US Patent 8345886 Method and apparatus for detecting malfunctioning speaker

A method and apparatus for detecting a malfunctioning speaker are provided. The apparatus detects a speaker abnormality by identifying the state of the speaker when turning the power on or off, switching from standby mode to play mode, or performing testing. The apparatus generates an audio signal having a frequency higher than a particular frequency, outputs the audio signal to the speaker, and determines that the speaker is malfunctioning if the level of a fed-back frequency signal is lower than a reference level. If the speaker is determined to be malfunctioning, the power supply is cut and the danger of a fire starting is accordingly reduced.