Patents Assigned to QNX Software Systems Co.
  • Publication number: 20120240125
    Abstract: A system and method of managing resources of an electronic device are described. A solver of the electronic device may receive one or more resource requirements from one or more resource requesters executing on the electronic device. The solver determines a values for resource characteristic based on the received resource requirements and dependency information defining hierarchical dependency between resource characteristic values associated with resources of the electronic device. The determined values of the resource characteristics are then provided to the associated resources of the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Publication date: September 20, 2012
    Applicant: QNX SOFTWARE SYSTEMS CO
    Inventors: Attilla Danko, Brian John Stecher
  • Publication number: 20120219146
    Abstract: An acoustic echo cancellation system buffers remote side signals to one or more storage areas. A delay controller filters and delays the remote side signals to correlate the remote side signals to local side signals. An acoustic echo cancellation core pulls the remote side signals from the buffer through a delay controller. A delay estimator generates an estimate of a delay between the buffered remote side signals and the local side signals. The delay estimator renders a confidence level that indicates a degree of likelihood for each potential match between delayed remote side signals and the local side signals. The acoustic echo cancellation core substantially cancels a portion of the echo or reverberation within the local side signals based on the estimate of the delay and the confidence level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 28, 2011
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Steven G. Mason
  • Publication number: 20120078620
    Abstract: An enhancement system improves the estimate of noise from a received signal. The system includes a spectrum monitor that divides a portion of the signal at more than one frequency resolution. Adaptation logic derives a noise adaptation factor of the received signal. A plurality of devices tracks the characteristics of an estimated noise in the received signal and modifies multiple noise adaptation rates. Weighting logic applies the modified noise adaptation rates derived from the signal divided at a first frequency resolution to the signal divided at a second frequency resolution.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 9, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 8139777
    Abstract: A noise injection system adds comfort noise to an audio signal. The system includes a background noise estimator that determines a spectral content of a background noise associated with the audio signal. A comfort noise generator generates a comfort noise signal having a random phase. A gain circuit adjusts the comfort noise signal based on the spectral content of the background noise. A combining circuit combines a gain-adjusted comfort noise signal and the audio signal to generate an output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Xueman Li, Frank Linseisen, Kyle MacDonald
  • Patent number: 8121311
    Abstract: A noise reduction system includes multiple transducers that generate time domain signals. A transforming device transforms the time domain signals into frequency domain signals. A signal mixing device mixes the frequency domain signals according to a mixing ratio. Frequency domain signals are rotated in phase to generate phase rotated signals. A post-processing device attenuates portions of the output based on coherence levels of the signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 8116485
    Abstract: An automatic gain control system maintains desired signal content level, such as voice, in an output signal. The system includes automatic gain control over an input signal, and compensates the output signal based on input signal content. When the input signal level exceeds an upper or lower processing threshold level, or is distorted (e.g., clipped), the system applies a gain to the input signal level. The system may compensate for the gain in the output signal when the input signal includes desired signal content.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co
    Inventors: Alex Escott, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Publication number: 20120035921
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the speech quality and intelligibility of a speech signal. The system includes a time-to-frequency converter that converts segments of a speech signal into frequency bands. A signal detector measures the signal power of the frequency bands of each speech segment. A background noise estimator measures a background noise detected in the speech signal. A dynamic noise reduction controller dynamically models the background noise in the speech signal. The speech enhancement renders a speech signal perceptually pleasing to a listener by dynamically attenuating a portion of the noise that occurs in a portion of the spectrum of the speech signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2011
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Xueman Li, Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 8086451
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system that improves the intelligibility and the perceived quality of processed speech includes a frequency transformer and a spectral compressor. The frequency transformer converts speech signals from the time domain to the frequency domain. The spectral compressor compresses a pre-selected portion of the high frequency band and maps the compressed high frequency band to a lower band limited frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Xueman Li
  • Patent number: 8078461
    Abstract: An enhancement system improves the estimate of noise from a received signal. The system includes a spectrum monitor that divides a portion of the signal at more than one frequency resolution. Adaptation logic derives a noise adaptation factor of the received signal. A plurality of devices tracks the characteristics of an estimated noise in the received signal and modifies multiple noise adaptation rates. Weighting logic applies the modified noise adaptation rates derived from the signal divided at a first frequency resolution to the signal divided at a second frequency resolution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 13, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 8073689
    Abstract: A system improves the perceptual quality of a speech signal by dampening undesired repetitive transient noises. The system includes a repetitive transient noise detector adapted to detect repetitive transient noise in a received signal. The received signal may include a harmonic and a noise spectrum. The system further includes a repetitive transient noise attenuator that substantially removes or dampens repetitive transient noises from the received signal. The method of dampening the repetitive transient noises includes modeling characteristics of repetitive transient noises; detecting characteristics in the received signal that correspond to the modeled characteristics of the repetitive transient noises; and substantially removing components of the repetitive transient noises from the received signal that correspond to some or all of the modeled characteristics of the repetitive transient noises.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
  • Patent number: 8036879
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the perceptual quality of an aural signal. A receiver detects and receives an unvoiced signal, a fully voiced signal, or a mixed voice remote signal. A coherence processor identifies the similarities or differences between a local signal and the remote signal. A cancellation processor or controller dampens reflected signals that may be part of the local signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
  • Patent number: 8027833
    Abstract: A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice. The voice enhancement system includes a passing tire hiss noise detector and a passing tire hiss noise attenuator. The passing tire hiss noise detector detects a passing tire hiss noise by modeling the passing tire hiss. The passing tire hiss noise attenuator dampens the passing tire hiss noise to improve the intelligibility of a speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
  • Patent number: 8015002
    Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the speech quality and intelligibility of a speech signal. The system includes a time-to-frequency converter that converts segments of a speech signal into frequency bands. A signal detector measures the signal power of the frequency bands of each speech segment. A background noise estimator measures a background noise detected in the speech signal. A dynamic noise reduction controller dynamically models the background noise in the speech signal. The speech enhancement renders a speech signal perceptually pleasing to a listener by dynamically attenuating a portion of the noise that occurs in a portion of the spectrum of the speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Xueman Li, Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 7957967
    Abstract: A system classifies the source of an input signal. The system determines whether a sound source belongs to classes that may include human speech, musical instruments, machine noise, or other classes of sound sources. The system is robust, performing classification despite variation in sound level and noise masking. Additionally, the system consumes relatively few computational resources and adapts over time to provide consistently accurate classification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventor: Pierre Zakarauskas
  • Patent number: 7949522
    Abstract: A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed signal. The voice enhancement system includes a noise detector and a noise attenuator. The noise detector detects and models the noise associated with rain. The noise attenuator dampens or reduces the rain noise from a signal to improve the intelligibility of an unvoiced, a fully voiced, or a mixed voice segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Adrian R. Groves
  • Patent number: 7945063
    Abstract: A microphone shield system captures sound in adverse conditions. The system includes a microphone positioned within a membrane. The membrane is inflated around the microphone to form an enclosure. The inflated membrane passes signals within a selected frequency range. The membrane may block or attenuate signals above and/or below the frequency range to pass a desired sound with little surrounding interference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Ian Soutar, Dennis Watkins, William Copeland
  • Patent number: 7928307
    Abstract: The system describes a karaoke system that enhances the experience of singing along with music, but without the need to display the lyrics. The system includes a combination of a vocal track reducer and an echo canceller, decision logic for determining when a person is talking or singing (double-talk detector) and a method for “ducking” (i.e., attenuating) the vocal track when the singing is detected. No special CD or DVD with lyric tracks is required, making the system capable of working with CD, mp3, AM, FM, HD radio, satellite radio signals, or any other suitable content source. The result is that any content source may potentially be used as a karaoke soundtrack without any pre-modification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phil A. Hetherington, Shree Paranjpe
  • Patent number: 7912729
    Abstract: A system extends the high-frequency spectrum of a narrow band audio signal in the time domain. The system extends the harmonics of vowels by introducing a non linearity in a narrow band signal. Extended consonants are generated by a random-noise generator. The system differentiates the vowels from the consonants by exploiting predetermined features of a speech signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
  • Patent number: 7895036
    Abstract: A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice. The voice enhancement system includes a noise detector and a noise attenuator. The noise detector detects a wind buffet and a continuous noise by modeling the wind buffet. The noise attenuator dampens the wind buffet to improve the intelligibility of an unvoiced, a fully voiced, or a mixed voice segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Xueman Li, Pierre Zakarauskas
  • Patent number: 7885420
    Abstract: The invention includes a method, apparatus, and computer program to selectively suppress wind noise while preserving narrow-band signals in acoustic data. Sound from one or several microphones is digitized into binary data. A time-frequency transform is applied to the data to produce a series of spectra. The spectra are analyzed to detect the presence of wind noise and narrow band signals. Wind noise is selectively suppressed while preserving the narrow band signals. The narrow band signal is interpolated through the times and frequencies when it is masked by the wind noise. A time series is then synthesized from the signal spectral estimate that can be listened to. This invention overcomes prior art limitations that require more than one microphone and an independent measurement of wind speed. Its application results in good-quality speech from data severely degraded by wind noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: QNX Software Systems Co.
    Inventors: Phil Hetherington, Xueman Li, Pierre Zakarauskas