Bass management system for home theater equipment

• US 6,332,026 B1
• Filed: 05/01/1998
• Issued: 12/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Flextronics Design Finland OY
• Original Assignee: Flextronics Design Finland OY
• Inventors: Laaksonen, Juha, Juhola, Minna, Kuusama, Juha
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENDLETON, BRIAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/043,681
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 381/18, 381/19, 381/20, 381/27, 381/104, 381/307
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 2400/07 Generation or adaptation of the Low Frequency Effect [LFE] channel, e.g. distribution or signal processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/307 Frequency adjustment, e.g. tone control H04S7/301 takes precedence

Abstract

A setup to be used in a home theater or sound reproduction system for handling low frequency sound signals with a signal source providing several full bandwidth digital sound channels and at least one digital low frequency subwoofer channel includes a delay-and level control unit at least for each full bandwidth signal channel, which is equipped for a speaker not capable of reproducing low frequency sounds. A first summing stage creates the sum channel by summing the delay-and level controlled signal channels. A second summing stage adds a low frequency subwoofer channel to the sum channel in order to create a digital bass channel. A DA-conversion, amplifying, lowpass-filtering and volume control unit processes the digital bass channel in order to create an analog bass channel.

Claims

1. A setup to be used in a home theater or other sound reproduction system for handling low frequency sound signals, comprising:

a signal source providing several full bandwidth digital sound channels;

at least one digital low frequency subwoofer channel;

a delay-and level control unit at least for each full bandwidth signal channel, which is equipped with a speaker not capable of reproducing low frequency sounds;

a first summing stage for creating a sum channel by summing the delay-and level controlled signal channels;

a second summing stage to add the low frequency subwoofer channel to the sum channel in order to create one digital bass channel;

a DA-conversion-, amplifying-, lowpass-filtering-and volume control unit to process the digital bass channel in order to create an analog bass channel; and

switch means disposed between speakers capable of reproducing full bandwidth sound signals and the analog bass channel, and summing means for combining the analog bass channel to analog signals directed to speakers capable of reproducing full bandwidth sound signals.

2. A setup to be used in a home theater or other sound reproduction system for handling low frequency sound signals, comprising:

a signal source providing several full bandwidth digital sound channels;

at least one digital low frequency subwoofer channel;

a delay-and level control unit at least for each full bandwidth signal channel, which is equipped with a speaker not capable of reproducing low frequency sounds;

a first summing stage for creating a sum channel by summing the delay-and level controlled signal channels;

a second summing stage to add the low frequency subwoofer channel to the sum channel in order to create one digital bass channel;

a DA-conversion-, amplifying-, lowpass-filtering-and volume control unit to process the digital bass channel in order to create an analog bass channel; and

adjustable volume control means disposed between speakers capable of reproducing full bandwidth sound signals and the analog bass channel, and summing means for combining the analog bass channel to analog signals directed to speakers capable of reproducing full bandwidth sound signals.