US 12,707,201 B2Granted

Soundbar device and method for setting soundbar device

AssigneeD&M Holdings, Inc.

InventorsShinichiro Hiraki, Toshiki Kunimoto

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Abstract

[Problem] To provide a soundbar device with which it is possible to realize an optimum surround environment that corresponds to the screen width of a television device. [Solution] This soundbar device 1 comprises: a first housing 10 having a speaker at a front surface and a left side surface; and a second housing 11 having a speaker at a front surface and a right side surface, it being possible to attach/detach the second housing 11 to/from the right side of the first housing 10 using an attachment/detachment mechanism 12. One of the first housing 10 and the second housing 11 is a main housing, and the other of the two housings is a sub-housing. The main housing extracts an audio signal for a channel allocated to the speakers provided to the main housing from a multi-channel audio signal received by a television device 3, plays back the extracted audio signal, and outputs the played-back audio signal from the speakers, and also extracts an audio signal for a channel allocated to the speakers provided to the sub-housing and transmits the extracted audio signal to the sub-housing. The sub-housing receives the audio signal from the main housing, plays back the received audio signal, and outputs the played-back audio signal from the speakers provided to the sub-housing.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A sound bar device, comprising a plurality of speakers, the sound bar device further comprising:

a first housing including, in a front surface thereof, a corresponding one of the plurality of speakers to which a left channel is assigned, and, in a left side surface thereof, a corresponding one of the plurality of speakers to which a left surround channel is assigned;
and
a second housing including, in a front surface thereof, a corresponding one of the plurality of speakers to which a right channel is assigned, and, in a right side surface thereof, a corresponding one of the plurality of speakers to which a right surround channel is assigned, the second housing being removable from and mountable on a right side of the first housing,
wherein one of the first housing and the second housing is a main housing, and another one thereof is a sub-housing,
wherein the main housing includes:
external device connection means for connecting to an external device configured to transmit a multi-channel audio signal;
main reproduction means for extracting and reproducing, from the multi-channel audio signal received from the external device, an audio signal of a channel assigned to the corresponding one of the plurality of speakers included in the main housing, and outputting the reproduced audio signal from the corresponding one of the plurality of speakers;
and
audio signal transmission means for extracting, from the multi-channel audio signal received from the external device, an audio signal of a channel assigned to the corresponding one of the plurality of speakers included in the sub-housing, and transmitting the extracted audio signal to the sub-housing, and
wherein the sub-housing includes:
audio signal reception means for receiving the audio signal from the main housing;
and
sub-reproduction means for reproducing the audio signal received by the audio signal reception means, and outputting the reproduced audio signal from the corresponding one of the plurality of speakers included in the sub-housing.

10 more elements

A method of setting a sound bar device including speakers of a plurality of channels, the sound bar device including:

a first housing including, in each of a front surface and a left side surface thereof, a corresponding one of the speakers;
and
a second housing including, in each of a front surface and a right side surface thereof, a corresponding one of the speakers, the second housing being removable from and mountable on a right side of the first housing,
the method comprising:
assigning, when each of the first housing and the second housing is installed with a lower surface thereof being directed downward, a left channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the first housing, assigning a left surround channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the left side surface of the first housing, assigning a right channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the second housing, and assigning a right surround channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the right side surface of the second housing;
assigning, when the first housing and the second housing are separated from each other and are each vertically placed and installed with a side surface in which a corresponding one of the speakers is arranged being directed upward, the left channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the first housing, assigning a left height channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the left side surface of the first housing, assigning the right channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the second housing, and assigning a right height channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the right side surface of the second housing;
and
assigning, when the first housing and the second housing are separated from each other and are each vertically placed and installed with the side surface in which the corresponding one of the speakers is arranged being directed downward, the left channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the first housing, assigning the right channel to the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the front surface of the second housing, and assigning a subwoofer channel to each of the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the left side surface of the first housing and the corresponding one of the speakers arranged in the right side surface of the second housing.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/851,474Filed 11 Oct 2022
Priority: JP 2022-05264728 Mar 2022
Published: US 2025/0211903 A126 Jun 2025
Granted: 11 Aug 2026
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

H04R 3/12
Circuits for transducers: for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers
H04R 5/04
Stereophonic arrangements: circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker…
H04R 1/025
Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein: arrangements for fixing loudspeaker transducers, e.g. in a box, furniture
H04R 5/02
Stereophonic arrangements: spatial or constructional arrangements of loudspeakers