Patent Application
20100303277
Home theaters, stereos, and other home entertainment systems typically require a large number of wired connections between receivers, DVD or CD players, amplifiers, and speakers, as well as wired power connections to AC power outlets. These can be unsightly and difficult to route along walls, under carpets, or through other out of the way areas of a room or household.
To help alleviate these issues, commercial products have been introduced that distribute the audio signal wirelessly through RF communication methods. Audio distribution has also been performed over household AC power wiring. Furthermore, new home construction often includes a variety of pre-installed cabling runs for audio signal distribution.
Each of these solutions has drawbacks, however. Radio-frequency wireless communication can require expensive circuitry, and signal strength throughout the house can vary widely. Pre-installed cable requires additional expense during home construction, not only for the materials, but also because different vendors are often required for installing different cable types.
Accordingly, new techniques and apparatus for easily and conveniently distributing audio throughout homes and other structures is needed.
In one embodiment, the invention is a speaker comprising an audio transducer and a coupling configured to receive both power and signal inputs from household electrical power wiring and also configured to mechanically support the audio transducer and rigidly affix the audio transducer to a household electrical power outlet.
The speaker may additionally comprise an audio amplifier. In another embodiment, the speaker may also comprise a powerline signal receiver configured to receive audio information from the coupling and route at least a portion of the information to the amplifier for amplification.
In some embodiments, the coupling comprises a light bulb base coupling such as, for example, an Edison screw.
In another embodiment, a speaker for an audio distribution system comprises an audio transducer, a light bulb base coupling, and an amplifier coupled to receive power from the light bulb screw base and couple to output audio signals to the audio transducer. In some embodiments, the audio signal can be received wirelessly. In others, the signal can be received via powerline signal communication methods.
The inventions will now be described in conjunction with the Figures, wherein like numerals designate like components.
In the embodiment of
The speaker also included receiving and processing circuitry 30 and an amplifier 32. The receiving and processing circuitry 30 may receive both power and an audio signal from the fixture coupling 28. In some embodiments, the audio signal may be received wirelessly by RF or IR transmission techniques which are also known in the art. The receiving and processing circuitry includes the isolation, detection, and processing of an analog or digital audio signal according to well known techniques. Some of these are described in more detail in co-pending U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2003-0210796-A1 and 2004-0234088-A1 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,346,332, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The amplifier 32, which may be any known type of analog or digital amplifier, receives a processed signal from the receiving and processing circuitry 30, and also receives power from the fixture coupling 28. The amplifier outputs the amplified audio signal to the audio transducer 14.
With this design, the speaker needs no additional mechanical coupling to the structure or electrical coupling to the audio system other than that provided by the coupling 28.
The embodiment of
In other embodiments, electrical outlets could be designed specifically for speakers. These could have the mechanical and electrical properties especially suitable for supporting speakers and their audio communication and power requirements. The mechanical and electrical fixture coupling described above would then be configured to mate with such a “speaker receptacle” rather than the appliance outlet or light bulb socket embodiments described above. Residential or other structures could then be wired by a single electrician to have power outlets, light fixtures, and speaker fixtures all tied to the 120 V power cabling running throughout the structure.
It will be appreciated that the inventions described above can be implemented in a wide variety of ways, and is defined not by any specific embodiments described above, but by the claims presented below.
