Sound receiving apparatus, sound receiving method, sound receiving system, and wireless microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9508240-B2
Application number	US-26529810-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 9, 2010
Priority date	Apr 23, 2009
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A sound amplification apparatus ( 10 ) comprises one or more microphones ( 11 ) that convert collected sound into an audio signal and transmit the audio signal by radio and a sound receiving apparatus ( 13 ) that receives the audio signal transmitted from the microphone ( 11 ) and amplifies and outputs the sound based on the audio signal. The sound receiving apparatus ( 13 ) is configured to perform sound output control in an emergency mode upon receiving an emergency signal transmitted in response to operation of an emergency switch ( 12 ) of the microphone ( 11 ). With this configuration, it is possible to perform appropriate sound control in a dangerous situation such as intrusion of a suspicious person.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sound receiving apparatus comprising:
a receiver structured to receive signals transmitted from a sound transmitting apparatus, the received signals including (1) an audio signal converted from collected sounds around the sound transmitting apparatus and (2) an emergency signal transmitted from the sound transmitting apparatus in response to an operation of an emergency switch;
an emergency signal detector structured to detect the emergency signal from the received signals;
an emergency outputter structured to notify an emergency to a management apparatus in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal; and
a volume adjuster structured to suppress, in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal, volume of a sound output that is based on the audio signal converted from the collected sounds, the sound output being output by a sound outputter located in a same room where the sound transmitting apparatus is capable of collecting the sound output.

2. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising said sound outputter structured to output the sound based on the audio signal, wherein
the volume adjuster suppresses volume of the sound output by the sound outputter in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal.

3. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a line outputter structured to transmit the audio signal, amplified by the volume adjuster, to the management apparatus through a communication line in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal.

4. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external device inputter structured to input another audio signal output by an external device, wherein:
the sound outputter outputs another sound based on said another audio signal, and
the volume adjuster suppresses volume of said another sound output by the sound outputter in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal.

5. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an external device inputter structured to input another audio signal output by an external device, wherein:
the sound outputter outputs another sound based on said another audio signal, and
the volume adjuster mutes volume of said another sound output by the sound outputter in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal.

6. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the receiver receives a tone signal included in the emergency signal.

7. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the receiver receives the received signal in wireless communication.

8. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein
the wireless communication comprises an infrared communication.

9. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the emergency outputter transmits the emergency signal, detected from the received signal, to the management apparatus.

10. A sound communication system comprising:
a microphone that collects sounds and converts the collected sounds to an audio signal;
an emergency signal generator structured to generate an emergency signal;
a transmitter structured to transmit signals including (1) the audio signal converted from the collected sounds and (2) the emergency signal generated from the emergency signal generator;
a receiver structured to receive the signals transmitted from the transmitter;
an emergency signal detector structured to detect the emergency signal from the received signal;
an emergency outputter structured to notify an emergency to a management apparatus in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal; and
a volume adjuster structured to suppress, in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal, volume of a sound output that is based on the audio signal converted from the collected sounds, the sound output being output by a sound outputter located in a same room where the sound transmitting apparatus is capable of collecting sound.

11. The sound communication system according to claim 10 , wherein the emergency signal generator generates the emergency signal in response to an operation of an emergency switch.

12. The sound communication system according to claim 10 , further comprising an emergency switch that is attached to the microphone, wherein the emergency signal generator generates the emergency signal in response to turning on the emergency switch.

13. A method for sound communication comprising:
receiving, by a receiver, signals including (1) an audio signal converted from collected sounds collected by a microphone and (2) a first emergency signal transmitted in response to an operation of an emergency switch;
detecting the first emergency signal from the received signals;
transmitting a second emergency signal to a management apparatus in response to the detection of the first emergency signal; and
suppressing, in response to the detecting of the emergency signal, volume of a sound output that is based on the audio signal converted from said collected sounds, the sound output being output by a sound outputter located in a same room where the microphone is capable of collecting the sound output.

14. A wireless speaker system comprising:
a receiver structured to receive signals from a sound transmitting apparatus, the received signals including (1) an audio signal being converted from collected sounds around the sound transmitting apparatus and (2) an emergency signal transmitted from the sound transmitting apparatus in response to an operation of an emergency switch;
an emergency signal detector structured to detect the emergency signal from the received signals;
an emergency outputter structured to notify an emergency of a management apparatus in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal;
a speaker that outputs a sound based on the audio signal converted from said collected sounds; and
a volume adjuster structured to suppress, in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal, volume of the sound output by the speaker, the sound output being output by the speaker in a same room where the sound transmitting apparatus is capable of collecting the sound output.

15. The wireless speaker system according to claim 14 , further comprising
a microphone that collects sounds and converts the collected sounds to the audio signal; and
a transmitter structured to transmit a the audio signal to the receiver.

16. The wireless speaker system according to claim 14 , wherein the microphone and the speaker are located in the same space.

17. The wireless speaker system according to claim 16 , further comprising a line output structured to transmit the audio signal to the management apparatus located in another space different from the space through a communication line.

18. The wireless speaker system according to claim 17 , wherein the audio signal transmitted to the management apparatus is amplified by the volume adjuster.

19. The sound receiving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the volume adjuster structured to suppress, in response to the emergency signal detector detecting the emergency signal, volume of a sound output being output by the sound outputter based on the audio signal converted from the collected sounds and an audio signal from video/aud

Assignees

• Kawasaki Yuji
• Kitago Ryosuke
• Fukutsuka Hirotaka
• Yamahai Keiji
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawasaki Yuji
• Kitago Ryosuke
• Fukutsuka Hirotaka
• Yamahai Keiji

Classifications

• H04H20/69

  Optical systems · CPC title

• H04N7/18

  Closed-circuit television [CCTV] systems, i.e. systems in which the video signal is not broadcast · CPC title

• G08B25/00

  Alarm systems in which the location of the alarm condition is signalled to a central station, e.g. fire or police telegraphic systems · CPC title

• G08B13/22

  Electrical actuation · CPC title

• H04H60/04

  Studio equipment; Interconnection of studios · CPC title