Patent ID: 8199941

Claim:
A method of identifying speakers in an array comprising a center speaker, a left speaker, and a right speaker, the method comprising: providing the center speaker with left and right ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers, providing the left speaker and the right speaker each with an ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer, and either (a) energizing one ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the center speaker to emit an ultrasonic acoustic ping signal, utilizing the transducers of the left and right speakers to detect the ping signal, measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said one ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer and detection of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the left and right speakers, energizing the other ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the center speaker to emit an ultrasonic acoustic ping signal, utilizing the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the left and right speakers to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by said other ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer and detection of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the left and right speakers, or (b) energizing the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the left speaker to emit an ultrasonic acoustic ping signal, utilizing the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the center speaker to detect the ping signal, measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the left speaker and detection of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the center speaker, energizing the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the right speaker to emit an ultrasonic acoustic ping signal, utilizing the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the center speaker to detect the ping signal, and measuring lapse of time between emission of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducer of the right speaker and detection of the ping signal by the ultrasonic electro-acoustic transducers of the center speakers, and employing the measured values of lapse of time to assign a location to each of the left and right speakers relative to the center speaker.