METHOD OF IDENTIFYING SPEAKERS IN A HOME THEATER SYSTEM

• US 20090323991A1
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WISA Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Focus Enhancements Incorporated (VITEC Multimedia SA)
• Inventors: Liebelt, Richard S., Klinker, John W. JR., McArthur, Kelly M., Hudson, Michael D.
• Granted Patent: US 8,199,941 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/00 Indicating arrangements; Control arrangements, e.g. balance control
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/308 Electronic adaptation dependent on speaker or headphone connection

Abstract

With an array of speakers including a center speaker provided with left and right ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers and left and right speakers provided with respective ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers, it is possible to identify the left and right speakers. One approach includes energizing the left transducer of the center speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the left and right speakers to detect the ping signal, measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said the left transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers. Then, the right transducer of the center speaker is energized to emit an acoustic ping signal, the transducers of the left and right speakers are utilized to detect the ping signal, and lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the right transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers is measured.

Claims

1. A method of identifying speakers in an array comprising a center speaker, a left speaker, and a right speaker, the method comprising:

providing the center speaker with left and right ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers,

providing the left speaker and the right speaker each with an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer, and

either (a) energizing one transducer of the center speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the left and right speakers to detect the ping signal, measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said one transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers, energizing the other transducer of the center speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the left and right speakers to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said other transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers,

or (b) energizing the transducer of the left speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the center speaker to detect the ping signal, measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the transducer of the left speaker and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the center speaker, energizing the transducer of the right speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the center speaker to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the transducer of the right speaker and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the center speakers, and

employing the measured values of lapse of time to assign a location to each of the left and right speakers relative to the center speaker.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the left and right transducers are spaced horizontally, to left and right respectively of a centerline of the center speaker, and the step of employing the measured values of lapse time comprises either, in the case of alternative (a) calculating difference in the measured lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said one transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers and calculating difference in the measured lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said other transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the left and right speakers or, in the case of alternative (b) calculating difference in the measured lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the transducer of the left speaker and detection of the ping signal by the left and right transducers respectively of the center speaker and calculating difference in the measured lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the transducer of the right speaker and detection of the ping signal by the left and right transducers respectively of the center speaker.

3. A method of identifying speakers in an array comprising a center speaker, multiple A speakers, and multiple B speakers, where one of A and B is left and the other of A and B is right,

wherein the A speakers include a front A speaker that is the closest of the A speakers to the center speaker, the center speaker includes A and B ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers and each of the A speakers and each of the B speakers includes an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer,

wherein the A transducer of the center speaker is closer than the B transducer to at least one of the A speakers and the B transducer of the center speaker is closer than the A transducer to at least one of the B speakers,

and the method includes energizing the A transducer of the center speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the A speakers to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the A transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the A and B speakers and energizing the B transducer of the center speaker to emit an acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the A speakers to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the B transducer and detection of the ping signal by the transducers of the A and B speakers.

8. A method according to claim 3, further comprising positioning a portable location measurement device including an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer at a selected location and using the portable location measurement device to initiate a measurement procedure by which the transducers of at least two speakers emit ultrasonic ping signals, the transducer of the location measurement device detects the ultrasonic ping signals, and lapse of time between emission of the ping signal and detection of the ping signal by the transducer of the location measurement device is measured, allowing calculation of the position of the measurement location device relative to the speakers, whereby relative signal delays to the speakers may be adjusted to account for the position of the location measurement device.

4. (canceled)

5. A home theater system comprising:

a control unit including a radio transceiver for emitting and receiving wireless control signals and wireless left and right audio signals,

a first speaker provided with an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer and with a first speaker control means for controlling the electro-acoustic transducer of the first speaker in response to wireless control signals received from the radio transceiver, and

a second speaker provided with an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer and with a second speaker control means for controlling the electro-acoustic transducer of the second speaker in response to wireless control signals received from the radio transceiver,

and wherein the control unit, the first speaker control means and the second speaker control means are programmed so that when one of the speakers is in a right location relative to a listening location and the other speaker is in a left location relative to the listening location, the control unit cooperates with the first speaker control means and the second speaker control means to determine distance between the first and second speakers, and the control unit transmits the wireless left and right audio signals to the left and right speakers respectively.

9. A home theater system according to claim 5, further comprising a center speaker provided with left and right ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers and with a center speaker control means for controlling the left and right electro-acoustic transducers in response to wireless control signals received from the radio transceiver, and wherein the control unit, the center speaker control means, the first speaker control means and the second speaker control means are programmed so that when one of the first and second speakers is in a right surround location relative to the center speaker and the other of the first and second speakers is in a left surround location relative to the center speaker, the control unit cooperates with the center speaker control means, the first speaker control means and the second speaker control means to identify which of the first and second speakers is in the right surround location and which of the first and second speakers is in the left surround location, and the control unit transmits the wireless left and right audio signals to the speakers in the left and right surround locations respectively.

10. A home theater system according to claim 5, wherein the first speaker is a left speaker and the second speaker is a right speaker, the center speaker includes left and right ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers for emitting an ultrasonic ping signal, and the left and right transducers are positioned so that the left transducer is closer than the right transducer to the left speaker and the right transducer is closer than the left transducer to the right speaker.

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)