Networked sound masking system with centralized sound masking generation

• US 9,088,856 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 777388 Ontario Limited
• Original Assignee: 777388 Ontario Limited
• Inventors: Moeller, Klaus R., Moeller, Niklas, Rusu, Mircea, Derla, Carl
• Primary Examiner(s): Paul, Disler
• Application Number:
  US12/292,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20090116659A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,435 Days
• Field of Search: 381/73.1, 381/57, 381/104, 381/94.1, 381/77, 381/80, 381/82, 381/105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/1752 Masking
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/12 for acoustic communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/43 characterized by the control of the jamming power, signal-to-noise ratio or geographic coverage area
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/45 characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode"
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/825 by jamming
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 3/02 of the matrix type, i.e. in which input signals are combined algebraically, e.g. after having been phase shifted with respect to each other

Abstract

A sound masking system for shaping the ambient noise level in a physical environment. The sound masking system comprises a networked and distributed system having a number of master units coupled together and to a control unit. One or more of the master units may include satellite sound masking units which function to reproduce an audio signal generated by a central sound masking module. The audio signal comprises a sound masking signal, a paging signal or a sound masking signal mixed with a paging signal. The sound masking signal is generated by the central sound masking module or a selected from a number of sound masking signal inputs at the control unit. Each of the master units is addressable over the network by the control unit enabling the control unit to control the contour, spectral band, and gain characteristics of the audio output signal. The system may also include a remote control unit which provides the capability to tune and adjust each master sound masking unit in situ without requiring physical access through the ceiling installation.

Claims

1. A networked sound masking system, comprising:

a sound masking communication network;

a plurality of sound masking units, each sound masking unit connected to the sound masking communication network, each sound masking unit configured to selectively output a signal from at least one of a plurality of output signal channels carried over the sound masking communication network based on a control signal carried over a control signal channel of the sound masking communication network; and

a control unit located remotely from said sound masking units, said control unit configured to communicate with said sound masking units via said sound masking communication network, and said control unit configured to selectively output at least one sound masking signal on the plurality of output signal channels of the sound masking communication network, and the control unit configured to generate the control signal and output the control signal on the control signal channel of the sound masking communication network;

at least some of the sound masking units being responsive to a masking signal volume command, and at least some of the sound masking units being responsive to a masking signal spectrum command;

the control unit being configured to generate the masking signal volume command for controlling a volume characteristic of the sound masking signal; and

the control unit being configured to generate the masking signal spectrum command for controlling a frequency characteristic of the sound masking signal.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to receive a plurality of the sound masking signals, and output the plurality of sound masking signals on different ones of the plurality of output signal channels.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the control signal to identify at least one of the sound masking units and to indicate from which of the output signal channels the identified sound masking unit is to obtain a signal for output.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sound masking units are connected in series in the sound masking communication network.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of sound masking units includes a first interface and a second interface, the first interface interfacing with an upstream side of the sound masking communication network, and the second interfacing with a downstream side of the sound masking communication network, the upstream side being closer to the control unit and the downstream side being further from the control unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit generates the control signal and populates the plurality of output signal channels such that the plurality of sound masking units are associated with a plurality of sound masking zones, each sound masking unit is associated with one of the plurality of sound masking zones, and the sound masking units provide sound masking for the associated sound masking zone independently of the other sound masking zones.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the control unit populates the plurality of output signal channels such that the sound masking units associated with each sound masking zone provide sound masking tailored to suppress sound in the associated sound masking zone.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein a number of the plurality of sound masking units is different from a number of the plurality of sound masking zones.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the control unit includes an address generator for assigning addresses to the sound masking units.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the address generator comprises a component for generating a logical address for each of the sound masking units, and the logical address being derived from an identifier associated with each of the sound masking units.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote control unit configured to send adjustment signals remotely; and

wherein

the control unit is configured to receive the adjustment signals and generate the control signals based on the received adjustment signals.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control unit is configured to generate a plurality of the sound masking signals, and output the plurality of sound masking signals on different ones of the plurality of output signal channels.

13. A networked sound masking system, said sound masking system comprising:

a sound masking communication network;

a plurality of sound masking units, some of said sound masking units including a communication interface for coupling said sound masking units to said sound masking communication network for receiving signals on said sound masking communication network including a sound masking signal, a masking signal volume command and a masking signal spectrum command, and

said some of the sound masking units including a processor for outputting said sound masking signal, and said processor including a component responsive to said masking signal volume command for controlling the volume of said sound masking signal and a component responsive to said masking signal spectrum command for controlling the frequency of said sound masking signal;

a control unit located remotely from said sound masking units, said control unit configured to communicate with said sound masking units via said sound masking communication network, and said control unit configured to output said sound masking signal on said sound masking communication network, and said control unit being configured to output said masking signal volume command on said sound masking communication network, and said control unit being configured to output said masking signal spectrum command on said sound masking communication network.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a plurality of zones, and one or more of said sound masking units being associated with one or more of said zones.

15. A method for selectively controlling a plurality of sound masking units, said plurality of sound masking units being configured in a sound masking control communication network and having an interface for receiving a sound masking signal and a plurality of control commands over said sound masking control communication network from a remotely located control unit, said method comprising:

monitoring said sound masking control communication network and receiving the sound masking signal or one or more of the plurality of control commands addressed to one of said sound masking units from the control unit;

outputting the received sound masking signal at the addressed sound masking unit;

and

controlling a frequency characteristic of the sound masking signal based on a control command comprising a masking signal spectrum command.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further including the step of setting a volume level for the sound masking signal in response to a masking signal volume command.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, further including the step of configuring a plurality of said sound masking units into one or more zones, and controlling said sound masking units for said corresponding sound masking zones to generate sound masking signal outputs independently of said other sound masking zones.