Patent ID: 8054987

Claim:
A system for distributing audio signals between a plurality of active loudspeakers for playing back said signals by the respective loudspeakers, the system comprising: at least two active loudspeakers, each active loudspeaker including: acoustic transducer means; associated amplifier means; wireless interface means comprising transmitter and receiver means suitable for searching for and establishing a wireless link with at least one other loudspeaker of the system; means for applying an audio channel signal to the amplifier means for playback by the transducer means, the audio channel signal being derived from the signal received by the wireless interface means; and means for configuring the loudspeakers in a network, wherein said loudspeakers are initially not configured in a hierarchical network; said transmitter and receiver means of each of said active loudspeakers are configured for searching for and establishing a wireless link with any other active loudspeaker of the system; and said configuring means configuring the loudspeakers into a network that operates automatically: a) enabling each loudspeaker to search for the other loudspeakers with which it can establish a direct wireless link; b) on the basis of the results of said search, drawing up a table of mutual visibilities of each active loudspeaker with respect to the other active loudspeakers for which a link has been successfully established; c) designating one of the loudspeakers as a network head loudspeaker; and d) on the basis of the mutual visibility table, defining a network topology that is hierarchical from the network head loudspeaker.