Speaker and shower

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10171900-B2
Application number	US-201816002397-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 7, 2018
Priority date	Sep 6, 2011
Publication date	Jan 1, 2019
Grant date	Jan 1, 2019

Abstract

An assembly may include a speaker supportable for movement relative to a reference external to the speaker and a speaker housing supporting speaker components operable to produce an audio output. A sensor is operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker during movement of the speaker relative to the reference. Control components are operable to control the speaker components based on the direction of movement of the speaker relative to the reference. When the speaker is sensed to be moving in a first direction relative to the reference, an operational characteristic of the speaker components is controlled to increase or advance during movement in the first direction. When the speaker is sensed to be moving in a second direction relative to the reference different from the first direction, the operational characteristic of the speaker components is controlled to decrease or retreat during movement in the second direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising:
a speaker supportable for movement relative to a reference external to the speaker, the speaker including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker during movement of the speaker relative to the external reference; and
control components operable to
determine the direction of movement of the speaker relative to the external reference, and
control the speaker components based on the direction of movement of the speaker relative to the external reference;

wherein, when the speaker is sensed to be moving in a first direction relative to the reference, an operational characteristic of the speaker components is controlled to increase or advance during the movement in the first direction, and wherein, when the speaker is sensed to be moving in a second direction relative to the reference different from the first direction, the operational characteristic of the speaker components is controlled to decrease or retreat during the movement in the second direction.

2. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the operational characteristic is continuously controlled during the movements.

3. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is supported in the speaker housing.

4. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the sensor includes an accelerometer.

5. The assembly of claim 3 , wherein the sensor is a first sensor element of a sensor assembly, the sensor assembly also including a second sensor element external to the speaker housing.

6. The assembly of claim 5 , further comprising a support, wherein the speaker is movably supportable on the support, and wherein the second sensor element is supported on the support.

7. The assembly of claim 6 , wherein the support includes a shower device.

8. The assembly of claim 7 , wherein the shower device includes a shower device housing defining a receptacle, and wherein the speaker is movably supportable in the receptacle.

9. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein the sensor assembly senses the relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.

10. The assembly of claim 9 , wherein the control components are operable to determine the direction of movement of the speaker by determining a relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element, the control components being operable to control the speaker components based on the relative orientation of the first sensor element and the second sensor element.

11. The assembly of claim 5 , wherein one of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a Hall effect sensor element, and wherein the other of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a magnet.

12. The assembly of claim 11 , wherein the other of the first sensor element and the second sensor element includes a plurality of magnets spaced apart on an associated one of the speaker housing and the support.

13. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the control components are at least partially supported in the speaker housing.

14. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker components are operable to produce an audio output at a volume, and wherein the control components are operable to control the speaker components to control the volume of the audio output based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing.

15. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker components are operable to selectively and alternatively output one of a first audio track and a second audio track, and wherein the control components are operable to control one of a first audio track and a second audio track to be output by the speaker components based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing.

16. The assembly of claim 1 , wherein the speaker is movable on a support surface between a first position and a second position, the first direction of movement being defined by a direction in which the speaker is moved from the first position to the second position, and the second direction of movement being defined as opposite the first direction of movement, wherein the control of the speaker components occurs during movement when the speaker is between the first position and the second position, and wherein the control changes depending on whether the speaker is moving in the first direction or the second direction.

17. An assembly comprising:
a speaker including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement of the speaker housing relative to a reference external to the speaker; and
control components operable to
determine the direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement relative to the reference, and
control a volume of the audio output during movement based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing;

wherein movement of the speaker housing in a first direction relative to the reference generates a volume-increasing control signal and movement of the speaker housing in a second direction relative to the reference generates a volume-decreasing control signal.

18. The assembly of claim 17 , wherein the first direction includes one of clockwise or counter-clockwise, and the second direction includes the other of clockwise or counter-clockwise.

19. An assembly comprising:
a speaker including
a speaker housing, and
speaker components supported in the speaker housing and operable to produce an audio output;

a sensor operable to sense a direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement of the speaker housing relative to a reference external to the speaker; and
control components operable to
determine the direction of movement of the speaker housing during movement relative to the reference, and
control an audio track of the audio output during movement based on the direction of movement of the speaker housing;
wherein movement of the speaker housing in a first direction relative to the reference generates a track-advancing control signal and movement of the speaker housing in a second direction relative to the reference generates a track-retreating control signal.

20. The assembly of claim 19 , wherein the first direction includes one of clockwise or counter-clockwise, and the second direction includes the other of clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Assignees

• Kohler Co

Inventors

• Hanna Kenneth Scott
• Soetaert Michael James
• Ruh Keith Scott
• Kuru William Clement
• De Swarte Gregory

Classifications

• H04R2201/029

  Manufacturing aspects of enclosures transducers · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• F21V33/004

  Sanitary equipment, e.g. mirrors, showers, toilet seats or paper dispensers · CPC title

• E03C1/0408

  Water installations especially for showers (E03C1/06 takes precedence; shower heads B05B1/18) · CPC title

• H04R1/028 Primary

  associated with devices performing functions other than acoustics, e.g. electric candles · CPC title