Audio system

• US 20020072816A1
• Filed: 12/07/2000
• Published: 06/13/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Effi Gannot, Rafael D. Diaz, Yoav Shdema, Yossef Oren
• Original Assignee: Effi Gannot, Rafael D. Diaz, Yoav Shdema, Yossef Oren
• Inventors: Oren, Yossef, Diaz, Rafael D., Shdema, Yoav, Gannot, Effi
• Application Number:
  US09/732,044
• Publication Number:
  US 20020072816A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2805 Home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 1/00 Two-channel systems H04S5/00, H04S7/00 take precedence

Abstract

Audio system for operating a plurality of speakers, the audio system including an audio management system connected to the speakers via a network, a user interface connected to the audio management system, and an audio source cluster connected to the audio management system, wherein the audio management system operates the speakers by transmitting audio streams and speaker audio control data to the network, and wherein the audio management system determines the speaker audio control data, according to a plurality of parameters.

Claims

1. Audio system for operating a plurality of speakers, the audio system comprising:

an audio management system connected to said speakers via a network;

a user interface connected to said audio management system; and

an audio source cluster connected to said audio management system,

wherein said audio management system operates said speakers by transmitting audio streams and speaker audio control data to said network, and

wherein said audio management system determines said speaker audio control data, according to a plurality of parameters.

2. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein a selected ones of said speakers are connected to said network via a plurality of routers.

3. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein a selected ones of said speakers are connected to said network via a plurality of wireless transceivers.

4. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the type of said network is selected from the list consisting of:

ring;

star; and

combination of ring and star.

5. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said audio management system transmits said audio streams and said speaker audio control data to each of said speakers, according to an address of a respective one of said speakers.

6. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the type of said parameters is selected from the list consisting of:

automatic;

user defined; and

automatic and user defined.

7. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said audio management system operates according to a digital isochronous protocol selected from the list consisting of:

Universal Serial Bus;

high speed IEEE 1394; and

Short Distance Wireless Blue-tooth format.

8. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said network operates according to a network protocol selected from the list consisting of:

Ethernet; and

ATM.

9. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein a user transmits user defined parameters to said audio management system, via said user interface.

10. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said speaker audio control data include at least one audio parameter, selected from the list consisting of:

volume;

balance;

equalization;

harmonic envelop;

echo effects;

audio effects;

phase; and

time-delay.

11. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said audio management system further comprises a digital signal processor, and a central processing unit, said central processing unit connected to said user interface.

12. The audio system according to claim 11, wherein said digital signal processor further comprises a real time adaptive analyzer connected to said audio source cluster and to a microphone, and a master band equalizer connected to said real time adaptive analyzer, said central processing unit and to said network via a communication interface, wherein said microphone listens to said speakers, and said real time adaptive analyzer comprises a user defined sound parameter.

13. The audio system according to claim 11, wherein said digital signal processor further comprises a real time adaptive analyzer connected to said audio source cluster and to a microphone, a master band equalizer connected to said real time adaptive analyzer, and to said central processing unit, and an audio encoder connected to said network via a communication interface, said audio encoder further connected to said master band equalizer and to said central processing unit, wherein said microphone listens to said speakers, and said audio encoder transmits an encoded speaker element control parameter to said communication interface.

14. The audio system according to claim 13, wherein said digital signal processor further comprises an audio decoder connected to said audio source cluster and to said real time adaptive analyzer.

15. The audio system according to claim 14, wherein the type of operation of said audio decoder is selected from the list consisting of:

de-multiplexing;

separating said audio streams;

converting said audio streams from a first digital format to a second digital format; and

decompressing said audio streams.

16. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein the type of said audio streams is selected from a list consisting of:

Dolby Logic;

Dolby Pro-Logic;

Dolby Digital 5.1 channels;

Digital Theatrical Sound; and

UCPASS multi-channel encoded audio source.

17. The audio system according to claim 12, wherein said real time adaptive analyzer transmits parameter sets to said master band equalizer.

18. The audio system according to claim 17, wherein the type of said parameter sets is selected from the list consisting of:

quality sharpness of a band-pass filter; and

gain of a filter.

19. The audio system according to claim 12, wherein said master band equalizer operates in a mode selected from the list consisting of:

automatic; and

manual.

20. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said user interface comprises a master bass control means and a master treble control means.

21. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein a user transmits said parameters to said user interface via an input output device selected from the list consisting of:

video;

audio; and

tactile.

22. The audio system according to claim 13 wherein said encoded speaker element control parameter is selected from the list consisting of:

delay;

volume;

equalization; and

cross.

23. The audio system according to claim 12, wherein said real time adaptive analyzer maintains a status of last operation.

24. The audio system according to claim 12, wherein said user defined sound parameter is selected from the list consisting of:

Concert;

Classical-Hall;

Jazz;

Stadium;

Pop; and

Rock.

25. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein said audio source cluster further comprises a plurality of analog audio sources, a plurality of digital audio sources, an analog to digital converter, a sampling rate converter, and a multiplexor,

wherein said analog to digital converter is connected to said analog audio sources and to said multiplexor, said sampling rate converter is connected to said digital audio sources and to said multiplexor, and said multiplexor is connected to said audio management system.

26. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein each of said speakers further comprises a communication interface, a local digital signal processor, a first digital to analog converter, a second digital to analog converter, a power management unit, a power amplifier array, a high frequency speaker element, a mid-high frequency speaker element, a mid-low frequency speaker element, and a low frequency speaker element.

27. The audio system according to claim 26, wherein said power amplifier array further comprises a high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier, and a low frequency bandwidth amplifier.

28. The audio system according to claim 27, wherein said communication interface is connected to said network and to said local digital signal processor, said local digital signal processor is connected to said first digital to analog converter, said second digital to analog converter and to said power management unit, said power management unit is connected to said power amplifier array, said high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said first digital to analog converter and to said high frequency speaker element, said mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said first digital to analog converter and to said mid-high frequency speaker element, said mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said second digital to analog converter and to said mid-low frequency speaker element, and said low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said second digital to analog converter and to said low frequency speaker element.

29. The audio system according to claim 26, wherein said local digital signal processor transmits amplification commands to said first digital to analog converter and to said second digital to analog converter.

30. The audio system according to claim 26, wherein said local digital signal processor transmits a characteristic of a respective one of said speakers to said audio management system, via said network.

31. The audio system according to claim 30, wherein said characteristic is selected from the list consisting of:

physical structure;

frequency response;

amplification ability;

harmonic distortion values;

protocol support;

programmable aspects; and

cross over configuration.

32. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein each of said speakers further comprises a communication interface, a digital to analog converter, an equalizer, a cross-over unit, a power management unit, a power amplifier array, a high frequency speaker element, a mid-high frequency speaker element, a mid-low frequency speaker element, and a low frequency speaker element.

33. The audio system according to claim 32, wherein said power amplifier array further comprises a high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier, and a low frequency bandwidth amplifier.

34. The audio system according to claim 33, wherein said communication interface is connected to said network, said digital to analog converter and to said power management unit, said equalizer is connected to said digital to analog converter and to said cross-over unit, said power management unit is connected to said power amplifier array, said high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said cross-over unit and to said high frequency speaker element, said mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said cross-over unit and to said mid-high frequency speaker element, said mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said cross-over unit and to said mid-low frequency speaker element, and said low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said cross-over unit and to said low frequency speaker element.

35. The audio system according to claim 32, wherein said audio management system transmits amplification commands to said communication interface via said network.

36. The audio system according to claim 35, wherein the type of said amplification commands can be selected from the list consisting of:

on-off;

volume control; and

percentage of maximum gain of said power amplifier array during operation.

37. The audio system according to claim 1, wherein each of said speakers further comprises a communication interface, a digital equalizer, a digital to analog converter, an active cross-over unit, a power management unit, a power amplifier array, a high frequency speaker element, a mid-high frequency speaker element, a mid-low frequency speaker element, and a low frequency speaker element.

38. The audio system according to claim 37, wherein said power amplifier array further comprises a high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier, a mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier, and a low frequency bandwidth amplifier.

39. The audio system according to claim 38, wherein said communication interface is connected to said network, said digital equalizer and to said power management unit, said digital to analog converter is connected to said digital equalizer and to said active cross-over unit, said power management unit is connected to said power amplifier array, said high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said active cross-over unit and to said high frequency speaker element, said mid-high frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said active cross-over unit and to said mid-high frequency speaker element, said mid-low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said active cross-over unit and to said mid-low frequency speaker element, and said low frequency bandwidth amplifier is connected to said active cross-over unit and to said low frequency speaker element.

40. The audio system according to claim 38, wherein said active cross-over unit changes a band frequency limitation of a frequency band of said audio streams according to predetermined cross-over parameters.

41. The audio system according to claim 40, wherein type of said band frequency limitation is selected from the list consisting of:

physical structure of a respective one of said speakers;

position of a respective one of said speakers; and

user predetermined sound parameters.

42. The audio system according to claim 38, wherein said active cross-over unit performs an out-of-phase manipulation and an in-phase manipulation on said audio streams.

43. Method for operating an audio system, the audio system including an audio management system, a user interface, an audio source cluster and a plurality of speakers, wherein the speakers are connected to the audio management system via a network, and the audio management system is connected to the user interface and to the audio source cluster, the method comprising the steps of:

determining network audio control data according to automatic predetermined parameters and user defined parameters;

conforming audio streams according to said network audio control parameters;

encoding said conformed audio streams; and

determining speaker audio control data according to said automatic predetermined parameters and said user defined parameters.

44. The method according to claim 43, further comprising a preliminary step of decoding a multiplexed form of digital audio streams.

45. The method according to claim 44, further comprising a preliminary step of multiplexing said digital audio streams.

46. The method according to claim 45, further comprising a preliminary step of converting said digital audio streams to digital audio streams with a predetermined sampling rate, when said digital audio streams are received from a digital audio source.

47. The method according to claim 45, further comprising a preliminary step of converting an analog audio signal to said digital audio streams, when said analog signal is received from an analog audio source.

48. The method according to claim 43, comprising a further step of transmitting said encoded audio streams and said speaker audio control data to a selected one of said speakers.

50. The method according to claim 49, further comprising a preliminary step of converting a digital audio signal to said analog audio signal.

51. The method according to claim 50, further comprising a preliminary step of conforming said digital audio signal according to speaker audio control data.

52. The method according to claim 51, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving said speaker audio control data.

53. The method according to claim 51, further comprising a preliminary step of decoding an encoded digital audio signal.

54. The method according to claim 53, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving said encoded digital audio signal.

55. The method according to claim 49, further comprising a step of transmitting said acoustic parameters to a control unit.

57. The method according to claim 56, further comprising a preliminary step of converting a digital audio signal to said analog audio signal.

58. The method according to claim 57, further comprising a preliminary step of conforming said digital audio signal according to speaker audio control data.

59. The method according to claim 58, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving said speaker audio control data.

60. The method according to claim 58, further comprising a preliminary step of decoding an encoded digital audio signal.

61. The method according to claim 60, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving said encoded digital audio signal.

49. Method for operating an audio system, the audio system including an audio management system, a user interface, an audio source cluster and a plurality of speakers, each of the speakers including a speaker element, wherein the speakers are connected to the audio management system via a network, and the audio management system is connected to the user interface and to the audio source cluster, the method comprising the steps of:

amplifying an analog audio signal;

providing said amplified analog audio signal to each of said speaker elements;

detecting sounds from each of said speaker elements; and

producing an acoustic parameter respective of said sounds.

56. Method for operating an audio system, the audio system including an audio management system, a user interface, an audio source cluster and a plurality of speakers, each of the speakers including a speaker element, wherein the speakers are connected to the audio management system via a network, and the audio management system is connected to the user interface and to the audio source cluster, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a cross-over function on an analog audio signal;

amplifying said analog audio signal for each of said speaker elements;

detecting sounds from each of said speaker elements; and

producing an acoustic parameter respective of said sounds.

62. Method for operating an audio system, the audio system including an audio management system, a user interface, an audio source cluster and a plurality of speakers, each of the speakers including a speaker element, wherein the speakers are connected to the audio management system via a network, and the audio management system is connected to the user interface and to the audio source cluster, the method comprising the steps of:

performing a cross-over function on an equalized analog audio signal;

amplifying said equalized analog audio signal for each of said speaker elements;

detecting sounds from each of said speaker elements; and

producing an acoustic parameter respective of said sounds.

63. The method according to claim 62, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving speaker audio control data.

64. The method according to claim 62, further comprising a preliminary step of equalizing an analog audio signal.

65. The method according to claim 64, further comprising a preliminary step of converting a digital audio signal to said analog audio signal.

66. The method according to claim 65, further comprising a preliminary step of decoding an encoded digital audio signal.

67. The method according to claim 66, further comprising a preliminary step of receiving said encoded digital audio signal.