Control device for a hands-free telephone set

Abstract

A control device for a hands-free telephone set automatically controls microphone and amplifier gains so that a feedback loop has less than unity gain to avoid circuit instability and resultant self-oscillation. An emission channel includes a microphone, a signal compressor and a controllable attenuator. A reception channel includes a signal compressor, an adjustable attenuator and a loudspeaker. The combination of the emission and reception channels form an amplification loop whereby the output of the reception channel is acoustically coupled to the input of the emission channel while the output of the emission channel is coupled to the input of the reception channel through a common telephone line. To avoid circuit oscillation, a circuit initially sets the gain of the loop to a predetermined value slightly less than unity (0 db) and subsequently maintains the loop gain constant by maintaining the sum of the compressor and attenuator gains at a fixed value.

I claim: 
     
       1. A hands-free telephone set connectable to a telephone line for receiving a distant audio signal transmitted on said telephone line to said hands-free telephone set and transmitting a local audio signal to said telephone line, said hands-free telephone set comprising: an emission channel for receiving, at a sound sensor thereof, an acoustic signal, converting said acoustic signal to a corresponding electrical audio signal, and transmitting from an output said audio signal onto said telephone line, said emission channel including a microphone for detecting said acoustic signal and converting said acoustic signal to a corresponding electrical local audio signal, an emission compressor having a first controllable gain and receiving said local audio signal and controlling a level of said local audio signal to a constant average level to supply a compressed local audio signal, and an attenuator receiving said compressed local audio signal and, in response to a first gain control signal, controlling a level of said compressed local audio signal to supply a level controlled compressed local audio signal to said telephone line, and   a reception channel for receiving at an input thereof said distant audio signal from said telephone line and providing at an output transducer an acoustic output, said reception signal channel including a reception compressor having a second controllable gain receiving said distant audio signal from said telephone line and setting a level of said received distant audio signal to a constant average level to generate a compressed distant audio signal, a second attenuator receiving said compressed distant audio signal and, in response to a second gain control signal, controlling a level of said compressed distant audio signal to generate a level controlled compressed distant audio signal, and a loudspeaker receiving said level controlled compressed distant audio signal and, in response, generating an acoustic output signal, said emission and reception channels forming an amplifying loop by an acoustic coupling provided between the microphone and loudspeaker in combination with an electric coupling formed between said emission and reception channels formed at said telephone line;   means for initially setting a gain of said loop to a predetermined value less than unity (0 db), and   gain controlling means for computing a sum of, and substantially maintaining constant a sum of the compressor gains and attenuator gains.   
     
     
       2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting gain variations of the emission and reception compressors and, in response, controlling the attenuation of at least one of the attenuators. 
     
     
       3. A device according to claim 1 wherein the loudspeaker is associated with a gain-controlled amplifier and wherein said gain controlling means compute, and maintain constant, a sum of the gains of the compressors, attenuators and loudspeaker amplifiers. 
     
     
       4. A control device for a hands-free telephone set according to claim 1 comprising means for selecting one of said emission and reception channels as an active channel and the other of said channels as an inactive channel in response to a comparison of an output of the emission compressor with an output of the reception compressor performed by comparing means; and multiplying means for multiplying a comparison input corresponding to the inactive channel by a hysteresis coefficient reciprocally proportional to a compressor gain of this inactive channel. 
     
     
       5. A control device for a hands-free telephone set according to claim 4 wherein the multiplying means comprises a differential amplifier performing, for the inactive channel, a subtraction between the signal affected with noise and the noise of this channel, said comparator being fed by a current proportionally varying as a function of an external resistor and reciprocally with respect to the compressor gain of said inactive channel. 
     
     
       6. A control device for a hands-free telephone set according to claim 5 wherein said current is supplied by a circuit comprising, between a supply voltage and the ground: a first NPN transistor,   a second NPN transistor in series with a first current source,   a third NPN transistor in series with a second current source,   a fourth NPN transistor in series with a third current source, the base of the first transistor being connected to the emitter of the second one; the bases of the first and second transistors being interconnected and connected to the collector of the fourth transistor, the base of which is connected to the emitter of the third one; a fourth current source proportional to the value of a resistor being connected to the terminals of the fourth transistor for supplying a reciprocally proportional current varying as a function of the value of said resistor; the current of said second and third current sources being such that their ratio is proportional to the compressor gain of a respective one of said reception and emission channels. .Iadd.     
     
     
       7.  A telephone set device, comprising: a connection for a microphone;   a connection for a loudspeaker;   at least one bidirectional interface for audio signals;   said interface being operatively connected to receive audio signals from said microphone connection through a first compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said microphone connection, and a first amplification/attenuation stage;   said loudspeaker connection being operatively connected to receive audio signals to said interface through a second compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said interface, and a second amplification/attenuation stage;   control circuitry connected and configured to regulate the gain of said first and second amplification/attenuation stages so that a total loop gain, including acoustic coupling from said loudspeaker connection to said microphone connection, and including net gain/loss through said bidirectional interface, remains at a substantially constant predetermined negative figure..Iaddend..Iadd.8. The telephone set device of claim 7, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure corresponds to approximately -1 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.9. The telephone set device of claim 7, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure is slightly lower than 0 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.10. The telephone set device of claim 7, further comprising an adaptive hysteresis circuit which imposes hysteresis, on switching attenuation between said first and second amplification/attenuation stages, in accordance with   
     
     
        varying compression values of said compression stages..Iaddend..Iadd.11. The telephone set device of claim 7, wherein each said amplification/attenuation stage includes amplification elements and also a controllable attenuator..Iaddend..Iadd.12. The telephone set device of claim 7, wherein each respective said compression stage comprises an amplifier which is connected to operate at a variable gain in a feedback relation which maintains a substantially constant output at the output of each respective said compression stage..Iaddend..Iadd.13. A telephone set device, comprising: connections for a microphone and for a loudspeaker;   at least one bidirectional interface for audio signals;   said interface being operatively connected to receive audio signals from said microphone connection through a first compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said microphone connection, and a first amplification/attenuation stage;   said loudspeaker connection being operatively connected to receive audio signals from said interface through a second compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said interface, and a second amplification/attenuation stage;   control circuitry connected and configured to detect the presence of a speech signal and accordingly to switch the respective attenuations of said amplification/attenuation stages, and to regulate the gain of said first and second amplification/attenuation stages so that a total loop gain, including coupling from said loudspeaker connection to said microphone connection, and including net gain/loss through said bidirectional interface, remains at a substantially constant predetermined figure;   wherein said control circuit switches said respective attenuations in a control relationship having hysteresis which is dynamically dependent on   
     
     
        varying compression values of said compression stages..Iaddend..Iadd.14. The telephone set device of claim 13, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure corresponds to approximately -1 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.15. The telephone set device of claim 13, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure corresponds to approximately 0 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.16. The telephone set device of claim 13, further comprising an adaptive hysteresis circuit which imposes hysteresis, on switching attenuation between said first and second amplification/attenuation, stages in accordance with varying compression values of said compression stages..Iaddend..Iadd.17. The telephone set device of claim 13, wherein each said amplification/attenuation stage includes amplification elements and also a controllable attenuator..Iaddend..Iadd.18. The telephone set device of claim 13, wherein each respective said compression stage comprises an amplifier which is connected to operate at a variable gain in a feedback relation which maintains a substantially constant output at the output of each 
     
     
        respective said compression stage..Iaddend..Iadd.19.  A telephone set device, comprising: connections for a microphone;   connections for a loudspeaker, and at least one amplifier operatively connected to drive said loudspeaker;   at least one bidirectional interface for audio signals;   said interface being operatively connected to receive audio signals from said microphone connection through a first compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said microphone connection, and a first amplification/attenuation stage;   said loudspeaker connection being operatively connected to receive audio signals from said interface through a second compression stage connected to reduce the dynamic range of signals received at said interface, and a second amplification/attenuation stage;   control circuitry connected and configured to sense the value of compression in said first and second compression stages, and the value of amplification in said loudspeaker amplifier, and a speech and background noise level of signals received from said microphone and said interface, and to regulate the gain of said first and second amplification/attenuation stages   so that, when the presence of a speech signal is detected, the one of said amplification/attenuation stages passing said speech signal is less attenuated than the other of said amplification/attenuation stages, and   so that a total loop gain, including coupling from said loudspeaker connection to said microphone connection, and including net gain/loss through said bidirectional interface, remains at a substantially constant predetermined figure which is close to, but less than, 0 dB..Iaddend..Iadd.20. The telephone set device of claim 19, wherein each respective said compression stage comprises an amplifier which is connected to operate at a variable gain in a feedback relation which maintains a substantially constant output at the output of each respective   
     
     
        said compression stage..Iaddend..Iadd.21.  The telephone set device of claim 19, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure corresponds to approximately -1 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.22. The telephone set device of claim 19, wherein said substantially constant predetermined figure corresponds to approximately 0 dB total loop gain..Iaddend..Iadd.23. The telephone set device of claim 19, further comprising an adaptive hysteresis circuit which imposes hysteresis, on switching attenuation between said first and second amplification/attenuation stages, in accordance with varying compression values of said compression stages..Iaddend..Iadd.24. The telephone set device of claim 19, wherein each said amplification/attenuation stage includes amplification elements and also a controllable 
     
     
        attenuator..Iaddend..Iadd.25.  A method for operating a hands-free telephone set control device which controls amplification/attenuation values in both emission and reception channels, which together form an amplifying loop, comprising the steps of: a) initially setting the gain of said amplifying loop to a predetermined value slightly less than unity (0 db);   b) dynamically compressing signals in said emission and said reception channels to a substantially constant peak value;   c) sensing comparative noise-free signals in both channels, and accordingly changing programmable amplification/attenuation values in both said channels to minimize attenuation of speech signals, while also controlling said amplification/attenuation values so that the total loop gain, including the sum of a compression gain and said amplification/attenuation values and acoustic couplings, from said amplification/attenuation values and acoustic couplings, from said loudspeaker connection to said microphone connection, remains at said predetermined value..Iaddend.