Intercom apparatus for integrating disparate audio sources for use in light aircraft or similar high noise environments

Apparatus for integrating disparate audio sources, including microphone signals and other non-microphone input signals, for use in light aircraft or in other high noise environments comprising unitary driver means for generating a composite output signal representative of a driver input signal, audio output means associated with the output of the driver means for connection of a plurality of remote sound transducer means thereto whereby a substantially identical composite output signal will be present at all of the remote sound transducer means without regard to the source of audio comprising said composite output signal;

• audio signal summation means operatively connected to the driver input having microphone input means and other input means, said audio summation means functioning to combine respective microphone and other input means to form a single composite signal;
• means for interconnecting microphone signals to the microphone input means in response to predetermined minimum microphone signal levels, said interconnecting means including switch means and microphone signal detector means;
• switchable mute means for interconnecting said other non-microphone input signals to the other input means, the mute means operatively connected to the microphone signal detector means such that the amplitude of the other input signals interconnected to the other input means is lowered by a predetermined non-zero fractional degree in response to predetermined minimum microphone signal levels whereby fractionally muting the other signal enhances microphone signal intelligibility without appreciably interrupting the continuity of said other signals.

Apparatus for integrating disparate audio sources for use in light aircraft or in other high noise environments comprising unitary driver means with a driver input for generating a composite output signal representative of a driver input signal, audio output means associated with the output of the driver means for connection of a plurality of remote sound transducer means thereto whereby a substantially identical composite output signal will be present at all of the remote sound transducer means without regard to the source of audio comprising said composite output signal;

• audio signal summation means operatively connected to the driver input having microphone input means and radio input means, said audio summation means functioning to combine outputs from the microphone input and radio input means to form a single composite signal;
• means for interconnecting microphone signals to the microphone input means in response to predetermined minimum microphone signal levels, said interconnecting means including microphone switch means and microphone signal detector means;
• radio signal detector means;
• microphone mute means for lowering the microphone input signal by a predetermined first non-zero fractional degree;
• radio mute means for lowering a radio input signal at the radio input means by a predetermined second non-zero fractional degree;
• means for manually selecting priority, said priority selecting means having at least respective microphone and radio priority positions, said priority selecting means coupled to the microphone and radio signal detector means and to the microphone and radio mute means whereby at least one of said microphone or radio signals may be selected and operatively connected to the radio or microphone mute means, respectively, thereby lowering the non-selected input signal by a predetermined fractional degree in response to a detected selected signal whereby fractionally muting the non-selected signal enhances the selected signal intelligibility without interrupting the continuity of the non-selected signal.

Aircraft audio intercom apparatus including unitary amplifier means, means for connecting the output of the amplifier means to a plurality of remote headsets whereby the same amplifier output signal is available to each headset;

• a plurality of microphone input means;
• a plurality of microphone switch means, each of the switch means operatively coupling a respective one of the microphone input means to the amplifier means;
• a plurality of audio detector means, each of the detector means having a detector input operatively connected to one of the audio input means and a detector output representative of the presence of an audio signal on the corresponding input means, the detector output operatively connected to the respective audio switch means associated with said one audio input means whereby only microphone input means having audio signals thereon are coupled to the amplifier means;
• aircraft radio audio input means operatively coupled to the amplifier means;
• entertainment input means operatively coupled to the amplifier means;
• means for partially muting a signal from the entertainment input means;
• aircraft audio detector means having an input operatively connected to the aircraft audio input means and a detector output representative of the presence of an audio signal on the aircraft audio input means;
• means operatively interconnecting the microphone detector means and the aircraft audio detector means with the entertainment mute means whereby the level of a signal at the amplifier means from the entertainment means may be partially muted in response to detected microphone input means signal or aircraft radio input means signals.

Aircraft audio intercom apparatus including unitary amplifier means having output means for connecting a plurality of remote headsets whereby the same amplifier output signal is available to each headset;

• a plurality of microphone input means;
• microphone switch means operatively coupling selected microphone input means to the amplifier means;
• microphone actuator means operatively connected to the switch means and to the input means, said actuator means including means for separately detecting an audio input signal at each of the microphone input means whereby the actuator and switch means automatically couple each input means having an audio signal of predetermined amplitude thereon to the amplifier means without regard to audio input signal levels on the remaining audio input means;
• wherein the amplifier means includes stereo left channel amplifier means and right channel amplifier means and including microphone signal splitter means operatively associated with each microphone input means for connecting microphone audio signals to both of said left and right channel amplifier means whereby the microphone voice audio signal will be present at the output means of both of said amplifier means.

Apparatus for integrating disparate audio sources for use in light aircraft or in other high noise environments comprising unitary driver means for generating a composite output signal representative of a driver input signal, audio output means associated with the output of the driver means for connection of a plurality of remote sound transducer means thereto whereby a substantially identical composite output signal will be present at all of the remote sound transducer means without regard to the source of audio comprising said composite output signal;

• audio signal summation means operatively connected to the driver input having at least two audio inputs, said audio summation means functioning to combine the respective audio inputs to form a single composite signal;
• each summation means audio input including an associated audio switch means, audio detector means, and audio input means for connection of an audio input signal thereto;
• each audio switch means connected in series between the associated summation means audio input and the audio input means, and each audio switch means having a gate means whereby the switch means may be selectively controlled to a first closed-circuit condition whereby an audio input signal at the associated audio input means is substantially connected to the summation means audio input and a second open-circuit condition whereby an audio input signal at the associated audio input means is substantially removed from said audio input;
• each audio signal detector means being operatively connected to the gate means of the associated switch means and to the associated audio input means, each detector means being unresponsive to audio input signals on other than the associated audio input means, whereby the detector means controls the associated switch means into the first closed-circuit condition whenever an audio input signal of predetermined amplitude is present at the associated audio input means without regard to the input signal condition on any other audio input means and into the second open-circuit condition following a predetermined interval in which an audio input signal at the associated audio input means has not exceeded the predetermined amplitude whereby only audio input signals having a predetermined amplitude contribute to the driver means output signal thereby improving the audio quality by eliminating noise present on unused audio signal inputs;
• including a single dc level potentiometer operatively interconnected to each of the microphone audio detector means whereby the predetermined detection amplitude of all of the detectors may be simultaneously adjusted.