USOO6470214B1

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 6,470,214 B1

O'Loughlin et al. (45) Date of Patent: Oct. 22, 2002

(54) METHOD AND DEVICE FOR (56) References Cited

IMPLEMENTING THE RADIO FREQUENCY U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
HEARNG EFFECT
3,563,246 A 2/1971 Puharick ..................... 128/422
(75) Inventors: James P. O'Loughlin, Placitas; Diana 3,629,521. A 12/1971 Puharick ..................... 179/107
L. Loree, Albuquerque, both of NM 4,835,791. A 5/1989 Daoud ......................... 375/61
(US) * cited by examiner
(73) Assignee: The United States of America as Primary Examiner-Kennedy Schaetzle
represented by the Secretary of the (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James M. Skorich; Kenneth
Air Force, Washington, DC (US) E. Callahan
(57) ABSTRACT
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this
patent is extended or adjusted under 35 A modulation process with a fully Suppressed carrier and
U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days. input preprocessor filtering to produce an encoded output;
for amplitude modulation (AM) and audio speech prepro
(21) Appl. No.: 08/766,687 ceSSor filtering, intelligible Subiecti
Subjective Soundd is produce
produced
when the encoded signal is demodulated using the RF
(22) Filed: Dec. 13, 1996 Hearing Effect. Suitable forms of carrier suppressed modu
7 lation include Single Sideband (SSB) and carrier Suppressed
s:(58) Field
'S',of Search ..................... 607/55, 56;"E'
OX O -- O amplitude modition (SAM), with both sitesand
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

600/559, p
s
amplitude

reSent.
modulation , With both Sidebands

600/23, 586; 128/897, 898 3 Claims, 3 Drawing Sheets

31 32

AUDO
PREDISTORTION SOUARE ROOT
FLTER PROCESSOR
AS (f)

BALANCED SPHERICAL
MODULATOR DEMODULATOR

ACOUSTC
BRAN
U.S. Patent Oct. 22, 2002 Sheet 1 of 3 US 6,470,214 B1

ACOUSTC
BRAIN

SIGNAL
RF TO
ACOUSTC
DEMOLULATOR

F.G.

SPHERICAL RF / ACOUSTIC TRANSDUCER

FG 2
U.S. Patent Oct. 22, 2002 Sheet 2 of 3 US 6,470,214 B1

AUDO
PRED STORTION SCRUARE ROOT
FILTER PROCESSOR
AS (f)
J
(a(t) AS (f)+A)?
34
33

BALANCED (a(t) AS (). A sin (Q,t) SPHERICAL

MODULATOR DEMODULATOR

ACOUSTC
BRAIN

FIG 3
U.S. Patent Oct. 22, 2002 Sheet 3 of 3 US 6,470,214 B1

44

1 1.
2
(a(t) As ()+A) sin(ot) splenical
DEMODULATOR

ACOUSTC
BRAN

FG. A.
 US 6,470,214 B1
1 2
METHOD AND DEVICE FOR that de-emphasizes the high frequency content of the input
IMPLEMENTING THE RADIO FREQUENCY Speech Signal. The de-emphasis can provide a signal reduc
HEARNG EFFECT tion of about 40 dB (decibels) per decade. Further process
ing of the Speech Signal then takes place by adding a bias
STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST 5 level and taking a root of the predistorted waveform. The
The invention described herein may be manufactured and resultant signal is used to modulated an RF carrier in the AM
used by or for the Government for governmental purposes fully Suppressed carrier mode, with Single or double Side
bands.
without the payment of any royalty thereon.
The modulated RF signal is demodulated by an RF to
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION acoustic demodulator that produces an intelligible acoustic
replication of the original input Speech.
This invention relates to the modulating of Signals on The RF Hearing Effect is explained and analyzed as a
carriers, which are transmitted and the Signals intelligibly thermal to acoustic demodulating process. Energy absorp
recovered, and more particularly, to the modulation of tion in a medium, Such as the head, causes mechanical
Speech on a carrier and the intelligible recover of the Speech 15
expansion and contraction, and thus an acoustic Signal.
by means of the Radio Frequency Hearing Effect. When the expansion and contraction take place in the
The Radio Frequency (“RF") Hearing Effect was first head of an animal, the acoustic Signal is passed by conduc
noticed during World War II as a subjective “click” produced tion to the inner ear where it is further processed as if it were
by a pulsed radar Signal when the transmitted power is above an acoustic Signal from the outer ear.
a “threshold” level. Below the threshold level, the click The RF to Acoustic Demodulator thus has characteristics
cannot be heard.
which permit the conversion of the RF energy input to an
The discovery of the Radio Frequency Hearing Effect acoustic output.
Suggested that a pulsed RF carrier could be encoded with an Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a
amplitude modulated (“AM”) envelope. In one approach to 25 novel technique for the intelligible encoding of Signals. A
pulsed carrier modulation, it was assumed that the "click” of related object is to provide for the intelligible encoding of
the pulsed carrier was similar to a data Sample and could be Speech.
used to Synthesize both Simple and complex tones Such as
Speech. Although pulsed carrier modulation can induce a Another object of the invention is to make use of the
Subjective Sensation for simple tones, it Severely distorts the Radio Frequency (“RF") Hearing Effect in the intelligible
complex waveforms of Speech, as has been confirmed demodulation of encoded Signals, including speech.
experimentally. Still another object of the invention is to suitably encode
The presence of this kind of distortion has prevented the a pulsed RF carrier with an amplitude modulated (“AM”)
click proceSS for the encoding of intelligible Speech. An envelope such that the modulation will be intelligibly
example is provided by AM Sampled data modulation. 35
demodulated by means of the RF Hearing Effect. A related
Upon demodulation the perceived speech Signal has Some object is to permit a message to be identified and understood
of the envelope characteristics of an audio signal. Conse as Speech when a listener does not know beforehand that the
quently a message can be recognized as Speech when a message is Speech.
listener is preadvised that speech has been Sent. However, if Other aspects of the invention will become apparent after
the listener does not know the content of the message, the 40 considering Several illustrative embodiments, taken in con
audio signal is unintelligible. junction with the drawings.
The attempt to use the click process to encode Speech has DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
been based on the assumption that if simple tones can be
encoded, speech can be encoded as well, but this is not So. FIG. 1 is a block diagram model of RF to Acoustic
A simple tone can contain Several distortions and Still be 45 Demodulation Process making use of the Radio Frequency
perceived as a tone whereas the Same degree of distortion (“RF") Hearing Effect;
applied to speech renders it unintelligible. FIG. 2 is a spherical demodulator and radiator having a
Specific acoustic impedance for demodulation using the RF
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Hearing Effect;
50
In accomplishing the foregoing and related object the FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the overall process and
invention uses a. modulation process with a fully Suppressed constituents of the invention; and
carrier and pre-processor filtering of the input to produce an FIG. 4 is an illustrative circuit and wiring diagram for the
encoded output. Where amplitude modulation (AM) is components of FIG. 3.
employed and the pre-processor filtering is of audio speech 55
input, intelligible Subjective Sound is produced when the DETAINED DESCRIPTION OF THE
encoded signal is demodulated by means of the RF Hearing PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Effect. Suitable forms of carrier Suppressed modulation With reference to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates the RF
include Single Sideband (SSB) and carrier Suppressed ampli to acoustic demodulation process of the invention. Ordi
tude modulation (CSAM), with both sidebands present. 60 narily and acoustic Signal Areaches the outer ear E of the
The invention further provides for analysis of the RF head H and traverses first to the inner ear I and then to the
hearing phenomena based on an RF to acoustic transducer acoustic receptors of the brain B. A modulated RF signal,
model. Analysis of the model Suggests a new modulation however, enters a demodulator D, which is illustratively
process which permits the RF Hearing Effect to be used provided by the mass M of the brain, and is approximated,
following the transmission of encoded speech. 65 as shown in FIG. 2, by a sphere S of radius r in the head H.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention the pre The radius r of the sphere S is about 7 cm to make the sphere
processing of an input Speech Signal takes place with a filter S equivalent to about the volume of the brain B. It will be
 US 6,470,214 B1
3 4
appreciated that where the demodulator D, which can be an The power signal is V(t) as given by equation (3), below:
external component, is not employed with the acoustic
receptors of the brain B, it can have other forms. (3)
The Sphere S, or its equivalent ellipsoid or similar Solid,
absorbS RF power which causes an increase in temperature 5 To find the energy absorbed in the sphere, the time
that in turn causes an expansion and contraction which integral of equation (3) is taken times the absorption
results in an acoustic wave. As a first approximation, it is coefficient, K. The result is divided by the specific heat, SH,
assumed that the RF power is absorbed uniformly in the to obtain the temperature of the Sphere and then multiplied
brain. Where the demodulator D is external to the brain B, by the volume expansion coefficient, Mv to obtain the
the medium and/or RF carrier frequency can be Selected to change in Volume. The change in Volume is related to the
assure Sufficiently uniform absorption. change in radius by equation (4), below:
For the modulated RF signal of FIG. 1, the power dVFW =3drfr (4)
absorbed in the Sphere S is proportional to the power
waveform of the modulated RF signal. The absorption rate To obtain the amplitude of the radius change, there is
15 multiplication by the radius and division by three. The rms
is characterized quantitatively in terms of the SAR (Specific
Absorption Rate) in the units of absorbed watts per kilogram radial Surface Velocity, U is determined by multiplying the
per incident watt per Square centimeter. time derivative by r and dividing by 2'. The result, U, is
The temperature of the Sphere S is taken as following the
proportional to the power function, P(t) in equation (5),
below.
integrated heat input from the power waveform, i.e. the
proceSS is approximated as being adiabatic, at least for short
term intervals on the order of a few minutes.
The radial expansion of the Sphere follows temperature The acoustic pressure, p(t), is given in equation (6),
below, as the result of multiplying equation (5) by the Real
and is converted to Sound pressure, p(t), determined by the part of the specific acoustic impedance, R. (1).
radial velocity (U) multiplied by the real part of the specific 25
acoustic impedance (Z) of the sphere, as indicated in p(t)=R{ZU,}=R(Z)U, (6).
equation (1), below.
The SPL (Sound Pressure Level), in acoustic dB, is
approximated as 20 logp(t)/2E-5). The standard acoustic
reference level of 2E-5 Newtons per square meter is based
Where: on a signal in air; however, the head has a water-like
p=density, 1000 kg/m for water consistency. Therefore, the Subjective level in acoustic dB is
only approximate, but Sufficient for first order accuracy.
c=speed of Sound, 1560 m/s, in water (a 37 C. In a single tone case the incident RF power, P(t), from
k=wave number, 2L/wavelength equation (3) has two terms as shown in equation (7), below,
35 which are in the hearing range.
r=Sphere radius, in meters (m)
f=audio frequency sin(ot)-4 cos(20t) (7)
f=lower cutoff break frequency, Ec/(2 Jur)
j=the 90 degree phase-shift operator. This is converted to the acoustic pressure wave, p(t), by
The Specific acoustic impedance for a sphere of 7 cm 40
multiplying by the Specific acoustic impedance calculated at
radius, on the order of the size of the brain, has a lower
the two frequencies. Therefore, the resulting preSSure wave
cut-off break frequency of about 3,547 Hertz (Hz) for the as indicated in equation (8), below, becomes
parameters given for equation (1). The essential frequency p(t)=CLZ (o)sin(ot)-4Z (20)cos(20t) (8)
range of speech is about 300 to 3000 Hz, i.e., below the
cut-off frequency. It is therefore the Real part (R) of Z. 45 The result is an audio frequency and a Second harmonic
times the radial particle velocity (U) which determines the at about 4 amplitude. Thus using an RF carrier, AM
Sound pressure, p(t). The real part of Z is given by equation modulated by a single tone, the pressure wave audio signal
will consist of the audio tone and a Second harmonic at about
(1a), below: -6 dB, if the Specific acoustic impedances at the two
50 frequencies are the same. However, from equation (1) the
break frequency of a model 7 cm sphere is 3.547 Hz. Most
In the speech spectrum, which is below the brain cut-off of the Speech spectrum is below this frequency therefore the
frequency, the sphere S is an acoustic filter which “rolls off, Specific acoustic impedance is reactive and the real compo
i.e. decreases in amplitude at -40 dB per decade with nent is given by equation (8a), below:
decreasing frequency. In addition to any other demodulation 55
processes to be analyzed below, the filter characteristics of
the sphere will modify the acoustic signal with a 40 dB per Below the cutoff frequency the real part of the impedance
decade slope in favor of the high frequencies. varies as the Square of the frequency or gives a boost of 40
dB per decade. Therefore, if the input modulation signal is
Results for an AM Modulated Single Tone 60
1 kHz, the second harmonic will have a boost of about 4 time
in amplitude, or 12 dB, due to the variation of the real part
An RF carrier with amplitude A at frequency () is AM of the Specific acoustic impedance with frequency. So the
modulated 100 percent with a single tone audio signal at Second harmonic pressure term in equation (8) is actually
frequency (). The Voltage (time) equation of this modulated four times the power or 6 dB higher than the fundamental
Signal is given by equation (2), below: term. If the second harmonic falls above the cutoff frequency
65 then the boost begins to fall back to 0 dB. However, for most
V(t)=A sin(ot)(1+sin(ot)) (2) of the Speech spectrum there is a Sever distortion and Strong
boost of the high frequency distortion components.
 US 6,470,214 B1
S 6
Results for Two Tone AM Modulation Analysis disclosed, for example in "Radio Engineering”, Frederick E.
Because of the distortion attending Single tone Terman, p.481–3, McGraw-Hill, 1947.
modulation, predistortion of the modulation could be The power Signal has the same form as the particle
attempted Such that the resulting demodulated pressure wave Velocity signal which is obtained from the Square of equa
will not contain harmonic distortion. This will not work, tion (10) as shown in equation (11), below:
however, because of the non-linear cross-products of two
tone modulation are quite different from Single tone modu
lation as shown below. From inspection of equations (10) and (11) it is seen that,
Nevertheless, two-tone modulation distortion provides an if the input audio signal, a(t), is pre-processed by taking the
insight for the design of a corrective process for a complex Square root and then modulating the carrier, the audio term
modulation Signal Such as Speech. The nature of the distor in the particle Velocity equation will be an exact,
tion is defined in terms of relative amplitudes and frequen undistorted, replication of the input audio signal. Since the
CCS. audio signal from a microphone is bipolar, it must be
Equation (8a) is that of an AM modulated carrier for the 15
modified by adding a very low frequency (essential d.c.) bias
two-tone case where () and () are of equal amplitude and term, A, Such that the resultant Sum, a(t)+A>0.0, is always
together modulate the carrier to a maximum peak value of positive. This is necessary in order to insure a real Square
100 percent. The total modulated RF signal is given by root. The use of a custom digital Speech processor imple
equation (8b), below: ments the addition of the term A, i.e. as shown in equation
(10*), below:
The Square of (8b) is the power signal, which has the same
form as the particle Velocity, U(t), of equation (9), below. The pressure wave is given by equation (11), below:
From the Square of (8b) the following frequencies and
relative amplitudes are obtained for the particle Velocity
wave, U.(t), which are in the audio range; 25
When the second term of the pressure wave of equation
(9)
(11) is processed through the specific acoustic impedance
it will result in the replication of the input audio Signal but
If the frequencies in equation (9) are below the cut-off will be modified by the filter characteristics of the Real part
frequency, the impedance boost correction will result in a of the Specific acoustic impedance, R{Z(f), as given in
preSSure wave with relative amplitudes given in equation equation (8a). The first term of equation (11*) is the d.c.
(9a), below: bias, which is added to obtain a real Square root; it will not
be audible or cause distortion. The third and fourth terms of
(11) are a.c. terms at twice the carrier frequency and
35 therefore will not distort or interfere with the audio range
Where: b-(0.2/(), and (02>(). Signal, a(t).
Equation (9a) contains a correction factor, b, for the Since the filter characteristic of equation (7) is a linear
Specific acoustic impedance variation with frequency. The process in amplitude, the audio input can be predistorted
first two terms of (9a) are the two tones: of the input before the modulation is applied to the carrier and then the
modulation with the relative amplitudes modified by the 40 preSSure or wound wave audio signal, which is the result of
impedance correction factor. The other terms are the distor the velocity wave times the impedance function, R.Z(f)},
tion croSS products which are quite different from the Single will be the true replication of the original input audio signal.
line distortion case. In addition to the Second harmonics, A diagram illustrating the Overall System 30 and process
there are Sum and difference frequencies. From this two-tone of the invention is shown in FIG. 3. Then input signal act)
analysis it is obvious that more complex multiple tone 45 is applied to an Audio Predistortion Filter 31 with a filter
modulations, Such as Speech, will be Severely distorted with function AS(f) to produce a signal act)AS(f), which is applied
even more complicated cross-product and Sum and differ to a Square Root Processor 32, providing an output=(a(t)AS
ence components. This is not unexpected Since the proceSS
which creates the distortion is nonlinear. This leads to the (f)+A)', which goes to a balanced modulator 33. The
conclusion that a simple passive predistortion filter will not modulation process known as Suppressed carrier, produces a
work on a speech Signal modulated on an RF carrier by a 50 double sideband output=(a(t)AS(f)+A)' sin(cot), where co,
convention AM process, because the distortion is a function is the carrier frequency. If one of the Sidebands and the
of the Signal by a nonlinear process. carrier are Suppressed (not shown) the result is single
However, the serious distortion problem can be overcome sideband (SSB) modulation and will function in the same
by means of the invention which exploits the characteristics manner discussed above for the purposes of implementing
of a different type of RF modulation process in addition to 55 the invention. However, the AM double sideband suppressed
Special signal processing. carrier as described is more easily implemented.
AM Modulation with Fully Suppressed Carrier for The output of the balanced modulator is applied to a
the Intelligible Encoding of Speech by the Spherical demodulator 34, which recovers the input Signal
Invention for Compatibility with the RF Hearing a(t) that is applied to the inner ear 35 and then to the acoustic
Phenomena
60 receptors in the brain 36.
The various components 31-33 of FIG. 3 are easily
The equation for AM modulation with a fully suppressed implemented as shown, for example by the corresponding
carrier is given by equation (10), below: components 41-42 in FIG. 4, where the Filter 41 can take
V(t)=a(t)sin(ot) (10) the form of a low pass filter, Such as a constant-K filter
65 formed by Series inductor L and a shunt capacitor C. Other
This modulation is commonly accomplished in hardware low-pass filters are shown, for example, in the ITT Federal
by means of a circuit known as a balanced modulator, as Handbook, 4th Ed., 1949. As a result the filter output is
 US 6,470,214 B1
7 8
AS(f) a 1/f. The Root Processor 42 can be implemented by types of AM modulation. Speech compression is imple
any Square-law device, Such as the diode D biased by a mented by raising the level of the low amplitude portions of
battery B and in Series with a large impedance (resistance) the Speech waveform and limiting or compressing the high
R, So that the Voltage developed acroSS the diode D is peak amplitudes of the Speech waveform. Speech compres
proportional to the Square root of the input voltage a(t)AS(f). Sion increases the average power content of the waveform
The balanced modulator 43, as discussed in Terman, op.cit., and thus loudness. Speech compression introduces Some
has Symmetrical diodes A1 and A2 with the modulating distortion, So that a balance must be made between the
Voltage Mapplied in opposite phase to the diodes A1 and A2 increase in distortion and the increase in loudness to obtain
through an input transformer T1, with the carrier, O, applied the optimum result.
commonly to the diodes in the same phase, while the Another implementation is by digital signal processing of
modulating Signal is applied to the diodes in opposite phase the input Signal through to the modulation of the RF carrier.
So that the carrier cancels in the primary of the output What is claimed is:
transformer T2 and the Secondary output is the desired 1. A method of encoding an input audio signal act) to
double side band output. produce a double Sideband output signal having a co carrier
Finally the Spherical Demodulator 45 is the brain as 15 frequency, which when transmitted to the head of a receiving
discussed above, or an equivalent mass that provides uni Subject, will by the radio frequency hearing effect induce a
form expansion and contraction due to thermal effects of R.F thermal-acoustic Signal in the bone/tissue material of the
energy. head that replicates the input audio signal and is conducted
The invention provides a new and useful encoding for by the bone/tissue structure of the head to the inner ear
speech on an RF carrier such that the speech will be where it is demodulated by the normal processes of the
intelligible to a human Subject by means of the RF hearing cochlea and converted to nerve signals which are Sent to the
demodulation phenomena. Features of the invention include brain, thereby enabling intelligible speech to be perceived
the use of AM fully Suppressed carrier modulation, the by the brain as any other nerve Signal from the cochlea, the
preprocessing of an input Speech Signal be a compensation method comprising:
filter to de-emphasize the high frequency content by 40 dB 25 applying an input audio signal act) to an audio pre
per decade and the further processing of the audio Signal by distortion filter with an AS(f) filter function to produce
adding a bias terms to permit the taking of the Square root a first output signal act)AS(f);
of the Signal before the AM Suppressed carrier modulation adding a very low frequency bias A to the first output
proceSS.
The invention may also be implemented using the same Signal to produce a second output signal act)AS(f)+A;
audio signal processing and Single Sideband (SSB) modu applying the Second output signal to a Square root pro
1/2.
lation in place of AM Suppressed carrier modulation. The cessor to produce a third output signal (a(t)AS(f)+A)";
Same Signal processing may also be used on Conventional applying the third output signal to a balanced modulator
AM modulation containing both Sideband and the carrier; to produce a double Sideband output signal (a(t)AS(f)+
however, there is a Serious disadvantage. The carrier is 35 A)'? sin(cot), where () is the carrier frequency; and
always present with AM modulation, even when there is no transmitting the double Sideband output Signal to the head
Signal. The carrier power does not contain any information of the receiving Subject.
but contributes substantially to the heating of the thermala 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the AS(f) filter function
coustic demodulator, i.e. the brain, which is undesirable. The Step further comprises the Step of de-emphasizing the high
degree of this extraneous heating is more than twice the 40 frequency content.
heating caused by the Signal or information power in the RF 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the further step of
signal. Therefore conventional AM modulation is an ineffi Suppressing one of the Sidebands of the double Sideband
cient and poor choice compared to the double Side-band output signal is done resulting in a Single Sideband modu
Suppressed carrier and the SSB types of transmissions. lation transmission.
The invention further may be implemented using various 45
degrees of Speech compression commonly used with all