Audio apparatus for wirelessly transmitting audio signal, audio system, and audio signal transmission method thereof

• US 8,340,330 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2008
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Yoon, Eung-sik, Kim, Dae-hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin, Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US12/199,980
• Publication Number:
  US 20090245548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,580 Days
• Field of Search: 381/307, 381/300, 381/2, 381/80, 381/105, 381/6, 381/16, 381/14, 381/77, 381/79, 381/311
• US Class Current: 381/307
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/00 Systems employing more than two channels, e.g. quadraphonic H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

An audio apparatus includes a main unit to extract audio signals for at least two channels from a multichannel audio signal; and a transmitter to wirelessly transmit at least one audio signal of the extracted audio signals to a first receiver, and to wirelessly transmit at least one other audio signal of the extracted audio signals to a second receiver.

Claims

1. An audio apparatus comprising:

a control unit to extract each of audio signals for respective channels from a multichannel audio signal and to determine that the audio apparatus is in a wired transmission mode, if a transmitter is determined not to be mounted, otherwise, to determine that the audio apparatus is in a wireless tansmission mode; and

a transmitter to wirelessly transmit at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals corresponding to different channels to a first receiver, when the audio apparatus is in the wireless transmission mode, the transmitter being detachably mounted on the audio apparatus.

2. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one transmission signal wirelessly transmitted to the first receiver includes rear channel audio signals for rear channels.

3. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is detachably mounted on the control unit.

4. The audio apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

the control unit detects whether the transmitter is mounted on the control unit; and

if the transmitter is mounted on the control unit, the control unit controls the transmitter to wirelessly transmit the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals to the first receiver.

5. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first receiver is not connected by wire to the control unit, and is not connected by wire to a second receiver.

6. The audio apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals wirelessly transmitted to the first receiver includes rear channel audio signals for rear channels; and

the first receiver comprises;

a first reception module to receive the rear channel audio signals for the rear channels; and

a first signal amplifier to amplify the received rear channel audio signals for the rear channels.

7. The audio apparatus of claim 6, wherein:

the rear channel audio signals for the rear channels comprise;

a rear left audio signal for a rear left channel; and

a rear right audio signal for a rear right channel; and

the first signal amplifier outputs an amplified rear left audio signal for the rear left channel to a rear left speaker, and outputs an amplified rear right audio signal for the rear right channel to a rear right speaker.

8. The audio apparatus of claim 1, further including the transmitter wirelessly transmitting at least one other audio signal of the extracted audio signals to a second receiver, the at least one other audio signal wirelessly transmitted to the second receiver is a subwoofer channel audio signal for a subwoofer channel;

and

the second receiver comprises;

a

second reception module to receive the subwoofer channel audio signal for the subwoofer channel;

a second signal amplifier to amplify the received subwoofer channel audio signal for the subwoofer channel; and

a speaker to reproduce the amplified subwoofer channel audio signal for the subwoofer channel.

9. A method of transmitting audio signals, comprising:

extracting each of audio signals for respective channels from a multichannel audio signal;

determining that an audio apparatus is in a wired transmission mode, if a transmitter is determined not to be mounted thereto, otherwise, determining that the audio apparatus is in a wireless transmission mode; and

wirelessly transmitting at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals corresponding to different channels to a receiver when the audio apparatus is in the wireless transmission mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals wirelessly transmitted to the first receiver includes rear channel audio signals for rear channels, and

further including transmitting at least one other audio signal wirelessly to a second receiver

wherein the at least one other audio signal is the subwoofer channel audio signal for the subwoofer channel.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting whether a transmitter is available;

wherein;

the wirelessly transmitting of the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals to the first receiver comprises controlling the transmitter to wirelessly transmit the one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals to the first receiver if the transmitter is available; and

the wirelessly transmitting of the at least one other audio signal to the second receiver comprises controlling the transmitter to wirelessly transmit the at least one other audio signal to the second receiver if the transmitter is available.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals and the at least one other audio signal are wirelessly transmitted from a control unit to the first receiver and the second receiver, respectively; and

the first receiver and the second receiver are not connected by wire to the control unit, and are not connected by wire to each other.

13. An audio system comprising:

a control unit to extract each of audio signals for respective channels from a multichannel audio signal and to determine that the audio system is in a wired transmission mode, if a transmitter is determined not to be mounted, otherwise, to determine that the audio system is in a wireless transmission mode; and

a transmitter to wirelessly transmit at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals corresponding to different channels to a receiver, when the audio system is in the wireless transmission mode, the transmitter being detachably mounted on the audio system.

14. The audio system of claim 13, wherein:

the at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals wirelessly received by the first receiver includes rear channel audio signals for rear channels, and

transmitting at least one other audio signal wirelessly to a second receiver, and

the at least one other audio signal is the subwoofer channel audio signal for the subwoofer channel.

15. The audio system of claim 13, wherein:

the extracted audio signals comprise;

a front left channel audio signal for a front left channel; and

a front right channel audio signal for a front right channel; and

the audio system further comprises;

a third receiver connected to the control unit by wire to receive the front left channel audio signal for the front left channel by wire from the control unit; and

a fourth receiver connected to the control unit by wire to receive the front right channel audio signal for the front right channel by wire from the control unit.

16. An audio system comprising:

a control unit to extract each of a plurality of audio signals for respective channels from a multichannel audio signal and to determine that the audio system is in a wired transmission mode, if a transmitter is determined not to be mounted, otherwise, to determine that the audio system is in a wireless transmissin mode, the plurality of audio signals comprising;

an audio signal for a front left channel;

an audio signal for a center channel;

an audio signal for a front right channel;

an audio signal for a rear left channel;

an audio signal for a rear right channel; and

an audio signal for a subwoofer channel;

a plurality of speakers comprising;

a front left speaker to reproduce the audio signal for the front left channel;

a center speaker to reproduce the audio signal for the center channel;

a front right speaker to reproduce the audio signal for the front right channel;

a rear left speaker to reproduce the audio signal for the rear left channel;

a rear right speaker to reproduce the audio signal for the rear right channel;

a first receiver connected by wire to at least one of the plurality of speakers; and

a transmitter to wirelessly transmit at least one transmission signal including at least two extracted audio signals corresponding to different channels to the first receiver, of the extracted audio signals corresponding to the ones of the plurality of speakers connected by wire to the first receiver, when the audio system is in the wireless transmission mode, the transmitter being detachably mounnted on the audio system.

17. The audio system of claim 16, further including a second receiver connected by wire to at least one of the plurality of speakers other than the at least one of the plurality of speakers connected by wire to the first receiver,

wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits to the second receiver ones of the plurality of extracted audio signals corresponding to the ones of the plurality of speakers connected by wire to the second receiver;

wherein any of the plurality of speakers not connected by wire to the first receiver and the second receiver are connected by wire to the control unit,

the second receiver is connected by wire to the subwoofer to reproduce the audio signal for the subwoofer channel;

the first receiver is connected by wire to the rear left speaker and the rear right speaker;

the front left speaker, the center speaker, and the front right speaker are connected by wire to the control unit; and

the transmitter wirelessly transmits the audio signal for the subwoofer channel to at least the second receiver, and wirelessly transmits the audio signal for the rear left channel and the audio signal for the rear right channel to at least the first receiver.

18. The audio system of claim 17, wherein the transmitter wirelessly transmits the audio signal for the subwoofer channel to only the second receiver, and wirelessly transmits the audio signal for the rear left channel and the audio signal for the rear right channel to only the first receiver.

19. The audio system of claim 17, wherein:

the transmitter wirelessly transmits to both the first receiver and the second receiver a 2.1 channel audio signal comprising the audio signal for the subwoofer channel, the audio signal for the rear left channel, and the audio signal for the rear right channel;

the second receiver extracts the audio signal for the subwoofer channel from the 2.1 channel audio signal; and

the first receiver extracts the audio signal for the rear left channel and the audio signal for the rear right channel from the 2.1 channel audio signal.

20. The audio system of claim 16, wherein:

the transmitter is detachably mounted on the control unit;

the control unit comprises respective wired connections for all of the plurality of speakers;

the control unit detects whether the transmitter is mounted on the control unit;

the control unit controls the transmitter to wirelessly transmit to the first receiver and the second receiver the ones of the plurality of audio signals corresponding to the ones of the plurality of speakers connected by wire to the first receiver and the second receiver if the control unit detects that the transmitter is mounted on the control unit; and

the control unit outputs the plurality of audio signals to respective ones of the plurality of wired connections if the control unit detects that the transmitter is not mounted on the control unit.

21. An audio system comprising:

an audio transmission apparatus which extracts each of the audio signals for respective channels from a multichannel audio signal, determines that the audio transmission apparatus is in a wired transmission mode, if a transmitter is determined not to be mounted thereto, otherwise, to determine that the audio transmission apparatus is in a wireless transmission mode and wirelessly transmits at least one transmission signal including at least two audio signals corresponding to different channels to a receiver, when the audio transmission apparatus is in the wireless transmission mode; and

an audio output apparatus which receives the transmission signal from the audio transmission apparatus wirelessly and extracts the at least two audio signals corresponding to different channels from the transmission signal.