NEW PA SYSTEM WITH IP ADDRESSES

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NEW PA SYSTEM WITH IP ADDRESSES
21 July 2003 - Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.

The public-address systems in conference halls, railroad stations and theaters are like enormous spiders' webs: Dozens of microphones and speakers are linked up over miles and miles of cable. To change the configuration of the equipment might, with luck, simply involve replugging a few wires at the mixing console, but in the worst case could mean having to call an electrician.

"In most systems, the various bundles of cables converge on a large distribution cabinet, where they are physically wired together in groups," explains Philipp Hünerberg of the Competence Center for Advanced Network Technologies and Systems CATS at the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS in Berlin. An easier solution is provided by the IPcom system, which was presented at this year's Berlin consumer electronics show.

In IPcom, microphones and speakers are treated as elements in a network and are linked semi-permanently by means of the Internet Protocol. The various elements in the network can be connected together in any way required using a mouse and a PC user interface. The audio signals are transmitted as an MP3 data stream over standard Ethernet links. An IPcom network can handle up to 500 simultaneous audio transmissions. Because it uses the Internet Protocol, the system can be easily integrated with existing networks. The Fraunhofer researchers can imagine numerous possible applications for the system: "IPcom is a practical solution for any place where specific information has to be delivered to a specific location or locations, such as railroad stations, airports or hospitals," says Hünerberg.

The network-based public-address system can even be used to transmit messages to individual persons, after first determining their locations. Such "follow-me" applications work in conjunction with a small tag or badge, which can be worn like a name badge by conference participants, for example. The badge is located by infrared detectors which report the wearer's identity code to a central desk. When someone moves from one part of the conference center to another, personalized messages are relayed only to the closest loudspeaker. Other people elsewhere in the building do not hear the announcement, and are not disturbed. Dr. Peter Gober of FOKUS has an even more interesting idea for a future application of such badges: "They could be incorporated in train tickets, allowing passengers waiting for a specific train to receive targeted announcements at the station." The IPcom product is being marketed by ivistar AG, a FOKUS spin-off.

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About: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft undertakes applied research of direct utility to private and public enterprise and of wide benefit to society. Its services are solicited by customers and contractual partners in industry, the service sector and public administration. The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft maintains over 80 research units at more than 40 different locations throughout Germany. A staff of some 12,700, predominantly qualified scientists and engineers, works with an annual research budget of over one billion euros. Of this sum, more than € 900 million is generated through contract research. Two thirds of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft’s contract research revenue is derived from contracts with industry and from publicly financed research projects. The remaining one third is contributed by the German federal and Länder governments, as a means of enabling the institutes to pursue more fundamental research in areas that are likely to become relevant to industry and society in five or ten years’ time.

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft is also active on an international level: Affiliated research centers and representative offices in Europe, the USA and Asia provide contact with the regions of greatest importance to present and future scientific progress and economic development.

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