Abstract: The disclosure relates to a microphone assembly including a multibit analog-to-digital converter configured to generate N-bit samples representative of a microphone signal. The microphone assembly also includes a first digital-to-digital converter configured to generate a corresponding M-bit digital signal based on N-bit digital samples, wherein N and M are positive integers and N>M. The microphone assembly may include a data interface configured to repeatedly receive samples of the M-bit digital signal and write bits of the M-bit digital signal to a data frame.

Abstract: Specifically programmed, integrated motor vehicle dangerous driving warning and control system and methods comprising at least one specialized communication computer machine including electronic artificial intelligence expert system decision making capability further comprising one or more motor vehicle electronic sensors for monitoring the motor vehicle and for monitoring activities of the driver and/or passengers including activities related to the use of cellular telephones and/or other wireless communication devices and further comprising electronic communications transceiver assemblies for communications with external sensor networks for monitoring dangerous driving situations, weather conditions, roadway conditions, pedestrian congestion and motor vehicle traffic congestion conditions to derive warning and/or control signals for warning the driver of dangerous driving situations and/or for controlling the motor vehicle driver use of a cellular telephone and/or other wireless communication devices.

Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for determining and accounting for distortions to an audio signal due to the geometric properties of the interior cabin of a vehicle. An example vehicle includes a microphone, a seat having a plurality of seat positions, and a processor. The processor is configured to determine a first seat position corresponding to a point in time at which an audio signal is received, determine a cabin impulse response corresponding to the first seat position, and determine a filtered audio signal based on the cabin impulse response and the audio signal.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a personal security platform. In particular, the present disclosure relates to such systems designed to be worn or attached to one's garment during use to provide safety and security measures and help if facing hostility, aggression, harassment, or any other emergency situation mostly while in an outdoor activity such as biking, jogging, walking, usage of any open vehicle and the like. Additionally, another aspect of the security platform is protecting users of open vehicles, where a signaling system is provided, comprising a vest or a wearable item having a rear-facing display, a controller and optionally, a front-facing display. The vest is configured to communicate with the controller for operating the display. The controller is configured to operate the display based at least on data from a GPS module and one or more motion sensors.

Abstract: Methods a provided for improving an audio scene for people suffering from hearing loss or for adverse hearing environments. Audio objects may be prioritized. In some implementations, audio objects that correspond to dialog may be assigned to a highest priority level. Other implementations may involve assigning the highest priority to other types of audio objects, such as audio objects that correspond to events. During a process of dynamic range compression, higher-priority objects may be boosted more, or cut less, than lower-priority objects. Some lower-priority audio objects may fall below the threshold of human hearing, in which case the audio objects may be dropped and not rendered.

Abstract: Vehicle collision avoidance and vehicle alert systems and methods that enhance awareness by surrounding vehicles of a host vehicle involved in an accident are provided. Embodiments of the safety system include a plurality of flares that are automatically deployed upon impact with the host vehicle, a back-up vehicle battery, lighting systems at the front, back, top, bottom, and/or windows of the vehicle, and/or an automated notification system configured to quickly and accurately inform emergency personnel of the location and severity of the accident.

Abstract: MFQRFID, (Multi-Frequency RFID, for purposes of this document) utilizes legacy RFID circuitry adding at least a second transmitter (xmit) and receiver (rec) tuned to a second frequency, through a second antenna array allowing a single core modem, power management and processing/memory to share the at least two xmit/rec channels. Thereafter, the two channels, being on different frequencies, may be independently selected by the RFID circuitry based on signal strength of the communicating external device.

Abstract: A circuit of an actively transmitting tag includes an antenna, a digitizer, a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), an output amplifier, a phase-displacement detector, and a regulator. The input of the digitizer connects to the antenna. The outputs of the digitizer and the output amplifier are connected to the input terminals of the phase-displacement detector. The output amplifier connects the output of the VCO to the antenna and the regulator connects the output of the phase-displacement detector to the VCO.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method of operating a system, the system comprising a near field communication, NFC, tag, an NFC device associated with a user of the system and a computer, the method comprising: the NFC device requesting a message from the NFC tag; the NFC tag generating a message comprising a representation of a counter value; the NFC tag sending the message to the NFC device; the NFC device generating a request comprising the representation of the counter value in response to receiving the message; the NFC device sending the request to a computer; the NFC device submitting user authentication data to the computer; and the computer executing an operation on verification of the counter value and the authentication data.

Abstract: Apparatus comprises one or more first microphones for providing audio signals from captured acoustic signals; one or more conductive terminals for connection to one or more conductive terminals of an external cover device for receiving audio signals provided by one or more second microphones included in the external cover device; and one or more processors coupled to the one or more first microphones and to the one or more conductive terminals and configured to perform audio processing on the audio signals from the one or more first microphones and/or from the one or more second microphones based on a control input. Cover apparatus comprises one or more microphones and one or more conductive terminals for providing audio signals provided by said one or more microphones to the electronic apparatus.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for monitoring traffic based on traffic images includes a server that receives traffic image data from applications running on mobile devices. The traffic image data includes location data together with image data corresponding to images of traffic on passageways traveled by the mobile devices as captured by cameras associated with the mobile devices. The server stores the traffic image data in a data store and makes the traffic images available to other computing devices (e.g., mobile devices) in response to receipt of requests that indicate locations for which the images are desired. The server may also be programmed to perform image recognition processes on the traffic images to recognize the presence and proximities of vehicles in the traffic images, and based thereon, determine traffic congestion at the locations where the traffic images were produced. The traffic congestion data may also be shared with other mobile devices.

Abstract: A method and a device are provided for modifying audio signals in accordance with hearing capabilities of a specific individual who is listening to audio signals being played via a set of headphones. The method comprises the steps of: providing results of one or more hearing tests performed to the specific individual; retrieving information that relates to deviations in hearing capabilities of the individual from a pre-defined hearing pattern, based on the results obtained in the one or more hearing tests; and when the set of headphones is used by the individual while listening to input audio signals, modifying the input audio signals based on the retrieved information, thereby enabling the individual to listen to modified audio signals, being the input audio signals after their change into a form that takes into account the individual's hearing capabilities.

Abstract: The present technology relates to a coding device and method, and a decoding device and method, and a program capable of reducing the amount of calculations for decoding. A separating unit separates a supplied bit stream into coded data of channel sources including a dialog source, coded data of additional data sources, and coded data of dialog information. A dialog information decoding unit decodes the coded data of the dialog information. When the dialog information acquired by the decoding is presented to a viewer, the viewer selects one source from the dialog source and some additional dialog sources. An additional dialog source decoding unit decodes only the coded data of an additional dialog source selected by the viewer. An additional dialog selection unit outputs a viewer-selected audio signal from among the audio signals of the dialog source and additional dialog sources in response to the selection instruction of the viewer.

Abstract: Described are a headphone and a method for controlling an audio system. The method includes tapping a headphone or head of a user to cause an acoustic pressure change in an ear canal of the user wherein the ear canal is sealed by an acoustic noise reduction (ANR) headphone having an ANR module. A current provided to the ANR module is sensed. A peak value of the sensed current is determined and compared to a value of an adaptive threshold to determine if a tap occurred. If a tap is determined to have occurred, an updated value for the adaptive threshold is determined based on the peak value and at least on prior peak value. A mode of operation of the audio system or an attribute of an audio input signal may be changed in response to the determination of an occurrence of a tap.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to systems and methods for summoning emergency personnel to assist a user associated with a portable device. A system can include a processor that can access non-transitory memory and execute machine readable instructions stored therein. The machine readable instructions can cause the processor to receive an assistance request generated by the portable device. The request can include location information for the portable device. The machine readable instructions can further cause the processor to transmit an assistance summons request to one or more selected devices that the user is need of assistance, receive a confirmation message generated by at least one of the one or more selected devices confirming that the user associated with the portable device is need of the assistance, and transmit one or more notification messages to summon the emergency personnel for the user.

Abstract: Described are a headphone and a method for controlling an audio system. The method includes tapping a headphone, ear or head of a user to cause an acoustic pressure change in an ear canal of the user wherein the ear canal is sealed by an acoustic noise reduction (ANR) headphone having an ANR module. A current that is responsive to a pressure change in the ear canal and provided to the ANR module is sensed. A first peak in the sensed current is determined. A dual tap is determined to have occurred if a second peak in the sensed current is determined during a first time window initiated at the determination of the first peak. The use of dual taps for controlling an audio system can prevent unintended changes to an audio system that may otherwise occur as a result of an accidental or unintended tap for an audio system utilizing single tap control.

Abstract: A method for adjusting a volume level of a communications unit is provided. The communications unit is configured for communication between a medical operator and a patient during a magnetic resonance examination and includes at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker. The method includes detecting communication signals by the at least one microphone, transmitting the detected communication signals to the at least one loudspeaker, and an acoustic output of the detected communication signals by the at least one loudspeaker. A volume level of the at least one microphone may be automatically adjusted during detection of the communication signals, and/or a volume level of the at least one loudspeaker may be automatically adjusted during the acoustic output of the communication signals.

Abstract: RFID (radio frequency identification) systems are provided in which tag and interrogator devices implement a hybrid framework for signaling including an optical transmitter/receiver system and an RF transmitter/receiver system. For instance, an RFID tag device includes: optical receiver circuitry configured to receive an optical signal having an embedded clock signal from an interrogator device, and convert the optical signal into an electrical signal comprising the embedded clock signal; clock extraction circuitry configured to extract the embedded clock signal from the electrical signal, and output the extracted clock signal as a clock signal for controlling clocking functions of the tag device; voltage regulator circuitry configured to generate a regulated supply voltage from the electrical signal, wherein the regulated supply voltage is utilized as a bias voltage for components of the tag device; and data transmitter circuitry configured to wirelessly transmit tag data to the interrogator device.

Abstract: A system and method are provided that are capable of processing incoming status data from a variety of sources to identify an event therein. The identified event is then processed with a rules engine to determine an intended or authorized recipient for the event, wherein the intended recipient is one or a plurality of potential recipients. A communication protocol is then determined that is based on an annunciation device uniquely associated with the intended recipient. The event is then selectively annunciated to the authorized, intended recipient.

Abstract: In a particular aspect, a multimedia device includes one or more sensors configured to generate first sensor data and second sensor data. The first sensor data is indicative of a first position at a first time and the second sensor data is indicative of a second position at a second time. The multimedia device further includes a processor coupled to the one or more sensors. The processor is configured to generate a first version of a spatialized audio signal, determine a cumulative value based on an offset, the first position, and the second position, and generate a second version of the spatialized audio signal based on the cumulative value.