Wireless Speaker Location Detection and Audio Channel Routing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Traditional surround sound speaker systems require fixed speaker placements and an audio/video receiver to decode and route multiple audio channels, limiting flexibility and independence of speakers.

Innovation Solution

A mobile computing device wirelessly detects the location of multiple speakers and assigns location indicators to split a single multi-channel audio stream, allowing speakers to be placed anywhere and dynamically adjust audio channel routing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If traditional AVR-based surround sound systems are used with fixed speaker placements, then audio channel routing is stable and reliable, but speaker flexibility and adaptability are limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespeaker placement flexibilityVSAvoidsystem configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically determines speaker locations and automatically configures audio channel routing based on real-time speaker positions detected by the mobile computing device, eliminating fixed placement requirements while maintaining proper audio distribution

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs automatic speaker identification and audio channel assignment without requiring manual user configuration, with the mobile computing device autonomously detecting speaker locations and routing audio streams accordingly

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Ease of operation

If an audio/video receiver is used to decode and route multiple audio channels, then audio channel distribution is accurate, but the system requires centralized control and wired connections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewireless speaker independenceVSAvoidaudio channel routing accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the audio distribution function into individual speaker units, with each speaker independently receiving and processing audio channel data from the mobile computing device, eliminating the need for a centralized AVR while maintaining proper channel assignment

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile computing device serves as an intermediary that performs audio decoding and channel routing functions previously handled by an AVR, wirelessly distributing properly routed audio streams to multiple speakers based on their detected locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9820048B2Technologies for location-dependent wireless speaker configuration

Publication Date: 2017.11.14 INTEL CORP

AI summary

Technologies for location-dependent wireless speaker configuration include a mobile computing device wirelessly coupled to a plurality of speakers. The mobile computing device is configured to determine a location of and assign a location indicator to each of the speakers based on the determined locations. The location indicator identifies a location of each speaker relative to the other speakers such that the mobile computing device can generate an audio stream for each of the speakers based on the assigned location indicator and transmit each of the generated audio streams to a corresponding one of the speakers. Other embodiments are described and claimed herein.