Audio output apparatus having wireless speakers

• US 6,608,907 B1
• Filed: 12/30/1998
• Issued: 08/19/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sang-Hae
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Ping
• Application Number:
  US09/223,314
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/80, 381/17, 381/18, 381/334, 381/311, 375/141
• US Class Current: 381/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

An audio output apparatus having a wireless speaker is provided in an apparatus which outputs audio signal of 5.1 channel. In the audio output apparatus, an audio signal encoded in accordance with an IEEE 1394 protocol is received by a sub-woofer speaker through an IEEE 1394 communication line, is decoded in the sub-woofer speaker, is modulated by a spread spectrum FM modulation method, and is then transmitted to a plurality of wireless-connected speakers so as to be outputted. When the audio signal encoded by an IEEE 1394 communication protocol is outputted to the sub-woofer speaker through a first interface circuit, the encoded audio signal is, in accordance with a control signal from a controller provided in the sub-woofer speaker, received by a second interface circuit, and is decoded in real time by a decoder so as to output it externally while, at the same time, it is modulated by a spread spectrum FM modulation method, and is then transmitted to the wireless-connected plurality of speakers so as to be demodulated and outputted.

Claims

1. An audio apparatus, comprising:

an audio output unit for encoding an audio signal according to an IEEE 1394 protocol and for outputting the encoded audio signal;

a subwoofer speaker unit connected to said audio output unit for receiving said encoded audio signal from said audio output unit, for decoding said encoded audio signal to produce a decoded signal, for modulating said decoded signal by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated signal, and for wirelessly transmitting said modulated signal; and

a plurality of speaker units, each of said speaker units receiving the wirelessly transmitted modulated signal, amplifying the received wirelessly transmitted modulated signal to produce an amplified signal and outputting the amplified signal;

wherein said subwoofer speaker unit comprises decoder means for receiving and decoding the encoded audio signal to produce first and second decoder outputs, converting and amplifying means for receiving, converting and amplifying the first decoder output to produce an audio output, and modulating and transmitting means for modulating the second decoder output and wirelessly transmitting the modulated second decoder output to the plurality of speaker units.

2. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder means comprises an interface circuit for receiving the encoded audio signal outputted from said audio output unit, a controller connected to said interface circuit for controlling the decoding of the received encoded audio signal in real time, and a decoder connected to said controller for decoding the encoded audio signal according to a control signal from said controller to obtain the first and second decoder outputs;

wherein said converting and amplifying means comprises a D/A (digital/analog) converter connected to said decoder for converting the first decoder output to obtain a converted signal, and an amplifying/output unit connected to said D/A converter for amplifying the converted signal from the D/A converter; and

wherein said modulating and transmitting means comprises an audio signal modulator connected to said decoder for modulating the second decoder output from the decoder by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated output signal, and a transmitting unit connected to said audio signal modulator for transmitting the modulated output signal from the audio signal modulator.

3. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of speaker units comprises a left front speaker, a right front speaker, a center speaker, a left rear speaker, and a right rear speaker forming a 5.1 channel audio system.

4. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said audio output unit comprises an audio encoder for encoding the audio signal according to the IEEE 1394 protocol, and an interface circuit connected to said audio encoder for transmitting the encoded audio signal to the sub-woofer speaker unit.

5. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said speaker units comprises a receiving unit for receiving the wirelessly transmitted modulated signal, a demodulator connected to said receiving unit for demodulating the wirelessly transmitted modulated signal to obtain a demodulated output, and an amplifying unit connected to said demodulator for amplifying the demodulated output to produce the amplified signal for output.

6. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of said speaker units is in wireless communication with said subwoofer speaker unit for receiving the wirelessly transmitted modulated signal.

7. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder means comprises:

an interface circuit for receiving the encoded audio signal outputted from said audio output unit;

a controller connected to said interface circuit for receiving the encoded audio signal outputted from said audio output unit and for controlling the decoding of the received encoded audio signal in real time; and

a decoder connected to said controller for decoding the encoded audio signal to obtain the first and second decoder outputs.

8. The audio apparatus of claim 7, wherein said converting and amplifying means comprises a D/A (digital/analog) converter connected to said decoder for converting the the first decoder output to obtain a converted signal.

9. The audio apparatus of claim 8, wherein said converting and amplifying means further comprises an amplifying/output unit connected to said D/A converter for amplifying the converted signal from the D/A converter.

10. The audio apparatus of claim 9, wherein said modulating and transmitting means comprises an audio signal modulator connected to said decoder for modulating the second decoder output from the decoder by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated output signal.

11. The audio apparatus of claim 7, wherein said modulating and transmitting means comprises an audio signal modulator connected to said decoder for modulating the second decoder output from the decoder by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated output signal.

12. The audio apparatus of claim 11, wherein said modulating and transmitting means further comprises a transmitting unit connected to said audio signal modulator for wirelessly transmitting the modulated output signal from the audio signal modulator to the plurality of speaker units.

13. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder means comprises:

an interface circuit for receiving the encoded audio signal outputted from said audio output unit; and

a decoder connected to said interface circuit for decoding the encoded audio signal to obtain the first and second decoder outputs;

wherein said modulating and transmitting means comprises an audio signal modulator connected to said decoder for modulating the the second decoder output from the decoder by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated output signal.

14. The audio apparatus of claim 13, wherein said modulating and transmitting means further comprises a transmitting unit connected to said audio signal modulator for transmitting the modulated output signal from the audio signal modulator.

15. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein said decoder means comprises:

an interface circuit for receiving the encoded audio signal outputted from said audio output unit; and

a decoder connected to said interface circuit for decoding the encoded audio signal to obtain the first and second decoder outputs;

wherein said amplifying and converting means comprises a D/A (digital/analog) converter connected to said decoder for converting the the first decoder output to obtain a converted signal.

16. The audio apparatus of claim 15, wherein said amplifying and converting means further comprises an amplifying/output unit connected to said D/A converter for amplifying the converted signal from the D/A converter.

17. The audio apparatus of claim 16, wherein said modulating and transmitting means comprises an audio signal modulator connected to said decoder for modulating the second decoder output from the decoder by means of a spread spectrum FM modulation method to produce a modulated output signal.

18. The audio apparatus of claim 17, wherein said modulating and transmitting means further comprises a transmitting unit connected to said audio signal modulator for wirelessly transmitting the modulated output signal from the audio signal modulator to the plurality of speaker units.