Communication apparatus, wireless microphone system and communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10382873-B2
Application number	US-201816204516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2018
Priority date	Dec 27, 2017
Publication date	Aug 13, 2019
Grant date	Aug 13, 2019

Abstract

In a wireless microphone system, a master device includes a master device control unit that generates a communication table in which a pair of a carrier wave and a slot which are used for communication with m microphone slave devices are set for one frame period, based on a total number of six carrier waves in a DECT system and n slots constituting one frame period of the DECT system, and k wireless processing units that perform communication using the DECT system with corresponding individual microphone slave devices among m microphone slave devices, based on the generated communication table. The k wireless processing units respectively operate synchronously based on the same clock signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A communication apparatus comprising:
a controller that generates a table in which a carrier wave and a slot to be used for communication with each of m (m: an integer of 2 or more) microphones are set for each one frame period, based on a default number of carrier waves based on a time division multiplex communication system and n (n: a default positive integer) slots constituting the one frame period of the time division multiplex communication system; and
k (k: an integer of 2 or more) wireless processing units that perform communication using the time division multiplex communication system with corresponding individual microphones among the m microphones, based on the generated table,
wherein the k wireless processing units respectively operate synchronously based on the same clock signal, and
wherein the number C of communicable channels of the m microphones is C>k*{(n/2)−1} (*: multiplication operator).

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein any one of the k wireless processing units generates the clock signal and supplies the clock signal to the remaining (k−1) wireless processing unit.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein when receiving a voice connection request including information on the carrier wave and the slot, from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones, based on the table, the k wireless processing units start communication with the microphone.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein when receiving a voice disconnection request from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones that perform communication, the k wireless processing units terminate communication with the microphone.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein k is an even number of 2 or more,
wherein the k wireless processing units include (k/2) main wireless processing unit and (k/2) sub wireless processing unit which are paired with each other in one-to-one relationship, and
wherein the controller generates a table such that with respect to the main wireless processing units and the sub wireless processing units which are paired with each other in one-to-one relationship, the number of microphones with which the sub wireless processing units can communicate in the one frame period is larger than the number of microphones with which the main wireless processing units can communicate in the one frame period.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the main wireless processing unit constituting the pair performs communication of a signal relating to connection from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones, and
wherein after communication of the signal relating to the connection with the corresponding microphone among the m microphones is performed by the main wireless processing unit constituting the pair together with the sub wireless processing unit, the sub wireless processing unit constituting the pair receives a voice signal from the microphone.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 5 ,
wherein the main wireless processing unit constituting the pair performs communication of a signal relating to disconnection from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones, and
wherein after communication of the signal relating to the disconnection with the corresponding microphone among the m microphones is performed by the main wireless processing unit constituting the pair together with the sub wireless processing unit, the sub wireless processing unit constituting the pair disconnects voice communication with the microphone.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the k wireless processing units include one main wireless processing unit and (k−1) sub wireless processing units, and
wherein the controller sets the number of microphones with which the one main wireless processing unit can communicate in the one frame period to zero, and the number of microphones with which each of the (k−1) sub wireless processing units can communicate in the one frame period to (n/2).

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the one main wireless processing unit performs communication of a signal relating to connection from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones, and
wherein after communication of the signal relating to the connection with the corresponding microphone among the m microphones is performed by the main wireless processing unit, the (k−1) sub wireless processing units receive a voice signal from the microphone.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the one main wireless processing unit performs communication of a signal relating to disconnection from the corresponding microphone among the m microphones, and
wherein after communication of the signal relating to the disconnection with the corresponding microphone among the m microphones is performed by the main wireless processing unit, the (k−1) sub wireless processing units disconnect the voice communication with the microphone.

11. A wireless microphone system comprising:
a master device; and
m (m: an integer of 2 or more) microphones which are connected to the master device for communication,
wherein the master device includes
a controller that generates a table in which a carrier wave and a slot to be used for communication with each of the m microphones are set for each one frame period, based on a default number of carrier waves based on a time division multiplex communication system and n (n: a default positive integer) slots constituting the one frame period of the time division multiplex communication system; and
k (k: an integer of 2 or more) wireless processing units that perform communication using the time division multiplex communication system with corresponding individual microphones among the m microphones, based on the generated table,

wherein the k wireless processing units respectively operate synchronously based on the same clock signal, and
wherein the number C of communicable channels of the m microphones is C>k*{(n/2)−1} (*: multiplication operator).

12. A communication method using a communication apparatus connected to m (m: an integer of 2 or more) microphones for communication, the method comprising:
generating a table in which a carrier wave and a slot to be used for communication with each of the m microphones are set for each one frame period, based on a default number of carrier waves based on a time division multiplex communication system and n (n: a default positive integer) slots constituting the one frame period of the time division multiplex communication system; and
performing communication using the time division multiplex communication system with corresponding individual microphones among the m microphones, based on the generated table, by k (k: an integer of 2 or more) wireless processing units included in the communication apparatus,
wherein the performing communication by the k wireless processing units has steps of respectively operating synchronously based on the same clock signal, and
wherein the number C of communicable channels of the m microphones is C>k*{(n/2)−1} (*: multiplication operator).

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Abe Katsuya
• Nakagawa Katsumi
• Sasaki Hisayuki
• Kitago Ryosuke

Classifications

• H04R29/006 Primary

  Microphone matching · CPC title

• H04R1/40

  by combining a number of identical transducers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/405)} · CPC title

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R29/004 Primary

  for microphones (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2420/07

  Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones · CPC title