Audio apparatus, audio signal transmission method, and audio system

• US 8,457,334 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Eung-sik, Kang, Yong-jin
• Primary Examiner(s): San Martin, Edgardo
• Application Number:
  US12/902,367
• Publication Number:
  US 20110150228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 381/17, 381/307, 381/300, 381/2, 381/80, 381/105, 381/6, 381/16, 381/14, 381/77, 381/79, 381/311, 381/18, 381/306
• US Class Current: 381/311
• 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 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/02 Spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 5/005 of the pseudo five- or more-channel type, e.g. virtual surround

Abstract

An audio apparatus, an audio signal transmission method, and an audio system are provided. The audio signal transmission method includes: wirelessly receiving an audio signal from a first external device; converting the received audio signal into audio signals of multi-channels; and wirelessly transmitting an audio signal of at least one of the multi-channels to at least one of second external devices. Therefore, the audio apparatus wirelessly communicates with a plurality of external devices, and thus a user can connect an audio device to an external device without using wired cables.

Claims

1. An audio signal transmission method, comprising:

wirelessly receiving an audio signal from a first external device;

converting a number of channels associated with the received audio signal to obtain audio signals of multi-channels; and

wirelessly transmitting a first audio signal, of the audio signals of the multi-channels, to a second external device,

wherein the number of channels associated with the received audio signal is different from a number of channels associated with the audio signals of multi-channels.

2. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, by a speaker, a second audio signal of the audio signals of the multi-channels, without externally transmitting the second audio signal.

3. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the audio signal wirelessly received from the first external device is a stereo channel audio signal; and

the converting converts the received stereo channel audio signal into a 5.1-channel audio signal.

4. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second audio signal is of at least one of a center channel and a front channel.

5. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second external device comprises a speaker which outputs at least one of rear channel audio signals and a subwoofer channel audio signal comprised in the first audio signal.

6. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the wirelessly receiving the audio signal comprises wirelessly receiving the audio signal in a radio communication between an audio apparatus and the first external device using time division multiplexing; and

the wirelessly transmitting the first audio signal comprises wirelessly transmitting the first audio signal in a radio communication between the audio apparatus and the second external device using the time division multiplexing.

7. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first external device is at least one of a television (TV), a computer, and an MPEG layer 3 (MP3) player.

8. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a third audio signal, of the audio signals of the multi-channels, to a third external device.

9. The audio signal transmission method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first audio signal is of at least one rear channel, and the third audio signal is of a subwoofer channel.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program executable by a computer for performing an audio signal transmission method, the audio signal transmission method comprising:

wirelessly receiving an audio signal from a first external device;

converting a number of channels associated with the received audio signal to obtain audio signals of multi-channels; and

wirelessly transmitting a first audio signal, of the audio signals of the multi-channels, to a second external device,

wherein the number of channels associated with the received audio signal is different from a number of channels associated with the audio signals of multi-channels.

11. An audio apparatus comprising:

a transmission and reception unit which wirelessly receives an audio signal from a first external device;

an audio signal processor which is operable to process the received audio signal by performing signal processing to convert a number of channels associated with the received audio signal in order to obtain audio signals of multi-channels; and

a controller which controls the transmission and reception unit to wirelessly transmit a first audio data, of the audio signal of the multi-channels, to a second external device,

wherein the number of the channels associated with the received audio signal is different from a number of channels associated with the audio signals of multi-channels.

12. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

an audio output unit which outputs, through a speaker, a second audio data of the processed audio data of multi-channels.

13. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein:

the audio signal wirelessly received from the first external device is a stereo channel audio signal; and

the audio signal processor converts the received stereo channel audio signal into a 5.1-channel audio signal.

14. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second audio data is of at least one of a center channel and a front channel.

15. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second external device comprises a speaker which outputs at least one of rear channel audio signals and a subwoofer channel audio signal comprised in the first audio data.

16. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the external device is at least one of a television (TV), a computer, and an MPEG layer 3 (MP3) player.

23. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first external device comprises a display screen to display images.

24. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio data wirelessly received from the first external device comprises stereo channel audio data.

25. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio apparatus is a sound bar.

26. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio apparatus is a wall-mountable type audio apparatus.

27. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the transmission and reception unit wirelessly streams the audio data from the first external device.

28. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first external device receives a user input by at least one of a remote controller, a pointing device, and a touch pad having a touch screen, and transmits the audio data in response to the received user input.

29. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the audio signal processor converts the received audio data into the processed audio data of multi-channels.

30. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 29, wherein a number of channels associated with the processed audio data is greater than a number of channels associated with the received audio data.

31. The audio apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first external device comprises a speaker.

17. An audio system, comprising:

a display apparatus; and

a master speaker device which wirelessly receives an audio signal from the display apparatus, processes the received audio signal to convert a number of channels associated with the received audio signal, and wirelessly transmits the audio signal to a plurality of slave speaker devices,

wherein the number of channels associated with the received audio signal is different from a number of channels associated with the processed audio signal.

18. The audio system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the display apparatus is a wall-mounted display device.

19. The audio system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the display apparatus transmits the audio signal to the master speaker device using a dongle for a radio communication.

20. The audio system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the master speaker device converts the received audio signal into a plurality of audio signals of multi-channels, transmits a first audio signal of the plurality of audio signals of multi-channels to a first slave device of the plurality of slave speaker devices, and transmits a second audio signal of the plurality of audio signals of multi-channels to a second slave device of the plurality of slave speaker devices.

21. The audio system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the master speaker device is a sound bar.

22. The audio system as claimed in claim 17, wherein the master speaker device converts the received audio signal into a plurality of audio signals of multi-channels, transmits a first audio signal of the plurality of audio signals of multi-channels to a first slave device of the plurality of slave speaker devices, and directly outputs a second audio signal of the plurality of audio signals of multi-channels through a speaker.