System, control method, and control terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10652658-B2
Application number	US-201815922413-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2018
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	May 12, 2020
Grant date	May 12, 2020

Abstract

A plurality of reproduction sections are set. With regard to the reproduction section provided with the first reproduction device group that includes at least one reproduction device connected via a network with a storage that stores audio data, the audio data is transmitted via the network to each reproduction device. With regard to the reproduction section provided with the second reproduction device group includes a plurality of reproduction devices that are connected to each other using at least one audio cable and that include at least one reproduction device connected via the network with the storage, the audio data is transmitted via the network to at least one reproduction device connected via the network with the storage, and the at least one reproduction device is caused to transmit the received audio data via the at least one audio cable to at least one other reproduction device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
set a plurality of reproduction sections each corresponding to a reproduction unit where audio data is reproduced, each of the plurality of reproduction sections being provided with at least one of a first reproduction device group and a second reproduction device group, the first reproduction device group including at least one reproduction device that is connected via a network with a storage that stores the audio data, and the second reproduction device group including a plurality of reproduction devices that are connected to each other using at least one audio cable and that include a first reproduction device being connected via the network with the storage;
perform control for transmitting, with regard to the reproduction section provided with the first reproduction device group, the audio data via the network to each reproduction device included in the first reproduction device group; and
perform control for transmitting, with regard to the reproduction section provided with the second reproduction device group, the audio data via the network to the first reproduction device, and causing the first reproduction device to transmit the received audio data via a first audio cable of the at least one audio cable to a second reproduction device included in the second reproduction device group,
wherein the first reproduction device includes:
a network interface that receives the audio data via the network;
a bypass path to supply the audio data received via the network interface to an output port; and
the output port that supplies the audio data supplied via the bypass path to an input port of the second reproduction device via the first audio cable, and

wherein the bypass path bypasses an amplifier unit in the first reproduction device.

2. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
a reproduction device in a first reproduction section of the plurality of reproduction sections and a reproduction device in a second reproduction section of the plurality of reproduction sections are connected via a second audio cable which is provided separately from the at least one cable.

3. The system according to claim 2 , wherein
at least one of the reproduction device in the first reproduction section and the reproduction device in the second reproduction section, which are connected via the second audio cable, are included in the second reproduction device group.

4. The system according to claim 2 , wherein
the first reproduction section and the second reproduction section are adjacent to each other.

5. The system according to claim 4 , wherein
the reproduction devices that are adjacent to each other are connected via a third audio cable which is provided separately from the at least one cable.

6. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one processor is further configured to:
select, based on information on a state of connection using the at least one audio cable between the plurality of reproduction devices included in the second reproduction device group, at least one of the plurality of reproduction devices included in the second reproduction device group as a destination to which the audio data is transmitted via the network.

7. A control method executed by a computer, the control method comprising:
setting a plurality of reproduction sections each corresponding to a reproduction unit where audio data is reproduced, each of the plurality of reproduction sections being provided with at least one of a first reproduction device group and a second reproduction device group, the first reproduction device group including at least one reproduction device that is connected via a network with a storage that stores the audio data, and the second reproduction device group including a plurality of reproduction devices that are connected to each other using at least one audio cable and that include a first reproduction device being connected via the network with the storage;
performing control for transmitting, with regard to the reproduction section provided with the first reproduction device group, the audio data via the network to each reproduction device included in the first reproduction device group; and
performing control for transmitting, with regard to the reproduction section provided with the second reproduction device group, the audio data via the network to the first reproduction device, and causing the first reproduction device to transmit the received audio data via a first audio cable of the at least one audio cable to a second reproduction device included in the second reproduction device group,
wherein the first reproduction device includes:
a network interface that receives the audio data via the network;
a bypass path to supply the audio data received via the network interface to an output port; and
the output port that supplies the audio data supplied via the bypass path to an input port of the second reproduction device via the first audio cable, and

wherein the bypass path bypasses an amplifier unit in the first reproduction device.

8. The control method according to claim 7 , further comprising:
specifying a correspondence between the reproduction device and the reproduction section to which the reproduction device belongs;
setting any one of the plurality of reproduction devices included in second reproduction device group as a master device; and
transmitting the audio data from the storage to the master device via the network.

9. A control terminal comprising:
at least one processor configured to:
select, based on information on a state of connection using at least one audio cable between a plurality of reproduction devices that can reproduce audio data, at least one of the plurality of reproduction devices as a destination to which the audio data is transmitted via a network; and
perform control for transmitting the audio data via the network to the reproduction device selected as the destination,
wherein the plurality of reproduction devices include a first reproduction device and a second reproduction device,
the first reproduction device includes:
a network interface that receives the audio data via the network;
a bypass path to supply the audio data received via the network interface to an output port; and
the output port that supplies the audio data supplied via the bypass path to an input port of the second reproduction device via a first audio cable of the at least one audio cable,

the bypass path bypasses an amplifier unit in the first reproduction device, and
the at least one processor is configured to select the first reproduction device as the destination.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein
the output port of the first reproduction device supplies, via the first audio cable, the audio data supplied via the bypass path to the input port of the second reproduction device that causes a speaker to output the audio data supplied via the first audio cable.

11. The control method according to claim 7 , wherein
the output port of the first reproduction device supplies, via the first audio cable, the audio data supplied via the bypass path to the input port of the second reproduction device that causes a speaker to output the audio data supplied via the first audio cable.

12. The control terminal according to claim 9 , wherein
the output port of the first reproduction device supplies, via the first audio cable, the audio data supplied via the bypass path to the input port of the second reproduction device that causes a speaker to output the audio data supplied via the first audio cable.

Assignees

• Yamaha Corp

Inventors

• Usui Atsushi
• Kano Masaya

Classifications

• H04R2205/024

  Positioning of loudspeaker enclosures for spatial sound reproduction · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

  Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use · CPC title

• H04R2227/003

  Digital PA systems using, e.g. LAN or internet · CPC title

• H04S3/006

  in which a plurality of audio signals are transformed in a combination of audio signals and modulated signals, e.g. CD-4 systems · CPC title

• H04R3/12 Primary

  for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)} · CPC title