System and procedure for a redundant real-time radio receiver network

Abstract

System for a real-time radio receiver network, wherein the system comprises: a remote digital antenna digital receiver (“RDADR”) with a processor; a first remote digital antenna (“RDA”) comprising a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna; a second RDA with a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, an audio source that is coupled to the transmitter; and an audio output device coupled with the RDADR, where the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA are coupled to each other via a digital bus, wherein the first RDA and the second RDA attempt to receive one or more digital signals from a transmitter, and if the one or more digital signals are received without error by the first RDA or the second RDA, the RDA that has received the one or more error-free digital signals transmits the one or more error-free digital signals via the digital bus to the RDADR, where the audio source generates one or more digital signals, and where the audio source is at least a microphone or a musical instrument.

Description

REFERENCE NAME TO RELATED REGISTRATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority over US patent application No. 14 / 523,346, filed on October 24, 2014, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A REDUNDANT REAL-TIME WIRELESS RECEIVER NETWORK”, which is hereby incorporated into the application by reference. BACKGROUND

[0002] During a recording or live performance, musicians and singers often desire the freedom to connect their musical instruments or speech audio signals to recording or amplification equipment without the burden of an electrical cable.

[0003] Analog radio or wireless systems that transmit audio signals over radio frequencies have existed for many decades and have been a viable solution, but they have many limitations. Analog transmission systems for audio signals typically have a limited bandwidth and dynamic range. The analog transmission system is also susceptible to unwanted radio interference, which can be heard through the audio system. With an analog system, audio quality deteriorates with decreasing radio frequency or the occurrence of interference.

[0004] Radio signals, whether for analog or digital audio systems, weaken over distance and are susceptible to attenuation due to reflections, which can result in an insufficient signal at a receiver's antenna. Professional wireless systems often employ a space diversity design, using two antennas, either with a switch to a single receiver or two independent receivers, to increase the likelihood that at least one antenna or receiver will adequately receive the radio signal. Further spatial diversity can be achieved by further separating the two antennas, which can be accomplished by connecting distant antennas with a coaxial cable of sufficient quality to avoid degrading the RF signal received by the distant antennas.

[0005] In typical digital wireless systems, the audio signal must be muted as soon as the radio signal degrades to a level where the digital data is no longer readable. When using an existing digital protocol like Wi-Fi, the receiver can request a retransmission of the digital audio data. Unfortunately, this introduces a latency (e.g., delay) to allow time for the retransmission. In many cases, the latency associated with wireless transmission of digital audio signals is easily tolerable. For example, the digital transmission of audio signals played back from a recording can contain a latency in the range of ten milliseconds without being noticeable to the listener.

[0006] On the other hand, live musicians can only tolerate very low latency (e.g., 5 milliseconds or less) before it negatively impacts their performance and the interplay between musicians. Consequently, current digital audio retransmission techniques are not viable solutions due to the time required for retransmission. Unfortunately, some of the digital audio signal is lost when the RF signal is not received correctly in real time, which happens regularly, whether due to an out-of-range issue or interference.

[0007] US 2002 / 0072330 A1 deals with a multi-channel redundant wireless network link (RWNL) device comprising multiple wireless network radio units, a processor unit, a radio control unit, and wired network units. Two RWNL devices communicating with each other form a redundant multi-channel wireless network link. The RWNL device combines the network bandwidth of all its wireless network units into a single, large network bandwidth. The network packet flow control manages the transmission of network packets between wireless and wired network devices, as well as communication between local and remote wireless network devices of other RWNLs. If communication over one of the wireless network channels fails, the flow control distributes the packet flow to the remaining wireless network devices, shuts down the affected channel, and reports the network status.As long as a wireless network channel is still functioning, the network connection remains active.

[0008] US 2010 / 0022183 A1 discloses a system and a method for the wireless real-time transmission of a digital audio signal and control data. A transmitter can be coupled to an audio source. The transmitter includes a processor that combines control data with a digital audio signal from the audio source and wirelessly transmits the combined control data and the digital audio signal to a receiver. The receiver includes a processor that receives the combined control data and the digital audio signal and processes the control data to execute a user-defined function.

[0009] US 2004 / 0106398 A1 describes a method and apparatus for remotely controlling a number of functions of a wireless audio system by means of a remote control. The method includes the steps of generating a digitally modulated pilot tone and transmitting this pilot tone via radio communication to a wireless receiver. The digitally modulated pilot tone transmits data about a variety of functions related to an audio source and its associated transmitter. The method further includes a step in which the data is received at a wireless receiver, supplemented with information relating to the wireless receiver, and the resulting data is transmitted via a communication network to a remote central control unit.The procedure further includes monitoring the resulting data at the central remote control, diagnosing detected problems related to the wireless audio system, and transmitting appropriate corrective actions to the wireless audio system to resolve the detected problems.

[0010] US 6,587,441 B1 discloses a wireless, redundant, secure, real-time network for a proprietary interactive data transmission system with a remote terminal and a host data center, such as an automated teller machine (ATM) system. The controllers for the remote terminal and the host data center receive the proprietary voice messages, packetize and encrypt them, and transmit them over the best wireless provider from among the many wireless providers to which the controllers are connected. The wireless control protocol monitors the communication to select the most reliable communication carrier for each part of a transmission. Each network segment of the signal path has at least one stateful gate that reports the status of that signal path.Real-time transmission and acknowledgment of securely packetized messages over wireless communication carriers using an object-oriented coding control application enables reliable data transmission independent of the reliability of a single signal path.

[0011] The subject matter of the invention is defined in the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 is a representation of an exemplary system for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals. Fig. Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals. Fig. Figure 3 is a representation of an exemplary venue where an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network is used for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals. Fig. Figure 4 is a block diagram that represents an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network. Fig. Figure 5 is a block diagram that represents part of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network, comprising an embodiment of a remote digital antenna (hereinafter referred to as "RDA") and an embodiment of a remote digital antenna digital receiver (hereinafter referred to as "RDADR"). Fig. Figure 6 is a block diagram that represents part of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network, which includes an embodiment of an RDA with varying designs to achieve spatial diversity and an embodiment of an RDADR. Fig. Figure 7 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on a predetermined channel. Fig. Figure 8 is a block diagram showing a section of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on two predefined channels. Fig. Figure 9 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on multiple predefined channels and deliver the corresponding digital audio signals to multiple RDADRs. Fig. Figure 10 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on several predefined channels and deliver the digital audio signals to an audio output device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The following description details various embodiments of a system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network. These details are included to facilitate understanding of the system and method and to describe exemplary embodiments for implementing such a system and method. Such details should not be used to limit the system and method to the specific embodiments described, as other variations and embodiments are conceivable.Although numerous details are described to ensure a complete understanding of a system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that these specific details are not necessary to implement such a system and method. In other cases, details such as known methods, data types, protocols, procedures, components, processes, interfaces, electrical structures, circuits, etc., are not described in detail or presented in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network. Furthermore, aspects of a system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network in particular embodiments are described, but these may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, middleware, or combinations thereof.

[0013] In the following description, specific terminology is used to describe features of the invention. For example, the terms "component" or "computing device" or "client device" or "computer" include hardware and / or software modules configured to perform one or more functions.

[0014] A "processor" is a logic that processes information. Examples of a processor include a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, a finite-state machine, a field programming gate array (FPGA), combinational logic, etc.

[0015] A "module" or "software module" is executable code such as an operating system, application, applet, or routine. Modules can be stored in any type of memory, namely a suitable storage medium such as a programmable electronic circuit, a semiconductor memory device, volatile memory (e.g., random access memory, etc.), non-volatile memory (e.g., read-only memory, flash memory, etc.), a floppy disk, an optical disc (e.g., compact disc or digital versatile disc "DVD"), a hard disk, a tape, or any type of interconnect (defined below).

[0016] A "connector," "interconnect," or "link" is generally defined as an information-carrying medium that establishes a communication path. Examples of this medium include a physical medium (e.g., electrical cable, electrical fiber, optical fiber, bus lanes, etc.) or a wireless medium (e.g., air combined with wireless signaling technology).

[0017] "Information" or "data stream" is defined as data, address, control, or any combination thereof. For transmission, information can be sent as a message, namely a collection of bits in a predefined format. One specific type of message is a frame with a header and payload, each containing a predetermined number of information bits.

[0018] Embodiments relate to a system and a method for a real-time radio receiver network. In one embodiment, a plurality of RDAs are coupled via a digital bus to a remote digital antenna digital receiver (“RDADR”). In this embodiment, the RDADR includes a processor, and the plurality of RDAs includes a first remote digital antenna (“RDA”) containing a processor and a second RDA containing a processor. In this embodiment, the first RDA, the second RDA, and all other RDAs in the plurality of RDAs attempt to receive one or more digital signals from a transmitter.If one or more error-free digital signals (hereinafter referred to as "the one or more error-free digital signals") are received by the first RDA, the second RDA, or any other RDA from the plurality of RDAs, then the RDA that received the one or more error-free digital signals transmits the one or more error-free digital signals to the RDADR via the digital bus. Further features and / or advantages are set forth in the description of embodiments described herein.

[0019] Reference is now made to Fig. 1. Fig. Figure 1 is a representation of an exemplary system 100 for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals as it is currently used.

[0020] System 100 can comprise an audio source, a digital receiver with internal or external antennas, and an audio output device. Each of the structures, functions, and / or features of System 100 is described in more detail below.

[0021] In System 100, an audio source, such as a musical instrument 103 and / or a microphone 101, capable of generating an analog audio signal and / or a digital audio signal, can be coupled to a transmitter (not shown). It should be noted that the audio source is not limited to the musical instrument 103 and / or the microphone 101. The audio source can be a musical instrument, a microphone, and / or any device known in the prior art that can be used to generate analog audio signals and / or digital audio signals. It should further be noted that the musical instrument 103 can be a guitar, a piano, a keyboard, a bass, and / or any musical instrument known in the prior art.

[0022] Typically, the musical instrument 103 and / or the microphone 101 is connected to the transmitter via a wired connector (analog or digital) known from the prior art, such as an electrical cable or other cable. Additionally, the musical instrument 103 and / or the microphone 101 can be directly connected to or encompass the transmitter. The musical instrument 103 and / or the microphone 101 can be used to generate one or more analog-to-digital audio signals and / or digital audio signals, which are processed by the transmitter (not shown) into one or more digital audio signals 115. The transmitter (not shown) can transmit the one or more digital audio signals 115 to the digital receiver 109, which has antennas 111 and 113.The antennas 111 and 113 can be connected to the digital receiver 109, or alternatively, the antennas 111 - 113 can be built into the digital receiver 109 to make the casing of the digital receiver 109 appear as a device without any antennas.

[0023] The one or more digital audio signals 115 received by the digital receiver 109 can be processed by the digital receiver 109 back into the one or more analog audio signals generated by the musical instrument 103 and / or the microphone 101. Additionally, the digital receiver 109 can send the one or more digital audio signals 115 and / or the one or more analog digital audio signals generated by the audio source to an audio output device.

[0024] The audio output device can be a playback device (e.g., an amplifier or a loudspeaker system with loudspeakers 117) and / or a computer 107 for a memory 105. It should be noted that the audio output device is not limited to a playback device, a loudspeaker system, and / or a computer. The audio device can be a playback device, a computer, an analog mixer, a digital mixer, a recording device, and / or any audio output device known in the prior art.

[0025] Reference is also made to Fig. 2. Fig. Figure 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary System 299 for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals, as it is currently used. The System 299 according to Fig. Figure 2 is a block diagram representation of the system 100 described above. Fig. 1.

[0026] System 299 according to Fig. 2 contains an audio source 202, a digital transmitter 222, a digital receiver 220, an audio output device 230, and one or more digital audio signals 233. Each of the functions, structures, and / or features of the system 299 is described in more detail below.

[0027] The in Fig. The audio source 202 shown can be a musical instrument, a microphone, and / or any other device known from the prior art that can generate analog and / or digital audio signals. The audio source 202 can generate one or more analog audio signals and / or one or more digital audio signals that can be sent to the digital transmitter 222, which is coupled to the audio source 202.

[0028] The digital transmitter 222 can comprise an input device 204, an analog-to-digital converter (“ADC”) 206, a processor 208, a high-frequency transmitter (“HF”) 210, and an antenna 212. The digital transmitter 222 can be coupled to the audio source 202. More precisely, the digital transmitter 222 can be coupled to the audio source 202 via the input device 204. The input device 204 can be an analog and / or a digital input device 204.

[0029] The digital transmitter 222 can optionally include an analog-to-digital converter (“ADC”) 206, which is coupled to the input device 204 and to a processor 208. The one or more audio signals generated by the audio source 202 and received by the digital transmitter 222 can be processed into one or more digital audio signals 233. It should be noted that the ADC 206 may or may not be used depending on the type of audio source 202. In a first example, the audio source 202 can be a digital musical instrument and / or a digital microphone that generates one or more digital audio signals. In this first example, the digital musical instrument and / or the digital microphone can be directly coupled to the processor 208 via the digital input device 204.In a second example, the audio source 202 can be an analog musical instrument and / or an analog microphone that generates one or more analog digital audio signals. In this second example, the analog musical instrument and / or the analog microphone can be connected to the ADC 206 via the analog input device 204, so that the one or more analog audio signals are converted by the ADC 206 into one or more digital audio signals for processing by the processor 208.

[0030] The digital transmitter 222 can include a user-selectable button to turn the ADC 206 on or off, indicating whether an analog or digital musical instrument or microphone is being used. Alternatively, the digital transmitter 222 can simply determine whether a digital or analog signal is being used via the input device 204 and select or disable the ADC 206.

[0031] In any case, the processor 208 can be used to process one or more digital audio signals 233, which can be sent to the radio frequency transmitter 210 (“RF”), which is coupled to the processor 208 and the antenna 212. The RF transmitter 210 can use the antenna 212 to transmit the one or more digital audio signals 233 to the digital receiver 220. The digital receiver 220 includes an RF receiver #1 216, an RF receiver #2 218, a processor 224, a digital-to-analog converter (“DAC”) 226, and an output device 228, each of which is described below.

[0032] RF receiver #1 216 and RF receiver #2 218 can use antenna 214 and antenna 231, respectively, to receive the one or more digital signals 233 from digital transmitter 210. It should be noted that two RF receivers and two antennas are used by system 299 to increase the probability of receiving the one or more digital audio signals 233 without errors (“one or more error-free digital audio signals”). It should also be noted that more than two RF receivers and / or more than two antennas can be used by system 299 to increase the probability of receiving the one or more digital audio signals without errors.

[0033] When one or more error-free digital signals 233 are received by RF receiver #1 216 and / or RF receiver #2 218, the one or more error-free digital signals 233 can be sent to processor 224, which is coupled to RF receiver #1 216 and / or RF receiver #2 218. Processor 224 can decode the one or more error-free digital signals 233.

[0034] The digital receiver 220 can optionally include a DAC 226 coupled with the processor 224 to convert the one or more error-free digital signals 233 processed by the processor 224 into one or more analog audio signals.

[0035] It should be noted that the DAC 226 may or may not be used depending on the type of audio source 202 and / or audio output device 230. In the first example, the audio source 202 can be a digital musical instrument and / or a digital microphone that generates a digital audio signal from an analog audio signal without any conversion. In the second example, the audio source 202 can be an analog musical instrument and / or an analog microphone, which requires the DAC 226 to convert the transmitted digital audio signal back into an analog audio signal. In this second example, the audio output device 230, which is coupled to the digital receiver 220, may only be capable of processing analog audio signals. In this second example, the one or more error-free digital signals 233, which are processed by the processor 224, are sent to the DAC 226 for conversion into one or more analog audio signals.

[0036] The Digital Receiver 220 can include a user-selectable button to indicate whether an audio source and / or audio output device is analog or digital, allowing the Digital Receiver 220 to turn the DAC 226 on or off. Alternatively, the Digital Receiver 220 can simply determine whether a digital or analog signal is required and select or deactivate the DAC 226.

[0037] In any case, the error-free digital audio signals 233 can be sent from the processor 224 and / or the DAC 226 to the output device 228 of the digital receiver 220, which can then send the error-free digital audio signals 233 to the audio output device 230. The audio output device 230 is coupled to the digital receiver 220. The audio output device 230 can be one or more amplifiers, recording devices, recording equipment, mixers, computers, stereos, and / or other audio output devices known from the prior art.

[0038] Radio signals, whether for analog or digital audio systems, fade over distance and are susceptible to fading due to reflections, which can result in an insufficient radio signal at a receiving antenna. The professional wireless systems described above, such as the System 100, are examples of this. Fig. 1 and the system 299 of Fig. 2. A space diversity design is frequently used, employing two or more antennas, either with a switch to a single receiver or to two or more independent receivers, to increase the probability that at least one of the antennas and / or receivers will adequately receive the radio signal. Furthermore, spatial diversity can be improved by placing the two antennas further apart. This can be achieved with remote antennas connected by one or more coaxial cables of sufficient quality to avoid degrading the RF signal received by the remote antennas. Unfortunately, with current designs, the probability of one or more of the transmitted radio signals being adequately received is low.This leads to situations where the RF signal of the digital audio signal is not received exactly in real time, either because the RF signal is out of range or due to interference, and thus at least part of the digital audio signal is lost and / or distorted by errors.

[0039] Fig. Figure 3 is a representation of an exemplary venue 300 in which an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network for wireless transmission of digital audio signals is used.

[0040] As per the venue 300 of Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the system for a real-time radio receiver network may comprise: a remote digital antenna (“RDA”) 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, RDA 317, RDA digital receiver (“RDADR”) 305, one or more audio sources used by the artist 301 to generate one or more audio signals, one or more transmitters (not shown) to transmit the generated audio signal(s), a mixer 325 and at least one audio output device 303.

[0041] The performer 301 may use one or more audio sources, such as, but not limited to, a microphone and / or a musical instrument, to communicate with the audience 319 at the venue 300. In one embodiment, the audio source(s) used by the performer 301 generates one or more audio signals. In another embodiment, the one or more audio signals are converted into one or more digital audio signals by a transmitter that transmits the one or more digital audio signals to the remote digital antenna (RDA) 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317.

[0042] RDAs such as RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317 include at least one antenna and at least one radio receiver (“HF”) that allows each of these RDAs to receive one or more digital audio signals from a transmitter. For example, the RDA 307 includes any number of HF receivers, which can be designated by a variable such as “M”, and each of “M” HF receivers has any number of antennas, which can be designated by a variable such as “N”. Additional details about an RDA with at least one antenna and at least one HF receiver are in the Fig. 4 - 10 are disclosed, each of which is described below.

[0043] The RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 can be coupled to each other and to the RDADR 305 in a series configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration and / or a hybrid configuration via the digital bus 321.

[0044] The digital bus 321 can be synchronous or asynchronous. In one embodiment, the digital bus 321 can be a bidirectional or unidirectional digital bus that incorporates any wired digital methodology known from the prior art. In a first example, the digital bus can be a bidirectional bus formed based on a wired digital methodology such as a twisted-pair transmission line. In a second example, the digital bus 321 can be standardized to conform to Category 6 cables (“CAT 6 cables”) and / or Category 6a cables (“CAT 6a cables”), both of which have been standardized by the Telecommunications Industry Association (“TIA”).

[0045] In one embodiment, RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317 can be connected to the RDA digital receiver (“RDADR”) 305 via the digital bus 321. The RDADR 305 can be a base unit that processes and / or decodes one or more digital signals received by the RDAs. In one embodiment, the RDADR 305 can provide power and / or user commands for each of the RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317. In one embodiment, the RDADR 305 may include at least one antenna and / or at least one RF receiver and may use the at least one antenna and / or the at least one RF receiver to attempt to receive one or more error-free digital audio signals from a transmitter when the RDAs such as RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 are unable to receive error-free versions of the digital audio signals.

[0046] In one embodiment, each RDA, such as RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317, can be coupled to the digital bus 321 via its output and input. This allows each of the RDAs to be connected in a redundant network. It should be noted that although only six RDAs are shown in Figure 3, the number of RDAs can be greater or less than six. In other words, any number of RDAs can be used.

[0047] In one embodiment, each RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317 attempts to receive one or more digital radio frequency (“RF”) audio signals on one or more predetermined radio frequencies, for example, on one or more predetermined channel(s). As used herein, a “predetermined channel” and its variations refer to one or more wireless channels specifically reserved for the transmission of one or more signals by a transmitter and / or for the reception of one or more signals by an RDA, so that the RDA can receive digital audio signals via its one or more receivers using the specifically reserved channel(s). In one embodiment, the one or more predetermined channels are used by the transmitter to transmit the one or more digital audio signals.

[0048] In an embodiment, if one or more of the RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 receive the one or more digital audio signals without errors or distortions, e.g., the one or more error-free digital audio signal(s), the one or more RDAs of RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 that have received the error-free digital audio signal output the error-free digital audio signal(s) to the digital bus 321, so that the other RDAs receive the signal and at least one of the RDAs delivers the signal(s) to the RDADR 305.

[0049] If, in an embodiment, one or more of the RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 are unable to receive a flawless digital audio signal, then the one or more RDAs of RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317 that did not receive the flawless digital audio signal instead pass the flawless digital audio signal received via the digital bus input to the digital bus 321 via the digital bus output.

[0050] If, in an embodiment, one or more of the RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317 receive one or more digital audio signals containing errors, interference, and / or distortion, e.g., one or more faulty digital audio signals, then the one or more RDAs of RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, and / or RDA 317 that received the one or more faulty digital audio signals will instead pass the error-free digital audio signals received at its digital bus input to the digital bus 321 via its digital bus output. In this way, a number of RDA units, such as... B. but not limited to RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315 and / or RDA 317, using one or more in Fig. The 3 described configurations can be connected together so that the RDADR 305 always receives a flawless digital audio signal as long as at least one of the RDA units can correctly receive the digital audio signal.

[0051] One advantage of the previously described real-time radio receiver network, which is used at the venue 300 of Fig. The advantage of using RDA 3 is that one or more RDA units can be distributed over a large area, effectively extending the range of a wireless audio source to any area, limited only by the number of redundant RDA units deployed. As in the previously described example, six RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and 317 are distributed over venue 300, which could be a large stadium or event hall. It should be noted that any suitable number of RDAs can be used at a venue, such as venue 300.

[0052] In one embodiment, each RDA used in the venue 300 can attempt to forward good digital audio data in both directions of the digital bus; for example, the good digital audio data can be forwarded to the digital bus using the inputs and / or outputs of the RDAs. This means that the digital bus can operate as a bidirectional bus, so that all RDAs and / or RDADRs connected via the digital bus to another RDA that has received the good audio data can receive the error-free digital audio signal.

[0053] The system described above, which is used at the venue 300 of Fig. The method used in section 3 ensures that good audio data and / or error-free digital audio signals are only absent from the digital bus when none of the connected RDAs assigned to a predefined wireless channel are capable of receiving good audio data and / or error-free digital audio signals (e.g., when the transmitter is switched off). In this example, one or more of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and / or 317 mark the digital audio signal that could not be received as a bad digital audio signal and notify a base unit or receiver, such as RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, 317, and / or RDADR 305, of the bad digital audio signal, causing the base unit or receiver to mute all predefined channels assigned to the bad digital audio data.As used here, “muting a predefined channel” and variations thereof refers to activating an RDA or RDADR to output inaudible audio signals instead of digital audio signals, which have been flagged as poor digital audio signals because none of one or more RDAs and / or RDADRs assigned to a particular wireless channel were able to receive good audio data and / or error-free digital audio signals on the predefined channel.

[0054] In one embodiment, each RDA, such as each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315 and / or 317, which is connected via a digital bus, such as the digital bus 321, is configured to receive a digital signal using a predetermined channel (not shown) and to forward the error-free digital signals received via the predetermined channel to the digital bus.

[0055] In one embodiment, each RDA, such as each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and / or 317, is configured to forward the data received by its receivers to a digital bus, such as digital bus 321. In this embodiment, each RDA is also configured to forward data (i.e., error-free digital signals) received over the other predefined channels assigned to and forwarded by those other RDAs to the digital bus. In other words, each RDA, such as each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and / or 317, forwards all data from any additional wireless channels not assigned to the RDA to the digital bus, such as...the digital bus 321, so that all digital data received over all specified channels is available on every switch, every RDA and / or every RDADR in a system used at a venue, such as the system used at venue 300.For example, if the RDA 307 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 1 (not shown), the RDA 309 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 2 (not shown), the RDA 311 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 3 (not shown), the RDA 313 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 4 (not shown), the RDA 315 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 5 (not shown), and the RDA 317 receives error-free digital signals over wireless channel 6 (not shown), then each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and / or 317 will forward error-free digital signals received over its designated channel to the digital bus 321.In this example, each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315 and / or 317 also forwards the error-free digital signal to digital bus 321, which was received by the other RDAs via the other predefined channels to which the RDA was not assigned. In this way, each of the six RDAs receives according to... Fig. 3 error-free digital signals via another channel, and all six RDAs from Fig. 3 enable all error-free data received via six different channels to be forwarded via their inputs and / or outputs (via digital bus 321), so that all data received via all 6 channels is available to each RDA 307, RDA 309, RDA 311, RDA 313, RDA 315, RDA 317 and / or RDADR 305, although the one or more receivers of each of the RDAs 307, 309, 311, 313, 315 and / or 317 can only receive data via a predetermined channel.

[0056] In one embodiment, the RDADR 305 is coupled via an optional analog / digital bus 323 to a mixer 325 and / or one or more audio output devices 303. The RDADR 305 processes and / or decodes the one or more error-free digital signals and sends the processed and / or decoded signals to the mixer 325 and / or the one or more audio output devices 303. For example, each of the audio output devices 303 can be a playback device that receives audio signals processed by the mixer 325. The audio output devices 303 can also be a playback device, a computer, part of recording equipment, a mixer, and / or any other type of audio output device known in the prior art. The at least one mixer 325 can be a digital mixer, an analog mixer, and / or any other type of mixer known in the prior art.More than one Mixer 325 can be used in the system used at the venue 300.

[0057] The analog / digital bus 323, which couples the RDADR 305 with the mixer 325 and / or the audio output devices 303, can be a bidirectional bus, a unidirectional bus, and / or any other bus known from the prior art. Furthermore, the analog / digital bus 323 can be an asynchronous bus or a synchronous bus. In one embodiment, the analog / digital bus 323 can be a bus configured to transmit analog and / or digital data back and forth between two or more components, such as the RDADR 305, the mixer 325, and / or one or more audio output devices 303. In another embodiment, the analog / digital bus 323 is a digital bus configured to transmit digital data back and forth between the RDADR 305, the mixer 325, and / or one or more audio output devices 303.In one embodiment, the analog / digital bus 323 is an analog bus configured to send analog data back and forth between the RDADR 305, the mixer 325, and / or one or more audio output devices 303. In one embodiment, the decision as to whether the analog / digital bus 323 is a digital bus or an analog bus is based on whether the RDADR 305, the mixer 325, and / or one or more audio output devices 303 are designed to process digital or analog data.

[0058] In one embodiment, the analog / digital bus 323 is not used to couple the RDADR 305 to the mixer 325 and / or one or more audio output devices 303. In this embodiment, the RDADR 305 is coupled to the mixer 325 and / or the audio output devices 303 via any other analog / digital coupling technology known from the prior art. In this embodiment, the decision as to whether the analog / digital coupling technology transmits digital or analog data depends on whether the RDADR 305, mixer 325, and / or one or more audio output devices 303 are designed to process digital or analog data.

[0059] Fig. Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of System 400 for a real-time radio receiver network. System 400 includes more details about an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network used for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals, such as the system described above with reference to Fig. 3 was described.

[0060] The System 400 can include the audio source 401, the digital transmitter 403, RDA #1 405, RDA #2 407, RDA #N 409, RDADR 411, the audio output device 413, the storage device 415, and the digital bus 429. Each function, structure, and / or feature of the System 400 is described below.

[0061] The digital transmitter 403 can include an input device 427, an ADC 417, a processor 419, an RF transmitter 421, and an antenna 423. RDA #1 405 can be similar to RDA 307, 309, 311, 313, 315, and / or 317, which are referenced above. Fig. 3 described. In one embodiment, RDA #1 405 can be coupled with RDA #2 407 and a predetermined number of other RDAs, designated by the number "N", such that the last RDA is RDA #N 409, using a series configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a net configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration, and / or a hybrid configuration. RDA #N 409 can be coupled with RDADR 411. RDADR 411 can be similar to RDADR 305, which was described above with reference to Fig. 3. In one embodiment, the digital bus 429 is used to couple RDADR 411, RDA #1 405, RDA #2 407, and the predetermined number of other RDAs designated by the number "N", such that the last RDA is RDA #N 409. The digital bus 429 may be similar to or the same as the digital bus 321 described above. Fig. 3 was described. For example, the digital bus 429, the RDADR 411 and each of the RDAs between RDA #1 405, RDA #2 407 and RDA #N 409 enable digital signals to be transmitted and received bidirectionally.

[0062] The RDADR 411 can be coupled with the audio output device 413, which is similar to one or more of the audio output devices 303 described above with reference to Fig. 3. The RDADR 411 can also be coupled to the storage device 415. Furthermore, the storage device 415 can be coupled to the audio output device 413. In one embodiment, the storage device 415 can be used to store one or more error-free digital signals 425 supplied to the audio output device 413. In another embodiment, the storage device 415 can be used to store one or more error-free digital signals 425 that have been processed and / or decoded by the RDADR 411. In one embodiment, an optional bus 430 is used to couple the RDADR 411 to the audio output device and / or the storage device 415. The optional bus 430 can be similar to or the same as the bus 323 described above with reference to Fig. 3 was described.

[0063] In one embodiment, the optional bus 430 is not used to couple the RDADR 411 to the audio output device 413 and / or the storage device 415. In this embodiment, the RDADR 411 is coupled to the audio output device 413 and / or the storage device 415 via any other analog / digital coupling technology known from the prior art. In this embodiment, the decision as to whether the analog / digital coupling technology transmits digital or analog data depends on whether the RDADR 411, audio output device 413, and / or storage device 415 are designed to process digital or analog data.

[0064] The storage device 415 can be any type of storage medium known from the prior art. For example, the storage device 415 can be persistent memory, a memory that temporarily stores the audio signals, floppy disks, optical discs, CD-ROMs, magnetic-optical discs, read-only memory (ROMs), RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic cards, optical cards and / or any type of media suitable for storing analog and / or digital audio signals, processed audio signals and / or decoded audio signals.

[0065] Fig. Figure 5 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a system 500 for a real-time radio receiver network comprising an embodiment of a remote digital antenna (“RDA”) 501 and an embodiment of an RDA digital receiver (“RDADR”) 503.

[0066] The section of System 500 described below illustrates further details of embodiments of RDAs and RDADRs of systems such as the RDAs and RDADRs previously described in the Fig. 3 to 4 systems described. This part of System 500 comprises an RDA 501, one or more RDAs 505, an RDADR 503, an audio output device 535, a storage device 537, a digital bus 539, a digital bus 541, an analog bus 543, and one or more digital audio signals 507. Each feature, structure, and / or characteristic of this part of System 500 is described in detail below.

[0067] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, RDA 501, one or more RDAs 505, and RDADR 503 are coupled to each other via a digital bus 539. The digital bus 539 can be a bidirectional bus, a unidirectional bus, or any bus known from the prior art. Furthermore, the digital bus 539 can be an asynchronous bus or a synchronous bus.

[0068] In one embodiment, RDA 501, one or more RDAs 505, and RDADR 503 are interconnected via a digital bus 539 in a series configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration, and / or a hybrid configuration. In another embodiment, a redundant topology using the digital bus 539 can be employed to interconnect RDA 501, one or more RDAs 505, and RDADR 503 in at least one series configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration, or a hybrid configuration. In this embodiment, the redundant topology provides cable redundancy for the system 500, so that if a connection (i.e.,If one or more cables of the digital bus 539, used to couple the RDA 501, one or more RDAs 505, and RDADR 503, fail, data can still be transmitted via other couplings in the redundant topology. In other words, any single cable in the loop can fail, and the system will continue to function. For example, if a coupling through the digital bus 539 that directly couples the RDADR 503 to the RDAs 505 fails, data that needs to be sent between the RDADR 503 and the RDAs 505 can be sent via a coupling of the digital bus 539 that couples the RDADR 503 to the RDA 501, as well as via a coupling of the digital bus 539 that couples the RDA 501 to the RDAs 505.

[0069] System 500 also includes a digital bus 541. The digital bus 541 can be a bus configured to send digital data back and forth between two or more components, such as the RDADR 503, storage device 537, and / or audio output device 535. In one embodiment, the digital bus 541 is a digital bus configured to send digital data back and forth between the RDADR 503, the storage device 537, and / or the audio output device 535.

[0070] The system 500 may optionally include an analog bus 543. The analog bus 543 may be a bus configured to transmit analog data back and forth between the RDADR 503, the storage device 537, and / or the audio output device 535. In one embodiment, the decision to include the analog bus 543 in the system 500 is based on whether the audio output device 535 is designed to process digital or analog data and / or whether the storage device 537 is designed to store digital or analog data.

[0071] Both the digital bus 541 and the optional analog bus 543 can be a bidirectional bus, a unidirectional bus, or any other bus type known from the prior art. Furthermore, both the digital bus 541 and the analog bus 543 can be a synchronous bus or an asynchronous bus. In one embodiment, the digital bus 541 is used to couple the audio output device 535 and / or the storage device 537 to the processor 527 of the RDADR 503. In another embodiment, the analog bus 543 is used to couple the audio output device 535 and / or the storage device 537 to the DAC 533 of the RDADR 503.

[0072] In one embodiment, the RDA 501 comprises according to Fig. 5 the processor 525, the RF receiver #1 521, the RF receiver #2 523, the antenna 509, the antenna 511, the antenna 513, the antenna 515, the switch #1 517 and the switch #2 519. In one embodiment, the antenna 509, the antenna 511, the antenna 513 and the antenna 515 work together with the switch #1 517 and the switch #2 519 to achieve spatial diversity in order to increase the probability that one or more digital audio signals 507 are received by RDA 501 without errors or distortion. In one embodiment, the antennas 509, 511, 513 and 515 receive signals 507 via one or more predetermined channels.Given that the use of antennas with switches for receiving one or more error-free digital audio signals is known in the field, the operating procedures of antenna 509, antenna 511, antenna 513, antenna 515, switch #1 517 and switch #2 519 are not described in detail.

[0073] In one embodiment, the RDA 501 comprises an RF receiver #1 521 and an RF receiver #2 523, which operate with the switch #1 517 and the switch #2 519 to receive one or more error-free signals 507. In this embodiment, unlike previous implementations, the error-free signals 507 output and / or provided by the RDA 501 are not raw analog RF signals. This means that in this embodiment, the RDA 501 includes an RF receiver #1 521 and an RF receiver #2 523 to enable the one or more error-free signals 507 to be received in their digital format and to enable the digital versions of the error-free audio signals to be provided on the digital bus 539.

[0074] In one embodiment, the RF receiver #1 521 and / or the RF receiver #2 523 provide the received error-free signals 507 to the processor 525 of the RDA 501. In one embodiment, the processor 525 processes and / or decodes the one or more error-free signals 507. The processor 525 processes and / or decodes the one or more error-free signals 507 to determine whether the signal is error-free. In particular, the processor 525 processes and / or decodes the one or more error-free signals 507 to determine the number and / or severity of the errors in the signal(s).

[0075] In one embodiment, after processing and / or decoding the one or more error-free signals 507, the processor 525 outputs the one or more error-free signals 507 to the digital bus 539, so that the one or more error-free signals 507 are available to one or more RDAs 505 and / or RDADR 503. If the RDA 501 is unable to receive the one or more error-free digital signals 507 using RF receiver #1 521 and / or RF receiver #2 523, the RDA 501 attempts, via the processor 525, to obtain the error-free digital signal from one or more other RDAs 505 using the digital bus 539.

[0076] In this embodiment, the RDA 501 has an increased probability of receiving the error-free signal 507, since the RDA 501 can receive one or more error-free signals 507 from the RF receiver #1 521, the RF receiver #2 523 and / or RDAs 505.

[0077] In one embodiment, the digital bus 539 of RDA 501 and / or RDA 505 is used to provide one or more error-free signals 507 to RDADR 503. RDADR 503 includes a processor 527 and a digital-to-analog converter (“DAC”) 533, which are described below.

[0078] In one embodiment, the processor 527 of the RDADR 503 comprises a user command module 529 and a power supply module 531. The user command module 529 is included in the RDADR 503 to enable a user to issue at least one user command to the RDADR 503, which is sent via the digital bus 539 to the RDA 501 and / or the RDA 505.For example, at least one user command contains information about the digital audio signals 507 to be transmitted, information about at least one specified channel to be used to transmit the digital signal(s) 507, information for setting one or more parameters of RDA 501 and / or RDAs 505, information regarding the decoding, processing and / or reporting of non-audio data received from the transmitter, information about diagnostic data about the one or more signals 507, and information regarding a predicted shape of the one or more error-free signals 507. In one embodiment, the diagnostic data includes radio strength, error rate, and / or any other features of digital audio signals known from the prior art.

[0079] In one embodiment, the power supply module 531 of the processor 527 is used by the RDADR 503 to supply power to the RDA 501 and / or the RDA 505 via the digital bus 539. In another embodiment, one or more inputs of the RDA 501 and / or RDA 505 are coupled to an RDADR 503 using a digital bus 539 that is standardized to CAT 6 and / or CAT 6a cable specifications, as described above. The use of a digital bus 539 that conforms to CAT 6 and / or CAT 6a cable specifications simplifies the setup and cable selection for embodiments of a system for a real-time radio receiver network used for the wireless transmission of digital audio signals. Since the provision of power to devices using a CAT 6 cable and / or a CAT 6a cable is known, this will not be described in detail.

[0080] In one embodiment, the processor 527 of the RDADR 503 processes and / or decodes one or more error-free signals 507. In another embodiment, the processor 527 processes and / or decodes the error-free digital signals 507 to combine non-audio data with the error-free digital audio signals or to perform a user-defined function contained in a user command. In another embodiment, the processed or unprocessed error-free signals 507 are supplied by the processor 527 to a DAC 533 for further processing to convert the error-free signals 507 from digital to analog form. In another embodiment, the RDADR 503 provides the unprocessed or processed error-free digital audio signals to the audio output device 535. Audio output devices have been described previously.In one embodiment, the audio output device 535 can provide the unprocessed or processed error-free digital audio signals to the storage device 537 for storage.

[0081] Fig. Figure 6 is a block diagram that represents a section of an embodiment of a System 600 for a real-time radio receiver network, which includes an embodiment of a remote digital antenna (“RDA”) with varying designs to achieve spatial diversity and an embodiment of an RDADR.

[0082] The System 600 according to Fig. 6 is a modification of System 500 according to Fig. 5, which was described above. Some of the features, structures and / or properties of the 500 system of Fig. 5, which were described above, may be similar or identical to some of the corresponding features, structures, or properties of System 600. Fig. They will be 6 and are therefore marked with the same reference symbols. For the sake of clarity, only the differences between System 600 and System 500 will be mentioned with reference to Fig. 6 described.

[0083] One difference between System 600 and System 500 concerns the varying spatial diversity designs that can be used to increase the probability that the RDA 501 receives the error-free digital signals 507 from a transmitter. In one embodiment of System 600, spatial diversity is achieved by using different antenna designs with each of the RF receivers #1 521 and #2 523. In one embodiment, RF receiver #1 521 retains the same design described above in Fig. 500, the only difference being the addition of details to illustrate some internal structures of switch #1 517. In another embodiment, RF receiver #2 523 has a design not described in Fig. 500. In this embodiment, the RF receiver #2 523 is connected to a single antenna 601.

[0084] Fig. Figure 7 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a System 700 for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on a predetermined channel. The section of System 700 described below illustrates further details of embodiments of RDAs and RDADRs of systems such as the RDAs and RDADRs described above with reference to Fig. 3-6 described systems. Some features, structures and / or properties of the part of system 700 described below may be similar or identical to some of the corresponding features, structures or properties of the systems of Fig. 3 to 6, which were described above. For the sake of clarity, only the differences between System 700 and the systems of the Fig. 3 to 6 described in the explanation to Fig. 700.

[0085] This section of System 700 includes several RDAs. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, this part of the system 700 includes RDA #1 701, RDA #2 703, RDADR 705, audio output device 707, digital bus 711, digital bus 713, analog bus 714, and one or more digital audio signals 709. In one embodiment of the system 700, and as above with reference to Fig. As described in Section 3 of System 300, several RDAs attempt to receive one or more digital audio signals over one or more predetermined radio frequencies, e.g., over one or more predetermined channels. The one or more predetermined channels are used by the transmitter to transmit the one or more digital audio signals. For example, two RDAs 701 and 703 may be present, configured to attempt to receive the one or more digital audio signals 709 from a transmitter (not shown) on a specific channel designated "CH 1". Furthermore, this embodiment of System 700 includes an RDADR 705, which is also assigned to the predetermined channel "CH 1" and the two RDAs 701 and 703, such that only the one or more error-free digital audio signals 709 received on the predetermined channel "CH 1" are processed and / or decoded by RDADR 705 and then sent to the audio output device 707.

[0086] It should be noted that although only two RDAs are shown in this embodiment of System 700, more or fewer than two RDAs may be used in one or more embodiments of System 700. It should also be noted that although only one predefined channel is shown in this embodiment of System 700, more than one predefined channel may be used in one or more embodiments of System 700. Furthermore, it should be noted that although only one RDADR is shown in this embodiment of System 700, more than one RDADR may be used in one or more embodiments of System 700. It should also be noted that although only one audio output device is shown in this embodiment of System 700, more than one audio output device may be used in one or more embodiments of System 700.

[0087] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, RDA #1 701, RDA #2 703, and RDADR 705 are coupled to each other via a digital bus 711. In one embodiment, the digital bus 711 is similar to the digital bus 539 described above with reference to Fig. 5. The system 700 also includes a digital bus 713, which is used to couple the RDADR 705 with the audio output device 707. In one embodiment, the digital bus 713 is similar to the digital bus 541 described above with reference to Fig. 5. In addition, the system 700 includes an analog bus 714, which is also used to couple the RDADR 705 to the audio output device 707. In one embodiment, the analog bus 714 is similar to the analog bus 543 described above with reference to Fig. 5 was described.

[0088] Fig. Figure 8 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of System 800 for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on two predetermined channels. The section of System 800 described below discloses further details of embodiments of RDAs and RDADRs of systems, such as those described above with reference to Fig. 3-7 described RDAs and RDADRs. Some features, structures, and / or properties of the section of System 800 described below may be similar or identical to some of the corresponding features, structures, or properties of the systems described above. Fig. 3 - 7. For the sake of clarity, only the differences between System 800 and the systems of the Fig. 3 to 7 described with reference to Fig. 800.

[0089] In one embodiment of the system 800 according to Fig. 8 This section of the system 800 includes RDA #1 801, RDA #2 803, RDA #3 805, RDA #4 807, RDADR #1 811, RDADR #2 813, Audio Output Device #1 815, Audio Output Device #2 817, Digital Bus 819, Analog / Digital Bus 821, Analog / Digital Bus 823 and one or more Digital Audio Signals 809.

[0090] System 800 can be used similarly to System 700 according to Fig. 7, which above with reference to Fig. 7 was described. As in Fig. As shown in Figure 8, RDA #1 801, RDA #2 803, RDA #3 805, RDA #4 807, RDADR #1 811 and RDADR #2 813 are coupled to each other via a digital bus 819. In one embodiment, the digital bus 819 is similar to the digital bus 539 described above with reference to Fig. 5 described. System 800 also includes an analog / digital bus 821, which is used to couple RDADR #1 811 with the audio output device #1 815. In one embodiment, the analog / digital bus 821 is similar to the digital bus 541 and / or the analog bus 543, each described above with reference to Fig. 5. Furthermore, the system 800 includes an analog / digital bus 823, which is used to couple RDADR #2 813 with the audio output device #2 817. In one embodiment, the analog / digital bus 823 is similar to the digital bus 541 and / or the analog bus 543, each described above with reference to 5.

[0091] In System 800, there are four RDAs, 801, 803, 805, and 807, configured to attempt to receive one or more digital audio signals 809 from a transmitter (not shown) on two predefined channels designated "CH 1" and "CH 2," respectively. In one embodiment, RDA #1 (801) and RDA #3 (805) are assigned to receive one or more digital audio signals on the predefined channel "CH 1," while RDA #2 (803) and RDA #4 (807) are assigned to receive one or more digital audio signals on the predefined channel "CH 2." In another embodiment, the signals on "CH 1" and "CH 2" can be generated by different audio sources (not shown), as described above with reference to Fig. 3 was described.

[0092] One embodiment of the system 800 comprises two RDADRs 811 and 813, which are assigned to the predetermined channel “CH 1” and the predetermined channel “CH 2”, respectively. In one embodiment, RDADR#1 811 is assigned to RDA#1 801, RDA#3 805 and / or the predetermined channel “CH 1”, such that only those digital audio signals assigned to the predetermined channel “CH 1” are processed and / or decoded by RDADR 811 and then sent to the audio output device 815. In one embodiment, RDADR#2 813 is assigned to RDA #2 803, RDA #4 807 and / or the predefined channel “CH 2”, so that only those digital audio signals assigned to the predefined channel “CH 2” are processed and / or decoded by RDADR 813 and then sent to the audio output device 817.

[0093] In one embodiment, each RDA, such as RDAs 801, 803, 805, and / or 807, is configured to forward the data received by its receivers to a digital bus, such as digital bus 819. In this embodiment, each RDA is also configured to forward data (i.e., the error-free digital signals) received via the other predefined channels assigned to the other RDAs and forwarded by the other RDAs to digital bus 819. Thus, each RDA, such as RDAs 801, 803, 805, and / or 807, forwards all data to the digital bus, such as...the digital bus 819, forwarding data from any other radio channels not assigned to the RDA, so that all digital data received via all designated channels, such as channels "CH 1" and "CH 2", is available at every switch, at every RDA, and / or at every RDADR in a system, such as System 800. In other words, each RDA #1 801, RDA #2 803, RDA #3 805, RDA #4 807, RDADR #1 811, and RDADR #2 813 forwards all data received via its designated channel to the digital bus 819, which in turn forwards all data from all channels bidirectionally to each RDA #1 801, RDA #2 803, RDA #3 805, RDA #4 807, RDADR #1 811, and RDADR #2 813. This allows the System 800 to operate without the need to retransmit the signals in the event of a malfunction.

[0094] Fig. Figure 9 is a block diagram representing a section of an embodiment of a System 900 for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on multiple predefined channels and deliver the corresponding digital audio signals to multiple receivers.

[0095] The section of System 900 described below discloses further details about embodiments of RDAs and RDADRs of systems, such as RDAs and RDADRs of systems described above with reference to the Fig. 3-8 were described. Some features, structures, and / or properties of section 900 described below may be similar or identical to some of the corresponding features, structures, or properties of the systems of Fig. 3-8, which were described above. For the sake of clarity, only the differences between System 900 and the systems of the Fig. 3 to 10 discussed in the description of System 900.

[0096] System 900 is similar to System 800 according to Fig. 8, which is described above. In one embodiment, the system comprises 900 different types of RDAs. In a first example, RDA #1 901 and RDA #2 903 are each assigned to the predefined channel “CH 1” and “CH 2,” respectively. In a second example, Multi-RDA 905 is assigned to the predefined channels “CH 3,” “CH 4,” “CH 5,” and “CH 6.” As used here, a “Multi-RDA” refers to two or more RDAs housed in the same device. For brevity, let us assume that the remaining RDAs from Fig. 9 are evident.

[0097] The System 900 according to Fig. Section 9 also includes various types of RDADRs. For example, RDADR 917 is assigned to a predefined channel “CH 1”, while RDADR 911 is assigned to several predefined channels “CH5”, “CH 6”, “CH 7”, and “CH 8”. In this example, any digital audio signals 909 assigned to these channels and received by at least one of the RDAs of the system 900 are processed and / or decoded by RDADR 911 and sent to one or more of the audio devices 935, 937, 939, and 941. In one embodiment, processors of RDADRs 911, 913, 917, and 915 are used to determine which of the audio devices of the system 900 should receive one or more digital audio signals 909. For clarity, it is assumed that the remaining RDADRs from Fig. 9 are evident.

[0098] System 900 also includes the digital bus 951, which couples each of the RDAs, multi-RDAs, and RDADRs of System 900. For example, the digital bus 951 couples the RDAs, multi-RDAs, and RDADRs of System 900 using a daisy-chain configuration, and the single-loop nature of the daisy configuration provides redundancy so that if any of the cables of the digital bus 951 fails or is removed, System 900 can continue to operate due to the bidirectional nature of the way in which digital data is routed via the digital bus 951 to each of the RDAs, multi-RDAs, and RDADRs of System 900. In one embodiment, the digital bus 951 is similar to the digital bus 819, which is described above with reference to Fig. 8 was described.

[0099] Furthermore, the system comprises 900 analog / digital buses 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, and 962, each used to couple RDADRs 917, 915, 913, and 911 to audio output devices 949, 947, 945, 943, 941, 939, 937, 935, 927, and 933. In one embodiment, each of the analog / digital buses 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, and 962 is similar to the analog / digital bus 821 described above with reference to Fig. 8 was described.

[0100] Fig. Figure 10 is a block diagram depicting a section of an embodiment of a System 1000 for a real-time radio receiver network containing multiple RDAs that receive digital audio signals on several predefined channels and deliver the digital audio signals to a single audio output device. The section of System 1000 described below discloses further details of embodiments of systems, such as those described above with reference to the Fig. 3 - 9 systems described.

[0101] In one embodiment of the system 1000 according to Fig. This section of the system comprises 1000 different types of RDAs, each assigned to at least one predefined channel. Since a large part of the system description is based on the Fig. 3 - 9 referred to the RDAs and their assignment to one or more predefined channels; a corresponding description will be provided in the discussion of the Fig. 10 omitted.

[0102] Some features, structures and / or properties of System 1000 according to Fig. 10 may be similar or identical to some of the corresponding features, structures, or properties of the systems described above. Fig. 3 - 9. For the sake of clarity, only the differences between System 1000 and the systems of the Fig. 3 - 9 in the discussion on Fig. 10 described.

[0103] One difference between System 1000 and the systems of Fig. Reference 3-9 refers to the audio output device of System 1000. In one embodiment, configurations of a system for a real-time radio receiver network, such as System 1000, could exist in which there is no direct analog audio output. In one embodiment, the digital bus, such as digital bus 1021, could be directly coupled to an interface on an audio output device, such as audio output device 1001. In one embodiment, audio output device 1001 uses the error-free digital audio signals provided via digital bus 1021 directly in their digital form.In one embodiment, an audio output device, such as the audio output device 1001, can be a digital mixer, a computer, and / or any other type of audio output device well known in the prior art that can process and / or decode the digital audio signals in their digital form. One embodiment of the system 1000 shows that there is no need for a separate RDADR, such as the optional RDADR 1023, when the desired audio output is digital. Thus, an embodiment of a system for a real-time radio receiver network can be reduced in terms of cost and size.

[0104] In one embodiment of the system 1000, the device 1001 and the optional RDADR 1023 share the tasks of processing and / or decoding the error-free digital signals, based on whether the desired audio output is analog or digital. In one embodiment, the audio output device 1001 may include one or more modules that enable the device 1001 to determine whether the desired audio output is analog or digital. If the desired audio output is digital, the device 1001 processes and decodes the received error-free digital signals with or without the use of RDADR 1023.In one embodiment, the device 1001 switches off the RDADR 1023 in response to the device 1001 determining that the desired audio output is a digital audio output, and processes the error-free digital signals without the use of RDADR 1023. In another embodiment, the device 1001 can share the processing and / or decoding of the error-free digital signals with the RDADR 1023, so that the output is provided much faster than if the device 1001 performed the tasks without RDADR 1023.

[0105] In one embodiment, if the device 1001 determines that the desired audio output is an analog output, the device 1001 forwards the received error-free digital signals to the RDADR 1023, which processes the error-free digital audio signals into an analog audio output. In this embodiment, RDADR 1023 is similar to one or more RDADRs 911, 913, 915, and 917, which are described above with reference to Fig.9, and can therefore process the digital audio signals as digital data or convert the processed digital data into analog data that is reproduced on the device 1001. In this embodiment, the system 1000 uses one or more processors of the RDADR 1023 to process digital data into an analog output, although the system 1000 does not include a set of buses capable of transmitting analog data back and forth between the RDAs 1003, 1005, 1007, 1009, 1011, 1013, 1015, 1017 and / or device 1001. Thus, an embodiment of the system 1000 for a real-time radio receiver network can be reduced in cost and size.

[0106] In one embodiment, an audio output device, such as device 1001, may be an analog / digital mixer, a computer and / or any other type of audio output device that is well known from the prior art and that can process and / or decode digital audio signals in their analog and / or digital form.

[0107] Although a system and a method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network and its various functional components have been described in specific embodiments, it is obvious that the embodiments of a system and a method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network can be implemented in the form of hardware, software, firmware, middleware or a combination thereof and can be used in systems, subsystems, components or subcomponents thereof.

[0108] When implemented in software or firmware, the elements of a system and a method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network are the instructions / code segments to perform the necessary tasks. The program or code segments can be stored in a machine-readable medium, such as a processor-readable medium or a computer program product, or transmitted via a transmission medium or communication link by a computer data signal formed in a carrier wave or a signal modulated by a carrier. The machine-readable or processor-readable medium can include any medium capable of storing or transmitting information in a format readable and executable by a machine (e.g., a processor, a computer, etc.). Examples of machine-readable or processor-readable media include...Processor-readable media include electronic circuits, semiconductor storage devices, ROMs, flash memory, erasable programmable ROMs (EPROMs), floppy disks, CD-ROMs, optical discs, hard disks, fiber optic media, radio frequency (RF) connections, etc. A computer data signal can encompass any signal capable of propagating through a transmission medium such as electronic network channels, optical fibers, air, electromagnetically, RF connections, etc. Code segments can be downloaded via computer networks such as the internet, intranets, etc.

[0109] Although a system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network have been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description should not be interpreted restrictively. Various modifications of the illustrative embodiments, as well as other embodiments of the system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network, which are obvious to those skilled in the art in the field relating to the system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network, are deemed to be encompassed by the concept and scope of the system and method for a redundant real-time radio receiver network.

Claims

[1] System for a real-time radio receiver network, the system comprising: a remote digital antenna digital receiver (“RDADR”) with a processor; a first remote digital antenna (“RDA”) comprising a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna; a second RDA with a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, an audio source that is coupled to the transmitter; and an audio output device coupled with the RDADR, where the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA are coupled to each other via a digital bus, wherein the first RDA and the second RDA attempt to receive one or more digital signals from a transmitter, and if the one or more digital signals are received without error by the first RDA or the second RDA, the RDA that has received the one or more error-free digital signals transmits the one or more error-free digital signals via the digital bus to the RDADR, where the audio source generates one or more digital signals, and where the audio source is at least a microphone or a musical instrument. [2] System according to claim 1, wherein the first RDA and the second RDA are two RDAs of a plurality of RDAs and wherein only one RDA from the plurality of RDAs needs to receive the digital signal(s) without an error in order to send the error-free digital signal(s) to the RDADR using the digital bus. [3] System according to claim 1, wherein the first RDA and / or the second RDA receives a user command from the RDADR, wherein the first RDA and / or the second RDA attempts to receive the one or more digital signal(s) based on the user command. [4] System according to claim 3, wherein the user command comprises: Information about the one or more digital signal(s) to be transmitted by the sender; Information about at least one specified channel that will be used to transmit the one or more digital signals; or Information about one or more parameters for setting up the first RDA and / or the second RDA. [5] System according to claim 1, further comprising a redundant topology, wherein the redundant topology uses the digital bus to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA together in at least one series configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration or a hybrid configuration, wherein the redundant topology provides cable redundancy for the system such that if at least one cable of the digital bus used to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA fails, data containing the one or more error-free signal(s) can still be transmitted via other cables of the digital bus, and wherein the digital bus is at least one of the group consisting of a bidirectional bus, a unidirectional bus, an asynchronous bus or a synchronous bus. [6] System according to claim 1, further comprising: a storage device coupled to the audio output device and / or the RDADR, wherein the storage device stores the one or more error-free digital signal(s). [7] System according to claim 1, wherein the audio source includes the transmitter. [8] System according to claim 1, wherein the audio output device includes the RDADR. [9] System according to claim 1, wherein the audio output device is a playback device, a computer, an analog mixer or a digital mixer. [10] System according to claim 1, wherein the audio source generates one or more analog audio signal(s) and the transmitter further comprises an analog-to-digital converter that converts the one or more analog audio signal(s) into the one or more digital audio signals and wherein the RDADR further comprises a digital-to-analog converter that converts the one or more digital signal(s) back into the one or more analog audio signal(s). [11] Method for using a real-time radio receiver network, the method comprising: Attempting to receive one or more digital signals from each of a first remote digital antenna (“RDA”) containing a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, and a second RDA containing a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, If one or more digital signals are received without errors by one of the first RDAs or the second RDA, transmit, using a digital bus, the one or more error-free digital signal(s) through the RDA that received the one or more error-free digital signal(s) to a remote digital antenna digital receiver (“RDADR”) comprising a processor. Pairing an audio source with the transmitter, and Coupling an audio output device to the RDADR, and generating one or more digital signals through the audio source, wherein the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA are coupled to each other via the digital bus, and where the audio source is at least a microphone or a musical instrument. [12] Method according to claim 11, wherein the first RDA and the second RDA are two RDAs from a plurality of RDAs and wherein only one RDA from the plurality of RDAs needs to receive the digital signals without an error in order to send the error-free digital signal(s) to the RDADR using the digital bus. [13] The method of claim 11, further comprising: Receiving a user command by the first RDA and / or the second RDA from the RDADR, wherein the attempt to receive one or more digital signals by the first RDA and / or the second RDA is based on at least one user command. [14] Method according to claim 13, wherein receiving a user command by the first RDA and / or the second RDA comprises: Receiving information about one or more digital signals to be transmitted by the sender; Receiving information via at least one specified channel that will be used to transmit the one or more digital signals; or Obtaining information about one or more parameters for setting up the first RDA and / or the second RDA. [15] The method of claim 11, further comprising: Using a redundant topology that includes using the digital bus to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA to each other in at least a serial configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration or a hybrid configuration, wherein the redundant topology provides cable redundancy so that if at least one cable of the digital bus used to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA fails, data containing the one or more error-free signal(s) can still be transmitted via other cables of the digital bus, and where the digital bus is at least one selected from the group of bidirectional bus, unidirectional bus, asynchronous bus or synchronous bus. [16] The method of claim 11, further comprising: Storing one or more error-free digital signal(s) using a storage device, wherein the storage device is coupled to the audio output device and / or the RDADR. [17] Method according to claim 11, wherein the audio source includes the transmitter. [18] Method according to claim 11, wherein the audio output device includes the RDADR. [19] Method according to claim 11, wherein the audio output device is a playback device, a computer, an analog mixer or a digital mixer. [20] The method of claim 11, further comprising: Generating one or more analog audio signals through the audio source; Converting one or more analog audio signals into one or more digital audio signals, the transmitter further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that performs the conversion of one or more analog audio signals into one or more digital audio signals; and Converting one or more digital signals back into one or more analog audio signals, wherein the RDADR further comprises a digital / analog converter that performs the conversion of one or more digital signals into one or more analog audio signals. [21] A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing executable instructions for carrying out a method for using a real-time radio receiver network, wherein the computer-readable storage medium includes executable instructions to: Attempting to receive one or more digital signals from each of a first remote digital antenna (“RDA”) containing a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, and a second RDA containing a processor, at least one receiver and at least one antenna, If one or more digital signals are received without errors by one of the first RDAs or the second RDA, transmit, using a digital bus, the one or more error-free digital signal(s) through the RDA that received the one or more error-free digital signal(s) to a remote digital antenna digital receiver (“RDADR”) comprising a processor. Pairing an audio source with the transmitter; and Pairing an audio output device with the RDADR, and Generating one or more digital signals from the audio source, where the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA are coupled to each other via the digital bus, and where the audio source is at least a microphone or a musical instrument. [22] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the first RDA and the second RDA are two RDAs from a plurality of RDAs and wherein only one RDA from the plurality of RDAs needs to receive the digital signal(s) without error in order to send the error-free digital signal(s) to the RDADR using the digital bus. [23] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, which further comprises executable instructions for: Receiving a user command by the first RDA and / or the second RDA from the RDADR, wherein the attempt to receive one or more digital signals by the first RDA and / or the second RDA is based at least on the user command. [24] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 23, wherein the executable commands for receiving a user command by the first RDA and / or the second RDA comprise commands executable by the RDADR, to Receiving information about one or more digital signals to be transmitted by the sender; Receiving information via at least one specified channel used to transmit the one or more digital signals; or Obtaining information about one or more parameters for setting up the first RDA and / or the second RDA. [25] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising: Using a redundant topology that includes using the digital bus to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA to each other in at least a serial configuration, a point-to-point configuration, a bus configuration, a star configuration, a ring configuration, a mesh configuration, a tree configuration, a daisy-chain configuration or a hybrid configuration, wherein the redundant topology provides cable redundancy so that if at least one cable of the digital bus used to couple the RDADR, the first RDA and the second RDA fails, data containing the one or more error-free signal(s) can still be transmitted via other cables of the digital bus, and where the digital bus is at least one selected from the group of bidirectional bus, unidirectional bus, asynchronous bus or synchronous bus. [26] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, further comprising executable instructions for storing the one or more error-free digital signal(s) with a storage device, wherein the storage device is coupled with the audio output device and / or the RDADR. [27] The non-transient computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the audio source includes the transmitter. [28] The non-transient computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the audio output device includes the RDADR. [29] The non-transient computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, wherein the audio output device is a playback device, a computer, an analog mixer or a digital mixer. [30] The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 21, which further comprises executable instructions for: Generating one or more analog audio signals through the audio source; Converting one or more analog audio signals into one or more digital audio signals, the transmitter further comprising an analog-to-digital converter that performs the conversion of one or more analog audio signals into one or more digital audio signals; and Converting one or more digital signals into one or more analog audio signals, wherein the RDADR further comprises a digital / analog converter that performs the conversion of one or more digital signals into one or more analog audio signals.

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