Wired, wireless, infrared, and powerline audio entertainment systems

• US 7,853,341 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: KSC Industries Inc.
• Inventors: McCarty, William A., Rodriguez, Yadir
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-See
• Application Number:
  US10/783,718
• Publication Number:
  US 20040234088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,489 Days
• Field of Search: 381/300, 381/306, 381/77, 381/27, 381/2, 381/1, 381/79, 381/105, 381/104, 381/107, 381/311, 381/17, 381/18, 455/352, 700/94, 340/988, 340/990, 340/825, 340/3.54, 340/7.45, 37938801-39004
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/545 Audio/video application, e.g. interphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/022 Plurality of transducers corresponding to a plurality of sound channels in each earpiece of headphones or in a single enclosure
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2205/024 Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/15 Transducers incorporated in visual displaying devices, e.g. televisions, computer displays, laptops
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F
• 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

A method and system for communicating audio, video, and/or control signals within a home entertainment system. One or more signals are communicated between an input device and one or more output devices via one or more networks. The output device can include loudspeakers, display devices, and headphones. In some embodiments an output device, for example a center channel loudspeaker, transmits signals to other output devices. For example, the center channel loudspeaker can transmit a combined audio signal and control signal to a remote loudspeaker over a first network and transmit a video signal to a display device over a second network. The display device displays the video signal. The networks can be wireless, wired, infrared, RF, and powerline.

Claims

1. A device for transmitting signals to speakers, the device comprising:

at least one input receiving a multi-channel audio signal from at least one input device, the multi-channel audio signal being encoded in a channel format having multiple channels;

a processor converting the received multi-channel audio signal into a plurality of single-channel audio signals, each single-channel audio signal representing one of the multiple channels and being assigned to either a first group or a second group of audio signals, each group comprising at least one of the single-channel audio signals;

a power amplifier module configured to amplify only the first group of audio signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the unamplified second group of audio signals along with at least one destination address to a plurality of speakers via a network, the destination address identifying one of the plurality of speakers for broadcasting at least one of the audio signals in the second group; and

a destination address input configured to receive an user input to select one of the speakers for broadcasting the at least one of the audio signals, wherein the destination address is determined based on the user input.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is connected to the plurality of speakers via a powerline network.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is connected to the plurality of speakers via a wireless network.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the network is RF.

5. The device of claim 3, wherein the network is IR.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the input is further configured to receive a textual signal and wherein the transmitter is configured to send the textual signal to a display device.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further connected to a display device configured to be a user interface for the processor.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the input is further configured to receive a video signal and wherein the transmitter is configured to send the video signal to a display device.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the input is configured to receive an analog signal, wherein the device further comprises a converter configured to convert the analog signal into a digital signal.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the audio signal is encoded in one of the following channel format:

DTS, Dolby Digital, and SRS.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to decode the audio signal and select the one speaker for broadcasting the at least one of the audio signals in the second group based on a channel format of the audio signal.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the destination address is determined based on user input.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connectors and an input selector, wherein at least two of the connectors are configured to connect to different devices, and wherein the input selector is reconfigurable by a user to select one of the connectors and receive an audio signal from the selected connector.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the connectors are configured to connect to at least one of the following inputs:

analog, digital, SPDIF, and an inter IC sound (I²S) format.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the device is located inside or proximate to at least one of the following input devices:

a television, a compact disc player, a digital video disc player, a MP3 player, a set-top box, a personal computer, and a stereo receiver.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to (a) extract a characteristic from the audio signal, (b) code the characteristic into a control signal, (c) combine the second group of audio signals with the control signal to form a combined signal, and (d) send the combined signal to the transmitter, and wherein the transmitter sends the combined signal along with the destination address to the speakers.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the control signal comprises at least one of the following:

a volume level, a balance level, a fader level, a sub-bass level.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the characteristic does not represent an encoding format of the received audio signal.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the characteristic is extracted and coded into the control signal prior to the second group of audio signals and the control signal being transmitted to the speakers via the network.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a combined signal comprising a control signal and the second group of audio signals.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the control signal comprises at least one of the following:

a sound processing selection, an equalizer level, a power on, a power off, a time delay, and a phase delay.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers comprises a subwoofer.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of speakers comprises a surround speaker.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter further comprises an encryption module configured to encrypt the output signal prior to transmission.

25. The device of claim 1, wherein the second group of audio signals comprises a first and a second signal different from the first signal, wherein the transmitter transmits the first signal for a first speaker to broadcast and the second signal for a second speaker to broadcast, the first and second speaker being selected from the plurality of speakers.

26. The device of claim 1, further comprising a control input receiving control signal from a user, wherein the processor generates the second group of audio signals based on the control signal from a user.

27. The device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is connected to a speaker via a receiver within or proximate to the speaker.

28. A device for transmitting signals to speakers, the device comprising:

means for receiving a multi-channel audio signal from at least one input device, the multi-channel audio signal being encoded in a channel format having multiple channels;

means for converting the received multi-channel audio signal into a plurality of single-channel audio signals, each single-channel signal representing one of the multiple channels and being assigned to either a first group or a second group of audio signals, each group comprising at least one of the single-channel audio signals;

means for amplifying only the first group of audio signals; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the unamplified second group of audio signals along with at least one destination address to a plurality of speakers, via a network, the destination address identifying one of the plurality of speakers for broadcasting at least one of the audio signals in the second group; and

a destination address input configured to receive an user input to select one of the speakers for broadcasting the at least one of the audio signals, wherein the destination address is determined based on the user input.

29. A device comprising:

at least one input receiving a multi-channel audio signal from at least one input device, the multi-channel audio signal being encoded in a channel format having multiple channels;

a processor configured to decode the received multi-channel audio signal into a plurality of single-channel audio signals, each single-channel audio signal representing one of the multiple channels and being assigned to either a first group or a second group of audio signals, each group comprising at least one of the single-channel audio signals;

a power amplifier module configured to amplify only the first group of audio signals received from the processor; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the unamplified second group of audio signals along with at least one control signal and one destination address to a plurality of speakers via a network, the destination address identifying one of the plurality of speakers for broadcasting at least one of the audio signals in the second group, wherein the control signal is to be used by the speaker to manipulate at least one of the audio signals in the unamplified second group; and

a destination address input configured to receive an user input to select one of the speakers for broadcasting the at least one of the audio signals, wherein the destination address is determined based on the user input.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein the processor is capable of converting an audio signal from any of the following group:

a television, a compact disc player, a digital video disc player, a MP3 player, a digital audio tape player, a set-top box, a personal computer, a stereo player, and a media center.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the processor is capable of converting an audio signal from at least one of the following group:

a television, a compact disc player, a digital video disc player, a MP3 player, a digital audio tape player, a set-top box, a personal computer, a stereo player, and a media center.

32. The device of claim 29, wherein the transmitter is connected to a plurality of speakers via a network, the device further comprising a destination selection unit configured to select at least one speaker from the plurality of speakers to receive the output signal.

33. The device of claim 29, wherein the amplifier module is located in proximity to the transmitter.

34. The device of claim 29, wherein the control signal comprises an amplitude level indicating at which amplitude at least one of the audio signals in the second group is to be broadcasted.

35. The device of claim 29, wherein the control signal is received from a user at the device.

36. The device of claim 29, wherein the processor is configured to (a) extract a characteristic from the audio signal, (b) code the characteristic into a control signal, (c) combine at least one of the audio signals in the second group of audio signals with the control signal to form a combined signal, and (d) send the combined signal to the transmitter, and wherein the transmitter sends the combined signal to the speaker.