Microphone with associated amplifier

• US 6,028,946 A
• Filed: 04/09/1996
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stage Tec Entwicklungsgesellschaft Fuer Professionelle Audiotechnik MbH
• Original Assignee: Stage Tec Entwicklungsgesellschaft Fuer Professionelle Audiotechnik MbH
• Inventors: Jahne, Helmut
• Primary Examiner(s): Loomis, Paul
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUC MINH
• Application Number:
  US08/629,979
• Time in Patent Office: 1,414 Days
• Field of Search: 381/122, 381/26, 381/92, 381/27, 381/119, 381/17, 381/113, 381/174, 381/191, 381/111-115, 375/242
• US Class Current: 381/122
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/00 Circuits for transducers , loudspeakers or microphones

Abstract

The problem addressed by the invention, to develop a microphone with assoted amplifier which has a better dynamic response than analog microphones, requires less space, can replace analog microphones by using cables already in place, and has a low-cost construction, is solved by the invention in that the microphone is made up of an electroacoustic transducer, two analog-digital converters, two preamplifiers connected to the output of the electroacoustic transducers on the one hand and on the other hand each with preamplifiers connected each to an analog-digital converter, and with a driver stage connected to the analog-digital converters for a two-channel digital audio format and in that the amplifier is made up of a receiver for a two-channel digital audio format and a signal processor which generates a one-channel signal from the two-channel audio format as an image of the signal of the electroacoustic transducer. The field of application is in musical production. The invention is illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2.

Claims

1. A microphone with an associated amplifier, wherein the microphone and the associated amplifier have each a digital circuit connected together by cables such that the circuit for the microphone contains an electroacoustic transducer, two preamplifiers which differ in value of gain, two analog-digital converters and a driver stage for a two-channel digital audio format,

the preamplifiers being connected to the output of the electroacoustic transducer and being connected in turn each with an analog-digital converter, and the analog-digital converters being connected to the digital driver stage,

the associated amplifier containing a receiver for a two-channel digital audio format and a signal processor which determines coefficients for generating, from the two-channel digital audio format, a single-channel signal which is an image of the signal of the electroacoustic transducer, whereby amplification and filtration are thereby computed.

2. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the circuit of the microphone additionally has a switch and a calibration oscillator, which are connected such that the electroacoustic transducer is alternatively connected to the two preamplifiers or the calibration oscillator is connected to the two preamplifiers, the switch cutting off the calibration oscillator automatically at a preset time after the microphone is turned on, or by remote control, and connecting the electroacoustic transducer to the preamplifiers, and the preset time being such that the signal processor is able to determine the coefficients of both preamplifiers which are necessary for the generation of the single-channel signal from the two-channel digital audio format.

3. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 2, wherein, in the circuit of the microphone, an identification code is put into the two-channel digital audio format which indicates the position of the switch, whereby a muting of the signal of the calibration oscillator is performed in the associated amplifier by means of the signal processor.

4. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the circuit of the microphone has its own audio sampling cycle oscillator and the necessary sampling cycle synchronization is performed by means of a two-channel sampling rate converter which is disposed in the associated amplifier between the receiver of the digital audio format and the signal processor.

5. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 1, wherein the two-channel digital audio format complies with the AES/EBU standard which permits the transmission of digital audio information via cable and plug which are used for the transmission of analog microphone signals.

6. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 5, wherein the average of the differential AES/EBU signal has a voltage with respect to the shielding which serves to supply power to the microphone without additional cables.

7. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 6, wherein, in the associated amplifier, pulses are modulated onto the voltage of the microphone power supply, which serve for the remote control of microphone settings.

8. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 4, wherein an additional signal processor is inserted between the analog-digital converters and the digital drive stage, generating from the two-channel digital audio format a single-channel signal.

9. The microphone and associated amplifier according to claim 8, wherein a digital amplifier is inserted between the receiver for digital audio format and the two-channel sampling rate converter, generating from the output signal of the receiver an additional amplifier signal, so that one input of the sampling rate converter is directly fed with the output signal from the receiver while the other input is fed with the amplified signal from the inserted digital amplifier.