Communication system, apparatus and method

• US 20070291956A1
• Filed: 06/04/2007
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ideaworkx LLC
• Original Assignee: Ideaworkx LLC
• Inventors: Loether, Jeff
• Granted Patent: US 7,991,163 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/80
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/40 by combining a number of identical transducers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/405
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 27/00 Public address systems circuits for preventing acoustic reaction H04R3/02; circuits for distributing signals to loudspeakers H04R3/12; monitoring or testing arrangements for public address systems H04R29/007; amplifiers H03F

Abstract

A system and method for generating, transmitting and distributing audio signals. The system and method may include an array having a plurality of microphones and a plurality of speakers as well as a first processor disposed proximate the array. The system and method can also have a second processor disposed remotely from the array and communicatively coupled with the array, at least one remotely located device having at least one microphone and at least one speaker and one or more remotely located speakers. Also, there may be an audio signal that is generated by one of a microphone on the array and a microphone on the at least one remotely located device, the location of the generation of the audio signal determined by one of the first processor and the second processor, generated audio signal transmitted to at least one of the speakers on the array, the at least one speaker on the remotely located device and the one or more remotely located speakers.

Claims

1. An audio system, comprising:

an array having a plurality of microphones and a plurality of speakers;

a first processor disposed proximate the array;

a second processor disposed remotely from the array and communicatively coupled with the array and the first processor, at least one remotely located device having at least one microphone and at least one speaker and one or more remotely located speakers; and

an audio signal that is generated by one of a microphone on the array and a microphone on the at least one remotely located device, a location of the generation of the audio signal determined by one of the first processor and the second processor, generated audio signal transmitted to at least one of the speakers on the array, the at least one speaker on the remotely located device and the one or more remotely located speakers.

2. The audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio signal is generated by a microphone on the array and the first processor routes the audio signal to speakers substantially remote on the array as the microphone that generated the audio signal.

3. The audio system of claim 2, wherein the first processor disables the speakers located substantially adjacent to the microphone on the array that is generating an audio signal.

4. The audio system of claim 2, wherein the audio signal generated by a microphone on the array is transmitted to a central control unit housing the second processor.

5. The audio system of claim 4, wherein the second processor transmits the audio signal to the at least one remotely located device.

6. The audio system of claim 5, wherein the at least one microphone on the at least one remotely located device is disabled when the at least one remotely located device receives an audio signal from the central control unit.

7. The audio system of claim 1, wherein the audio signal is generated by the at least one microphone on the at least one remotely located device, transmitted to the central control unit and distributed to one or more of the array, at least one more remotely located devices having at least one microphone and at least one speaker and one or more speakers.

8. The audio system of claim 7, wherein the second processor in the central control unit disables the microphones on the array when the audio signal is generated by the at least one microphone on the at least one remotely located device.

9. The audio system of claim 8, wherein the second processor in the central control unit disables all of the microphones in the audio system except for the at least one microphone on the at least one remotely located device when the audio signal is generated by the at least one microphone on the at least one remotely located device.

10. The audio system of claim 1, wherein the array is substantially circular.

11. The audio system of claim 1, wherein the array is substantially linear.

12. The audio system of claim 1, wherein one of the first processor and the second processor automatically determine the microphone that generates the audio signal and automatically disables at least one of the microphones on the array, at least one of the microphones on the at least one remotely located device, at least one of the speakers on the array, at least one of the speakers on the remotely located device and at least one of the one or more speakers.

13. A method of distributing an audio signal, comprising:

generating an audio signal with a microphone;

inputting the audio signal into a device having a digital signal processor;

determining, by the digital signal processor, the origin location of the audio signal;

outputting the audio signal to one or more speakers located remotely from the origin location of the audio signal;

disabling one or more speakers located substantially proximate the origin location of the audio signal; and

disabling one or more microphones substantially remote from the origin location of the audio signal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the disabling of the one or more microphones substantially remote from the origin location of the audio signal is performed automatically.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the disabling of the one or more microphones substantially remote from the origin location of the audio signal is performed manually by a person substantially proximate the origin location of the audio signal.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

distributing the audio signal to speakers located substantially opposite the origin location of the audio signal on a radial array.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

transmitting, via a wireless connection, the audio signal to an output device located remotely from the origin of the audio signal.

18. An audio signal distribution system, comprising:

a first communication device having a plurality of microphones and speakers arranged in an array, a processor that determines the location of the microphone of an input audio signal and distributes the audio signal to speakers located substantially remote to the location of the microphone on the array;

at least a second communication device having at least one microphone and at least one speaker, the at least second communication device communicatively coupled to the first communication device and any other communication devices having at least one microphone and one speaker by a central control unit, the central control unit capable of routing an audio signal generated by the at least one microphone on the at least second communication device to the first communication device, deactivating speakers on the first communication device and the at least second communication device and deactivating microphones on the first communication device and the at least second communication device.

19. The audio signal distribution system of claim 18, wherein the central control unit deactivates the plurality of microphones on the first communication device and the at least one speaker on the second communication device when an audio signal is generated by the at least one microphone on the second communication device and transmitted to the plurality of speakers on the first communication device.

20. The audio signal distribution system of claim 19, wherein when an audio signal is generated by a microphone on the first communication device, the central control unit deactivates the at least one microphone on the at least second communication device and at least one speaker substantially adjacent to the microphone that generated the audio signal in the array on the first communication device.

21. A method for communicating, comprising:

means to generate an audio signal;

means to transmit the generated audio signal to an output device located remotely from the location where the audio signal was generated; and

means to prevent the generation of other audio signals when the generated audio signal is being transmitted.