Patent Publication Number: US-9848265-B2

Title: LED lighting device and speaker

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/488,772, filed on Sep. 17, 2014, which is a continuation application of International Patent Application PCT/CN2014/082061, filed on Jul. 11, 2014, which claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201310332830.X, filed on Aug. 1, 2013; and a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/291,180, filed on May 30, 2014, which is a continuation-in-part application of International Patent Application PCT/CN2013/072802, filed on Mar. 18, 2013, which claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201310013677.4, filed on Jan. 14, 2013, the entire contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of light emitting diode (LED) technologies and, more particularly, relates to an LED lighting device and speaker, a multifunctional LED device and a multifunctional speaker system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     LEDs provide controllable lighting and solid-state lighting. They consume less power than traditional lighting devices, and are environmentally friendly. Over time, LEDs have been widely used for various lighting applications such as public place lightings, office and indoor lightings, etc. 
     Speakers play an important role in modern daily life entertainment. To provide lighting and play music at the same time, current LED lighting device and speaker designs combine speakers and LEDs into one integrated device. However, the present designs of such devices often simply place a speaker onto an LED lighting device to provide lighting and audio playing capabilities. As a result, the resulting device often has poor heat dissipation capacity, low quality bass, and may be difficult to manufacture. 
     Wireless technologies enable users to reduce the amount of wirings needed to set up equipment. Wireless technologies are widely used in modern electronics. LEDs provide controllable lighting and solid-state lighting. They consume less power than traditional lighting devices and are environmentally friendly. Overtime, LEDs have been widely used in various lighting applications such as public place lightings, office and indoor lightings, etc. Wireless control of LED lighting devices provides functions such as remotely switching devices on/off, adjusting lighting, dimming devices, etc. Wireless control of LEDs is well received by the consumers because it is convenient and easy to use. 
     Many traditional speaker systems reply on wired connections. These systems are large and often difficult to install. Further, traditional speaker systems often need a separate transceiver to send and receive audio signals and control signals. This type of system configurations may make the speaker system large and expensive to install. As smartphones and other portable devices are being used widely as control terminals, the traditional set-up for the speaker systems has become out-of-date. 
     The present disclosure is directed to solve one or more problems set forth above and other problems. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure provide an LED lighting device and a speaker. This LED lighting device and speaker may deliver high quality bass, and dissipate heat efficiently. This LED lighting device and speaker also have a simplified structure. 
     In one embodiment, an LED lighting device and speaker includes an LED lighting unit configured to emit light, a speaker configured to play audio signals, an outer casing configured to hold the LED lighting unit and speaker, and a power supply module configured to supply power to the LED lighting unit and speaker. Further, the LED lighting unit and the speaker are fixed on a top surface of the outer casing by screws. The outer casing includes a sound guiding tube. 
     Moreover, the outer casing and the sound guiding tube may be fully integrated. The outer casing may have a hollow structure and a concave top surface. The sound guiding tube may run through the top surface of the outer casing. One end of the sound guiding tube may protrude above the top surface of the outer casing. The other end of the sound guiding tube may extend toward a bottom surface of the outer casing and maintain a gap between itself and the bottom surface. 
     In addition, the LED lighting unit and the speaker may be set on the top surface of the outer casing by screws. The sound guiding tube may have a hollow structure with both ends being open. The cross section of the sound guiding tube may be round. The lampshade has a hollowed out design and snaps into the outer casing. 
     Finally, the power supply module may include a power supply, a base with a hollow interior, and a light socket. The outer casing may be connected to the base. The power supply may be placed in the base. The power supply may be connected to the light socket and to the LED lighting unit. The base may be connected to the outer casing by screws. 
     Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure may expand the audio bandwidth of the speaker, enhance the quality of bass, and reduce speaker vibration displacements, which protects the speaker. Further, the gap between the sound guiding tube and the bottom of the outer casing provides a heat dissipation path for the heat generated by the power supply module. In addition, the sound guiding tube and the hollowed lampshade forms a path that increases the air circulation between the interior and exterior of the LED lighting device and speaker. Finally, the sound guiding tube adds to the heating dissipating surface of the LED lighting device and speaker and therefore improves the efficiency of heat dissipation. 
     Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure provide a multifunctional LED device and a multifunctional speaker system that are easy to wire. Such systems do not need to include a separate wireless transceiver or certain peripherals such as a remote control unit or a light switch. 
     One aspect of the present disclosure provides a multifunctional wireless LED device. The multifunctional LED device may include an LED power supply unit configured to supply power to an LED lighting unit and drive the LED device; a wireless transceiver configured to receive and send audio signals and control signals to and from a smart terminal; and a control unit configured to process audio signals and control signals and to control components of the LED device. The wireless transceiver may send the received signals to the control unit for further processing. The multifunctional LED device may further include a speaker configured to play audio signals; an audio power amplifier configured to receive processed audio signals from the control unit and to drive the speaker; and an LED lighting unit configured to emit light. The LED lighting unit receives control signals from the control unit and adjusts light emission accordingly. 
     Moreover, the multifunctional LED device may include an audio codec unit that is connected to the control unit and the audio power amplifier. The audio codec unit may send the audio signals processed by the control unit to the audio power amplifier. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure provides another multifunctional wireless LED device. The multifunctional LED device may include an LED power supply unit configured to supply power to an LED lighting unit and drive the LED device; a wireless transceiver configured to receive and send audio signals and control signals, and send the received signals to other multifunctional LED devices; and a control unit configured to process audio signals and controlling commands and to control components of the LED device. The wireless transceiver may send received signals to the control unit for further processing. The multifunctional LED device may further include a speaker configured to play audio signals; an audio power amplifier configured to receive processed audio signals from the control unit and to drive the speaker; and an LED lighting unit configured to emit light. The LED lighting unit receives control signals from the control unit and adjusts the light emission accordingly. 
     Moreover, the multifunctional LED device may include an audio codec unit that is connected to the control unit and the audio power amplifier. The audio codec unit may send the audio signals processed by the control unit to the audio power amplifier. 
     Moreover, the control unit of the multifunctional LED device may be a micro-controller, digital signal processor, or IC controller, or a combination thereof. The control unit processes audio signals. 
     The wireless transceiver of the multifunctional LED device may support frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, 5.8 GHz, or a combination of the above working frequencies and support bi-directional transmission. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a multifunctional sound system. The multifunctional sound system may include two multifunctional LED devices each having two wireless transceivers; and a smart terminal configured to monitor and remotely control the multifunctional LED devices. Further, one of the two multifunctional LED devices may receive signals from the smart terminal and send the received signals to the other multifunctional LED device. 
     Further, the smart terminal may set a first multifunctional LED device as a central device, and a second multifunctional LED device as a receiving device. The first central device may receive control signals or audio signals from the smart device and send the signals to the receiving device. 
     Another aspect of the present disclosure provides another multifunctional sound system. The multifunctional sound system includes a first multifunctional LED device with two wireless transceivers; a second multifunctional LED device with one wireless transceiver; and a smart terminal configured to monitor and remotely control the multifunctional LED devices. Further, the first multifunctional LED devices may receive signals from the smart terminal and send the received signals to the second multifunctional LED device. The smart terminal may be a smartphone, a smart TV, a tablet, a desktop computer, or a wireless Dongle, etc. 
     During the operations of a first multifunctional LED device (with two wireless transceivers), the power supply of the multifunctional LED device may power up the LED lighting unit and the multifunctional LED device. The smart terminal may send wireless audio signals and control signals to the first wireless transceiver. The first wireless transceiver may send the audio signals and control signals to the control unit. The control unit may process the received signals and send the processed signals to the second wireless transceiver and/or the audio power amplifier. The second wireless transceiver may send the audio signals and control signals to other multifunctional LED devices. The control unit may send feedback signals to the smart terminal. 
     Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure are easy to install, require little wiring, and do not require adding a separate transceiver, a separate remote control unit, or a separate light switch. Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure support wireless lighting control and provide efficient lighting. Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure may be low cost, relatively small, and suitable for various lighting and audio applications in residential and commercial settings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The following drawings are merely examples for illustrative purposes according to various disclosed embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view of an exemplary LED lighting device and speaker consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view from another viewpoint of an exemplary LED lighting device and speaker consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic illustrating the structure of the outer casing of an exemplary LED lighting device and speaker consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is the A-A cross sectional view of the structure of the outer casing of an exemplary LED lighting device and speaker consistent with various embodiments of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional LED device consistent with various disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional speaker system consistent with various disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 7  is another block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional speaker system consistent with various disclosed embodiments; and 
         FIG. 8  is another block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional LED device consistent with various disclosed embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, embodiments consistent with the disclosure will be described with reference to drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. It is apparent that the described embodiments are some but not all of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the disclosed embodiment, persons of ordinary skill in the art may derive other embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, all of which are within the scope of the present invention. 
     An exemplary embodiment consistent with the present disclosure is described below.  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4  illustrate an exemplary configuration of an LED lighting device and speaker consistent with the present disclosure. The LED lighting device and speaker may include a lampshade  1 , an LED lighting unit  2 , a speaker  3 , an outer casing  4 , and a power supply module  5 . The power supply module  5  may further include a power supply  51 , a base  52 , and a light socket  53 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the base  52  may have a hollow interior. The power supply  51  may be placed inside the base  52 . The power supply  51  may be connected to the light socket  53  and the LED lighting unit  2 . 
     In this embodiment, the outer casing  4  may be a cylinder with a hollow interior and a concave top surface  41 . The LED lighting unit  2  and the speaker  3  may be fixed to the top surface  41  by screws (not shown here). The lampshade  1  may snap into the outer casing  4 . The snap structure may use designs that are well known to those skilled in the art. The base  52  and the outer casing  4  may be connected together by screws. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 2  and  FIG. 4 , the outer casing  4  may include a sound guiding tube  42 . The sound guiding tube  42  may be integrated together with the outer casing  4  as one piece. One end of the sound guiding tube  42  may protrude out of the top surface  41 . The other end of the sound guiding tube  42  may extend toward the bottom surface of the outer casing  4 , but stay above the bottom surface. As a result, a gap may be formed between the lower end of the sound guiding tube  42  and the bottom surface of the outer casing  4 . 
     The sound guiding tube  42  may have a circular shaped cross section as shown in this embodiment. The sound guide tube  42  may be designed to use tubes of different cross sectional shapes such as square, polygon, etc. Moreover, the sound guiding tube  42  may expand the audio bandwidth of the speaker and may improve its bass quality. The sound guide tube  42  may also reduce the vibration displacement of the speaker  3 , which may better protect the speaker  3 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the lampshade  1  may have a hollowed out design. The sound guiding tube  42  may therefore connect the internal air (of the power supply chamber) to the external air. As a result, heat generated by the power supply  51  may be dissipated efficiently through convection. Further, the sound guiding tube  42  adds to the surface area of the outer casing  4 , which improves the heat dissipation efficiency. 
     The design, including the material, shape, size, or position, of the sound guiding tube  42  may be determined based on the internal space of the LED lighting device and speaker, the power of the speaker, the desirable sound effect, etc. For example, the length of the sound guiding tube may be adjusted to achieve better sound quality or better heat dissipation. In another example, multiple sound guiding tubes may also be used to achieve better sound quality or better heat dissipation. Further, the thickness or the material of the sound guiding tube  42  may be selected to improve heat dissipation efficiency. In addition, the position of the sound guiding tube  42  may also be adjusted to achieve better vibration displacement reduction. 
     An exemplary embodiment consistent with the present disclosure is described below.  FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary configuration of a multifunctional LED device consistent with the present disclosure. The multifunctional LED device  100  may include a smart terminal  200 , an LED power supply unit  10 , a control unit  11 , an audio codec unit  12 , an audio power amplifier  13 , a speaker  14 , a first wireless transceiver  15 , a second wireless transceiver  16 , and an LED lighting unit  17 . The multifunctional LED device  100  may have similar structure and components as the LED lighting device and speaker disclosed in  FIGS. 1-4 . For example, the speaker  14  may be the same as the speaker  3 . The LED lighting unit  17  may be the same as the LED lighting unit  2 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 5 , the LED power supply unit  10  may drive the LED lighting unit  17  and supply power to the LED device  100 . The first wireless transceiver  15  may receive digital audio signals and controlling signals from a smart terminal  200 . The first wireless transceiver  15  may then send the received data to the control unit  11 . The control unit  11  may process the digital audio signals, and may send the processed audio signals to the second wireless transceiver  16 . The wireless transceiver  15  may send the received digital audio signal to the audio codec unit  12 . The audio codec unit  12  may code/decode the received audio signals, and may send the processed audio signals to the audio power amplifier  13 . The audio codec unit  12  may be connected to the second wireless transceiver  16 . The control unit  11  may send feedback information to the smart terminal  200  through the first wireless transceiver  15 . The first wireless transceiver  15  may also be connected to the second wireless transceiver  16 . 
     Further, the control unit  11  may process the received audio signals using various algorithms. The control unit  11  may be a microprocessor, a digital processor, a digital integrated circuit (IC), or a combination thereof. The first wireless transceiver  15  may receive digital audio signals and controlling signals from the smart terminal  200  and send the received signals to the control unit  11 . The control unit  11  may process the digital audio signals and control signals, and send the processed signals to the audio power amplifier  13  and the wireless transceiver  16 . The audio power amplifier  13  may be connected to the speaker  14 . The control unit  11  may communicate with the second wireless transceiver  16 . The control unit  11  may also use the second wireless transceiver  16  to communicate with other LED devices. 
     In some embodiments, the first wireless transceiver  15  and second wireless transceiver  16  may support frequency bands such as 2.4 GHz, 5.2 GHz, 5.8 GHz, and other working frequencies or the combinations thereof. They may be capable of both receiving and sending data. They may be connected to the internet or a local area network to realize remote control of multifunctional LED devices. 
     The LED power supply unit  10  may supply the power for the LED lighting unit  17 . In some embodiments, the control unit  11  may be connected to the LED power supply unit  10 . After receiving control signals, the control unit  11  may generate Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) waves. The control unit  11  may generate PWM signals with a set frequency and an adjustable duty cycle or PWM signals with a set duty cycle with an adjustable frequency. These PWM signals may be sent to the power supply unit  10  to control the LED lighting unit  17 . 
     Moreover, the smart terminal  200  can be a smartphone, a smart television, a tablet, a desktop computer, a wireless dongle, and/or other computing devices. 
       FIG. 6  is an exemplary embodiment of a multifunctional speaker system consistent with present disclosure. The system may include several above-mentioned multifunctional LED devices  1  and smart terminals  200 . A smart terminal  200  may communicate with any of the multifunctional LED devices  100  in the system. In addition, the multifunctional LED devices  1  may communicate among themselves. As shown in  FIG. 6 , two multifunctional LED devices  1  may be configured to form a 2-channelspeaker system. More multifunctional LED devices may be added to the system to form 2.1-channel, 5.1-channel, or 7.1-channel speaker systems. In theory, any number of audio channels in the wireless speaker system may be realized through this method. 
     Each multifunctional LED device  100  may include a first wireless transceiver  15  and a second wireless transceiver  16 . The multifunctional speaker system may set one of the multifunctional LED devices  1  as a central unit, and set the other the multifunctional LED device as a receiving unit. The central unit may receive audio signals and control signals from the smart terminal  200 , and then send the received information to other receiving units within its coverage. 
     As shown in  FIG. 7 , in one embodiment, the multifunctional speaker system may include a number of the multifunctional LED devices. One of the multifunctional LED devices includes a first wireless transceiver  15  and a second wireless transceiver  16 . The rest of the multifunctional LED devices may only include second wireless transceivers  16 . The smart terminal  200  may set the one multifunctional LED devices with two wireless transceivers as a central unit, and set the rest of the one-transceiver multifunctional LED devices as receiving units. The central unit may receive audio signals and control signals from the smart terminal  200 , and then send the received information to other receiving units within its coverage. 
     In some embodiments, the smart terminal  200  may act as the central control unit. The multifunctional LED devices may form a star and/or mesh network. The central control unit may control each of the devices in the network. 
       FIG. 8  shows another embodiment of the multifunctional LED device. In  FIG. 8 , the multifunctional LED device does not include an audio codec unit. After receiving audio signals and control signals from the first wireless transceiver  15 , the control unit  11  may process the audio signals according to predefined algorithms. The control unit  11  may then send the processed audio signals to the audio power amplifier  13  and the second wireless transceiver  16 . The second wireless transceiver  16  may be connected to the audio power amplifier  13 . The audio power amplifier  13  may be connected to the speaker unit  14 . 
     In various embodiments, the multifunctional LED device  100  can be configured as one single device. For example, the at least one power supply unit, the at least one control unit, the at least one audio power amplifier unit, the at least one wireless transceiver, the at least one speaker unit, and/or the at least one audio codec unit, can be integrated into the one LED lighting device  100  to form the single device. Accordingly, the multifunctional speaker system can include a plurality of the multifunctional LED devices each configured as one single device. 
     In an exemplary multifunctional LED device  100 , the speaker unit  14  can be integrated together with driver circuit of the LED drive and power supply unit  10  to save space and to reduce wire loss on of a distributed design. In one embodiment, to ensure the transceiver  15 / 16  functions as the wireless transceiver module as desired, an embedded antenna can be included in the integrated multifunctional LED device  100 . The embedded antenna can be configured to fit a shape of the lamp body of the multifunctional LED device  100  without increasing the size of the resultant device and to maintain the design of the resultant device. 
     In various embodiments, the wireless transceivers  15  and  16  may also be configured with automatic frequency hopping functions to avoid interference with other radio devices. Furthermore, noise reduction and/or echo cancellation technologies can be applied using software and hardware products to provide the multifunctional LED device  100  with desired audio effects. 
     Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY AND ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS 
     Without limiting the scope of any claim and/or the specification, examples of industrial applicability and certain advantageous effects of the disclosed embodiments are listed for illustrative purposes. Various alternations, modifications, or equivalents to the technical solutions of the disclosed embodiments can be obvious to those skilled in the art and can be included in this disclosure. 
     In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, an RF module may be added to the LED lighting device and speaker. The RF module may enable users to control the LED lighting device and speaker remotely, such as switching the device on/off, adjusting light and sound settings, etc. The RF module may also connect the LED lighting device and speaker to the internet to stream music online. 
     In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, a Bluetooth module may be included in the LED lighting device and speaker. The LED lighting device and speaker may be paired with a smart phone, a tablet, etc. through the Bluetooth module. A user may install an application on the smartphone or tablet to control lighting or play music stored on the device. 
     In some embodiments consistent with the present disclosure, multiple LED lighting device and speakers may be configured to form 2.0-channel, 2.1-channel, 5.1-channel, etc. audio systems. Further, the LED lighting unit may be configured to change its light colors or light intensities according to the rhythm or volume of the music played through the speaker. 
     In some embodiments, the multifunctional LED device  100  may include one or more sensors for detecting objects or movements of objects in a room. The control unit  11  may then control the multifunctional LED devices  100  based on the data received from the sensors. For example, in a room using multiple multifunctional LED devices  1  to implement a wireless multifunctional speaker system, the sensors integrated in the multifunctional LED devices  100  may detect the position and movements of a person in the room. The multifunctional wireless speaker system may then adjust the multifunctional LED device(s)  100  close to the person and the multifunctional LED device(s)  100  far away from the person accordingly to various algorithms to better broadcast the audio signals. For example, the control unit  11  may amplify certain frequency bands in the multifunctional LED device(s)  100  close to the person. In another example, the control unit  11  may also adjust the lighting (e.g., dimming) in the multifunctional LED device(s)  100  far away from the person. 
     REFERENCE SIGN LIST 
     
         
         
           
             Lampshade  1   
             LED lighting unit  2   
             Speaker  3   
             Outer casing  4   
             Power supply module  5   
             Top surface of the outer casing  41   
             Sound guiding tube  42   
             Power supply  51   
             Base  52   
             Light socket  53   
             Multifunctional LED device  100   
             Smart terminal  200   
             Power supply unit  10   
             Control unit  11   
             Audio codec unit  12   
             Audio power amplifier  13   
             Speaker  14   
             Wireless transceiver  15   
             Wireless transceiver  16   
             LED light source assembly  17