System and method for enhancing speech intelligibility utilizing wireless communication

• US 5,966,639 A
• Filed: 04/04/1997
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Etymotic Research Incorporated
• Inventors: Hendershot, James R., Killion, Mead C., Goldberg, Jack
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc
• Application Number:
  US08/835,121
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/16, 455/17, 455/20-23, 455/41, 455/42, 455/45, 455/500, 455/517, 455/526, 455/100, 455/159.1, 455/76
• US Class Current: 455/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving

Abstract

A system for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication is provided. The system has a number of talker units, each having a microphone and a transmitter so that an audio input received at the microphone is transmitted via the transmitter as an output. The system includes a receiver unit having a receiver to receive the outputs of the talker units, and a mixer to mix the outputs to form a mixed output signal, and a transmitter to transmit the mixed output signal on a preselected frequency. The system also has a listener unit tunable to receive the mixed output signal transmitted on the preselected frequency. The system can be embodied in a serial daisy chain arrangement or in a parallel repeater arrangement. A method for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication is provided. The method has the steps of: providing a listener unit to at least one listener and a talker unit to each of a plurality of talkers, each talker unit being capable of transmitting an audio signal; receiving the audio signals from the plurality of talker units; mixing the audio signals to form a mixed output signal; transmitting the mixed output signal on a preselected frequency; and receiving the mixed output signal at the listener unit on the preselected frequency.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the method utilizing a portable, battery-powered and entirely user supportable communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting, by each of a plurality of talker units on a separate frequency, a wireless signal;

receiving, by a multichannel receiver of a user-supportable receiver unit, the wireless signals from the plurality of talker units;

demodulating, by the receiver unit, the wireless signals into audio signals;

mixing, automatically by the receiver unit without requiring operator control, the audio signals to form a mixed output signal;

transmitting, by the receiver unit, the mixed output signal on a preselected frequency; and

receiving the mixed output signal at a listener unit on the preselected frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

mixing the audio signals during the demodulating step.

3. A method of enhancing speech intelligibility utilizing wireless communication, the method utilizing a portable, battery-powered and entirely user-supportable communication system, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting an audio signal received at a microphone of a user-supportable talker unit;

receiving the audio signal at a receiver of a further user-supportable talker unit;

mixing, automatically without requiring operator control, the audio signal with a further audio signal received at a microphone of the further user-supportable talker unit using a mixer located in the further user-supportable talker unit to generate a mixed audio signal; and

transmitting the mixed audio signal using the transmitter of the further user-supportable talker unit to a receiver of a listener unit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the mixed audio signal on a preselected frequency.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the mixed audio signal on a preselected FM frequency.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the mixed audio signal on a preselected FM frequency in a range of 216-218 MHz.

7. A method for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the method utilizing a portable, battery-powered and entirely user-supportable communications system, the method comprising:

receiving, by a microphone of each of a plurality of talker units, an audio input;

transmitting, by a transmitter of each of the plurality of talker units, each of the transmitters operating independently on a separate frequency, an output corresponding to the audio input;

receiving, by a multichannel receiver of a user-supportable receiver unit, the outputs from the plurality of talker units;

mixing, automatically by a mixer of the receiver unit without requiring operator control, the mixed output signal;

transmitting, by a transmitter of the receiver unit, the mixed output on a preselected frequency; and

receiving, at a listener unit, the mixed output signal on the preselected frequency.

8. A portable, battery-powered and entirely user-supportable system for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the system comprising:

a user-supportable talker unit having a microphone and transmitter constructed and arranged so that an audio input received at the microphone is transmitted via the transmitter as an output;

a further user-supportable talker unit having a microphone, a transmitter, a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the output and a mixer constructed and arranged to, automatically without requiring operator control, mix the output received from the user-supportable talker unit with a further audio input received at the microphone of the further user-supportable talker unit to form a mixed audio signal, the further user-supportable talker unit transmitting the mixed audio signal on a preselected frequency; and

a listener unit tunable to receive the mixed audio signal transmitted on the preselected frequency.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an FM transmitter arranged in the further talker unit.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of talker units.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the plurality is greater than two.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an FM receiver arranged in the listener unit.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of narrowband FM transmitters, each transmitter having a transmit frequency of approximately 216 MHz with approximately 200 kHz frequency difference between each successive transmitter.

14. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a narrowband FM receiver having a receive frequency of approximately 216 MHz arranged in the listener unit.

15. A portable, battery-powered and entirely user-supportable system for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the system comprising:

a plurality of talker units, each having a microphone and a transmitter constructed and arranged so that an audio input received at the microphone is transmitted via the transmitter as an output, each output being transmitted on a separate frequency;

a user-supportable receiver unit having a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the outputs of the plurality of talker units, a mixer constructed and arranged to automatically mix the outputs to form a mixed output signal without requiring operator control, and a transmitter constructed and arranged to transmit the mixed output signal on a preselected frequency; and

a listener unit tunable to receive the mixed output signal transmitted on the preselected frequency.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a multichannel dual conversion receiver arranged in the receiver unit.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

independent automatic gain control for each channel of the multichannel dual conversion receiver.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the mixed output signal is transmitted on a narrowband FM frequency.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the listener unit is tunable to a narrowband FM frequency.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the listener unit is a subminiature FM receiver.

21. The system of claim 15, wherein the listener unit further comprises an FM receiver formed of an integrated circuit chip mounted on a hybrid.

22. A system for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the system comprising:

a first talker unit having a microphone and a transmitter constructed and arranged so that an audio input received at the microphone is transmitted via the transmitter as an output;

a second talker unit having a microphone, a transmitter, a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the output and a mixer constructed and arranged to mix the output with an audio input received at the microphone of the second talker unit to form a first mixed audio signal, the second talker unit transmitting the first mixed audio signal;

a third talker unit having a microphone, a transmitter, a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the first mixed audio signal and a mixer constructed and arranged to mix the first mixed audio signal with an audio input received at the microphone of the third talker unit to form a second mixed audio signal, the third talker unit transmitting the second mixed audio signal; and

a listener unit tunable to receive the second mixed audio signal.

23. A system for enhancing speech intelligibility using wireless communication, the system comprising:

a first talker unit having a microphone and a transmitter constructed and arranged so that an audio input received at the microphone is transmitted via the transmitter as an output;

a second talker unit having a microphone, a transmitter, a receiver constructed and arranged to receive the output and a mixer constructed and arranged to mix the output with an audio input received at the microphone of the second talker unit to form a mixed audio signal, the second talker unit transmitting the mixed audio signal;

a plurality of further talker units, each having a microphone, a transmitter, a receiver constructed and arranged to receive a mixed audio signal from a previous talker unit and a mixer constructed and arranged to mix the mixed audio signal received from the previous talker unit with an audio input received at the microphone of the further talker unit to form a further mixed audio signal, each of the plurality of further talker units transmitting the further mixed audio signal; and

a listener unit tunable to receive one of the plurality of further mixed audio signals.