Patents Examined by Ubachukwu Odunukwe
  • Patent number: 11190155
    Abstract: A system for audio control in a vehicle includes a speaker designed to output vehicle audio data in a cabin of the vehicle at a volume. The system further includes a microphone designed to detect microphone data in the cabin of the vehicle. The system further includes a memory designed to store an audio profile corresponding to desirable operation of the volume of the speaker. The system also includes an electronic control unit (ECU) coupled to the speaker, the microphone, and the memory and designed to control the volume of the speaker based on the detected microphone data and the audio profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC.
    Inventors: Sai Prithvi Gadde, Harjot Singh, Ethan Pomish
  • Patent number: 11190896
    Abstract: An audio system and a method of using the audio system to determine an interaural head-related transfer function (HRTF) parameter, are described. The audio system can generate binaural recordings using microphones that are worn by a user in everyday scenarios. The audio system can measure interaural parameter values of selected segments of the recordings, and the measurements can be accumulated over time. The interaural HRTF parameter can be estimated based on the measurements. The interaural HRTF parameter can be used to adapt a generic HRTF to generate an individualized HRTF for the user. Other aspects are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Darius A. Satongar, Martin E. Johnson, Peter Victor Jupin, Jonathan D. Sheaffer
  • Patent number: 11178478
    Abstract: In general, the subject matter described in this disclosure can be embodied in methods, systems, and computer-readable devices. An audio processing device plays a source audio signal, including causing the source audio signal to be audibly output by an electroacoustic transducer of a user earpiece. The audio processing device records, while playing the source audio signal, a recorded audio signal using the electroacoustic transducer. The audio processing device identifies one or more parameters that indicate how properties of the user earpiece affect playing of the source audio signal, at least one of the parameters being temperature dependent. The audio processing device determines a temperature value estimated to cause the source audio signal that was played by the audio processing device to result in the recorded audio signal, accounting for changes to the source audio signal that occur due to the one or more parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2021
    Assignee: Mobile Physics Ltd.
    Inventor: Noam Petrank
  • Patent number: 11164556
    Abstract: A noise reduction system is provided. The noise reduction system may include a sub-band noise sensor, a plurality of sub-band noise reduction modules, and an output module. The sub-band noise sensor may be configured to detect a noise and generate a plurality of sub-band noise signals in response to the detected noise. Each of the plurality of sub-band noise signals may have a distinctive sub-band of the frequency band of the noise. Each of the sub-band noise reduction modules may be configured to receive one of the sub-band noise signals from the sub-band noise sensor and generate a sub-band noise correction signal for reducing the received sub-band noise signal. The output module may be configured to receive the sub-band noise correction signals and output a noise correction signal for reducing the noise based on the sub-band noise correction signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: SHENZHEN VOXTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Chengqian Zhang, Fengyun Liao, Xin Qi
  • Patent number: 11127414
    Abstract: A method of echo cancellation in hands-free communication is disclosed. The method includes: receiving, via a receive signal processor, a far-end audio signal; providing the far-end audio signal to: an acoustic echo canceller module as a reference signal, and at least one loudspeaker for playback; determining an external gain value associated with the far-end audio signal, the external gain applied to the far-end audio signal downstream of the receive signal processor and prior to playback from the at least one loudspeaker; adjusting at least one parameter of the acoustic echo canceller module based on the external gain value; receiving playback output of the far-end audio signal from the at least one loudspeaker as an input signal to a microphone; and processing the microphone input signal by the adjusted acoustic echo canceller module to produce an echo-cancelled signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Mohammad Aamir Husain, Michael Andrew Percy, Mark Robert Every, Frank Linseisen
  • Patent number: 11122348
    Abstract: An omni, bollard speaker has circular, cylindrical lower and upper housings. A domed driver is mounted within the top wall of the lower housing and a speaker is rotatably mounted in the internal space in the upper housing, between the top wall of the lower housing and the speaker cover of the upper housing. The speaker is rotatable from a first horizontal position directly over the domed driver to reflect wide dispersion acoustical output directly over the driver to disburse sound evenly within the listening area. The speaker can be quickly rotated downward and converted from this down-firing omni reflecting position to a side firing position or an up-and-out, direct radiating position. Thus, the same speaker serves many different sound coverage applications and can be customized on site for best use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: COASTAL SOURCE, LLC
    Inventors: Franco L. D'Ascanio, Nicholas A D'Ascanio, Sean P Snowden
  • Patent number: 11094333
    Abstract: A method of noise cancellation comprises providing a first estimated output signal based on an input signal and a first prior far-end channel filter and a second prior far-end channel filter corresponding to a prior frame, updating a first current far-end channel filter corresponding to a current frame according to the first estimated output signal and the first prior far-end channel filter, providing a second estimated output signal based on the input signal, the first current far-end channel filter, and the second prior far-end channel filter, updating a second current far-end channel filter corresponding to the current frame according to the second estimated output signal and the second prior far-end channel filter, and providing a resultant signal based on the input signal, the first current far-end channel filter, and the second current far-end channel filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Inventors: Hyung Min Park, Byung Joon Cho
  • Patent number: 11089420
    Abstract: Speech processing system includes a first sound receiving device, a second sound receiving device, a main controller, and an audio processor. First and second sound receiving devices are configured to generate a main voice signal or a secondary voice signal. A first sensing device in first sound receiving device and a second sensing device in second sound receiving device are configured to output a first sensing signal or a second sensing signal based on a sensing result. Main controller controls first sound receiving device to generate main voice signal and controls second sound receiving device to generate secondary voice signal when receiving first sensing signal. Main controller controls second sound receiving device to generate main voice signal and controls first sound receiving device to generate secondary voice signal when receiving second sensing signal. Audio processor is configured to process main and secondary voice signals into an output voice signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 10, 2021
    Assignee: Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Chih-Hsiang Hsu
  • Patent number: 11082771
    Abstract: A system includes an audio transducer. The audio output of the transducer may be directed at an operator. The directionality of the audio output may ensure privacy in audio delivery. Further, the directionality of the audio output may reduce the potential for other nearby individuals to be disturbed by the audio output. A directed audio system may control the content of the audio output. The content of the audio output may be configured for applications in individual operator workspaces, multiple-operator common spaces, shared-use spaces or a combination thereof. The directed audio system may customize the audio output in accord with a stored audio profile for the operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 3, 2021
    Assignee: Steelcase, Inc.
    Inventors: Darrin Sculley, Mark Slager, Scott Wilson, Mark McKenna, Kirk Gregory Griffes
  • Patent number: 11070931
    Abstract: A speaker assembly is provided having a plurality of transducers disposed on a speaker body and configured to produce an audio beam being steerable based on at least one audio beam parameter. A light assembly is arranged on the speaker body and configured to produce a light output that varies based at least one audio beam parameter. The light output varies to provide a visual reference as the audio beam is steered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: HARMAN INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Jason Walker, Emil Badal, Charles Hill, Ulrich Horbach
  • Patent number: 11055059
    Abstract: An example implementation involves a playback device receiving digital data representing audio content, the digital data encoded in a first format. The playback device causes one or more speaker drivers to playback the audio content. The playback device decodes a portion of the received digital data to convert the portion of the received digital data from the first format to a second format and transmits, via a network interface to a computing device of an identification system, the decoded portion of the received digital data. The playback device receives, from via the network interface from the identification system, metadata corresponding to the audio content, and in response, causes a control device to display a graphical representation of the received metadata, wherein causing the control device to display the graphical representation comprises sending, via the network interface to the control device, the received metadata to the control device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Clayton, Aurelio Rafael Ramos
  • Patent number: 11057725
    Abstract: Examples are provided for establishing a bonded zone comprising a first playback device comprising a respective first wireless radio and a second playback device comprising a second respective wireless radio. The first and second playback devices may establish a bonded zone comprising at least the first and second playback device. While in the established bonded zone, the first playback device may determine that the first playback device is in the established bonded zone and that the first playback device is not currently playing audio in synchrony with the second playback device. Responsive to determining that the first playback device is not playing audio in synchrony, the first playback device may disable communicating via the first wireless radio of the first playback device and send a message to the second playback device to disable communicating via the first wireless radio of the second playback device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey M. Peters, Gary Fox
  • Patent number: 11051120
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus includes a calculation section that calculates a relative position of a sound source of a virtual object to a user, the virtual object allowing a user to perceive that the virtual object exists in a real space by sound image localization, on the basis of a position of a sound image of the virtual object and a position of the user, a sound image localization section that performs a sound signal process of the sound source such that the sound image is localized at the calculated localization position, and a sound image position holding section that holds the position of the sound image. When sound to be emitted from the virtual object is to be changed over, the calculation section may refer to the position of the sound image held in the sound image position holding section to calculate the position of the sound image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 29, 2021
    Assignee: SONY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daisuke Mochizuki, Junko Fukuda, Tomohiko Gotoh
  • Patent number: 11034310
    Abstract: A pickup truck includes a passenger cabin that includes a rear wall. A truck bed includes a front wall that faces the rear wall of the passenger cabin. A space is provided between the rear wall of the passenger cabin and the front wall of the truck bed. A speaker assembly includes a speaker enclosure mounted externally to the rear wall of the passenger cabin and located between the rear wall of the passenger cabin and the front wall of the truck bed. A speaker extends forward from the speaker enclosure and through an opening in the rear wall of the passenger cabin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan C. Harris, Edgardo Reyes-Crespo
  • Patent number: 11039250
    Abstract: A method, system, and computer-readable storage medium that receive a first audio signal generated by a first microphone of a plurality of microphones having a sound inlet, detect an acoustic disturbance in the received first audio signal, the detected acoustic disturbance in the received first audio signal resulting from a tactile interaction proximate the sound inlet of the first microphone, determine whether the detected acoustic disturbance correlates to a pre-defined acoustic signature, and generate, based upon determining that the detected acoustic disturbance correlates to the pre-defined acoustic signature, a control signal corresponding to the pre-defined acoustic signature, the generated control signal controlling one or more of a plurality of speakers of an in-vehicle communication system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: Peiker acustic GmbH
    Inventors: Andrew Draper, Aaron Kubat
  • Patent number: 11026019
    Abstract: A device to apply noise reduction to ambisonic signals includes a memory configured to store noise data corresponding to microphones in a microphone array. A processor is configured to perform signal processing operations on signals captured by microphones in the microphone array to generate multiple sets of ambisonic signals including a first set corresponding to a first particular ambisonic order and a second set corresponding to a second particular ambisonic order. The processor is configured to perform a first noise reduction operation that includes applying a first gain factor to each ambisonic signal in the first set and to perform a second noise reduction operation that includes applying a second gain factor to each ambisonic signal in the second set. The first gain factor and the second gain factor are based on the noise data, and the second gain factor is distinct from the first gain factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2021
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: S M Akramus Salehin, Dipanjan Sen
  • Patent number: 11012802
    Abstract: A computing system that facilitates decoding a spherical harmonics (SH) representation of a three-dimensional sound signal to a binaural sound signal is described herein. The computing system generates a binaural sound signal based upon the SH representation, a tapering window function that is selected based on an SH encoding order of the SH representation, and a coloration compensation filter that incorporates the tapering window function. The computing system causes the binaural sound signal to be played over at least two speakers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC
    Inventors: Christoph Felix Hold, Hannes Gamper, Ville Topias Pulkki, Nikunj Raghuvanshi, Ivan Jelev Tashev
  • Patent number: 10999678
    Abstract: An audio signal processing system according to an aspect of the present invention includes an audio signal processing unit configured to select one rendering scheme among a plurality of rendering schemes, based on track information for indicating a reproduction position of an audio signal, and render the audio signal by using the one rendering scheme selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: SHARP KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeaki Suenaga, Hisao Hattori
  • Patent number: 10993064
    Abstract: An apparatus comprising means configured to: receive first audio content from a remote apparatus, the audio content comprising at least one audio stream associated with respective location information; present the audio stream as spatial audio to be perceived as originating from a respective perceived-direction based on the location information; determine a user input direction to identify one of the audio streams; transmit a message to the remote apparatus identifying the identified audio stream; receive second audio content comprising an enhanced version of the at least one identified audio stream; present the enhanced version of the identified audio stream as spatial audio, wherein the perceived-direction of the identified audio stream is offset from the second perceived-direction of the enhanced version of the identified audio stream.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Sujeet Shyamsundar Mate, Arto Lehtiniemi, Miikka Tapani Vilermo
  • Patent number: 10979805
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for auto-directive adaptive beamforming for a microphone array using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensor orientation information are provided. The microphone array captures audio and the MEMS sensor detects an orientation of the microphone array. A direction of arrival of a source signal is estimated based on the data representative of the audio. A change in an orientation of the microphone array is detected based on the orientation and the direction of arrival is compensates based on the change in the orientation of the microphone array. The apparatus pre-steers a beam of a beam pattern of the microphone array based on the compensated direction of arrival to retain the source signal in a broadside of the microphone array and performs adaptive wideband beamforming to null one or more interfering sources in the beam pattern while retaining the source signal in the broadside of the microphone array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignees: STMicroelectronics, Inc., STMicroelectronics International N.V.
    Inventors: Mahesh Chowdhary, Prasanth Logaraman, Arun Kumar, Rajendar Bahl