Sound processing system and vehicle harness

• US 5,034,996 A
• Filed: 09/15/1988
• Issued: 07/23/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amerimax UK, Inc. (Strategic Value Partners LLC)
• Original Assignee: Amerimax UK, Inc. (Strategic Value Partners LLC)
• Inventors: Wurmlinger, Randal D., Carey, Carl E.
• Primary Examiner(s): KUNTZ, CURTIS A
• Application Number:
  US07/244,938
• Time in Patent Office: 1,041 Days
• Field of Search: 455/344, 455/345, 455/42, 455/350, 358/254, 358/93, 358/189, 381/56, 381/81, 381/86
• US Class Current: 455/345
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0207 Wire harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/20 for coupling gramophone pick-up, recorder output, or microphone to receiver

Abstract

The invention is a harness control assembly (10) for a van or the like. The assembly (10) includes a switch (46) on the dashboard for manually actuating between one of radio (18) or television (20), rear speaker off or all speakers off for selecting the output to the rear speakers (30) and controlling power to front speaker system (28). A processor (50) receives the selection signal from the switch (46) via a transmitter (48) and the inputs from the radio (18) and television (20) for interconnecting the rear speaker (30) to the selected signal. The assembly (10) includes a headphone transmitter (64) for transmitting the radio and television signals from the processor. Individual headphone selectors (102) receive the television and radio signal for each passenger from the transmitter (64) for selecting one of television (20), radio (18), or auxiliary (80) to be audibly output through a headset.

Claims

1. A control assembly for a vehicle, said assembly (10) comprising:

rear radio transmission means for communicating a radio output signal from a forward connector means (54) adapted to be connected to a first radio output (26) of a radio;

television transmission means (58) having a television output connector (66) for receiving and transmitting a television signal;

processor means (50) for receiving the radio signal and the television signal and a control signal, said control signal indicative of either an off or television selection, and said processor means (50) producing an audio output signal to a rear speaker means (30), the audio signal comprising either the radio signal or television signal when either the radio selection or television selection is indicated by said control signal;

switching means (46) for selectively switching between off or radio or television selection to produce said control signal to said processor means (50) indicating either off or radio or television selection for controlling the acoustic output of the rear speaker means (30).

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by including headphone transmission means (64) connected to said processor means (50) for transmitting the radio signal and television signal and having a plurality of output connectors (66).

3. An assembly as set forth in claim 2 further characterized by including a plurality of remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) connected to said output connectors (66) for switching between television and radio and auxiliary and off selections to control the output to individual headphones independent of said switching means (46) and other remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79).

4. An assembly as set forth in claim 3 further characterized by including amplifier means (45) responsive to the presence of the audio signal for amplifying the audio signal and producing an amplified audio signal to the speaker means (30).

5. An assembly as set forth in claim 4 further characterized by including speaker transmission means (56) having a control input connector connected to said processor means (80) for transmitting said audio signal to said amplifier means and from said amplifier means to the rear speaker means (30).

6. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 further characterized by selection transmission means (46) for receiving and transmitting said control signal from said switching means (46) to said processor means (50).

7. An assembly as set forth in claim 5 further characterized by said processor means (50) including speaker switching means (84) for receiving said radio signal and said television signal and said control signal and controlling the output to said speaker transmission means (56) to the rear speaker means (30).

8. An assembly as set forth in claim 7 further characterized by said processor means (50) including radio transceiver means (82) for receiving said radio signal from the first radio output (24) and delivering said radio signal to said speaker switching means (84) for the rear speaker means (30) and to said headphone transmission means (64) for the headphone output connector (66).

9. An assembly as set forth in claim 8 further characterized by said processor means (50) including television transceiver means (86) for receiving the television signal and transmitting delivering the television signal to said speaker switching means (84) and to said headphone transmission means (64).

10. An assembly as set forth in claim 9 further characterized by said processor means (50) including power transceiver means (87) for receiving a battery line and ignition power line and transmitting to said speaker switching means (84).

11. An assembly as set forth in claim 10 further characterized by said processor means (50) including signal transmitter means (88) for connecting the radio and television signals to said headphone transmission means (64).

12. An assembly as set forth in claim 11 further characterized by including control connector means for interconnecting said processor means (50) to said rear radio transmission means (52) and said speaker transmission means (56) and said headphone transmission means (64) and said television signal transmission means (58).

13. An assembly as set forth in claim 12 further characterized by each of said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including auxiliary input means (100,101,103,104) for receiving an auxiliary input (80).

14. An assembly as set forth in claim 13 further characterized by including forward radio transmission means (38) for communicating electrical signals between a front radio connector means (40) adapted to be connected to a second radio output (24) and speaker connector means (42,43) adapted to be connected to the front speaker input (32).

15. An assembly as set forth in claim 14 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including headphone selector (102) for selecting one of radio (18) and television (20) and auxiliary (80) selection to be acoustically output by the headphones (22).

16. An assembly as set forth in claim 15 further characterized by including front speaker means (28) for receiving an audio signal and acoustically outputting same, said front speaker means (28) including amplifier means (44) for amplifying said audio signal and producing an amplified audio signal to said front speaker means (28).

17. An assembly as set forth in claim 16 further characterized by including forward radio transmission means (38) for transmitting said audio signal to said amplifier means (44) and for transmitting said amplified audio signal to said front speaker means (38).

18. An assembly as set forth in claim 17 further characterized by including front control means (39) for transmitting a power signal from said speaker switching means (84) to said front amplifier means (44) to turn on and off said front amplifier means (44) in response to said switching means (46), said switching means (46) including an all speakers off selection wherein power is not supplied to said front amplifier means (44) when said switching means (46) indicates said all speakers off selection;

and said speaker switching means (84) supplying power to said front amplifier means (44) when the ignition of the vehicle (12) is on and said all speakers off selection is not indicated.

19. An assembly as set forth in claim 1 further characterized by including speaker transmission means (56) having a control input connector connected to said processor means (80) for transmitting said audio signal to the rear speaker means (30).

20. An assembly as set forth in claim 19 further characterized by including rear radio transmission means (52) for communicating electrical signals between a forward connector means (54) adapted to be connected to the first radio output (24) and said processor means (50).

21. An assembly as set forth in claim 20 further characterized by including television signal transmission means (58) having television output connector (66) for receiving the television signal and television input connector adapted to be connected to said processor means (50) for supplying the television output signal.

22. An assembly as set forth in claim 21 further characterized by said processor means (50) including speaker switching means (84) for receiving said radio signal and said television signal and said control signal and controlling the output to said speaker transmission means (56) to the rear speaker means (30).

23. An assembly as set forth in claim 22 further characterized by said processor means (50) including radio transceiver means (82) for receiving the first radio output (24) and transmitting to said speaker switching means (84) for the rear speaker means (30) and to said headphone transmission means (64) for the headphone output connector (66).

24. An assembly as set forth in claim 23 further characterized by said processor means (50) including television transceiver means (86) for receiving the television signal and transmitting to said speaker switching means (84) and to said headphone transmission means (64).

25. An assembly as set forth in claim 24 further characterized by said processor means (50) including signal transmitter means (88) for connecting the radio and television signals to said headphone transmission means (64).

26. An assembly as set forth in claim 25 further characterized by including control connector means for interconnecting said processor means (50) to said rear radio transmission means (52) and said speaker transmission means (56) and said headphone transmission means (64) and said television signal transmission means (58).

27. An assembly as set forth in claim 26 further characterized by each of said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including auxiliary input means (100,101,103,104) for receiving an auxiliary input (80).

28. A control assembly for a vehicle (12) for controlling rear speaker means (30), said assembly comprising;

rear radio transmission means (52) for communicating a radio signal between a forward connector means (54) adapted to be connected to a first radio output,

television signal transmission means (58) having a television output connector (66) for receiving a television signal and transmitting same to a television input connector (62),

processor means (50) for receiving the radio signal from said rear radio transmission means (52) and the television signal from said television signal transmission means (58) and for supplying the radio and television signals to an output and for producing an audio signal comprising either the radio signal or the television signal,

speaker transmission means (56) having a control input connector connected to said processor means (80) for transmitting said audio signal to the rear speaker means (30),

headphone transmission means (64) connected to said output of said processor means (50) for transmitting the radio signal and television signal and having a plurality of output connectors (66), and

plurality of remote selection means (76, 77, 78,

     79) connected to said output connectors for selectively switching between off and television and radio selections and an auxiliary selection to control the output to the respective individual headphone (22) independent of one another.

29. An assembly as set forth in claim 28 further characterized by including switching means (46) for selectively switching between either of off and radio and television to produce a control signal to said processor means (50) indication selection of one of off and radio and television, said processor means (50) receiving said control signal for producing an audio output signal to a rear speaker means (30), the audio signal comprising one of radio signal and television signal when one of radio selection and television selection is indicated by said control signal.

30. An assembly as set forth in claim 29 further characterized by including selection transmission means (48) for receiving said control signal from said switching means (46) and transmitting said control signal to said processor means (50).

31. An assembly as set forth in claim 30 further characterized by including speaker transmission means (56) having a control input connector connected to said processor means (80) for transmitting said audio signal to the rear speaker means (30).

32. An assembly as set forth in claim 31 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including a headphone jack (98) for receiving a headset to produce an acoustical output.

33. An assembly as set forth in claim 32 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including auxiliary input means (100) for receiving an auxiliary input signal.

34. An assembly as set forth in claim 33 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) a headphone selector (102) for selecting one of radio and television and auxiliary selections to be connected to said headphone jack (98).

35. An assembly as set forth in claim 34 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including volume switch (104) for adjusting the magnitude of the output to the headset.

36. An assembly as set forth in claim 35 further characterized by said remote selection means (76, 77, 78, 79) including selection input means (106) for receiving the radio signal and television signal from said headphone transmission means (64) wherein said headphone selector (102) is manually actuated between the radio and television signals of said selection input means (106) and said auxiliary input means (100) and off to interconnect one of said signals to said headphone jack (98).

37. A control assembly for a vehicle (12) to selectively supply an audio signal to a speaker means (30) for producing an acoustic output, said assembly comprising:

processor means (50) for receiving a radio signal and television signal and a control signal indicative of either off or radio or television selection and for producing an audio output signal to a rear speaker means (30), the audio signal comprising either a radio signal or a television signal when either the radio selection or the television selection is indicated by said control signal;

said processor means (50) including speaker switching means (84) for receiving said radio signal and said television signal and said control signal and controlling the output to the speaker means (30), radio transceiver means (82) for receiving said radio signal from the first radio output (26) and delivering said radio signal to said speaker switching means (84) for the rear speaker means (30), television transceiver means (86) for receiving and transmitting the television signal to said speaker switching means (84), power transceiver means (87) for receiving and transmitting a battery power signal to said speaker switching means (84) to allow the speaker means (30) to produce acoustic output upon receiving one of said radio signal and television signal.

38. A control assembly for a vehicle (12) for controlling acoustic output of a rear speaker means (30) and a front speaker means (28) wherein the front speaker means (28) receives an audio signal directly from a radio output, said assembly (10) comprising:

processor means (50) for receiving a radio output signal and a television signal and a control signal indicative of either off or radio or television selection and for producing an audio output signal to a rear speaker means (30), the audio signal comprising either radio signal or television signal when the radio selection or television selection is indicated by said control signal, respectively;

switching means (46) for selectively switching between off and radio and television selections to produce said control signal to said processor means (50) indicating either the off or radio or television selection for controlling the acoustic output of the rear speaker means (30); and

front control means (39) for transmitting a power signal from said processor means to the front speaker means (28) to turn on and off the front speaker means (28) in response to said control signal wherein the power signal is not supplied to said front speaker means (28) when said switching means (46) indicates the off selection and power is supplied to the speaker means (28) when the off selection is not indicated.