Communications: electrical – Audible indication – With computer element
Reexamination Certificate
2000-12-05
2004-06-15
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Audible indication
With computer element
C340S384300, C340S384400, C340S384700, C381S119000, C704S225000, C704S226000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06750759
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an annunciatory signal generating method and a device for generating the annunciatory signal, and more practically to an annunciatory signal generating method and a device for generating the annunciatory signal capable of avoiding the annunciatory signal from being superimposed by a grating noise thereon.
FIG. 1
shows a motherboard (PC/AT compatible motherboard)
200
and a soundboard
300
connected thereto composing a personal computer. The motherboard
200
is connected to the soundboard
300
by a connecting cable
200
through an expansion slot
202
of the motherboard
200
and a slot
302
of the soundboard
300
.
The motherboard
200
provides a buzzer circuit
204
and the soundboard
300
provides a sound circuit
304
therein. Both of the buzzer circuit
204
and the sound circuit
304
are composed to produce a buzzer signal or other kinds of acoustical signals (musical sounds, PCM reproduced sound) under controls of a CPU
206
accommodated on the motherboard
200
. The soundboard
300
is connected to the motherboard
200
through the expansion slot
202
in order to produce the above-mentioned other acoustical signals under controls of the CPU
206
. Incidentally, the buzzer signal is composed to be supplied from the motherboard
200
to the soundboard
300
and to turn to be a sound output through a common output system sharing the use with other acoustical signals in the soundboard
300
.
The buzzer circuit
204
comprises a counter/timer register
212
in which a data (a dividing ratio data) specified by a buzzer frequency is set by order from the CPU
206
through buses
208
and
210
, a oscillator
214
, a counter/timer circuit
216
for outputting a buzzer rectangular wave signal of a desirable buzzer frequency obtained by dividing an oscillation frequency of the oscillator
214
as much as the value determined by the dividing ratio data set in the counter/timer register
212
, a port B register
218
in which an output enabling data or an output disabling data of the buzzer signal are set by order from the CPU
206
through the buses
208
and
210
, an AND circuit
220
connected to outputs of the counter/timer circuit
216
and the port B register
218
and an amplification circuit
222
in which an output thereof is connected to a buzzer output terminal
224
of the motherboard
200
. Incidentally,
226
indicates a circuit for a PC/AT compatible, which is formed on a LSI
228
for PC/AT compatible together with the counter/timer register
212
, the counter/timer circuit
216
, the port B register
218
and the AND circuit
220
. Further, the LSI
228
for PC/AT compatible is accommodated on the PC/AT compatible motherboard
200
together with the CPU
206
and the oscillator
214
.
The buzzer output terminal
224
of the motherboard
200
is connected to a buzzer input terminal
304
of the soundboard
300
.
A sound circuit
304
of the soundboard
300
comprises; an electronic volume
306
connected to the buzzer input terminal
304
, a sound control register
30
in which a first data for specifying a kind, scale and volume of the musical sound or a second data for specifying a PCM sound is set by order from the CPU
206
through the bus
208
, the connecting cable
250
and a bus
307
, a musical sound producing circuit
310
and an electronic volume
312
controlled by the first data set in the sound control register
308
, a PCM reproducing circuit
314
and an electronic volume
316
controlled by the second data set in the sound control register
308
, a mixer
318
connected to outputs of the volumes
306
,
312
and
316
and an oscillation circuit
322
connected to an output of the mixer
318
. An output of the oscillation circuit
322
is connected to the sound output terminal
324
. Incidentally, the electronic volume
306
, the sound control register
308
, the musical sound producing circuit
310
, the electronic volume
312
, the PCM reproducing circuit
314
, the electronic volume
316
and the mixer
318
are formed on a sound LSI
324
.
And when the dividing ratio data is set in the counter/timer register
212
by order from the CPU
206
, the buzzer rectangular wave signal of the frequency obtained by dividing an oscillation signal (
FIG. 2
(
1
)) of the oscillator
214
as much as the value determined by the dividing ratio data is output from the counter/timer circuit
216
and supplied to an input on one side the AND circuit
220
in the buzzer circuit
204
.
And when an output enabling data (
FIG. 2
(
2
)) of the buzzer signal is set in the port B register
218
by order from the CPU
206
through the buses
208
and
210
, a binary signal “1” (a high level signal) is output from the port B register
218
and supplied to an input on another side of the AND circuit
220
.
Then the buzzer signal is supplied from the AND circuit
220
to the amplification circuit
222
and output from the buzzer output terminal
224
. After transferred to the electronic volume control
306
of the soundboard
300
through a connecting line
252
, the above-mentioned buzzer signal is further transferred through the mixer
318
and the amplification circuit
320
, and finally output as a buzzer signal from the sound output terminal
322
.
When the output disabling data is written in the port B register
218
, the buzzer signal is not output.
And when a data for specifying a desirable kind, scale and volume of a musical sound is set in the sound control register
308
by order from the CPU
206
, a signal of the musical sound responsive to the above-mentioned data is transferred through the musical sound producing circuit
310
, the electronic volume
312
, the mixer and the amplification circuit
320
and output as a signal of the musical sound from the sound output terminal
324
. And when a data for specifying a signal of desirable PCM waveform to be reproduced is set in the sound control register
308
by order from the CPU
206
, a signal of the PCM waveform responsive to the above-mentioned data is transferred through the PCM reproducing circuit
314
, the electronic volume
316
, the mixer
318
and the oscillation circuit
320
and output as a signal of the desirable PCM waveform to be reproduced from the sound output terminal
324
.
Incidentally, the above-mentioned buzzer circuit
204
has a system in which output of the buzzer signal is controlled by binary signals output from the port B register
218
and accordingly the buzzer signal causes a rapid transition at the beginning and the end.
Therefore, when a buzzer signal output from the sound circuit
304
is supplied to a buzzer, an amplitude of a beeping sound emitted from the buzzer indicates 0 or a certain amplitude value as shown in
FIG. 2
(
3
). Accordingly, this causes trouble in that grating sounds are suddenly emitted from the buzzer at the beginning and the end of the buzzer sound.
Further, in order to output a buzzer signal produced in the motherboard
200
as a sound signal through the common output system of the sound signal of the soundboard
300
, the soundboard
300
needs to be connected to the motherboard
200
by the connecting cable
252
and requires a troublesome work for installing in a personal computer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an annunciatory signal generating method and a device for generating the annunciatory signal without having a grating noise, in view of the above-mentioned circumstances.
Other objects of the present invention will become clear as the description proceeds.
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to a first aspect of the invention relates to an annunciatory signal generating method for generating an annunciatory signal based on a signal used for generating the annunciatory signal, a first signal for indicating a start of the annunciatory signal and a second signal for indicating a stop of the above-mentioned annunciatory signal, in which a variable gain control signal which boots up g
NEC Infrontia Corporation
Tang Son
Whitham Curtis & Christofferson, P.C.
Wu Daniel J.
LandOfFree
Annunciatory signal generating method and device for... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Annunciatory signal generating method and device for..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Annunciatory signal generating method and device for... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3295372