SIGNAL LEVEL DISPLAY FOR AN AUDIO DEVICE, AND AUDIO DEVICE

Abstract

The invention relates to a signal level display (2) for an audio device (1), comprising a first lamp (7) of a first color and a second lamp (8) of a second color, and comprising a control device (10) for controlling the lamps (7), (8) on the basis of a signal level to be displayed, wherein the control device (10) is designed to display the signal level in at least three stages by means of the lamps (7), (8), wherein the control device (10) is designed to control at least one of the lamps (7), (8) in such a way that, in order to display the different stages of the signal level, the lamp (7), (8) is operated in at least two different intensities not equal to zero.

Claims

1. A signal level display (2) for an audio device (1), the signal level display comprising: a first lamp (7) of a first color and a second lamp (8) of a second color, a control device (10) for driving the first and second lamps (7, 8) on the basis of a signal level to be displayed, wherein the control device (10) is configured to display the signal level in at least three steps via the lamps (7, 8), wherein the control device (10) is configured to drive at least one of the lamps (7, 8) in such a way that the lamp (7, 8) is operated at at least two different intensities not equal to zero to display the different steps of the signal level.

2. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) comprises a digital control device (10).

3. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) comprises a plurality of controller outputs (OUT 1-3) for drive and the supply of current to the lamps (7, 8).

4. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 3, wherein wired connections to at least two of the plurality of controller outputs, and wherein wired connections have different electrical resistances (R1, R2, R3).

5. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) is configured to display the steps of the signal level by at least partially simultaneous operation of the lamps (7, 8), by mixing the colors of the lamps in operation, or both.

6. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) is designed to raise the intensity of the first lamp (7) and/or to reduce the intensity of the second lamp (8) to display the steps of the signal level.

7. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) is designed to drive the first and/or second lamp (7, 8) in such a way that its intensity has a value with a change in the monotonicity.

8. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device (10) is configured to display a minimum signal level through the drive and/or operation of the first lamp (7) alone and/or display a maximum signal level through the drive and/or operation of the second lamp (8) alone.

9. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second lamps (7, 8) comprise LEDs.

10. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second lamps (7, 8) form a duo-LED.

11. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first color describes a first characteristic wavelength (λ.sub.1) and the second color describes a second characteristic wavelength (λ.sub.2), wherein the first and second characteristic wavelengths (λ.sub.1, λ.sub.2) are separated by at least 50 nanometers.

12. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a third lamp for displaying the steps of the signal level, wherein the control device (10) is configured to drive the third lamp on the basis of the signal level.

13. The signal level display (2) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the signal level display (2) is configured as a front display for an audio device (1).

14. An audio device (1) for the output and/or mixing of an audio signal, the audio device comprising: a first lamp (7) of a first color and a second lamp (8) of a second color, a control device (10) for driving the first and second lamps (7, 8) on the basis of a signal level to be displayed, wherein the control device (10) is configured to display the signal level in at least three steps via the lamps (7, 8), wherein the control device (10) is configured to drive at least one of the lamps (7, 8) in such a way that the lamp (7, 8) is operated at at least two different intensities not equal to zero to display the different steps of the signal level.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Further advantages, effects and designs result from the appended figures and their description, in which:

[0025] FIG. 1 shows a schematic embodiment of an audio device;

[0026] FIGS. 2a-2e show exemplary operating states of a signal display;

[0027] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of a signal display.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] FIG. 1 shows, by way of example, an audio device 1 with a signal display 2.

[0029] The audio device 1 is, for example, an audio processor or a limiter. The audio device 1 can furthermore be designed as an amplifier, as a mixing desk or as a replay device. The audio device 1 shown here in the form of an audio processor or limiter has assembly holes 3, for example for mounting in a rack. It furthermore comprises an on/off switch 4 and an operating display 5. The operating display 5 is designed here as an LED, and serves to display whether the device is switched on or off. The audio device 1 further comprises two audio inputs 6 and one output 5. Audio signals can be made available at the audio inputs 6. The audio signals each have a signal level. A signal, for example an audio signal and, in particular, a mixed audio signal, can be accessed at the signal output 5.

[0030] The signal display 2 is designed here as a lamp. The lamp, or the signal level display 2, is designed to display a signal level in different steps, in particular at least three and in the present case in five steps. The signal level displayed can, for example, be the audio signal level at the audio output 5.

[0031] The user can establish from the color and/or intensity of the light radiated by the signal display whether a signal is present, whether it lies above the limit value, and can estimate in what region the signal level lies between the limit value and the lower limit.

[0032] FIGS. 2a to 2e show, by way of example, a realization of the signal level display 2. The signal level display 2, in particular as also shown in FIG. 1, comprises a first lamp 7 and a second lamp 8. The first lamp and the second lamp 7, 8 are designed as LEDs. The first and the second lamp are arranged as a duo-LED in a common housing 9. The first lamp is designed to emit light with a mean wavelength λ.sub.1, while the second lamp is designed to emit light at a wavelength λ.sub.2. The color of the first lamp is green, while that of the second lamp is red. In the surroundings of the signal level display, a wavelength km results, also referred to as the measured wavelength, resulting, for example, as a mixture. The first and/or the second lamp 7, 8, can be operated at different intensities I, wherein the intensity reflects, for example, the radiated power. To distinguish them, the intensities are identified as I(λ.sub.1) and I(λ.sub.2). The lamps 7 and 8 are driven by a controller or by a register/shift register, wherein these provide the necessary current. This controller serves here as the control device. The control device is designed to output a maximum current value, also referred to as the operating current value, wherein the operating current value for the lamp results in the intensity Io.

[0033] FIG. 2a shows the signal level display in a first operating state, where here the lamp 7 is driven and/or operated as the first lamp with the intensity I.sub.0. This leads to a measured wavelength in the surroundings of λ.sub.m=λ.sub.1, and is perceived by the user as green. In a second operating state, illustrated in FIG. 2b, the first lamp 7 is operated with the intensity 2*I.sub.0. The first lamp 7 is, for example, operated for this purpose through and/or by means of two controller outputs. As in FIG. 2a, the second lamp 8 here is not supplied with current, and does not emit any light. Due to the higher current supplied to the first lamp 7, a brighter and/or more intense green is perceived by the user. This is the perceptible wavelength λ.sub.m in this case too.

[0034] FIG. 2c shows a third operating state, in which the first lamp 7, as in FIG. 2b, is operated with the intensity 2*I.sub.0, and the second lamp 8 with the intensity I.sub.0. A mixture of a highly intense green light with the wavelength λ.sub.1 and of a less intense red component with λ.sub.2 is thus generated by the signal level display. This is perceived by a user as a bright orange.

[0035] FIG. 2d shows a fourth operating state, in which both the lamp one 7 and the lamp two 8 are operated at the intensity I.sub.0. An even mixture of green and red is thus perceived as λ.sub.m by the user. This operating state is interpreted by the user as a dark orange.

[0036] In a fifth operating state, FIG. 2e, the first lamp 7 is not operated and/or has no intensity, while the second lamp 8 is operated at the intensity I.sub.0, so that λ.sub.m=λ.sub.2, and the user interprets this as red. A signal level can be displayed in five steps using the duo-LED through these different operating states, for example dark green, light green, dark orange, light orange and red.

[0037] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary embodiment of the signal level display 2. The signal level display 2 comprises the control device 10, the first lamp 7 and the second lamp 8. The first lamp 7 forms a green LED, and the second lamp 8 forms a red LED. The green and red LED are designed as a duo-LED. The lamps 7 and 8 are each connected by means of wired connections 11 to the control device 10. The second lamp 8 here is connected by means of a line 11, and has a resistance R1, while the first LED 7 has a split connection to the controller 10, so that an input of the second lamp is connected to two controller outputs, Out 2 and Out 3. The controller outputs OUT 1, OUT 2 and OUT 3 are digital outputs, and can each output either no current and/or voltage, or an equal current and/or voltage, which is understood as I.sub.0. The control device 10 is designed to realize the stepped signal level display in such a way that, for example, the operating modes of FIGS. 2a-2e are achieved. For example, the realization of FIG. 2a can be achieved by driving the LED 7 by means of OUT 2 only. The operating state 2b can be achieved in that the LED 7 is supplied with current from the outputs OUT 2 and OUT 3, so that Jo is available twice to the lamp 7. To avoid undesirable reverse flow, in particular if R2 is not equal to R3, a diode 12 is arranged between the output and the LED. To realize the operating state 2c, the first LED 7 is driven by the two controller outputs OUT 2 and OUT 3, and the red LED 8, as the second lamp 8, is driven by the output Out 1. The operating state of FIG. 2d can be achieved in that the control device 10 is designed to drive the first lamp 7 by means of the controller output 2 and to switch off controller output 3, wherein the second lamp 8 is simultaneously driven by means of the controller output 1. The operating state of FIG. 2e can be obtained in that the first lamp 7 is not supplied with current, meaning that controller outputs 2 and 3 are switched off, wherein the second lamp 8 is operated with the intensity I1 coming from controller output 1.