Digital telephone transmitter/receiver

• US 6,442,194 B1
• Filed: 12/06/1999
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Yasuhiro Riko
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Yasuhiro Riko
• Inventors: Riko, Yasuhiro, Yasuno, Yoshinobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US09/455,317
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 375/219, 381/162, 381/345, 381/370, 381/328, 381/317, 381/56, 381/57, 379/78
• US Class Current: 375/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/005 using digitally weighted transducing elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 19/02 Loudspeakers H04R19/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2201/107 Monophonic and stereophonic headphones with microphone for two-way hands free communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

An acoustic pulse in size corresponding to the digit position of a digital signal pulse is generated by means of condenser speakers 26₁, 26₂, . . . 26_n, that are grouped electro acoustic transducer elements corresponding to each bit that forms a digital signal employed in a communication channel. Then, an electro acoustic D/A converter for synthesizing the pulse in a cavity 24 is composed. Further, this electro acoustic D/A converter is to be as a component, and an electro acoustic A/D converter is composed by additionally providing electric accessories as in the A/D converter comprising a general electric circuit. In this manner, a transmitter/receiver having a function for converting between an acoustic analog signal and a digital electric signal is composed.

Claims

1. A digital transmitter/receiver having a conductive vibration membrane, a plurality of acoustic source units comprising an electrostatic driving electrodes installed in facing to the conductive vibration membrane, and a sound receiving sensor unit installed in facing to said conductive vibration membrane, the sensor unit comprising a vibration detection electrode provided with a preamplifier, said digital transmitter/receiver comprising:

an electrode driving circuit in which said acoustic source units are classified as a plurality of groups, the driving electrodes are connected in parallel in these classified groups, the number of groups is distributed so as to be an integer power of 2 corresponding to the digit position of each bit for a digital signal;

the electrode driving circuit switching ON/OFF between a driving electrode terminal of the distributed individual groups and an electrode driving power source;

a level adjusting preamplifier for a vibration displacement signal of a vibration membrane obtained from one terminal to which a vibration detection electrode of said receiving sensor unit is connected;

a converter circuit in which an output signal from said level adjusting preamplifier is sampled by means of a constant clock frequency to obtain an input sampling signal;

the level is compared with the previous sampling signal;

when the comparison result exceeds the predetermined threshold, a pulse of +1 is generated;

when it exceeds negatively the predetermined threshold, a sign pulse of −

1 is outputted;

when it is equal to or smaller than the threshold, a sign pulse of 0 is outputted;

the foregoing signs +1, −

1, and 0 are regarded as binary values to be cumulatively added; and

the resultant binary digits are data-sampled by means of a clock coinciding with an interface to be externally connected to be an output sampling signal;

a converter circuit for converting said output sampling signal to a digital output signal in a predetermined format; and

an adder and serial/parallel converter circuit for mixing said digital output signal and external input digital signal with each other, thereby supplying these mixed signals to said electrode driving circuit as an electrode driving signal, wherein a clock signal from said input sampling signal to cumulative addition is set to a frequency twice or more of a clock signal following said output sampling signal, an external analog sound is introduced into a cavity to be mixed, and an acoustic terminal for receiving a sound pressure in the cavity is provided to enable direct reception of the analog acoustic signal and digital electric signal.

2. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 1, wherein a product between the number of acoustic source units in said group and a voltage of an electrode driving power source supplied to the individual groups only is set to a power of 2 corresponding to the bit digit position of the digital signal.

3. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 1, wherein said acoustic source unit consists of one vibration membrane;

a space for dividing a region that can be vibrated on the membrane face in plurality; and

a driving electrode installed in parallel to the divided region that can be vibrated.

4. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 1, wherein an electret membrane is provided on part or all of the surface opposed to a vibration membrane on said acoustic source unit driving electrode and said electrode for detecting the driving of a sound receiving sensor unit.

5. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 1, wherein said vibration membrane is composed of a resin, and a conductive material is deposited to one face of the vibration membrane, thereby providing an electret membrane.

6. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 2, wherein said acoustic source unit consists of one vibration membrane;

a space for dividing a region that can be vibrated on the membrane face in plurality; and

a driving electrode installed in parallel to the divided region that can be vibrated.

7. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 2, wherein an electret membrane is provided on part or all of the surface opposed to a vibration membrane on said acoustic source unit driving electrode and said electrode for detecting the driving of a sound receiving sensor unit.

8. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 2, wherein said vibration membrane is composed of a resin, and a conductive material is deposited to one face of the vibration membrane, thereby providing an electret membrane.

9. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 6, wherein an electret membrane is provided on part or all of the surface opposed to a vibration membrane on said acoustic source unit driving electrode and said electrode for detecting the driving of a sound receiving sensor unit.

10. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 6, wherein said vibration membrane is composed of a resin, and a conductive material is deposited to one face of the vibration membrane, thereby providing an electret membrane.

11. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 3, wherein an electret membrane is provided on part or all of the surface opposed to a vibration membrane on said acoustic source unit driving electrode and said electrode for detecting the driving of a sound receiving sensor unit.

12. A digital transmitter/receiver according to claim 3, wherein said vibration membrane is composed of a resin, and a conductive material is deposited to one face of the vibration membrane, thereby providing an electret membrane.