Acoustic control system having alternate enabling and control signal

Claim 2

A remote control system comprising, in combination: transmitting means for generating and transmitting a coded control signal providing a plurality of distinctive space signals and a plurality of distinctive data signals in a predetermined sequence, with a data signal being provided between successive space signals; and receiving means adapted to be remotely located from said transmitting means for receiving and responding to said coded control signal, said receiving means including input means for receiving said coded control signal and responsive to received space signals to provide an enabling signal, and detecting and decoding means connected to said input means and rendered operative in response to said enabling signal for detecting and decoding said data signals.

Claim 3

The control system of claim 1 wherein said transmitting means generates and transmits a predetermined number of said space signals as a part of said coded control signal and said receiving means further includes counter means connected to said input means for counting each of said space signals when received, said counting means generating an inhibit signal when said predetermined number of space signals are counted for rendering said detecting and decoding means inoperative until generation of another enabling signal by said input means.

Claim 4

The control system of claim 1 wherein saiD transmitting means generates and transmits successive space signals of said coded control signal at predetermined intervals and wherein said receiving means further includes delay means connected to said input means and responding to said enabling signal for generating a delay signal having a duration at least as great as the interval between successive space signals of said coded control signal, and power switch means connected to said input means, said delay means and to said detecting and decoding means, said power switch means adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy and responsive to said enabling signal to cause conduction of electrical energy from said source to said detecting and decoding means to render it operative, said power switch means also responsive to said delay signal to stop the conduction of electrical energy to said detecting and decoding means and render it inoperative when a space signal is not received by said receiving means during the duration of said delay signal.

Claim 5

The control system of claim 3 wherein said delay means includes a timer circuit connected to said power switch means, said timer circuit providing said delay signal in response to said enabling signal, and a monostable circuit connected between said input means and said timer circuit and responsive to received space signals to reset said timer circuit prior to the end of said delay signal.

Claim 6

The control system of claim 1 wherein said transmitting means generates and transmits said coded control signal as an acoustic signal including a predetermined number of successive time slots of a predetermined time interval, with each time slot including a space signal of one acoustic frequency followed by a data signal of at least one other acoustic frequency, and said input means includes space signal filter means tuned to the frequency of said space signal and said detecting and decoding means includes at least one data signal filter means tuned to the frequency of said data signal.

Claim 7

The control system of claim 5 wherein the combination of transmitted data signals of said coded control signal provide a binary code and binary 1 of said code is represented by a data signal of one of said other frequencies and binary 0 is represented by a data signal of another of said other frequencies and said detecting and decoding means includes two data signal filters each tuned to the frequency of one of said data signals, and further including means connected between said data signal filters for inhibiting the operation of one of said data signal filters when the other data signal filter is providing an output in response to receipt of its respective data signal.

Claim 8

The control system of claim 3 wherein each space signal is transmitted at one acoustic frequency and is followed by a data signal of at least one other acoustic frequency, and said input means includes space signal filter means tuned to the frequency of said space signal and said detecting and decoding means includes at least one data signal filter means tuned to the frequency of said data signal.

Claim 9

The control system of claim 7 wherein the combination of transmitted data signals of said coded control signal provide a binary code and binary 1 of said code is represented by a data signal of one of said other acoustic frequencies and binary 0 is represented by a data signal of another of said other acoustic frequencies, and said detecting and decoding means includes two data signal filters each tuned to the frequency of one of said data signals, and further including means connected between said data signal filters for inhibiting the operation of one of said data signal filters when the other data signal filter is providing an output in response to receipt of its respective data signal.

Claim 10

The control system of claim 8 wherein said last mentioned means includes first and second flipflop means each having one input connected to said input circuit and responsive to said enabling signal To be switched to a reset state, another input of said first flipflop means connected to the output of one of said data signal filter means, and another input of said second flipflop means connected to the output of said other data signal filter means, and wherein said detecting and decoding means further includes a decoder logic circuit for decoding the binary code represented by said data signals to provide an output signal for controlling an utilization device, and circuit means connecting the output of said first and second flipflop means to said decoder logic circuit.

Claim 11

An acoustic control system comprising, in combination: transmitting means including signal generator means for providing a plurality of different acoustic signals, coding logic means for providing coded logic pulses in response to an operator command, combining means connected to said signal generator means and said coding logic means and responding to said coded logic pulses and said different acoustic signals to provide a coded control signal comprising said plurality of different acoustic signals in a coded sequence, and transmitting transducer means connected to said combining means for radiating said coded control signal including said different acoustic signals; and receiving means including an input circuit having receiving transducer means for receiving and responding to said radiated coded control signal, detecting means including a plurality of distinctive signal detecting circuits connected to said input circuit and each detecting circuit detecting and responding to one of said different acoustic signals of said coded control signal output signals, at least one of said detecting circuits adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy to be normally operative and responding to the first received of said different acoustic signals comprising said coded control signal to provide an enabling signal, the remaining detecting circuits being normally in a stand-by condition, decoding means connected to said detecting means for decoding and acting on the coded control signal when detected by said detecting means, and power switch means adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy and connected to said detecting means and said decoding means, said switch means responsive to said enabling signal to supply electrical energy to activate said decoding means and said remaining of said detecting circuits.

Claim 12

An acoustic control system comprising, in combination: transmitting means including signal generator means for providing a plurality of different acoustic signals, coding logic means for providing coded logic pulses in response to an operator command, combining means connected to said signal generator means and said coding logic means and responding to said coded logic pulses and said different acoustic signals to provide a coded control signal comprising said plurality of different acoustic signals in a coded sequence, and transmitting transducer means connected to said combining means for radiating said coded control signal including said different acoustic signals; and receiving means including an input circuit having receiving transducer means for receiving and responding to said radiated coded control signal, detecting means including a plurality of distinctive signal detecting circuits connected to said input circuit and each detecting circuit detecting and responding to one of said different acoustic signals of said coded control signal output signals, at least one of said detecting circuits adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy to be normally operative and responding to the first received of said different acoustic signals comprising said coded control signal to provide an enabling signal, the remaining detecting circuits being normally in a stand-by condition, decoding means connected to said detecting means for decoding and acting on the coded control signal when detected by said detecting means, and power switch means adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy and connected to said detecting means and said decoding means, said switch means responsive to said enabling signal to supply electrical energy to activate said decoding means and said remaining of said detecting circuits.

Claim 13

The control system of claim 10 wherein said signal generating means provides said plurality of different acoustic signals at different audio frequencies, one of said different frequency signals representing a space tone and at least one other of said output signals representing a data tone; said combining means responds to said coding logic means to provide said coded control signal with a predetermined number of said space tones being transmitted at predetermined time intervals and with at least one data tone transmitted between successive space tones, and wherein said at least one of said detecting circuits is a space tone filter circuit tuned to substantially the frequency of said space tone, and each of said remaining of said detecting circuits is a data tone filter circuit tuned to substantially the frequency of a data tone.

Claim 14

The control system of claim 11 wherein said coded control signal provides a binary code and two data tones of different frequencies are transmitted to represent respectively binary 1 and binary 0, and said detecting circuits comprises two data tone filter circuits each tuned to substantially the frequency of one of said data tones.

Claim 15

The control system of claim 12 further including inhibit means connected between said data tone filter circuits for inhibiting the operation of one of said data tone filter circuits when the other data tone filter circuit is producing an output in response to receipt of its respective data tone.

Claim 16

The control system of claim 11 further including delay means connected to said detecting means and to Said power switch means, said delay means responsive to said enabling signal to generate a delay signal having a duration at least as great as the interval between successive space tones, said power switch means responsive to said delay signal to stop the conduction of electrical energy to said decoder means and said data tone filter circuits to render them inoperative when a space tone is not received by said receiving means during the duration of said delay signal.

Claim 17

The control system of claim 14 wherein said delay means includes a timer circuit connected to said power switch means, said timer circuit providing said delay signal in response to said enabling signal, and a monostable circuit connected between said space tone filter circuit and said timer circuit and responsive to received space tone signals to reset said timer circuit prior to the end of said delay signal.

Claim 18

A remote control system, comprising, in combination: transmitting means including signal generator means for providing a plurality of different signals, coding logic means for providing coded logic pulses in response to an operator command, combining means connected to said signal generator means and said coding logic means and responding to said coded logic pulses and said different signals to provide a coded control signal comprising said plurality of different signals in a coded sequence, and transmitting transducer means connected to said combining means for radiating said coded control signal; and receiving means including an input circuit having receiving transducer means for receiving and responding to said radiated coded control signal, detecting means including a plurality of distinctive signal detecting circuits connected to said input circuit and each detecting circuit detecting and responding to one of said different signals of said received coded control signal, at least one of said detecting circuits adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy to be normally operative and responding to the first received of said different signals comprising said coded control signal to provide an enabling signal, decoding means connected to said detecting means for decoding and acting on the coded control signal when detected by said detecting means, and power switch means adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy and connected to said detecting means and said decoding means, said switch means responsive to said enabling signal to supply electrical energy to activate said decoder means and at least part of said detecting means.

Claim 19

A remote control system, comprising, in combination: transmitting means including signal generator means for providing a plurality of different signals, coding logic means for providing coded logic pulses in response to an operator command, combining means connected to said signal generator means and said coding logic means and responding to said coded logic pulses and said different signals to provide a coded control signal comprising said plurality of different signals in a coded sequence, and transmitting transducer means connected to said combining means for radiating said coded control signal; and receiving means including an input circuit having receiving transducer means for receiving and responding to said radiated coded control signal, detecting means including a plurality of distinctive signal detecting circuits connected to said input circuit and each detecting circuit detecting and responding to one of said different signals of said received coded control signal, at least one of said detecting circuits adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy to be normally operative and responding to the first received of said different signals comprising said coded control signal to provide an enabling signal, decoding means connected to said detecting means for decoding and acting on the coded control signal when detected by said detecting means, and power switch means adapted to be connected to a source of electrical energy and connected to said detecting means and said decoding means, said switch means responsive to said enabling signal to supply electrical energy to activate said decoder means and at least part of said detecting means.