program type included in the received program information from the memory; and

a channel number control circuit that controls the number of sound channel of the sound signal to be reproduced corresponding to the data of the number of sound channel of the sound read from the read circuit.