Automatic detection of loudspeaker characteristics

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9020153-B2
Application number	US-201213659529-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2012
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Apr 28, 2015
Grant date	Apr 28, 2015

Abstract

Disclosed is subject matter that proposes a system and method for a media device to automatically detect the characteristics of an attached speaker. Speakers have many different characteristics, for example, power, impedance, frequency response, etc. With knowledge of the speaker characteristics, audio output can be equalized appropriately, and an amplifier of the media device, for example, can prevent exceeding the maximum power handling capability of the speaker. Described is a device and method for retrieving information about the speaker from a memory that is coupled to the speaker. A media device can read the data from the memory over existing speaker wires. Software and/or hardware in the media device can optimize the output to the attached speaker. Accordingly, the media device can interrogate the speaker directly over speaker wire to obtain the characteristics of the speaker.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A multimedia device, comprising:
a media interface for connecting to an audio output device via a communication path;
an amplifier for driving the audio output device; and
a processor, the processor configured to:
retrieve in a first communication signal, via the communication path, an identifier of the audio output device;
determine, based on the retrieved identifier, that the audio output device has not been previously connected to the multime…

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Britt Jr Joe Freeman

Classifications

• H04R29/001 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04S7/308

  Electricity · mapped topic