Method and system for automatic reconfiguration of a multi-dimension sound system

• US 6,856,688 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Issued: 02/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Janick, Jan Michael, Cromer, Daryl Carvis, Locker, Howard Jeffrey, Ward, James Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): WOO, STELLA L
• Application Number:
  US09/844,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20020159611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 381/303, 381/305, 381/300, 381/307, 381/58, 381/59, 381/23, 381/101, 381/102, 381/103
• US Class Current: 381/303
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2400/01 Transducers used as a loudspeaker to generate sound aswell as a microphone to detect sound
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/301 Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/302 Electronic adaptation of stereophonic sound system to listener position or orientation H04S7/301 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/40 Visual indication of stereophonic sound image

Abstract

A method and system for reconfiguring a multi-dimension sound system is disclosed. The method and system include a remote control that is capable of emitting a low-frequency sound wave pulse pattern, and a plurality of speakers, wherein each speaker includes a pulse counter that counts a number of sound wave pulses received from the remote control over a predetermined time period. The method and system further include an audio receiver that includes a digital audio encoding system. The receiver uses the respective sound wave pulse count from each of the speakers to compute the distance between the remote control and each speaker, and programs the digital audio encoding system with speaker delay times based on the computed distances.

Claims

1. A multi-dimension sound system, comprising:

a remote control having a button that initiates an automatic configuration process such that the remote control begins emitting a low-frequency sound wave pulse pattern; and

a plurality of speakers, wherein each speaker includes a pulse counter that counts a number of sound wave pulses received from the remote control over a predetermined time period; and

an audio receiver coupled to the speakers, the audio receiver including a digital audio encoding system, wherein the receiver uses the respective sound wave pulse count from each of the speakers to compute the distance between the remote control and each speaker, and programs the digital audio encoding system with speaker delay times based on the computed distances.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the receiver and the speakers communicate via a digital interconnect format.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the audio receiver includes a microprocessor for controlling the digital audio encoding system.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the receiver further includes an auto-configuration program that runs on the microprocessor that functions to send out start and stop commands over the interconnect format that control when the speakers count the sound wave pulses emitted by the remote control.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the sound wave pulses travel at a 1000 Hz rate where each pulse is equal to 6 inches of distance.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein a ratio between a travel speed of the sound wave and a sampling rate of the speakers is at least 100-to-1.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the interconnect format comprises S/PDIF.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the digital audio encoding system comprises at least one Dolby Pro Logic, Dolby Digital, Digital Theater Sound (DTS), and THX.

9. A method for automatic reconfiguration of a sound system, comprising the steps of:

(a) transmitting sound wave pulses from a remote control to a plurality of speakers, each speaker containing a pulse counter;

(b) counting the sound wave pulses by each of the pulse counters over a predetermined period of time, each of the pulse counters maintaining a respective sound wave pulse count;

(c) transmitting the sound wave pulse counts from the speakers to an audio receiver via a digital interconnect format;

(d) computing the distance between each of the speakers and the remote control based on the respective sound wave counts; and

(e) using the computed distances to program a digital audio encoding system with appropriate speaker delay times.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein step (a) further includes the steps of:

(i) transmitting an auto-configuration signal from a remote control to the audio receiver in response to a user pressing a configuration button on the remote control;

(ii) sending a start command from the audio receiver to each of the speakers via the digital interconnect format causing the speakers to activate their respective pulse counters; and

(iii) emitting low-frequency sound wave pulses from the remote control to the speakers.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein step (b) further includes the step of:

(i) sending a stop command from the audio receiver to each of the speakers that deactivates the pulse counters.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein step (a)(iii) further includes the step of:

(1) transmitting the sound wave pulse at a rate of 1000 Hz, such that each pulse is equal to six inches of distance.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein step (c) further includes the step of:

(i) sending another command from the audio receiver to the speakers instructing each speaker to transmit the sound wave pulse count from the pulse counter back to the audio receiver.

14. The method of claim 13 further including the step of:

providing a ratio between a travel speed of the sound wave pulse and a sampling rate of the speakers of at least 100-to-1.

15. A triangulating multi-dimension sound system, comprising:

a plurality of speakers, each speaker having a radio transceiver that emits a unique radio wave for the speaker;

two transceiver modules spaced apart, each emitting a unique radio wave;

a remote control having a radio transceiver and a configuration button for initiating a configuration process in which the remote control emits a radio wave that causes each speaker transceiver and the transceiver modules to emit the unique radio wave; and

an audio receiver coupled to the speakers and two the two receiver modules, the audio receiver including a digital audio encoding system, wherein during a manual configuration process, a user holds the remote control a predetermined distance from the receiver modules and presses the configuration button causing the speakers to transmit their respective radio waves, the remote control associating each radio wave with the corresponding speaker and records a time delay between receipt of the radio waves, and the audio receiver reporting the distances input by the user to the remote control to calibrate the system, and

during an automatic configuration process, the user moves to a new position, the transceivers on the speakers and the remote modules transmit their unique radio waves, the remote control then compares the time delays associated with each speaker to the time delay associated with each speaker when the remote control is located at the known configuration position, and recalculates the distance from the user to each speaker, the remote control then reports the distances to the audio receiver, which then uses the new distances to program the correct delays for the digital audio encoding system.