Patent Publication Number: US-2016227347-A1

Title: Method and Device of Simultaneous Transmission of Audio Signal and Control Signal

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     1. Field of Invention 
     The present invention relates to a wireless technology, and more particularly to a wireless communication system and method which utilize BLUETOOTH wireless technology to wirelessly transmit both audio and control signals. 
     2. Description of Related Arts 
     BLUETOOTH modules have widely been used for wirelessly transmitting audio signals over a relatively short distance. A conventional BLUETOOTH module may be installed in an electronic device, such as a smartphone, so that when the smartphone is activated to play music, audio signals may be transmitted from that electronic device to another electronic device through the BLUETOOTH module. As such, the music stored in the first electronic device may be played by the second electronic device which is at a distance from the first electronic device. 
     A major disadvantage of a conventional BLUETOOTH module mentioned above is that such module can only transmit audio signals wirelessly. Very often however, when audio signals are being transmitted, transmission of some sorts of control signals are also desirable because the control signals may initiate a wide variety of auxiliary functions, such as producing various lighting effects. 
     Thus, there is a need to develop a BLUETOOTH module which is capable of transmitting both audio and control signals. 
     SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
     An objective of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system and method which utilize BLUETOOTH wireless technology to wirelessly transmit both audio and control signals. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system which comprises a first electronic device and a second electronic device, wherein audio signals and control signals stored in said first electronic device can be converted and modulated into a single stream of audio frequency chopper signals which is wirelessly transmitted to the second electronic device. 
     Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method of wirelessly transmitting audio frequency and control signals through BLUETOOTH technology. 
     In one aspect of the present invention, it provides a wireless communication system, comprising: 
     a first electronic device comprising a transmitting BLUETOOTH module, a memory unit for storing at least one audio file and a control signal, and a first processing unit electrically connecting to the transmitting BLUETOOTH module and the memory unit; and 
     a second electronic device comprising a receiving BLUETOOTH module, an audio device, a controlled device, and a second processing unit electrically connected to the receiving BLUETOOTH module, the audio device and the controlled device; 
     wherein in the first electronic device, the audio file is arranged to be converted to an audio frequency signal stream and the control signal being arranged to be modulated into the audio frequency signal stream to form a stream of audio frequency chopper signals, the stream of audio frequency chopper signals being wirelessly transmitted to the second electronic device through the transmitting BLUETOOTH module and the receiving BLUETOOTH module, wherein in the second electronic device, the stream of audio frequency chopper signals are demodulated back into the audio frequency signals stream and the control signal, the audio frequency signals stream being processed by the second processing unit which drives the audio device to deliver audible sound according to the audio frequency signal stream, the control signal being processed by the second processing unit which drives the controlled device to operate. 
     In another aspect of the present invention, it provides a method of wirelessly transmitting audio and control signals from a transmitting BLUETOOTH module of a first electronic device to a receiving BLUETOOTH module of a second electronic device comprises the steps of: 
     (a) converting an audio file stored in the first electronic device into an audio frequency signal stream; 
     (b) modulating a control signal stored in the first electronic device into the audio signal stream by using phase-shift keying to form a stream of audio frequency chopper signals; 
     (c) wirelessly transmitting the stream of the audio frequency chopper signals to the second electronic device by using the receiving BLUETOOTH module; 
     (d) demodulating the stream of audio frequency chopper signals by the second electronic device to form a stream of control signals; and 
     (e) transmitting the control signals to a controlled device of the second electronic device for controlling an operation thereof. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1A  is a block diagram of a first electronic device of a wireless communication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 1B  is a block diagram of a second electronic device of the wireless communication system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of a lighting control panel as controlled by the wireless communication system according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  schematic diagram of a method of wirelessly transmitting audio frequency signals and control signals through BLUETOOTH technology according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to  FIG. 1A  to  FIG. 1B  and  FIG. 2  of the drawings, a wireless communication system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Broadly, the wireless communication system comprises a first electronic device  10 , and a second electronic device  20 . 
     The first electronic device  10  comprises a transmitting BLUETOOTH module  11 , a memory unit  12  for storing at least one audio file and a control signal, and a first processing unit  13  electrically connecting to the transmitting BLUETOOTH module  11  and the memory unit  12 . 
     The second electronic device  20  comprises a receiving BLUETOOTH module  31 , an audio device  21 , a controlled device  220 , and a second processing unit  23  electrically connected to the receiving BLUETOOTH module  31 , the audio device  21  and the controlled device  220 . 
     In the first electronic device  10 , the audio file is arranged to be converted to an audio frequency signal stream and the control signal is arranged to be modulated into the audio frequency signal stream to form a stream of audio frequency chopper signals. This stream of audio frequency chopper signals is arranged to be wirelessly transmitted to and received by the second electronic device  20  through the transmitting BLUETOOTH module  11  and the receiving BLUETOOTH module  200  respectively. 
     In the second electronic device  20 , the stream of audio frequency chopper signals are demodulated back into the audio frequency signals stream and the control signal, wherein the audio frequency signals stream is processed by the second processing unit  23  which drives the audio device  21  to deliver audible sound according to the audio frequency signal stream. On the other hand, the control signal is processed by the second processing unit  23  which drives the controlled device  220  to operate for producing a predetermined non-audio effect. 
     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first electronic device  10  is preferably a mobile telecommunication device, such as a smartphone, which is programmed to convert the audio file and the control signal into the stream of audio frequency chopper signals. The program may be executed through interactive devices provided on the first electronic device  10 . Accordingly, the first electronic device  10  may further comprise an interactive screen  14  and an interactive control panel  15  provided on the first electronic device  10  for allowing a user to control an operation thereof. The program may be stored in the first electronic device  10  in the form of a specific application, which may be executed to transform the audio file and the control signal into the stream of audio frequency chopper signals. 
     The transmitting BLUETOOTH module  11  of the first electronic device  10  comprises an audio frequency BLUETOOTH processing circuitry  111  and a wireless transmitter  112  electrically connected to the audio frequency BLUETOOTH processing circuitry  111  for wireless transmitting the stream of audio frequency chopper signals through BLUETOOTH technology. 
     The first processing unit  13  may be program to convert the audio file into the audio frequency signal stream and to modulate the control signal into the audio frequency signal stream through the use of binary phase-shift keying, or other phase-shift keying techniques. The audio frequency chopper signals is then transmitted to the BLUETOOTH processing circuitry  111  which controls the wireless transmitter  112  to wireless transmit the audio frequency chopper signals to the second electronic device  20 . The program is stored in the memory unit  12  of the first electronic device  10 . 
     The receiving BLUETOOTH module  31  of the second electronic device  20  is arranged to receive the wireless signal from the first electronic device  10 . The second processing circuitry  23  comprises an amplifying filter circuitry  32  and a demodulating circuitry  33  electrically connected to the amplifying filter circuitry  32 , wherein the amplifying filter circuitry  32  is arranged to amplify and filter the audio frequency chopper signals transmitted from the first electronic device  10 . The demodulating circuitry  33  is arranged to demodulate he audio frequency chopper signals back into an audio frequency signal and the control signals. The second processing circuitry  23  further comprises a decoding circuitry  34  electrically connected to the demodulating circuitry  33 , and a control sequence memory  35  electrically connected to the decoding circuitry  34 . The decoding circuitry  34  is arranged to decode the control signals from the demodulating circuitry  33 , while the control sequence memory  35  is arranged to store control sequence of the control signals. 
     The control signals are then transmitted to the controlled device  220  for performing auxiliary functions such as controlling switching of certain lighting fixtures. For example, as shown in  FIG. 2  of the drawings, the controlled device  220  may be controlled by a lighting control panel  221  having a plurality of switches  222  for controlling several parameters of lighting effects. The control signals may be transmitted to the controlled device  220  so that the lighting control panel  221  is digitally controlled by the control signal. As such, the lighting effects can be controlled by the control signals initiated from the first electronic device  10  through BLUETOOTH technology. With the present invention, BLUETOOTH technology may be used to wirelessly transmit both audio frequency signals and control signals. 
     It is worth mentioning that the controlled device  220  of the second electronic device  20  may be embodied as a wide variety of apparatuses which may perform a wide range of functions, especially those having complementary effects to audio playing. Examples may include lighting effects or water effects. It is a device controlled by the first electronic device  10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  of the drawings, a method of wirelessly transmitting audio and control signals from a transmitting BLUETOOTH module  11  of a first electronic device  10  to a receiving BLUETOOTH module  200  of a second electronic device  20  comprises the steps of: 
     (a) converting an audio file stored in the first electronic device  10  into an audio frequency signal stream; 
     (b) modulating a control signal stored in the first electronic device  10  into the audio signal stream by using phase-shift keying to form a stream of audio frequency chopper signals; 
     (c) wirelessly transmitting the stream of the audio frequency chopper signals to the second electronic device  20  by using the receiving BLUETOOTH module  31 ; 
     (d) demodulating the stream of audio frequency chopper signals by the second electronic device  20  to form a stream of control signals; and 
     (e) transmitting the control signals to a controlled device  220  of the second electronic device  20  for controlling an operation thereof. 
     The present invention, while illustrated and described in terms of a preferred embodiment and several alternatives, is not limited to the particular description contained in this specification. Additional alternatives or equivalent components could also be used to practice the present invention.