Acoustic device for custom installation

• US 5,297,211 A
• Filed: 01/06/1992
• Issued: 03/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
• Inventors: Noro, Masao
• Primary Examiner(s): Isen, Forester W.
• Application Number:
  US07/817,154
• Time in Patent Office: 806 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/80, 381/81
• US Class Current: 381/81
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 1/02 Remote control of amplification, tone or bandwidth combined with remote tuning or selection of resonant circuits H03J
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/205 with control bus for exchanging commands between units
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

In an acoustic device for custom installation in which one can listen to music in a zone which is different from a zone where an acoustic device main unit, e.g., an audio amplifier or a CD player, is located, turning on or off of loudspeakers is remote-controlled in one zone. An remote control signal from a remote-controller is received by a remote controller signal receiver in that zone and transmitted to a switch control section (microcomputer). The switch control section identifies the particular zone in which the remote control signal has been produced and switches a transmission on/off switch to turn on or off the loudspeakers in that zone. The acoustic device also includes independent signal paths, selective mixed signal supply paths which selectively combines the remote control signals provided from the plural zones and supplies the selective combined remote control signal and all mixed signal supply path which combines all the remote control signals and supplies the combined remote control signal and a remote control signal can be supplied via one these signal paths depending upon the situation of use of acoustic devices whereby some acoustic devices can be controlled only from a single zone, others can be controlled from selected zones and still others can be controlled from all zones.

Claims

1. An acoustic device for utilizing in a plurality of zones which are substantially acoustically partitioned from each other, the acoustic device comprising:

a plurality of loudspeakers located in the plurality of zones respectively;

an acoustic device main unit which is located in one of the plural zones and is capable of providing an audio source signal and is capable of adjusting a provision state of the audio source signal;

audio signal transmission paths for transmitting the audio source signal provided by the acoustic device main unit to the plurality of loudspeakers;

remote control means for remotely controlling the provision state of the audio source signal of the acoustic device main unit, the remote control means comprising,

remote controllers provided in the plurality of zones, for designating a command for controlling the provision state of the audio source signal of the acoustic device main unit and for producing a command signal according to a designated command,

command signal receiving means for receiving the command signal produced by the remote controller,

a command signal transmission path for transmitting the command signal received by the command signal receiving means to the acoustic device main unit;

transmission path on/off switch means provided in each of the audio source signal transmission paths, for switching a transmission state of the transmission paths; and

switch control means for controlling the transmission path on/off switch means, the switch control means comprising,

inputting means for inputting the command signal received by the command signal receiving means,

identifying means for identifying, in response to an inputted command signal which is a zone independent command for switching one of the audio signal transmission paths by means of the transmission path on/off switch means, the zone where the inputted command signal is provided, and

switching designation means for designating switching of the transmission path on/off switch means so that the audio signal transmission path corresponding to the identified zone is switched.

5. An acoustic device as in claim 1 wherein:

the identifying means comprises a processor means for decoding the command signal and determining whether it is a system on/off command for switching an audio signal transmission path and providing a first signal in response to a system on command and a second signal in response to a system off command; and

the switching designation means comprises relay means which are energized to close the transmission path on/off switch means in response to the first signal and to open the switch means in response to the second signal.

2. An acoustic device for utilizing in a plurality of zones which are substantially acoustically partitioned from each other, the acoustic device comprising:

an acoustic device main unit which is a combination of a plurality of acoustic device sub-units and is capable of providing an audio source signal;

audio signal supply paths for supplying the audio signal provided from the acoustic device main unit to the plural zones;

command signal producing means for producing a command signal for operating the acoustic device main unit individually from each of the zones;

independent signal supply paths for supplying a command signal produced from one of the zones exclusively to a specified acoustic device sub-unit provided in the acoustic device main unit exclusively for said zone; and

selective mixed signal supply paths for combining the command signals from any selected zones among the plural zones and supplying a combined command signal to a specified acoustic device sub-unit provided in the acoustic device main unit commonly for these selected zones.

3. An acoustic device as defined in claim 2 further comprising an all mixed signal supply path for combining the command signals from all of the plural zones and supplying a combined command signal to an acoustic device provided in the acoustic device main unit commonly for all of these zones.

4. An acoustic device for utilizing in a plurality of zones which are substantially acoustically partitioned from each other, the acoustic device comprising:

an acoustic device main unit which is a combination of a plurality of acoustic devices sub-units and is capable of providing an audio source signal;

audio signal supply paths for supplying the audio signal provided from the acoustic device main unit to the plural zones;

command signal producing means for producing a command signal for operating the acoustic device main unit individually from each of the zones; and

a command signal input-output unit comprising command signal input terminals for receiving command signals from said zones, independent signal output terminals for transmitting an inputted command signal exclusively to an acoustic device sub-unit provided in the acoustic device main unit for a corresponding one of the zones, selective mixing means for combining command signals of specified zones among the inputted command signals, selective mixed signal output terminals for transmitting selective combined command signal provided from the selective mixing means to an acoustic device sub-unit provided in the acoustic device main unit commonly for the selected zones, all mixing means for combining all of the inputted command signals, and an all mixed signal output terminal for transmitting an all combined command signal provided from the all mixing means to an acoustic device sub-unit provided in the acoustic device main unit commonly for all of the plural zones.