Lighted enhanced bullhorn

• US 5,859,915 A
• Filed: 04/30/1997
• Issued: 01/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Turtle Beach Corporation
• Original Assignee: American Technology Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Norris, Elwood G.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRAN, SINH N
• Application Number:
  US08/846,637
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 381/75, 381/82, 381/77, 29/169.5
• US Class Current: 381/75
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/0081 the high-energy beam being acoustic, e.g. sonic, infrasonic or ultrasonic
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2217/03 Parametric transducers where sound is generated or captured by the acoustic demodulation of amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves
• 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 sound projection device for use in speaking to one or more specific persons on a selective basis, the device including a housing having a directional aspect for aiming the housing at a target area, a gripping handle coupled to the housing to enable the device to be held in a user'"'"'s hand, and a parametric speaker coupled to a front end of the housing for indirectly generating at least one new sonic frequency from at least two ultrasonic frequencies of different value. The housing includes a luminating source having a directional orientation substantially aligned with the directional aspect of the housing. The combination of light and directional sound source enables the user to visually identify the target area before transmitting the sonic frequency to the target.

Claims

1. A method for supplying directional sound and light from a voice projection device by indirectly generating at least one new sonic frequency which is a difference of at least two interacting ultrasonic frequencies, the method comprising the steps of:

a) emitting from a perimeter of the projection device at least one first ultrasonic frequency along a direction which is in alignment with a directional orientation of the projection device;

b) emitting from the projection device a second ultrasonic frequency by means which cause the second ultrasonic frequency to interact with the first ultrasonic frequency to generate the new sonic frequency, wherein the second ultrasonic frequency has a frequency equal to the at least one first ultrasonic frequency plus at least one sideband corresponding to the at least one new sonic frequency;

c) directing a light from within the perimeter of the projection device along the directional orientation toward a common target area with the new sonic frequency; and

d) propagating a desired message as the new sonic frequency.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of generating the at least one new sonic frequency as a sonic output corresponding to a human voice message.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of electronically amplifying speech of a user of the device and modulating the speech as part of the second ultrasonic frequency to thereby transmit the speech to the target in a directionally isolated manner.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of recording the at least one new sonic frequency on a memory chip and transmitting the at least one new sonic frequency from the memory chip as part of the second ultrasonic frequency.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of emitting a directional light from the device along the directional orientation to identify the common target area visually, thereby enabling isolation of the common target for transmitting the at least one new sonic frequency.

6. The method as defined in claim 5, further comprising the step of modulating the light emitted from the device with the at least one new sonic frequency.

7. The method defined in claim 5, comprising the additional step of modulating the light emitted from the device with sonic input, thereby creating a variable light transmission which correlates with the sonic input.

8. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a predetermined voice message to a designated target in an isolated manner so that the message is heard only in direct proximity to the common target area.

9. A speech projection device having a directional orientation for emitting both light and sound from a user in a narrow beam with selective focus toward another person at a distance by indirectly propagating from the user at least one new sonic frequency as a by-product of emitting at least two ultrasonic frequencies from an ultrasonic frequency emitter, said device comprised of:

a housing having a light transmitting opening and an audio emitting perimeter positioned at an emitting end of the housing, said light transmitting opening and the audio emitting perimeter having a generally common directional orientation along a common transmission axis;

an ultrasonic frequency signal source contained within the housing for providing a first ultrasonic frequency signal;

a sonic frequency generator coupled to the housing for supplying an electrical signal corresponding to the at least one new sonic frequency;

modulating means contained within the housing and coupled to the ultrasonic frequency signal generator and sonic frequency generator for combining the first ultrasonic frequency signal with the electrical signal corresponding to the at least one new sonic frequency to thereby generate a second ultrasonic frequency signal;

a plurality of ultrasonic frequency emitters positioned at the audio emitting perimeter of the housing which are coupled to an output of the modulating means for (i) propagating both the first and second ultrasonic frequency signals, and (ii) generating the at least one new sonic frequency wave train as a by-product of interference between the first and second ultrasonic frequency signals; and

a directional light source positioned at the light transmitting opening and having a directional means for focusing light toward another person.

10. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein the audio emitting perimeter is configured in a circular shape, said ultrasonic frequency emitters being disposed in a circular pattern within the perimeter.

11. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein the audio emitting perimeter is configured in a rectangular shape, said ultrasonic frequency emitters being disposed in a linear, rectangular pattern within the perimeter.

12. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein the audio emitting perimeter is configured in a rectangular shape, said ultrasonic frequency emitters being disposed in a rectangular pattern within two opposing sides of the rectangular shape.

13. A device as defined in claim 9, wherein the sonic frequency generator comprises a microphone positioned at an opposing end of the housing from the emitting perimeter to be responsive to audio input from the user.

14. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein the modulating means comprises an amplitude modulating device which modulates an ultrasonic frequency signal with a sonic signal to thereby generate the at least two ultrasonic frequencies, said modulating means including means for generating the at least one new sonic frequency to be transmitted to the target area.

15. The device as defined in claim 14 wherein the modulating means includes means for generating a single sideband signal embodying the at least two ultrasonic frequencies for optimizing amplitude and transmission of a sonic frequency of predetermined bandwidth.

16. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the sonic frequency generator includes an integrated computer chip having prerecorded sonic signals comprising prerecorded messages.

17. The device as defined in claim 16, further comprising means for supplying a plurality of different prerecorded sonic signals, and including selector means for preselecting one of the prerecorded signals for transmission from the ultrasonic frequency emitters.

18. The device as defined in claim 16, wherein the prerecorded messages are selected from the group of human voice messages consisting of a police warning to a suspect, a fireman message to a person in jeopardy, a military message to a combatant, a security guard message to a possible intruder, a confidential message to a selected individual within a group of people, a prompting message to a performer, and a technician message to a member of a stage crew.

19. The device as defined in claim 9, further comprising means for recording additional sounds to a signal storage means coupled to the sonic frequency generator.

20. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the directional light source comprises a laser.

21. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the directional light source comprises a light emitting diode.

22. The device as defined in claim 9, wherein the directional light source comprises a flash tube.

23. The device as defined in claim 9, further comprising light modulating means for modulating transmission of the directional light source with sonic input from the ultrasonic frequency emiters.

24. The device as defined in claim 23, wherein the light modulating means responds to different frequency values of the sonic input to create correlated light and sound concurrently emitted from the speech projection device.

25. The device as defined in claim 23, wherein the light modulating means includes means for correlating the sonic input the sonic input comprising speech with output of the directional light source, thereby creating an impression of a talking light.

26. The device as defined in claim 25, further comprising microphone means coupled to the sonic frequency generator for enabling direct transmission of a sonic frequency comprising a human voice to the another person.

27. The device as defined in claim 9, further comprising focusing means operable with respect to the directional light source for increasing light intensity at a desired distance and location.

28. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein the housing comprises a configuration selected from the group consisting of a bullhorn, a flashlight, and a megaphone.

29. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein the plurality of the ultrasonic frequency emitter are comprised of an ultrasonic acoustical transducers.

30. The device as defined in claim 9, further comprising a microphone and associated audio amplification circuitry coupled to the housing for detecting sound, said audio amplification circuitry being coupled to the modulating means for providing the detected sound as a new sonic frequency to enable transmission of speech as the new sonic frequency.

31. The device as defined in claim 9 wherein the device further comprises an ultrasonic frequency signal generator which transmits the first ultrasonic frequency to the modulating means and wherein the modulating means includes input means for mixing at least one new sonic frequency with the first ultrasonic frequency as upper and lower sidebands for transmitting low frequencies within an audio range.