Method and apparatus for intelligent speaker

• US 7,031,476 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2000
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Laboratories of America Incorporated (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gaebel, Gary Lin, Westerman, Larry Alan, Chrisop, Roy Kenneth
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Huyen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Faulk, Devona E
• Application Number:
  US09/593,924
• Time in Patent Office: 2,135 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/96, 381/332, 381/334, 381/335, 381/59, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 381/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

A speaker system having intelligence for communication with the amplifier. The speaker system contains a communications module that transmits information across the connection between the speaker system and the amplifier with regard to the speaker characteristics. The communications module may be powered by a rectifier that derives power from a high frequency carrier signal passed to it by a high-pass filter. The method of operating the speaker generates a carrier signal and powers the communications module using the carrier signal. The communications module transmits information to the amplifier so long as the carrier signal is present and shuts down when the carrier signal is no longer present. An optional step includes allowing communication to the speaker system from the amplifier.

Claims

1. A speaker system operable to generate sound, comprising:

a speaker operable to generate sound in response to an audio sign received form an audio amplifier, the speaker located in a speaker enclosure that is separate from the audio amplifier and electrically connected to the audio amplifier either through speaker cables or through wireless communication channel; and

a communication module also located in the speaker enclosure that is also coupled to the audio amplifier through the speaker cables or wireless communication channel and that provides high impedance at frequencies within an audible range of the speaker system,

the communication module solely in response to being powered on by a power signal received from the audio amplifier, and without further communication signaling from the amplifier, generating information that identifies electrical speaker characteristics for the speaker in the speaker enclosure and transmitting the information identifying the electrical speaker characteristics back over the speaker cables or wireless communication channel to the audio amplifier

wherein the communication module communicates the electrical speaker characteristic from the speaker system to the audio amplifier using two-tone modulation.

2. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the speaker system further includes a high-pass filter and rectifier operable to derive output power from the power signal.

3. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the communication module communicates the electrical speaker characteristics back to the audio amplifier using phase-shift keying.

4. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the electrical speaker characteristics transmitted by the communication module from the speaker system to the amplifier is transmitted in a separate frequency band from the audio signal.

5. The speaker system of claim 1, wherein the information transmitted by the communication module from the speaker system to the amplifier is transmitted in a frequency band that overlaps the audio signal.

6. A method for operating a sound system, the method comprising:

generating a carrier signal from an amplifier and sending the carrier signal to a speaker system through a connection between the amplifier and the speaker system, wherein the speaker system is located in a speaker housing separate and remote from an amplifier housing containing the amplifier;

rectifying power from the carrier signal in the speaker system, wherein the power is used by a communication module directly coupled to the speaker system and located said speaker housing, the communication module coupled to external connectors or wireless modules on the speaker housing that are used to couple the speaker system to the amplifier through a wired or wireless connection, wherein the communications module contains information identifying electrical operating parameters for the speaker system and also generates a high impedance at frequencies within an audio range of the speaker system; and

transmitting information identifying the electrical operating parameters out from the communication module and the speaker system through the external connectors or wireless modules to the amplifier for as long as the carrier signal is present at the speaker system; and

including activating the communication module and communicating the electrical operating parameters back to the amplifier solely in response to receiving the rectified power without any other communication signaling form the amplifier; and

wherein transmitting information from the speaker system to the amplifier is accomplished using phase-shift keying.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the information is transmitted in a frequency band separate from a frequency band used by an audio signal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the information is transmitted in a frequency band that overlaps a frequency band used by an audio signal.

9. A speaker system, comprising:

a speaker connector operable to connect the speaker system to an amplifier located separate from the speaker system;

speaker hardware operable to generate sound from an audio signal received from the speaker connector;

a high-pass filter operable to pass a high frequency carrier signal received from the speaker connector;

a rectifier operable to receive the high frequency carrier signal and convert it into a power signal; and

a communications module operable to receive the power signal from the rectifier and transmit static characteristics of the speaker hardware to the amplifier using the speaker connector, the communications module communicating the static characteristics to the amplifier using phase-shift keying; and

wherein the communications module is a device operating inside a speaker housing that contains the speaker hardware, the communications module controlling generation of the static characteristics while providing high impedance at frequencies within an audio range of the speaker system; and

wherein the communications module starts transmitting the static characteristics of the speaker system back to the amplifier over the speaker connector when the module is powered on without any further communication messaging or prompting from the amplifier.