Tap to broadcast speaker pairing
A wireless speaker system for broadcast pairing multiple wireless speakers together. The wireless speakers are equipped with magnets and magnet sensors so that taping the speakers together, at a location with the magnets and sensors meet, causes a wireless speaker to enter into a broadcast pairing mode. The magnet and sensor in each wireless speaker can be a combined magnet and sensor, or magnet-sensor combo. The magnet and the sensor can be carried by a common carrier or mount. The combined magnet and sensor can comprise a central magnet surrounded by an annular array of magnet sensors.
1. A method for broadcasting music with a wireless speaker system comprising:
a pair of wireless speakers configured to be wirelessly coupled to an audio source and wirelessly receive an audio signal from the audio source, each of the pair of wireless speakers comprising:
a housing comprising a housing wall;
a speaker carried by the housing and configured to produce audio;
a power source carried by the housing and coupled to the speaker;
control electronics carried by the housing and comprising a receiver configured to receive the audio signal; and
a combined magnet and sensor carried by the housing and positioned adjacent the housing wall and oriented to face outwardly, the combined magnet and sensor comprising a magnet with a magnetic field configured to extend beyond the housing wall, and a magnetic sensor positioned adjacent the magnet and configured to sense another magnetic field from outside the housing wall; and
the method comprising:
establishing a wireless connection between the audio source and a first of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a master speaker, the wireless connection comprising an audio signal from the audio source to the master speaker; and
positioning a second of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a slave speaker, adjacent the master speaker, with the combined magnet and sensor of the slave speaker in proximity to the combined magnet and sensor of the master speaker, causing the slave speaker to enter a pairing mode with the master speaker and receive the audio signal.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the wireless speakers further comprises:
a common carrier carried by the housing with both the magnet and the magnetic sensor coupled to the common carrier, and defining the combined magnet and sensor.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein each combined magnet and sensor further comprises:
a ferromagnetic ring located adjacent the housing wall and circumscribing the magnet.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein each combined magnet and sensor further comprises:
a ring of magnetic sensors circumscribing the magnet.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein each magnet of the pair of wireless speakers is commonly aligned with respect to the housing wall of a respective wireless speaker, and is opposable with respect to the other magnet; and wherein placing the magnets in alignment with one another causes magnetic fields to bias the magnets out of alignment with one another, and into alignment between one of the magnetic sensors of one wireless speaker and the magnet of the other wireless speaker.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein each combined magnet and sensor further comprises:
a tube comprising ferrous metal and with the magnet located in the tube;
a ring comprising ferrous metal and circumscribing the tube and spaced-apart from a proximal end of the tube adjacent to the housing wall;
a ring of magnetic sensors carried by the ring and circumscribing the tube and the magnet.
7. A wireless speaker system comprising:
a pair of wireless speakers configured to be wirelessly coupled to an audio source and wirelessly receive an audio signal from the audio source, each of the pair of wireless speakers comprising:
a housing comprising a housing wall;
a speaker carried by the housing and configured to produce audio;
a power source carried by the housing and coupled to the speaker;
control electronics carried by the housing and coupled to the speaker, and comprising a receiver configured to receive an audio signal;
a combined magnet and sensor carried by the housing and positioned adjacent the housing wall, the combined magnet and sensor comprising a magnet with a magnetic field configured to extend beyond the housing wall, and a ring of magnetic sensors circumscribing the magnet and configured to sense another magnetic field from outside the housing wall; and
each of the magnets of the pair of wireless speakers being commonly aligned with respect to the housing wall of a respective wireless speaker, and are opposable with respect to one another; and wherein placing the magnets in alignment with one another causes magnetic fields to bias the magnets out of alignment with one another, and into alignment between one of the magnetic sensors of one wireless speaker and one magnet of the other wireless speaker.
8. The wireless speaker system of claim 7 , wherein the pair of wireless speakers comprise: a master speaker configured to be coupled to the audio source, and a slave speaker configured to be wirelessly coupled to the master speaker; and wherein positioning the combined magnet and sensor of each of the pair of wireless speakers in proximity to one another causes the slave speaker to enter a pairing mode.
9. The wireless speaker system of claim 7 , wherein the combined magnet and sensor further comprises:
a ferromagnetic ring located adjacent the housing wall and circumscribing the magnet.
10. The wireless speaker system of claim 7 , wherein the combined magnet and sensor further comprises:
a tube comprising ferrous metal and with the magnet located in the tube;
a ring comprising ferrous metal and circumscribing the tube and spaced-apart from a proximal end of the tube adjacent to the housing wall; and
the ring of magnetic sensors carried by the ring and circumscribing the tube and the magnet.
11. The wireless speaker system of claim 7 , wherein each of the wireless speakers further comprises:
a common carrier carried by the housing with both the magnet and the magnetic sensor coupled to the common carrier, and defining the combined magnet and sensor.
12. A method for broadcasting music with the wireless speaker system of claim 7 , the method comprising:
establishing a wireless connection between a cellular phone and a first of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a master speaker, the wireless connection comprising an audio signal from the cellular phone to the master speaker; and
positioning a second of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a slave speaker, adjacent the master speaker, with the combined magnet and sensor of the slave speaker in proximity to the combined magnet and sensor of the master speaker, causing the slave speaker to enter a pairing mode with the master speaker and receive the audio signal.
13. A wireless speaker comprising:
a housing comprising a housing wall;
a speaker carried by the housing and configured to produce audio;
a power source carried by the housing and coupled to the speaker;
control electronics carried by the housing and coupled to the speaker, and comprising a receiver configured to receive an audio signal;
a magnet carried by the housing and positioned adjacent the housing wall, the magnet having a magnetic field configured to extend beyond the housing wall;
a tube comprising ferrous metal and with the magnet located in the tube;
a ring comprising ferrous metal and circumscribing the tube and spaced-apart from a proximal end of the tube adjacent to the housing wall; and
an annular array of magnetic sensors carried by the housing and circumscribing the tube and the magnet.
14. The wireless speaker of claim 13 , wherein:
the annular array of magnetic sensors is positionable adjacent to another magnet of another wireless speaker with another magnetic field sensible by the annular array of magnetic sensors to initiate broadcast pairing between the wireless speakers.
15. The wireless speaker of claim 13 , further comprising a pair of wireless speakers comprising: each of the magnets of the pair of wireless speakers being commonly aligned with respect to the housing wall of a respective wireless speaker, and are opposable with respect to one another; and wherein placing the magnets in alignment with one another causes magnetic fields to bias the magnets out of alignment with one another, and into alignment between one of the magnetic sensors of one wireless speaker and one magnet of the other wireless speaker.
16. A method for broadcasting music with the wireless speaker system of claim 15 , the method comprising:
establishing a wireless connection between a cellular phone and a first of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a master speaker, the wireless connection comprising an audio signal from the cellular phone to the master speaker; and
positioning a second of the pair of wireless speakers, defining a slave speaker, adjacent the master speaker, with the combined magnet and sensor of the slave speaker in proximity to the combined magnet and sensor of the master speaker, causing the slave speaker to enter a pairing mode with the master speaker and receive the audio signal.
17. The wireless speaker of claim 13 , further comprising:
a ferromagnetic ring located adjacent the housing wall and circumscribing the magnet.
18. The wireless speaker of claim 13 , further comprising:
a common carrier carried by the housing with both the magnet and the magnetic sensor coupled to the common carrier.