Mute circuit for a microphone

• US 8,005,241 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Inmusic Brands Incorporated
• Original Assignee: RANE Limited (RANE Holdings Limited)
• Inventors: Rollins, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Faulk; Devona E
• Assistant Examiner(s): MONIKANG, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US11/548,245
• Publication Number:
  US 20080095386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,778 Days
• Field of Search: 381111-114, 381/122, 381 91- 92, 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/575.3
• US Class Current: 381/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00

Abstract

An apparatus having a microphone and a mute circuit (not shown in detail here) operable to be actuated by a rotating door assembly. The apparatus provides a mute circuit suitable to mute the audio microphone when the rotating door assembly is in a closed position and unmute the audio microphone when the rotating door assembly is not in the closed position. Additionally, the mute circuit is impervious to generating audible disturbances in the microphone signal when the rotating assembly door is rotated between open and closed positions. This advantageously allows for the microphone to essentially transition to off when the rotating door assembly is closed and transition to on when the rotating door assembly is open and do so without additional audio disturbance.

Claims

1. An electronic circuit, comprising:

a microphone operable to transform a sound wave into an electrical signal;

a current source electrically coupled to the microphone and operable to provide phantom power to the microphone;

an infrared diode electrically coupled to the current source and operable to focus infrared light away from the microphone;

an infrared detection phototransistor electrically coupled to the current source and operable to detect infrared light reflected from an illuminated target; and

a muting transistor electrically coupled to the infrared detection transistor and the microphone and operable to attenuate the electrical signal from the microphone when the infrared detection transistor detects infrared light.

2. The electrical circuit of claim 1 wherein the muting transistor comprises a p-channel field effect transistor having a gate coupled to the source of the infrared detection phototransistor.

3. The electrical circuit of claim 1 wherein the infrared diode comprises a continuous, unmodulated infrared source.

4. The electrical circuit of claim 1, further comprising a passive filter coupled to the muting transistor, the passive filter operable to dissipate voltage from the gate of the muting transistor.

5. The electrical circuit of claim 1 wherein the current source comprises a current source designed to provide a phantom supply voltage over a range of 10 volts minimum to 50 volts maximum.

6. The electrical circuit of claim 1 wherein the muting transistor is biased such that when the muting transistor is in a low impedance state, the audio signal level of the microphone element is attenuated sufficiently to be muted.

7. The electrical circuit of claim 1 wherein the muting transistor is biased such that when a voltage at the gate of the muting transistor is depleted through a first-order passive filter, the audio is released gradually from being muted effectively ramping the audio signal output of the microphone toward an on condition.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a microphone operable to transform a sound wave into an electrical signal, the microphone mounted to a microphone housing;

a current source electrically coupled to the microphone and operable to provide phantom power to the microphone;

an infrared diode electrically coupled to the current source and operable to focus infrared light away from the microphone;

an infrared detection phototransistor electrically coupled to the current source and operable to detect infrared light reflected from an illuminated target;

a muting transistor electrically coupled to the infrared detection transistor and the microphone and operable to attenuate the electrical signal from the microphone when the infrared detection transistor detects infrared light; and

a rotating door assembly that is rotatably attached to the microphone housing such that the rotating door assembly may be rotated to a first position to engage the microphone mute circuit and rotated to a second position to disengage the microphone mute circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the microphone mute circuit further comprises an optical switch operable to sense the proximity of the microphone cover plate.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the optical switch further comprises an infrared light source operable to focus infrared light in a first direction away from the microphone and an infrared light detector operable to detect infrared light reflected back toward the microphone.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the rotating door assembly further comprises an infrared light reflecting surface operable to reflect infrared light toward the infrared light detector when the rotating door assembly is rotated to the first position and operable to not reflect infrared light toward the infrared detector when the rotating door assembly is rotated to the second position.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the rotating door assembly is operable to rotate 90 degrees such that the first position that engages the microphone mute circuit is associated with a range of motion beginning at a 0 degree position.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the rotating door assembly is operable to rotate 90 degrees such that the second position that disengages the microphone mute circuit is associated with a range of motion ending at a 90 degree position.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the rotating door assembly is operable to contain readable text corresponding to recitations to be recited into the microphone.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the microphone mute circuit is operable to be engaged and disengaged without causing unintentional audio disturbances to the electrical signal generated from the sound wave.

16. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the microphone comprises a condenser microphone suitable to be powered by phantom power provided via an XLR connector.

17. A system comprising:

an audio device, including;

a microphone operable to transform a sound wave into an electrical signal, the microphone mounted to a microphone housing;

a current source electrically coupled to the microphone and operable to provide phantom power to the microphone;

an infrared diode electrically coupled to the current source and operable to focus infrared light away from the microphone;

an infrared detection phototransistor electrically coupled to the current source and operable to detect infrared light reflected from an illuminated target;

a muting transistor electrically coupled to the infrared detection transistor and the microphone and operable to attenuate the electrical signal from the microphone when the infrared detection transistor detects infrared light; and

a rotating door assembly that is rotatably attached to the microphone housing such that the rotating door assembly may be rotated to a first position to engage the microphone mute circuit and rotated to a second position to disengage the microphone mute circuit;

an audio device housing operable to house the audio device and operable to be securably attached to a platform; and

a table having a flat work area and a vertical platform area, the platform area forming the platform to which the audio device housing may be securably attached.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the microphone cover plate assembly includes a readable text corresponding to recitations to be recited into the microphone by an operator when the rotating door assembly is rotated to an open position.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein audio device housing further comprises rubber stoppers operable to provide a securable fitting for the audio device housing when inserted into the table.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein microphone rotating door assembly further comprises rubber stoppers operable to engage the audio device housing such that the rotating door assembly is prevented from contacting the audio device housing when rotated to a closed position.