INTERFACE DEVICE FOR WIRELESS AUDIO APPLICATIONS.

• US 20070003073A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cherryfi, LLC
• Original Assignee: Gonzalo Iriarte
• Inventors: Iriarte, Gonzalo
• Granted Patent: US 7,818,078 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/77
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/211 Wireless transmission, e.g. of music parameters or control data by radio, infrared or ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 3/186 Means for processing the signal picked up from the strings filtering G10H1/12

Abstract

The present invention is directed to wireless analog audio systems for transmission and reception of a signal from an electric analog audio signal-generating device to an electric analog audio signal-receiving device. Examples of electric analog audio signal-generating devices are radio players, tape players, CD players, mp3 players, computers, television audio, electric guitars, electric music keyboards, video cassette recorders (VCR) and the like. Examples of electric analog audio signal-receiving devices are electric-guitar amplifiers, headphones and speaker systems. In the following and for the sake of simplicity, electric analog audio signal-generating devices may be referred to as signal-generating devices, and electric analog audio signal-receiving devices may be referred to as signal-receiving devices. Some devices, such as guitar multieffects, may have both functions i.e. the reception as well as the transmission of electric analog (or digital) signals. This type of devices may be an intermediate device between a signal-generating device and a signal-receiving device. An audio transceiver may include a standard 6.3, 3.5 or 2.5-inch audio jack-plug or standard 6.3, 3.5 or a 2.5-inch audio jack-socket to facilitate the connection to the signal-generating device or to the signal-receiving device. The audio transceiver system may contain a front end either on chip or as an external component. The front end may use a direct conversion scheme to facilitate the broadcast. This front end may be specially adapted to transmit audio signals by using a low pass filter to filter out undesired frequencies. The low pass filter output signal may be in communication with an A/D converter whose output may be in communication with a baseband processing system to carry out typical baseband tasks such as digital low pass filtering, encoding and decoding etc. The front-end output may be in communication with an antenna for wireless transmission/reception of a signal. The transmitted signal may be transmitted to a signal-receiving device. In particular, for the case of electric guitars, a method is presented of converting a conventional guitar into a wireless digital guitar. The guitar is adapted to generate analog audio signals, convert those signals into digital signals, format the digital signals according to a digital communication protocol, and to output the formatted signals. The guitar may include a novel multi-signal guitar pickup that generates some of the analog audio signals. The interface device of the present invention is adapted to wirelessly and in real time receive digital signals, convert those signals into analog signals representing what is being played at the guitar, and output the analog signals to a standard guitar amplifier. Moreover, the system presented here does not require any modification of standard electric guitars or standard electric guitar amplifiers to make this happen. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A wireless audio interface system for digital wireless transmission and reception of an analog audio signal from an electric analog audio signal-generating device to an electric analog audio signal-receiving device, comprising;

a jack plug or a jack socket in communication with a transceiver module and connectable to a jack plug or a jack socket of an electric analog audio signal-generating device or a jack plug or a jack socket of an electric analog audio signal-receiving device.

2. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] further comprising an antenna (33), a balun (not shown), a duplexer (34), a power amplifier (49) connected to the duplexer (34), a summating element (not shown), a mixing up-converting element (47), a low pass filter (46), a D/A converter system (45), digital modulator (44), a digital interface to a microcontroller or a DSP (43), an audio codec (not shown) and a pre-stage (5) to adapt the impedance to the signal generating device (15) (or (21)).

3. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] further comprising, a low noise amplifier system (35) connected to the duplexer (34), a mixing down-converting element (36) connected to the low noise amplifier system (35), a band pass filter (37) connected to the mixing down-converting element, an A/D converter system connected to the band pass filter, a digital demodulator connected to the A/D converter system, and a post-stage to adapt the impedance to the signal receiving device.

4. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] further comprising, a frequency synthesizer system (41) connected to the 0-90 divider (42), and said 0-90 divider (42) connected to said mixing elements (36) and (47).

5. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein all components except the antenna and the duplexer are integrated within a single chip transceiver integrated circuit (22).

6. A single chip transceiver integrated circuit (22) to be used together with the wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] containing an A/D converter system, a D/A converter system, an rf-front end a microcontroller and a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

7. The transceiver module in claim [claim 1] wherein the DSP is used to synthesize effects on the audio signal.

8. The transceiver module in claim [claim 1] wherein the DSP is used to transmit MIDI to the receiving device.

9. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein the electric analog audio signal-generating device is a radio player, a tape player, a mp3 player, a personal computer, a television set, an electric guitar, an electric bass guitar, an electrically amplified acoustic guitar, a guitar multi-effect device, an electric music keyboard or a DVD player.

10. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] such that when operated in a transmitter mode is embedded within the body of any of said electric analog audio signal-generating devices whereas when operated in receiver mode it is as described in claim [claim 1].

11. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein the electric analog audio signal-receiving device is a guitar amplifier, a headphone, a speaker system or a guitar multi-effect device.

12. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] such that when operated in transmitter mode it is embedded within the body of any of said electric analog audio signal-transmitting devices whereas when operated in receiver mode it is as described in claim [claim 1].

13. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] such that when operated in receiver mode it is embedded within the body of any of said electric analog audio signal-receiving devices whereas when operated in transmitter mode it is as described in claim [claim 1].

14. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein the analog transceiver module transmits the audio signal to multiple devices.

15. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein the analog transceiver module receives the audio signal from multiple devices.

16. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein FHSS (Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum) techniques are used to allow the interface devices to operate in a network avoiding collision between adjacent devices.

17. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] wherein extensive built-in control signaling features between master and slave such as retransmit capabilities, connect/reconnect capabilities and several power down modes.

18. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] incorporating an electrical switch to power it on or off.

19. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] incorporating an electrical switch to choose between the transmitting and receiving broadcasting mode of the device.

20. The wireless audio interface system in claim [claim 1] incorporating an electrical switch to switch between impedance matching circuitry used to match the impedance of the system to the impedance of the signal-generating or signal receiving equipment.