DISTRIBUTED RECEPTION WIRELESS MICROPHONE SYSTEM

• US 20110299457A1
• Filed: 10/14/2010
• Published: 12/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Audio Technica U.S. Inc (Audio-Technica Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Audio Technica U.S. Inc (Audio-Technica Corporation)
• Inventors: Green, Robert T. III, Fair, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,670,380 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0641 Change of the master or reference, e.g. take-over or failure of the master
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0652 Synchronisation among time division multiple access [TDMA] nodes, e.g. time triggered protocol [TTP] bus network with centralized control in which slots are of a TDMA packet structure H04L12/4035
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/00 Microphones
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes

Abstract

An apparatus is provided that includes a plurality of portable wireless transmitter units, a plurality of digital receiver modules that alternate transmitting wireless synchronization pulses and that receive information from the plurality of transmitter units synchronized to the synchronization pulses, a receiver control unit in communication with each of the receiver modules that coordinates transmission of synchronization pulses among the plurality of digital receiver modules in accordance with a predetermined transmission sequence and a system that receives the information from at least some of the microphone transmitter units through the receiver modules and delivers the information exclusively to a geographic area proximate a source of the audio information.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of portable wireless transmitter units;

a plurality of digital receiver modules that alternate transmitting wireless synchronization pulses and that receive information from the plurality of portable wireless transmitter units synchronized to the synchronization pulses;

a receiver control unit in communication with each of the receiver modules that coordinates transmission of synchronization pulses among the plurality of digital receiver modules in accordance with a predetermined transmission sequence; and

a system that receives the information from at least some of the transmitter units through the receiver modules and delivers the information exclusively to an intended predetermined destination.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the portable transmitters further comprise wireless microphones.

3. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the information further comprises audio.

4. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the system further comprises an entertainment, communication or announcement audio system.

5. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the plurality of microphone transmitter units and digital receiver modules operate under a ultrawideband format.

6. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of digital receiver modules alternatively transmit a sequence of synchronization pulses.

7. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the synchronization pulses are approximately 1 millisecond apart.

8. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the synchronization pulses define a time division multiple access frame.

9. The apparatus as in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of geographic areas where at least a first group of the plurality of microphone transmitter units are assigned to a first geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas and a second group of the plurality of microphone transmitter units are assigned to a second geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas.

21. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of digital receiver modules further comprise a cable compensation delay used to synchronize the transmission of the synchronization pulses based upon a cable length connecting the respective digital receiver modules to the receiver control unit.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of geographic areas;

a plurality of portable wireless microphone transmitter units with a first group of the plurality of microphone transmitter units assigned to a first geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas and a second group of the plurality of microphone transmitter units assigned to a second geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas;

a plurality of digital receiver modules with a first group of the plurality of digital receiver modules assigned to the first geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas and a second group of the plurality of digital receiver modules assigned to the second geographic area of the plurality of geographic areas and where the plurality of digital receiver modules alternate transmitting wireless synchronization pulses and that receive audio information from the plurality of microphone transmitter units synchronized to the synchronization pulses;

a receiver control unit in communication with each of the receiver modules that coordinates transmission of synchronization pulses among the plurality of digital receiver modules in accordance with a predetermined transmission sequence; and

a plurality of entertainment, communication or announcement audio systems that receives the audio information from at least some of the microphone transmitter units through the receiver modules, amplifies the audio information and delivers the amplified audio information exclusively to an intended area.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the receiver control unit selects a digital receiver module of the plurality of digital receiver modules for receiving audio information for each of the plurality of portable wireless transmitters based upon an error rate detected through the digital receiver module.

12. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the plurality of digital receiver modules alternatively transmit a sequence of synchronization pulses.

13. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the synchronization pulses are approximately 1 millisecond apart.

14. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the synchronization pulses define a time division multiple access frame.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of portable wireless microphone transmitter units, each with a group identifier;

a plurality of digital receiver modules that alternate transmitting wireless synchronization pulses and that receive audio information from the plurality of microphone transmitter units synchronized to the synchronization pulses;

a receiver control unit in communication with each of the receiver modules that coordinates transmission of synchronization pulses among the plurality of digital receiver modules in accordance with a predetermined transmission sequence; and

a public address system that receives the audio information from at least some of the microphone transmitter units through the receiver modules, amplifies the audio information and delivers the amplified audio information exclusively to a destination identified by the group identifier of the source.

16. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the receiver control unit selects a digital receiver module of the plurality of digital receiver modules for receiving audio information for each of the plurality of portable wireless transmitters based upon an error rate detected through the digital receiver module.

17. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the receiver control unit dynamically selects a digital receiver module of the plurality of digital receiver modules for receiving audio information for each of the plurality of portable wireless transmitters based upon an error rate of the portable wireless transmitter detected through the digital receiver module.

18. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the plurality of digital receiver modules alternatively transmit a sequence of synchronization pulses.

19. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the synchronization pulses are approximately 1 millisecond apart.

20. The apparatus as in claim 15 wherein the synchronization pulses define a time division multiple access frame.