Daisy-Chain Speaker Addressing for Individual Passive Unit Testing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individual testing of passive speakers in a daisy chain configuration is challenging due to the lack of local processing units, making it difficult to ensure each speaker functions correctly without adding complex or expensive components.
Innovation Solution
A speaker system with a main unit and passive units connected via control, reference, and audio signals, utilizing voltage regulation and comparators to enable individual testing by comparing control voltages to thresholds, allowing centralized control and feedback for each passive unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If passive speakers are kept simple without local processing units, then the bill of material is minimized and cost is reduced, but individual testing of the speakers becomes very challenging
Solution Approach 1:
A control voltage signal connection is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the main unit and passive speakers. This control voltage, when combined with a reference voltage at each speaker location, enables individual activation and testing of passive speakers without requiring complex processing units within each speaker. The control voltage acts as a mediator that carries addressing information through the daisy chain to selectively enable specific speakers for testing.
Solution Approach 2:
A reference voltage connection is implemented to provide locally varying reference voltages at each passive speaker position in the daisy chain. This creates local quality differences where each speaker has a unique reference voltage level, enabling the main unit to individually address and test each speaker by comparing the control voltage against these local reference voltages, thereby achieving individual testing capability without complex local processing.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple speakers are connected in a daisy chain using a single cable, then the total cable length and quantity are minimized, but individual testing capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The single cable connection is functionally segmented into multiple independent signal paths within the same physical medium. The control voltage signal connection and reference voltage signal connection are separated as distinct functional channels, allowing the main unit to independently control and test each speaker in the daisy chain while still using a single physical cable infrastructure, thus maintaining cable efficiency while enabling individual testing.
Solution Approach 2:
The single cable connecting the daisy chain speakers is designed to carry multiple functions simultaneously: power delivery, control voltage signaling, and reference voltage signaling. This multi-functional cable design allows individual speaker testing capability to be achieved without increasing cable quantity, as the same cable infrastructure supports both system operation and individual device testing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient, cost-effective individual testing of passive speakers by minimizing the need for complex components, ensuring each unit functions correctly through centralized control and feedback mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
a voltage regulation unit, which may be one or more resistors, between each of the plurality of passive units on the reference voltage signal connection, wherein each voltage regulation unit is adapted to provide a local reference voltage to each passive unit
Implementation Method 2
a comparator unit configured to compare the control voltage to a first voltage threshold and a second voltage threshold generated from the local reference voltage to generate an audio enable signal
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention regards a speaker system (100) comprising a main unit (101) and plurality of passive units (102), wherein the main unit (101) and plurality of passive units (102) are connected by at least a control voltage signal connection (110), a reference voltage signal connection (111) and an audio signal connection (112) to form a daisy chain, the main unit (101) being configured to generate a control voltage to the plurality of passive units (102) through the control voltage signal connection (110) ; a reference voltage to the plurality of passive units (102) through the reference voltage signal connection (111); and an audio signal to the plurality of passive units (102) through the audio signal connection (112), the speaker system (100) further comprising a voltage regulation unit (120) between each of the plurality of passive units (102) on the reference voltage signal connection (111), wherein each voltage regulation unit (120) is adapted to provide a local reference voltage to each passive unit (102), wherein the local reference voltages to the plurality of passive units (102) gradually increase or decrease between subsequent passive units along the daisy chain, each of the plurality of passive unit (102) comprising: a speaker unit (104); a comparator unit (105) configured to compare the control voltage to a first voltage threshold and a second voltage threshold generated from the local reference voltage to generate an audio enable signal enabling the speaker unit to play the audio signal when the control voltage is between the first voltage threshold and the second voltage threshold. A method of testing a speaker system is disclosed.