Audio output adjusting device of home theater system and method thereof

• US 7,428,310 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 09/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Expired

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jeong-Hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paul; Disler
• Application Number:
  US10/740,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20040131207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,737 Days
• Field of Search: 381 56- 57, 381104-105, 381107-108, 381109-110, 381/61, 381 58- 59, 381/300, 381/303, 381306-307
• US Class Current: 381/104
• 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

Abstract

A home theater system, an audio output adjusting device of a home theater system and methods thereof allow a prescribed or three-dimension audio configuration state for at least one prescribed position even when the prescribed location and/or a configuration of the speakers in a home theater system are modified. The device can include a checker for analyzing at least one of volume and delay time of a test audio signal outputted from speakers and providing the analyzed information to a controller. The controller can control output level and timing of audio signals subsequently output from the speakers based on the analyzed information.

Claims

1. An audio output adjusting device of a home theater system, comprising:

a memory storing predetermined control information for each of a plurality of locations arranged in a grid pattern defined within a listening area, said control information indicating an output level and timing of audio signals to be output from each of a plurality of speakers of the home theater system;

a checker that is configured to detect a volume and a delay time of a test audio signal that is simultaneously outputted from a combination of speakers and that determines its location on the grid pattern based on the detected test audio signal; and

a controller configured to control an output level and a timing of subsequent audio signals outputted from the speakers based on the predetermined control information stored for the location on the grid pattern where the checker is located.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the speakers include a center speaker, a woofer speaker, a front left speaker, a front right speaker, a rear left speaker, and a rear right speaker.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the checker is installed in a remote controller configured to control the home theater system.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the volume level and output timing of the test audio signal are preset.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the checker is configured to perform the analysis and output analyzed information to the controller.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the checker transmits a signal to the controller requesting output of the test audio signal.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a position of the checker relative to the speakers is changed.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the analysis determines a positional relationship between a prescribed location and each of the speakers, wherein the controller performs the analysis.

9. The device of claim 1,

wherein at least one of the checker and the controller compare a volume and delay time of the received test audio signal to the predetermined control information and determine the location within the grid which most closely corresponds to the volume and delay time of the received test audio signal.

10. An audio output adjusting method of a home theater system, comprising:

simultaneously outputting a test audio signal from a combination of speakers according to a request;

analyzing a volume level and a timing of the outputted test audio signal, wherein the analyzing step comprises;

receiving the transmitted test audio signal with a checker;

establishing a grid pattern between the speakers; and

comparing reference characteristics for a plurality of locations on the grid pattern to characteristics of the transmitted test audio signal received by the checker; and

determining a location on the grid containing the checker based on the comparison; and

controlling an output level and a timing of subsequent audio signals outputted from the speakers based on the analyzed information.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the volume level and the timing of the test audio signal are preset.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the outputted test audio signal is received by the checker and then transmitted to a controller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the checker is incorporated into a remote control device of the home theater system.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the analyzed information determines a positional relationship between a prescribed location and at least three speakers.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the analyzing comprises one of a checker performing the analysis to output the analyzed information to the controller and the controller performing the analysis to determine the analyzed information.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the controlling step comprises adjusting the subsequent audio signals based on prescribed characteristics corresponding to the determined location on the grid to establish a prescribed audio state for that location in the grid.

17. An audio output adjusting method for a home entertainment system that includes a plurality of output audio devices, comprising:

storing predetermined control information in the home entertainment system for each of a plurality of locations arranged in a grid pattern defined within a listening area, said control information indicating an output level and timing of audio signals to be output from each of the output audio devices;

transmitting a prescribed test signal simultaneously from a plurality of the output audio devices of the home entertainment system;

receiving the prescribed test signal at a particular location within the listening area of the home entertainment system;

analyzing the received prescribed test signal transmitted by the output audio devices; and

modifying the control of the audio signals to be subsequently output by the output audio devices according to the analyzed prescribed test signal to establish a prescribed audio state at the particular location, wherein control of the audio signals includes modifying an output level and a timing of the audio signals subsequently output from one or more of the output audio devices based on the predetermined control information stored for the particular location at which the prescribed test signal was received.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the modifying the control of subsequent audio signals to be output is based on volume and timing of the prescribed test signal received at the particular location.

19. The method of claim 17, where in the prescribed audio state is a three-dimensional sound at the particular location.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the analyzing step comprises:

receiving the transmitted prescribed test signal with a checker;

comparing reference characteristics for a plurality of locations within the grid pattern and the transmitted prescribed test signal received by the checker; and

determining a location within the grid pattern that contains the checker based on the comparison.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the modifying step comprises adjusting the subsequent output audio signals to establish the prescribed audio state in the location that contains the checker.

22. A home audio system, comprising:

a controller;

a plurality of speakers coupled to the controller;

a memory that stores a plurality of sets of control information for a corresponding plurality of locations within a listening area of the home theater system, wherein each set of control information indicates an output level and timing information for each of the speakers;

a checker that receives a test audio signal output from the speakers, wherein at least one of the checker and the controller determine at which of the plurality of locations within the listening area the checker is located based on an analysis of the received test audio signal, and wherein the controller controls the speakers based on the set of control information corresponding to the determined location of the checker which is stored in the memory.

23. A method of controlling a home audio system having a plurality of speakers, comprising:

receiving a test audio signal output from the plurality of speakers with a checker;

comparing audio characteristics of the test audio signal received by the checker to a plurality of predetermined sets of test audio characteristics that correspond to the different locations within the listening area to determine which of the predetermined sets of test audio characteristics most closely match the audio characteristics of the test audio signal received by the checker; and

determining that the checker is at the location corresponding to the predetermined set of test audio characteristics that most closely match the audio characteristics of the test signal received by the checker; and

subsequently controlling the volume and timing of the audio output from each of the speakers based on a predetermined set of audio characteristics that correspond to the location of the checker.