Mobile Radio Audio Summing for Lightweight Wearable Masks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems for mobile radios and wearable masks are bulky and power-hungry due to the inclusion of amplifiers, which add weight and drain limited power resources.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for communicating wireless audio signals using a mobile radio that processes and sums audio signals from a wearable mask and another mobile radio, prioritizing and transmitting them to a remote speaker microphone based on predefined criteria, such as priority and push-to-talk activation, without the need for amplifiers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If an amplifier is included in the wearable mask to amplify audio signals, then the audio output capability is improved, but the weight and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The amplifier function is extracted from the wearable mask and relocated to the mobile radio unit. The mask now only contains the microphone and wireless transmitter, while the mobile radio performs both reception and audio amplification. This extraction eliminates the need for a bulky amplifier in the mask, reducing its weight while maintaining audio output capability through the remote speaker microphone system.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile radio acts as an intermediary device between the mask microphone and the remote speaker microphone. Instead of the mask directly amplifying and outputting audio, the mobile radio receives the audio signal wirelessly, processes it, and transmits it to the remote speaker microphone for amplification and output. This intermediary approach distributes the system functions across multiple lightweight components.
2Power
If an amplifier is included in the wearable mask to amplify audio signals, then the audio output capability is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power-hungry amplifier function is extracted from the mask and relocated to the mobile radio unit and remote speaker microphone. The mask now only performs low-power functions: capturing audio with the microphone and transmitting it wirelessly. This extraction dramatically reduces the mask's power consumption while maintaining audio output capability through the distributed system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the mask perform the full function of amplification and audio output, the system divides the audio processing into partial actions: the mask captures and transmits the raw audio signal, the mobile radio receives and relays it, and the remote speaker microphone performs the amplification and output. This distribution of partial actions across multiple devices reduces the power burden on the mask.
3Reliability
If the mobile radio sums and transmits both mask audio and another mobile radio audio, then the communication effectiveness is improved, but the signal priority management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile radio implements feedback mechanisms to monitor the status of received audio signals from multiple sources. By continuously assessing signal priority levels and PTT button activation states, the system dynamically adjusts which signals to sum and transmit. This feedback-based priority management ensures reliable communication effectiveness while maintaining manageable system complexity through automated decision-making algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system, mobile radio, remote speaker microphone and wearable mask are provided. In one or more embodiments, a mobile radio is provided. A mobile radio is provided and includes communication interface configured to: receive at least one of first wireless audio signals from a wearable mask and second wireless audio signals from another mobile radio; and processing circuitry in operative communication with the communication interface, the processing circuitry configured to, if first wireless audio and second wireless audio signals are received by the communication interface, sum the first and second wireless audio signals for transmission to a remote speaker microphone if a first criterion is met.