Audio signal transmitting apparatus, audio signal receiving apparatus, audio signal transmission system, audio signal transmission method, and program

• US 8,233,635 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2008
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shiba, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dao H
• Application Number:
  US12/229,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20090060220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 381/2, 381/77, 381/80, 370/535, 370/536, 375/219, 375/296, 455/402, 348/E5.105, 348/E5.108, 348/E7.004, 348/E7.063
• US Class Current: 381/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• 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

Abstract

According to the invention, there is provided an audio signal receiving apparatus which receives audio signals transmitted from external connection apparatuses through a plurality of channels, including an audio signal transmitting scheme determining unit which determines a transmitting scheme of the audio signal in the external connection apparatus on the basis of channel mapping information representing types of the audio signals transmitted by the external connection apparatuses. When the audio signal to be received is changed, a process to be executed is changed depending on the transmitting scheme of the audio signal.

Claims

1. An audio signal receiving apparatus which receives audio signals transmitted from external connection apparatuses through a plurality of channels, comprising:

a connection management information receiving unit which receives connection management information including channel mapping information representing a type of an audio signal transmitted by an external connection apparatus among the external connection apparatuses;

an audio signal transmitting scheme determining unit which determines a transmitting scheme of the audio signal in the external connection apparatus based on the channel mapping information;

an audio signal receiving unit which receives the audio signal from the external connection apparatus based on the channel mapping information; and

a desirably acquired signal notifying unit which notifies the external connection apparatus of a change request of the audio signal, wherein

when the transmitting scheme of the audio signal is a first transmitting scheme which allocates and transmits a surround signal included in a plurality of audio signals acquired from a single sound source to at least one of the plurality of channels in a change of the audio signal, the desirably acquired signal notifying unit which notifies the external connection apparatus of the change request of the audio signal transmitted by a channel which transmits the audio signal acquired from the single sound source, and

when the transmitting scheme of the audio signal is a second transmitting scheme which allocates and transmits audio signals acquired from a plurality of sound sources to the plurality of channels of each of the sound sources in the change of the audio signal, the audio signal receiving unit changes the channels of the audio signals received from the external connection apparatus.

2. The audio signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the connection management information receiving unit receives channel information related to the channel to which the audio signal receiving unit can be connected from the external connection apparatus, and

the audio signal receiving unit acquires the audio signal based on the channel mapping information and the channel information.

3. The audio signal receiving apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the audio signal is changed, after the audio signal receiving unit confirms all the audio signals transmitted through the plurality of channels, the desirably acquired signal notifying unit communicates with the external connection apparatus to confirm the presence/absence of an audio signal which is not transmitted yet by the external connection apparatus,

the desirably acquired signal notifying unit notifies the external connection apparatus of a change request of the audio signals transmitted through the plurality of channels when the audio signal which is not transmitted yet is present, and

the audio signal receiving unit may change the channels of the audio signals received from the external connection apparatus when the audio signal which is not transmitted yet is absent.

4. An audio signal transmission system comprising:

an audio signal transmitting apparatus which transmits audio signals to external connection apparatuses through a plurality of channels; and

an audio signal receiving apparatus which receives the audio signals transmitted from the audio signal transmitting apparatus, wherein

the audio signal transmitting apparatus includes;

a connection management information transmitting unit which transmits connection management information including channel mapping information representing types of the audio signals transmitted through the plurality of channels to an external connection apparatus connected to the audio signal transmitting apparatus and including the audio signal receiving apparatus;

an external connection apparatus transmitting information acquiring unit which receives external connection apparatus transmitting information transmitted from the external connection apparatus;

a channel mapping information generating unit which generates the channel mapping information which reflects the external connection apparatus transmitting information based on the external connection apparatus transmitting information; and

an audio signal transmitting unit which transmits the audio signal to an external connection apparatus connected to the audio signal transmitting apparatus depending on the channel mapping information,

the audio signal receiving apparatus includes;

a connection management information receiving unit which receives connection management information including channel mapping information representing a type of the audio signal transmitted by the external connection apparatus from the external connection apparatus;

an audio signal transmitting scheme determining unit which determines a transmitting scheme of the audio signal in the external connection apparatus based on the channel mapping information;

an audio signal receiving unit which receives the audio signal from the external connection apparatus based on the channel mapping information; and

a desirably acquired signal notifying unit which notifies the external connection apparatus of a change request of the audio signal,

when the transmitting scheme of the audio signal is a first transmitting scheme which allocates and transmits a surround signal included in a plurality of audio signals acquired from a single sound source to at least one of the plurality of channels in a change of the audio signal, the desirably acquired signal notifying unit which notifies the audio signal transmitting apparatus of a change request of the audio signal transmitted by a channel which transmits the audio signal acquired from the single sound source, and

when the transmitting scheme of the audio signal is a second transmitting scheme which allocates and transmits audio signals acquired from a plurality of sound sources to the plurality of channels of each of the sound sources in the change of the audio signal, the audio signal receiving unit changes the channels of the audio signals received from the audio signal transmitting apparatus.