Wireless speakers

• US 8,290,173 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies Limited (Aptiv PLC)
• Original Assignee: Unwired Technology, LLC (Aptiv PLC)
• Inventors: Richenstein, Lawrence, Dauk, Michael A., Withoff, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US11/467,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20060287745A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 381/2, 381 77- 78, 381 80- 81, 381 85- 86, 381/79, 700/94, 455/3.06, 455/402, 455/3.03, 455/3.01
• US Class Current: 381/79
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/082 to be used in vehicles H04B1/086 takes precedence; holding or mounting accessories B60R11/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/61 for local area broadcast, e.g. instore broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/62 for transportation systems, e.g. in vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/63 to plural spots in a confined site, e.g. MATV [Master Antenna Television]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/89 using three or more audio channels, e.g. triphonic or quadraphonic
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 40/36 specially adapted for stereophonic broadcast receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/04 Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0009 by adapting the channel coding H04L1/1812 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0041 Arrangements at the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6041 Portable telephones adapted for handsfree use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/01 Input selection or mixing for amplifiers or loudspeakers for hearing aids H04R25/43
• 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 2460/03 Aspects of the reduction of energy consumption in hearing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/13 Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
• 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 5/033 : Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• 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 3/004 : For headphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/008 : in which the audio signals are in digital form, i.e. employing more than two discrete digital channels data reduction aspects thereof based on psychoacoustics G10L19/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/1263 : Mapping of traffic onto schedule, e.g. scheduled allocation or multiplexing of flows

Abstract

A wireless audio distribution system may include a wireless transmitter, responsive to a plurality of audio input channels, for transmitting an encoded digital bitstream serially combining each of the audio input channels with control data a receiver responsive to the transmitted encoded digital bitstream for decoding a preselected one of the plurality of the audio input channels from the digital bitstream for reproduction and at least one speaker for reproducing the preselected audio input channel in accordance with the control data. A wireless speaker system may include a receiver, responsive to a wirelessly transmitted, encoded digital bitstream serially combining each of a plurality of the audio input channels with control data disbursed therein, for decoding a preselected one of said audio input channels and a speaker system responsive to the receiver for reproducing the decoded, preselected audio input channel.

Claims

1. A wireless audio distribution system, comprising:

a wireless transmitter, responsive to a plurality of audio input channels, for transmitting an uncompressed encoded digital bitstream on a single communication channel, the uncompressed encoded digital bitstream serially combining each of the audio input channels with control data;

a receiver responsive to the transmitted uncompressed encoded digital bitstream for decoding a preselected one of the plurality of the audio input channels from the digital bitstream for reproduction; and

at least one speaker for reproducing the preselected audio input channel in accordance with the control data.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein the wireless transmitter further comprises:

a selector for selecting the preselected audio channel for reproduction by the at least one speaker.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises:

a control unit responsive to at least portions of the control data for controlling the reproduction of the preselected audio channel by the speaker in accordance with the at least portions of the control data.

4. The invention of claim 3, wherein the control unit decodes the preselected audio input channel from the digital bitstream in accordance with the at least portions of the control data.

5. The invention of claim 4, further comprising:

an input device for inputting the selection of one of the plurality of audio input channels to be the preselected audio channel.

6. The invention of claim 1, further comprising:

a pair of wireless headphone responsive for reproducing the preselected audio channel in accordance with the control data.

7. The invention of claim 6, further comprising:

a selector switch for selecting either the speaker or the headphones to reproduce the preselected audio input channel.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the selector switch causes a modification of the control data to selectively cause the speaker or the headphones to reproduce the preselected audio input channel.

9. The invention of claim 7 wherein the receiver further comprises:

an error detection circuit for comparing portions of the control data to detect errors; and

an off circuit for turning off the selected speaker or headphone if the detected errors exceed a predetermined threshold.

10. The invention of claim 9 further comprising:

an error correction circuit for correcting the detected errors.

11. The invention of claim 4 wherein the wireless transmitter is responsive to the selection of the one of the plurality of audio input channels to be the preselected channel.

12. The invention of claim 4 wherein the receiver is responsive to the selection of the audio input channel to be the preselected channel.

13. The invention of claim 4 wherein the digital bitstream data includes the selection of the audio input channel to be the preselected channel.

14. The invention of claim 4 further comprising:

at least one additional receiver; and

at least one speaker associated with the at least one additional receiver, wherein the at least one additional receiver is responsive to the transmitted encoded digital bitstream for decoding a second preselected audio input channel from the digital bitstream and the at least one additional speaker associated with the at least one additional receiver reproduces the second preselected audio input channel.

15. The invention of claim 14 wherein the at least one additional speaker receiver and at least one speaker associated therewith further comprises:

a plurality of pairs of additional receivers and speakers, each such pair reproducing an audio channel representing music as heard by a listener from different directions including from the front and rear of the listener.

16. A wireless speaker system comprising:

a receiver, responsive to an uncompressed encoded digital bitstream wirelessly transmitted on a single communication channel, the uncompressed encoded digital bitstream serially combining each of a plurality of the audio input channels with control data disbursed therein, for decoding a preselected one of said audio input channels; and

a speaker system responsive to the receiver for reproducing the decoded, preselected audio input channel.

17. The wireless speaker system claimed in claim 16, further comprising:

a control unit responsive to at least portions of the control data for controlling the reproduction of the preselected audio channel by the speaker in accordance with the control data.

18. The wireless speaker system claimed in claim 17 wherein the preselected audio input channel is selected by the control data.

19. The wireless speaker system claimed in claim 17 wherein the preselected audio input channel is selected by the receiver.

20. The wireless speaker system claimed in claim 17 wherein the preselected audio input channel is selected by the speaker.