Microphone Array Daisy-Chain Summation Reducing Wire Count
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microphone arrays with multiple microphones require a large number of connecting wires, increasing costs, space requirements, and the likelihood of defects or malfunctions due to the complexity of wire connections.
Innovation Solution
A daisy chain configuration where each microphone stage includes a microphone, analog-to-digital converter, decimation unit, receiver, and transmitter, allowing for serial data transmission and cumulative summing of audio data, reducing the bandwidth and number of wires needed, with configuration data transmitted separately or over a separate channel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each microphone is individually wired to separate inputs of the signal processing device, then the system can process audio signals from multiple microphones, but the number of wires increases proportionally with the number of microphones, increasing cost, space requirements, and reliability issues
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple individual wire connections from each microphone to the signal processing device are merged into a single shared communication bus. Each microphone circuit connects to this common bus, allowing multiple microphones to share the same physical connection infrastructure, thereby reducing the total number of wires while maintaining the ability to individually address and process signals from each microphone.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared communication bus serves multiple functions: it provides power to multiple microphone circuits, carries digital audio data from all microphones, and enables configuration of each microphone individually through the same connection. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate dedicated wires for each microphone, reducing complexity while maintaining reliability.
2Measurement precision
If a large number of microphones are used in the array, then audio fidelity and noise reduction improve, but the number of connecting wires increases proportionally, increasing expense and space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple individual microphone connections into a single shared communication infrastructure. Instead of requiring N separate wires for N microphones, all microphones connect to a common bus, reducing the wire quantity from proportional to constant, thereby enabling large-scale microphone arrays without linearly increasing wiring requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical wiring system with a digital communication system. Rather than using separate physical wire connections for each microphone, the system uses digital signals transmitted over a shared bus with unique addressing, substituting physical connection complexity with digital signal processing efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual wire connections are used for each microphone, then each microphone can be independently connected to the signal processing device, but the likelihood of defects, malfunctions, or problems with wire sets increases as the number of wires increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual wire connections into a single shared communication bus, reducing the total number of wire connections from N individual wires to 1 shared bus. This merging approach maintains the ability to individually address and control each microphone through digital addressing while eliminating the reliability issues associated with multiple individual wire connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared communication bus acts as an intermediary between the microphones and the signal processing device. Rather than requiring direct individual wire connections between each microphone and the processor, the bus mediates all communications, centralizing the connection point and reducing the number of potential failure points in the wire infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
Microphone stages in a microphone array may be coupled together in a daisy chain. Each stage may include a microphone, an analog to digital converter, a decimation unit, a receiver, an adder, and a transmitter. The converter may convert analog audio microphone signals into digital codes that may be decimated. The adder may add decimated digital codes in each stage to a cumulative sum of decimated digital codes from prior stages. This new sum may be transmitted to the next microphone stage, where the adder may add the decimated digital codes from that stage to the cumulative sum. A serial interface may be used to connect the transmitters and receivers of each of the stages. The serial interface may be used to transmit the cumulative sum of decimated digital codes between the stages. The serial interface may also be used to transmit configuration data between the stages.