System for audio related equipment management

• US 20050239397A1
• Filed: 03/25/2005
• Published: 10/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, John, Stevenson, Andrew, Kreifeldt, Richard Allen, Shuttleworth, Timothy J., Zollinger, Howard Scott, Plunkett, William A., Werf, Bruce Vander
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,606 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.10
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/003 Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A system for management and control of audio-related equipment. The system is a common architecture that provides the capability to manage, monitor and control all of the audio-related equipment in an audio system. To facilitate messaging between audio-related devices, each of the audio-related devices may be assigned a node ID a sequential manner as each audio-related device powers up. The system may also include a method for discovery of audio-related devices on an audio network. In some examples, a PEM may be located geographically remote from the audio-related devices. Accordingly, error logging, alarming and system operation may be monitored to provide troubleshooting from a remote location.

Claims

1. A method of selecting a node identification for an audio-related device:

powering up a first audio-related device;

assigning a first node identification to the first audio-related device;

after the first audio-related device has been assigned the first node identification, powering up a second audio-related device;

assigning a second node identification to the second audio-related device, and

where a power sequencer sequentially powers up the first audio-related device and then powers up the second audio-related device.

2. The method of claim 1, where in the assigning step the second node identification is selected to be in a consecutive sequence with the first node identification.

3. The method of claim 2, where the second node identification is a number and the first node identification is a second number.

4. The method of claim 1, where the first node identification is independent of a network interface of the first audio related device and the second node identification is independent of a network interface of the second audio related device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising broadcasting the first node identification over a network and determining whether the first audio-related device has been assigned a unique identification.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of incrementing the first node identification if the first node identification is not unique.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of invalidating the first node identification when the first audio-related device powers down.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising the step of invalidating the second node identification when the second audio-related device powers down.

12. The audio-related system of claim 11, where the PEM is configured to communicate predetermined audio settings to the first audio-related device.

13. The audio-related system of claim 12, where the PEM is configured to communicate predetermined audio settings to the second audio-related device.

14. The audio-related system of claim 13, where the first audio-related device and the second audio-related device are loudspeakers in an array of loudspeakers.

9. An audio-related system comprising:

a first audio-related device;

a second audio-related device;

a switch adapted to communicate on a network including a first port and a second port, the first port associated with a first node identification and the second port associated with a second node identification; and

where the first audio-related device is assigned the first node identification by being coupled to the first port and the second audio-related device is assigned the second node identification by being coupled to the second port.

10. The audio-related system of claim 9, further comprising a performance equipment manager coupled to the network, the PEM configured to communicate with the first audio-related device based upon a predetermined association between the first port and the first audio-related device.

11. The audio-related system of claim 10, where the PEM is configured to communicate with the second audio-related device based upon a predetermined association between the second port and the second audio-related device.

15. The audio-related system of claim 9, where the performance equipment manager is adapted to set an EQ setting of the first audio-related device.

16. An audio-related device comprising:

memory configured to store settings of an audio-related device;

a user interface configured to change the settings stored in memory;

a communication port configured to transmit and receive signals on a communication link; and

a node identification module configured to generate a node identification for the audio-related device, the node identification module cooperating with the communication port to broadcast the node identification to devices connected to the communication link, the node identification being independent of a network interface of the communication port.

17. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the node identification module is configured to generate a sequential node identification, the sequential node identification selected by incrementing the node identification until the node identification assigned to audio-related device is a unique node identification on the communication link.

18. The audio-related device of claim 17, where the node identification module is configured to generate a random node identification and to switch between generating a sequential node identification and a random node identification.

19. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the node identification module is configured to broadcast the node identification using the communication port after waiting a period of time.

20. The audio-related device of claim 19, where the node identification module broadcasts the node identification after waiting a random period of time.

21. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the node identification module is configured to generate a second node identification in response to receiving a redundant identification message on the communication port.

22. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the memory includes a routing table configured to store routes between audio-related devices connected to the communication link.

23. The audio-related device of claim 22, where the routing table includes a node address field that represents a node identification of a destination device corresponding to a route.

24. The audio-related device of claim 23, where the routing table includes a serial number field that represents a unique identification for the destination device corresponding to the node address.

25. The audio-related device of claim 24, where the routing table includes a maximum message field that represents a maximum size of a message that is permitted to pass through the destination device corresponding to the node address.

26. The audio-related device of claim 25, where the routing table includes a network interface field that represents the communication interface of the designation device corresponding to the node address.

27. The audio-related device of claim 26, where the routing table includes a cost field that represents a relative cost of the route to the designation device corresponding to the node address.

28. The audio-related device of claim 22, where the routing table includes multiple routes between audio-related devices connected to the communications link.

29. The audio-related device of claim 22, where the routes stored in the routing table are selected based on the shortest transit time between audio-related devices connected to the communications link.

30. The audio-related device of claim 27, where the bandwidth between audio-related devices connected to the communications link is a factor in selecting the routes stored in the routing table.

31. The audio-related device of claim 27, where a hop count is a factor in selecting the routes stored in the routing table.

32. The audio-related device of claim 27, where the size of data to be transmitted to an audio-related device connected to the communications link is a factor in selecting the routes stored in the routing table.

33. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the communication port is selected from the group consisting of Ethernet, Fire Wire, USB, RS232 and RS285.

34. The audio-related device of claim 16, where the communication port is configured to transmit and receive signals in a wireless manner.

35. The audio-related device of claim 16, further comprising an audio interface configured to transmit audio-related signals.

36. A PEM comprising:

memory configured to store information regarding audio-related devices;

a communication port configured to be connected to a network, the communication port adapted to receive and transmit signals with audio-related devices connected to the network;

a node resolution module operatively coupled to the communication port, the node resolution module including a node identification engine adapted to assign a node identification to each of the audio-related devices connected to the network; and

a user interface configured to change settings of the audio-related devices connected to the network.

37. The performance equipment manager of claim 36, where the node identification engine sequentially selects each node identification to be assigned to audio-related devices connected to the network.

38. The performance equipment manager of claim 37, where the node identification engine cooperates with a power sequencer to sequentially assign a node identification to each of the audio-related devices upon power-up.

39. The PEM of claim 36, where the communication port is selected from the group consisting of Ethernet, Fire Wire, USB, RS232 and RS485.

40. The PEM of claim 39, where the communication port is adapted to be directly connected to an audio-related device.

41. A method for discovering audio-related devices coupled to a network comprising:

providing a first audio-related device having a first node identification and a first network address;

providing a second audio-related device having a second node identification and a second network address;

broadcasting a discovery information message from the first audio-related device over a network;

adding the first node identification and the first network address of the first audio-related device into the routing table of the second audio-related device in response to receipt of the discovery information message sent from the first audio-related device;

sending a discovery query message from the second audio-related device to the first audio-related device;

adding the second node identification and the second network address of the second audio-related device into the routing table of the first audio-related device in response to receipt of the discovery information message sent from the second audio-related device; and

sending a discovery information message from the first audio-related device to the second audio-related device.

42. The method of claim 41, where a discovery information message includes a node identification and a network address of an audio-related device sending the message.

43. The method of claim 41, where the first audio-related device is selected from the group consisting of an audio amplifier, a loudspeaker, a microphone and an audio processor.

44. The method of claim 41, further comprising the step of providing a router having a third node identification and a third network address, the first audio-related device and the second audio-related device being coupled to the router.

45. A method for discovering audio-related devices coupled to a network comprising:

providing a first audio-related device having a first node identification and a first network address;

providing a second audio-related device having a second node identification and a second network address;

providing a third audio-related device having a third node identification and a third network address;

establishing a communication link between the first audio-related device and the second audio-related device;

sending a discovery query message from the first audio-related device to the second audio-related device;

sending a set proxy message from the first audio-related device to the second audio-related device;

sending a discovery information message from the second audio-related device to the third audio-related device;

broadcasting a discovery information message from the third audio-related device over a subnet;

adding the third node identification and the third network address of the third audio-related device into the routing table of the second audio-related device in response to receipt of the discovery information message sent from the third audio-related device;

forwarding the discovery information message from the third audio-related device to the first audio-related device; and

adding the third node identification and the third network address of the third audio-related device into the routing table of the first audio-related device in response to receipt of the discovery information message sent from the second audio-related device.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of sending a get attributes message from the first audio-related device to the second audio-related device.

47. The method of claim 45, further comprising the step of establishing a communication link between the first audio-related device and the third audio-related device.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising the step of periodically sending a fail-safe message from the first audio-related device to the second audio-related device.

49. The method of claim 45, where the second audio-related device is selected from the group consisting of an audio amplifier, a loudspeaker, a microphone and an audio processor.

50. A system for audio-related equipment management comprising:

a first audio-related device residing at a first geographical location;

a second audio-related device residing at the first location and being configured to communicate with the first audio-related device; and

a performance equipment manager residing at a second location that is geographically remote from the first location, the performance equipment manager configured to communicate with the first audio-related device and the second audio-related device, the performance equipment manager configured to perform diagnostic operations on the first audio-related device.

51. The system of claim 50, where the performance equipment manager is configured to perform diagnostic operations on the second audio-related device.

52. The system of claim 51, further comprising a third audio-related device residing at the third location that is geographically remote from the first location, the performance equipment manager configured to communicate with the third audio-related device and perform diagnostic operations on the third audio-related device.

53. The system of claim 52, where the performance equipment manager communicates with the third audio-related device through an internet.

54. The system of claim 50, where the performance equipment manager is configured to log communication errors in communications between the first audio-related device and the second audio-related device.

55. The system of claim 50, where the performance equipment manager is configured to log operational errors of the first audio-related device.

56. The system of claim 50, where a firewall is operationally connected between the performance equipment manager and the first audio-related device.

57. The system of claim 56, where the performance equipment manager is configured to create a tunnel to the first audio-related device.