WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUT DEVICE, WIRELESS AUDIO OUTPUT SYSTEM INCLUDING THE SAME AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090222116A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KWAK, Jung Hun, AKIHIKO, Hosaka, KIM, Sang Geun, CHOI, Young Gyoo, MASAKI, Oguro, KANG, Il Dong
• Granted Patent: US 8,320,832 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A wireless audio output device, a wireless audio output system including the same and a control method thereof are disclosed. When a user approaches the output device, while listening to music on a portable device, the output device automatically connects the wireless audio output system to the portable device, to reproduce the music of the portable device. The control method includes detecting the user, detecting the portable device if the user is sensed, and outputting an audio file being reproduced by the portable device using the wireless audio output system, if the portable device is detected.

Claims

1. A control method of a wireless audio output device comprising:

determining whether a user is detected;

searching for a portable device, if the user is detected; and

outputting an audio file being reproduced by the portable device, to be played through one or more speakers, if the portable device is detected by the searching.

2. The control method according to claim 1, wherein the searching comprises:

sending a request signal to search for the portable device; and

if a response signal corresponding to the sent request signal is transmitted from the portable device, comparing identification information included in the response signal with identification information of the portable device, which is stored in the wireless audio output device.

3. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising determining whether an audio file is received through any one of a plurality of external connection terminals, if the portable device is not detected.

4. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising, if no audio file is received through any of the external connection terminals, determining which particular one of the external connection terminals most recently received an audio file, and waiting for an audio file to be received through the particular external connection terminal.

5. The control method according to claim 3, further comprising, if an audio file is received through one of the external connection terminals, outputting the received audio file to be played through the speakers.

6. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising driving light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit alpha waves, when the audio file is outputted.

7. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether an incoming call is made to the portable device; and

if the incoming call is made to the portable device, lowering the volume of the speakers to notify the user of the incoming call.

8. The control method according to claim 1, further comprising, if an audio file control command is transmitted from a remote controller, delivering the audio file control command to the portable device, to control the output of the audio file.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein the controlling the output of the audio file comprises pausing, stopping, fast forwarding, or rewinding the audio file.

25. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing the method of claim 1 using one or more computers and/or processors.

10. A wireless audio output device comprising:

a user sensor to sense the proximity of a user;

a wireless communication unit to search for a portable device, if the user is sensed; and

a controller to control the output of an audio file being reproduced by the portable device, to be played through one or more speakers, if the portable device is detected by the search.

11. The wireless audio output device according to claim 10, wherein:

the controller outputs a request signal to detect the portable device; and

if a response signal corresponding to the request signal is transmitted from the portable device, the controller compares identification information included in the response signal with identification information of the portable device, which is pre-stored in the wireless audio output device, to determine whether the portable device is connectable to the wireless communication unit.

12. The wireless audio output device according to claim 10, wherein the controller determines whether an audio file is received through any one of a plurality of external connection terminals, if the portable device is not detected by the search.

13. The wireless audio output device according to claim 12, wherein:

if no audio file is received through any of the external connection terminals, the controller determines which particular one of the external connection terminals most recently received an audio file; and

then the controller waits for an audio file to be received through the particular external connection terminal.

14. The wireless audio output device according to claim 12, wherein if an audio file is received through any one of the external connection terminals, the controller controls the output of the received audio file through the speakers.

15. The wireless audio output device according to claim 10, wherein the controller drives light emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit alpha waves, when the audio file is outputted to be played through the speakers.

16. The wireless audio output device according to claim 10, wherein:

the portable device comprises a telephone circuit to receive an incoming call signal from a mobile communication base station; and

if the incoming call signal is received from the mobile communication base station, the controller lowers the volume of the speakers, to notify the user of the incoming call.

17. A wireless audio output system comprising:

a portable device to reproduce an audio file; and

a wireless audio output device to search for the portable device, if a user is sensed, and to output the audio file, which is wirelessly transmitted from the portable device, to be played through one or more speakers, if the portable device is detected by the search and is reproducing the audio file.

18. The wireless audio output system according to claim 17, wherein:

the wireless audio output device outputs a request signal to detect the portable device; and

if a response signal corresponding to the request signal is transmitted from the portable device, the wireless audio output device compares identification information included in the response signal with identification information of the portable device, which is pre-stored in the output device, to connect the portable device to the wireless audio output device.

19. The wireless audio output system according to claim 17, wherein the wireless audio output device determines whether an audio file is received through any one of a plurality of external connection terminals, if the portable device is not detected by the search.

20. The wireless audio output system according to claim 19, wherein:

if no audio file is received through any of the external connection terminals, the wireless audio output device determines which particular one of the external connection terminals most recently received an audio file; and

then the wireless audio output device waits for an audio file to be received through the particular external connection terminal.

21. The wireless audio output system according to claim 19, wherein if an audio file is received through any one of the external connection terminals, the wireless audio output device outputs the received audio file to be played through the speakers.

22. The wireless audio output system according to claim 17, wherein the wireless audio output device drives light emitting diodes (LEDs) to emit alpha waves, when the audio file is outputted.

23. The wireless audio output system according to claim 17, wherein:

the wireless audio output device determines whether an incoming call is made to the portable device; and

if the incoming call is made to the portable device, the wireless audio output device lowers the volume of the speakers, to notify the user of the incoming call.

24. The wireless audio output system according to claim 17, further comprising a remote controller to wirelessly control the wireless audio output device,

wherein if a command to control the audio file is transmitted from the remote controller, the wireless audio output device delivers an audio file control command to the portable device, to control the output of the audio file, through the speakers.

26. A method of pairing a portable device and a wireless audio output device, the method comprising:

searching for a portable device of a user when the user is detected through a sensor of the wireless audio output device; and

wirelessly transferring between the portable device and the wireless audio output device an audio file being reproduced by the portable device, to be played through one or more speakers connected to the wireless audio output device, when the portable device is detected by the searching.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein wirelessly transferring comprises establishing a wireless connection between the portable device and the wireless audio output device when the portable device is detected, and transferring the audio file being reproduced by the portable device to the wireless audio output device to be played through the one or more speakers when the wireless connection is established.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the wireless connection is according to a Bluetooth communication protocol.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein wirelessly transferring comprises comparing a received identification from the portable device with a stored identification of known portable devices, and establishing the wireless connection between the portable device and the wireless audio output device when the comparison indicates a match, and not establishing the wireless connection when the comparison does not indicate a match.

30. The method of claim 26, further comprising converting the audio file wirelessly transferred from the portable audio device into a converted audio file corresponding to the one or more speakers through which the audio file is to be played back.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the converting comprises converting the audio file wirelessly transferred from the portable audio device from a two dimensional stereo sound into the converted audio file having a three dimensional stereo sound.