Apparatus and method for controlling operation of audio low sound output means

• US 20050192687A1
• Filed: 12/23/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jun Hyung, Lee, Kyu Ho, Kim, Yang Ki
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,284 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• 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 is related to an apparatus and a method for controlling operations of low sound output in an audio system. Embodiments of an apparatus and a method for controlling an operation of an audio woofer in a machine provided with an audio system such as a portable computer can operate using at least one or more information of an audio data type, an audio signal, an audio channel number and a power source. Therefore, it is possible to accurately select and listen to an audio of a high-pass component only by stopping operations of a low-pass component for an audio as reproduced. In addition, embodiments of the present invention can extend a time for using a battery by controlling operations of a woofer, when using the battery power.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling an operation of a woofer device in a portable computer comprising:

operation means for executing a system operation and data;

a CODEC configured to perform encoding or decoding of audio data;

a woofer device configured to output a low audio sound;

a control circuit coupled to the CODEC and the woofer device configured to selectively enable/disable operation of the woofer device according to at least one member chosen from an audio data type, an audio signal frequency and an audio channel number of an audio file to be output or a current power source.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising memory means in which an audio basic value and a file type are stored to be used for controlling the woofer device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation means includes one or more of an operating system and an application program.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the woofer device is a woofer AMP and a woofer speaker for outputting an audio signal of a low-pass component of the audio data as decoded

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control circuit disables the woofer device by comparing at least one of the audio data type, the audio frequency signal and the audio channel number to correspond control information.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operation of the woofer device is disabled when the current power source is a battery.

7. A method for operating an audio device in a portable system, comprising:

identifying a file type being currently executed in a system; and

selectively disabling a lower sound audio output device of a plurality of audio output devices in an audio device as a result of the identification.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said identifying comprises setting a lower sound audio output device enablement status for a plurality of output file types.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said lower sound audio output device enablement status for each of the plurality of output file types is set by a user.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein said selectively disabling comprises determining whether the currently executed file type is lower sound audio output device disable.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the lower sound audio output device is a woofer, and wherein a woofer amplifier is disabled when the file type to be executed is set as woofer disable.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the lower sound audio output device is disabled irrespective of the identification when a battery is used for a system power source.

13. A method for operating an audio device in a portable system, comprising:

setting an enable/disable status of a low sound audio output device on the basis of a prescribed channel number;

identifying a channel number of a file to be currently executed;

determining the enable/disable status of the identified file channel number; and

disabling an operation of the low sound audio output device when the determined enable/disable status is disable, wherein the low sound audio output device is one of a plurality of audio output devices having different characteristics in an audio device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the low sound audio output device is a woofer.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation of the woofer is off when the channel number for transmitting data is less than 5.1.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation of the woofer is disabled when a formal channel number is 5.1 or more and a substantial channel number is less than 5.1.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the operation of the woofer is disabled when using a battery power source.

18. A method for operating an audio device in a portable system, comprising:

setting an enable/disable status of a low sound audio output device according to a prescribed frequency;

identifying a frequency of a file being currently executed;

determining the enable/disable status of the identified frequency; and

disabling an operation of the low sound audio output device when the determined enable/disable status is disable, wherein the low sound audio output device is one of a plurality of audio output devices having different characteristics in an audio device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the low sound audio output device is a woofer amplifier.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the operation of the woofer amplifier is off when the frequency of the file being currently executed is more than the predetermined frequency.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the operation of the woofer amplifier is disabled when a frequency of the file being currently executed is more than 3 MHz.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the operation of the woofer is OFF when using a battery power source.

23. A method for operating an audio device in a portable system, comprising:

determining an enable/disable audio command responsive to at least one of a plurality of audio information of audio to be output;

identifying said at least one of audio information of a file being currently executed;

determining the enable/disable audio command corresponding to the identified file; and

disabling an operation of the low sound audio output device when the determined enable/disable command is disable, wherein the low sound audio output device is one of a plurality of audio output devices having different characteristics in an audio device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the audio information is a current power source or a file type or a frequency of the file currently being executed.