Abstract:
An application for present invention includes a television with a set of speaker outputs including at least a left speaker and a right speaker. On screen displays are used to properly configure the speakers and assure maximum audio quality from the television. In some embodiments, a cross-point switch connects the speakers attached to the television with the correct outputs of an internal amplifier.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of television devices and more particularly to a television speaker system and configuration of such. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Television devices such as LCD or Plasma televisions provide audio and video content such as television programs, movies, etc. 
     Existing television sets include audio amplification and delivery through one or more internal speakers, providing adequate audio for many users. This audio quality is severely limited by the space allotted to such speakers (e.g., only 2″ wide speakers will fit in certain television cabinets) and to the baffling provided by the television enclosure. This limits the sound quality including maximum volume, response curve shape and breadth, distortion, etc. 
     To improve the audio experience associated with the television, many users augment the television sound system with an external amplifier. In this, the audio outputs of the television are connected to audio inputs of the amplifier, and then speakers connected to the amplifier are used to reproduce the audio instead of the speakers that are internal to the television. The speakers connected to the amplifier often provide better sound quality and some are often specialized for certain response curves such as a base speaker (subwoofer) and the center speaker (generally used for voices). 
     It is often difficult to correctly wire and configure the speakers to the external amplifier and often, unwary listeners have the right and left speakers swapped or a front and rear speaker swapped, etc. This is hard to detect when listening to music, but when watching television, often audio artifacts are used to create illusional effects (e.g., the effect of a car moving from left to right on your television). If the speakers are set up inconsistently, the action on the television will not match the audio experience. 
     What is needed is a television system that will provide enhanced audio quality through external speakers and utilize advance capabilities to configure these speakers. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention includes a television with a set of speaker outputs including at least a left speaker and a right speaker. On screen displays are used to properly configure the speakers and assure maximum audio quality from the television. 
     In one embodiment, a system for configuring speakers associated with a television is disclosed including a display panel with a processing element coupled to the display panel. There are multiple speakers associated with the television and an amplifier within the television and having multiple amplifier outputs. A cross-point switch in the television has cross-point switch inputs and cross-point switch outputs. The cross-point switch inputs are connected to each of the amplifier outputs and the cross-point switch outputs are connected to each of the speakers. The cross-point switch selectively connects a plurality of pairs of cross-point switch inputs and cross-point switch outputs under control of the processing element. Software running on the processing element determines proper connections between each of the speakers and each of the amplifier outputs and controls the cross-point switch to connect each of the amplifier outputs to each of the speakers based upon the proper connections. 
     In another embodiment, a method of configuring speakers associated with a television is disclosed including determining a proper configuration of at least two speakers associated with the television by a processing element of the television and then connecting each of the speakers to an associated amplifier output of an amplifier that is internal to the television. 
     In another embodiment, a television with configurable external speakers is disclosed including a display panel with a processing element coupled to the display panel. There are multiple speakers associated with the television and an amplifier in the television having multiple amplifier outputs. Each amplifier output is connected to one of the speakers. Software running on the processing element determines a proper set of connections between each of the speakers and each of the amplifier outputs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention can be best understood by those having ordinary skill in the art by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a plan view of a television system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a schematic view of a typical television system of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2A  illustrates a partial schematic view of another typical television of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a plan view of a typical on-screen display of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a plan view of a second typical on-screen display of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a plan view of a third typical on-screen display of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a flow chart of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Throughout the following detailed description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements in all figures. The bezel of the present invention is the facing surface surrounding an image producing surface such as an LCD panel, CRT, Plasma panel, OLED panel and the like. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a plan view of a television  5  of the present invention will be described. Typically, a bezel  10  is situated around the peripheral edge of the display panel  12 . For completeness, though not required in the present invention, the television is shown on a stand  14 . 
     Several speakers are shown connected to the television  5 . A left front speaker  20 , a left rear speaker  22 , a right front speaker  24 , a right rear speaker  26 , a subwoofer  28  are shown, although any number and combination of speakers is anticipated including, for example, a center speaker. Two internal speakers  34 / 36  are also shown and, in some embodiments, the internal speakers are used as center speakers  34 / 36 . 
     In this example, two microphones  30 / 32  are integrated into the bezel  10 . The present invention uses audio from the microphone  30 / 32  to determine presence and location of sound from each of the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 28 . As will be shown, the microphones  30 / 32  are used in some embodiments to determine proper configuration and operation of the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 28 / 34 / 36 . Although two microphones  30 / 32  are shown to provide directionality detection, any number of microphones is anticipated including none, one and more than two. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , a schematic view of a typical television of the present invention will be described. This figure is intended as a representative schematic of a typical television  5  and in practice, some elements are not present in some monitors/televisions  5  and/or additional elements are present in some monitors/televisions  5 . In this example, a display panel  12  is connected to a processing element  100 . The display panel  12  is representative of any known display panel including, but not limited to, LCD display panels, Plasma display panels, OLED display panels, LED display panels and cathode ray tubes (CRTs). 
     The processing element  100  accepts video inputs and audio inputs selectively from a variety of sources including an internal television broadcast receiver  102 , High-definition Media Inputs (HDMI), USB ports and an analog-to-digital converter  104 . The analog-to-digital converter  104  accepts analog inputs from legacy video sources such as S-Video and Composite video and converts the analog video signal into a digital video signal before passing it to the processing element  100 . The processing element  100  controls the display of the video on the display panel  12 . 
     Audio emanates from either the broadcast receiver  102 , the legacy source (e.g., S-Video) or a discrete analog audio input (Audio-IN). If the audio source is digital, the processing element  100  routes the audio to a digital-to-analog converter  106  and then to an input of a multiplexer  108 . The multiplexer  108 , under control of the processing element  100 , selects one of the audio sources and routes the selected audio to the audio output and an internal audio amplifier  110 . The internal audio amplifier  110  amplifies the audio and delivers it to internal speakers  34 / 36  as well as the external speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 28 . 
     The processing element  100  accepts commands from a remote control  111  through remote receiver  113 . Although IR is often used to communicate commands from the remote control  111  to the remote receiver  113 , any known wireless technology is anticipated for connecting the remote control  111  to the processing element  100  including, but not limited to, radio frequencies (e.g., Bluetooth), sound (e.g., ultrasonic) and other spectrums of light. Furthermore, it is anticipated that the wireless technology be either one way from the remote  111  to the receiver  113  or two way. 
     The processing element is also interfaced to the microphones  30 / 32  through amplifier and/or analog to digital converters  31 / 33 . Interfacing of a microphone  30 / 32  through an analog to digital converter  31 / 33  is well known. Microphones  30 / 32  receive vibrations from sound and convert the vibrations into analog electrical signals. The analog to digital converters  31 / 33  convert the analog electrical signals into digital form for processing by the processing element  100 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2A , a second schematic view of a typical television of the present invention will be described. In this example, some of the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 34 / 36  are connected to the amplifier  110  of the television  5  through a cross-point switch or multiplexer  35 . Some speakers  28 , such as subwoofers, are specialized and are not interchangeable and, therefore are directly connected to the amplifier. The speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 34 / 36  are connected to the amplifier  110  of the television  5  through a cross-point switch or multiplexer  35  to enable software configuration, connecting any (or some) physical speaker  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 34 / 36  to any output of the amplifier  110 . Therefore, in a scenario in which a first amplifying element within the amplifier  110  is configured to deliver sound to the left-front speaker of the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 34 / 36  and the left-front speaker is connected to an input of the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35 , then that input of the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35  is routed to that output of the amplifier  110  through the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35 . Therefore, is anticipated that any of the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26 / 34 / 36  are connected through the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35  to any output of the amplifier  110  eliminating the need for the installer to connect the correct speaker to the correct terminals (except the specialized speakers such as the sub-woofer  28 ). Once the speakers  20 / 22 / 24 / 26  are connected, it is determined which speaker  20 / 22 / 24 / 26  is connected to which output of the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35  and, the audio output of the amplifier  110  that is to be provided to that speaker  20 / 22 / 24 / 26  is routed from the associated amplifier element within the amplifier  110  to the appropriate speaker  20 / 22 / 24 / 26  through the cross-point switch or multiplexer  35 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a plan view of a first typical on-screen display of the present invention will be described. Many user interfaces are known in the industry and the user interface of  FIG. 3  is but one example. In this, a speaker setup on-screen display  50  is displayed on the display panel  12 . The on-screen display  50  includes an indication of what speakers were detected  52  (e.g., 3-channel—left, right and center) and includes controls for automatic  64  or manual  66  setup. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a plan view of a second typical on-screen display of the present invention will be described. Many user interfaces are known in the industry and the user interface of  FIG. 4  is but one example. In this, a speaker setup on-screen display  60  includes an indication of what speakers were detected (e.g., two speakers—it is not known which one is left or right) and indicates that a tone generation is in progress and requests the user to indicate which speaker is making a sound  61 . The user has highlighted the right front  62 , indicating that the right-front speaker is making the sound. Upon pressing the select key, the system of the present invention will configure the multiplexer or cross point switch  35  to connect the speaker that was identified with the amplifier element of the amplifier  110  that is associated with the right front speaker. These steps are repeated until all speakers are identified. If no sound is heard, the user selects none  63  and the television system of the present invention, in some embodiments, presents a troubleshooting guide to the user. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , a plan view of a third typical on-screen display of the present invention will be described. Many user interfaces are known in the industry and the user interface of  FIG. 5  is but one example. In this, a speaker setup on-screen display  70  includes an indication that a subwoofer  28  is detected or is required/known to be connected. The on-screen display  70  indicates that a tone is being sent to the subwoofer  28  and the user is presented with two choices, yes  72  and no  74  to indicate to the system whether the sound is reaching the subwoofer  28 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 6 , a flow chart of the present invention will be described. This is an exemplary program flow executed within the processing element  100  upon the viewer entering setup  200  (e.g., by command from the remote control  111  or by detection of a speaker connection that was not previously detected. First, an on-screen display is presented  210  that includes, for example, information about the speaker configuration and, if one or more microphones  30 / 32  are present, asks the viewer if they want to perform manual or automatic configuration  220 . If the viewer requests manual configuration  220 , a list of speakers is determined  230  and the first speaker of the list is activated (e.g., a tone is emitted to the first speaker)  240 . Now, the viewer is asked (through the on-screen display) to identify which speaker is making the sound  250  and, responsive to the viewer&#39;s input  26 , the speaker is connected to the amplifier associated with the identity  270  (e.g., if the viewer indicates that the left-front speaker is making the sound, then that speaker is connected to the left-front output of the amplifier  110 ). Next, if there are no more speakers to con figure 280 , then the method is complete. If there are more  280 , then the next speaker is activated (sound generation) and the above steps starting with asking the viewer for identification  250 . 
     If the viewer requests automatic configuration  220 , a list of speakers is determined  300  and the first speaker of the list is activated  310  and a tone is emitted to the current speaker  320 . Now, the microphones  30 / 32  (any number of microphones) are used determine if any speaker is emitting the sound  330 . If no sound is detected  340 , the viewer is alerted through an on-screen delay and the process continues until the user corrects the situation (e.g., connects the speaker). Next, the microphones  30 / 32  (any number of microphones) are used to triangulate the sound and determine which speaker is emitting the sound  360 . Once the speaker is determined  360 , the speaker is connected to the amplifier associated with the identity  370  (e.g., if the triangulation  360  indicates that the left-front speaker is making the sound, then that speaker is connected to the left-front output of the amplifier  110 ). Next, if there are no more speakers to con figure 380 , then the method is complete. If there are more  380 , then the next speaker is selected  390  and the above steps are repeated starting with emitting sound from the next speaker  320 . 
     Equivalent elements can be substituted for the ones set forth above such that they perform in substantially the same manner in substantially the same way for achieving substantially the same result. 
     It is believed that the system and method of the present invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood by the foregoing description. It is also believed that it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material advantages. The form herein before described being merely exemplary and explanatory embodiment thereof. It is the intention of the following claims to encompass and include such changes.