Ring network of Bluetooth speakers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9699560-B2
Application number	US-201615365795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2016
Priority date	Nov 21, 2014
Publication date	Jul 4, 2017
Grant date	Jul 4, 2017

Abstract

A method for forming a complete ring network of a plurality of Bluetooth® speakers, the method including populating a configurable speaker register of each of the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers with an address of an upstream Bluetooth® speaker that is in the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers, populating the configurable speaker register of each of the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers with an address of a downstream Bluetooth® speaker that is in the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers, and coupling an audio source to one Bluetooth® speaker of the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for forming a ring network of a plurality of Bluetooth® speakers, the method comprising:
populating a configurable speaker register of a first Bluetooth® speaker that is in the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers with an address of an upstream Bluetooth® speaker that is in the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers;
populating the configurable speaker register of the first Bluetooth® speakers with an address of a downstream Bluetooth® speaker that is in the plurality of Bluetooth® speakers; and
taking control of the ring network, by the first Bluetooth® speaker, by sending a ringleader message from the first Bluetooth® speaker to the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein taking control of the ring network, by the first Bluetooth® speaker, includes sending a tail signal from the first Bluetooth® speaker to the upstream Bluetooth® speaker.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving an audio signal from an audio source coupled to the first Bluetooth® speaker; and
forwarding the audio signal along the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the ringleader message is sent when the audio signal is received from the audio source.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the tail signal is sent to the upstream Bluetooth® speaker to prevent the audio signal from being forwarded from the upstream Bluetooth® speaker back to the first Bluetooth® speaker.

6. The method of claim 3 , further comprising sending a delay signal around the ring network to adjust a delay an output of the audio signal at each Bluetooth® speaker by a fixed value based on node count from the first Bluetooth® speaker acting as a ringleader Bluetooth® speaker.

7. The method of claim 6 , the delay signal causes a second of the Bluetooth® speakers in the ring network to delay the output of the audio signal by a different time period than a third of the Bluetooth® speakers.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first Bluetooth® speaker does not delay an output of the audio signal.

9. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving a volume signal from the audio source; and
sending the volume signal around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

10. The method of claim 3 , further comprising sending a sync signal around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker to synchronize the audio signal from the audio source.

11. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving speaker metatdata from the ring network via the upstream Bluetooth® speaker; and
forwarding the speaker metatdata to the audio source.

12. The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
receiving audio device metatdata from the audio source; and
forwarding the audio device metatdata around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an inquiry from a new Bluetooth® speaker to join the ring network;
disconnecting from the downstream Bluetooth® speaker; and
setting the new Bluetooth® speaker as a new downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

14. A Bluetooth® speaker comprising:
an upstream port;
a downstream port;
a configurable speaker register; and
a processor to:
populate the configurable speaker register with an address of an upstream Bluetooth® speaker of a ring network on the upstream port;
populate the configurable speaker register with an address of a downstream Bluetooth® speaker of the ring network on the upstream port; and
take control of the ring network by sending a ringleader message across the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

15. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further to send a tail signal to the ring network via the upstream Bluetooth® speaker when taking control of the ring network in order to prevent receipt of the ringleader message from the upstream Bluetooth® speaker.

16. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 14 , wherein the Bluetooth® speaker is configured to couple to an audio source, and wherein the processor is configured to:
receive an audio signal from the audio source; and
forward the audio signal along the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

17. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further to send a delay signal around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker to adjust a delay of an output of the audio signal at each Bluetooth® speaker in the ring network by a fixed value based on a node count from the Bluetooth® speaker acting as a ringleader Bluetooth® speaker.

18. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further to:
receiving a volume signal from the audio source; and
send the volume signal around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker.

19. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further to:
send a sync signal around the ring network via the downstream Bluetooth® speaker to synchronize the audio signal from the audio source.

20. The Bluetooth® speaker of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further to:
receive speaker metatdata from the ring network via the upstream Bluetooth® speaker; and
forward the speaker metatdata to the audio source.

Assignees

• Avnera Corp

Inventors

• Hetke Theodore
• Speth John

Classifications

• H04R27/00

  Public address systems (circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; {monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007}; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H04R2227/005

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

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title

• H04R3/12 Primary

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

• H04R2420/09

  Applications of special connectors, e.g. USB, XLR, in loudspeakers, microphones or headphones · CPC title