Patents by Inventor Dayong Zhou

Dayong Zhou has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20170053639
    Abstract: A controller for an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) system simplifies the design of a stable control response by making the ANC gain of the system independent of a secondary path extending from a transducer of the ANC system to a sensor of the ANC system that measures the ambient noise. The controller includes a fixed filter having a predetermined fixed response, and a variable filter coupled together. The variable response filter compensates for variations of a transfer function of a secondary path that includes at least a path from a transducer of the ANC system to a sensor of the ANC system, so that the ANC gain is independent of the variations in the transfer function of the secondary path.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2016
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Ryan A. Hellman, Dayong Zhou
  • Publication number: 20170053638
    Abstract: In accordance with systems and methods of the present disclosure, an adaptive noise cancellation system may include an alignment filter configured to correct misalignment of a reference microphone signal and an error microphone signal by generating a misalignment correction signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Ning Li, Nitin Kwatra, Antonio J. Miller
  • Patent number: 9578415
    Abstract: In accordance with systems and methods of the present disclosure, an adaptive noise cancellation system may include an alignment filter configured to correct misalignment of a reference microphone signal and an error microphone signal by generating a misalignment correction signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Ning Li, Nitin Kwatra, Antonio J. Miller
  • Patent number: 9552805
    Abstract: A method for cancelling ambient audio sounds in the proximity of a transducer may include receiving an error microphone signal indicative of the output of the transducer and ambient audio sounds at the transducer. The method may also include generating an anti-noise signal for countering the effects of ambient audio sounds at an acoustic output of the transducer, wherein generating the anti-noise signal comprises applying a feedback filter having a response that generates a feedback anti-noise signal based on the error microphone signal and applying a variable gain element in series with the feedback filter. The method may further include monitoring whether an ambient audio event is occurring that could cause the feedback filter to generate an undesirable component in the anti-noise signal and controlling the gain of the variable gain element to reduce the undesirable component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 24, 2017
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Antonio J. Miller, Ning Li
  • Patent number: 9532139
    Abstract: A frequency domain method and system for online self-calibrating microphone frequency amplitude response based on noise floor (minima) tracking are disclosed. A cellular telephone or other system with dual microphones may self-calibrate itself on-the-fly. The system selects one of the microphones as a reference and calibrates the frequency response of the two microphones using the first microphone as a reference, so that they have a matched frequency amplitude response. To achieve this on-the-fly calibration, the system uses background noise for calibration purposes. The signal power spectra of the noise minima at the two microphones is used to calibrate the respective microphone frequency response. The system may then adapt the frequency amplitude responses of the two microphones so that the power spectral density from each microphone matches the other, and the system is then calibrated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2016
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson
  • Publication number: 20160316291
    Abstract: A personal audio device including multiple output transducers for reproducing different frequency bands of a source audio signal, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal for each of the transducers from at least one microphone signal that measures the ambient audio to generate anti-noise signals. The anti-noise signals are generated by separate adaptive filters such that the anti-noise signals cause substantial cancelation of the ambient audio at their corresponding transducers. The use of separate adaptive filters provides low-latency operation, since a crossover is not needed to split the anti-noise into the appropriate frequency bands. The adaptive filters can be implemented or biased to generate anti-noise only in the frequency band corresponding to the particular adaptive filter. The anti-noise signals are combined with source audio of the appropriate frequency band to provide outputs for the corresponding transducers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 6, 2016
    Publication date: October 27, 2016
    Inventors: Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson, Ali Abdollahzadeh Milani, Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu
  • Patent number: 9414150
    Abstract: A personal audio device including multiple output transducers for reproducing different frequency bands of a source audio signal, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal for each of the transducers from at least one microphone signal that measures the ambient audio to generate anti-noise signals. The anti-noise signals are generated by separate adaptive filters such that the anti-noise signals cause substantial cancellation of the ambient audio at their corresponding transducers. The use of separate adaptive filters provides low-latency operation, since a crossover is not needed to split the anti-noise into the appropriate frequency bands. The adaptive filters can be implemented or biased to generate anti-noise only in the frequency band corresponding to the particular adaptive filter. The anti-noise signals are combined with source audio of the appropriate frequency band to provide outputs for the corresponding transducers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson, Ali Abdollahzadeh Milani, Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu
  • Publication number: 20160196816
    Abstract: An adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal that is injected into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone proximate the speaker provides an error signal. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter estimates the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. Tones in the source audio, such as remote ringtones, present in downlink audio during initiation of a telephone call, are detected by a tone detector using accumulated tone persistence and non-silence hangover counting, and adaptation of the secondary path estimating adaptive filter is halted to prevent adapting to the tones. Adaptation of the adaptive filters is then sequenced so any disruption of the secondary path adaptive filter response is removed before allowing the anti-noise generating filter to adapt.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2016
    Publication date: July 7, 2016
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson, Antonio John Miller, Chin Yong, Gautham Devendra Kamath
  • Publication number: 20160180830
    Abstract: A method for cancelling ambient audio sounds in the proximity of a transducer may include receiving an error microphone signal indicative of the output of the transducer and ambient audio sounds at the transducer. The method may also include generating an anti-noise signal for countering the effects of ambient audio sounds at an acoustic output of the transducer, wherein generating the anti-noise signal comprises applying a feedback filter having a response that generates a feedback anti-noise signal based on the error microphone signal and applying a variable gain element in series with the feedback filter. The method may further include monitoring whether an ambient audio event is occurring that could cause the feedback filter to generate an undesirable component in the anti-noise signal and controlling the gain of the variable gain element to reduce the undesirable component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Publication date: June 23, 2016
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Antonio J. Miller, Ning Li
  • Patent number: 9319784
    Abstract: A personal audio device includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone is also provided proximate the speaker to provide an error signal indicative of the effectiveness of the noise cancellation. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter is used to estimate the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. Noise is injected so that the adaptation of the secondary path estimating adaptive filter can be maintained, irrespective of the presence and amplitude of the source audio. The noise is shaped by a noise shaping filter that has a response controlled in conformity with at least one parameter of the secondary path response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Ning Li
  • Patent number: 9319781
    Abstract: A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes noise canceling circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone may also be provided proximate the speaker to measure the output of the transducer in order to control the adaptation of the anti-noise signal and to estimate an electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer. A processing circuit that performs the adaptive noise canceling (ANC) function also detects frequency-dependent characteristics in and/or direction of the ambient sounds and alters adaptation of the noise canceling circuit in response to the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Jeffrey Alderson, Jon D. Hendrix, Dayong Zhou
  • Patent number: 9318090
    Abstract: An adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal that is injected into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone proximate the speaker provides an error signal. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter estimates the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. Tones in the source audio, such as remote ringtones, present in downlink audio during initiation of a telephone call, are detected by a tone detector using accumulated tone persistence and non-silence hangover counting, and adaptation of the secondary path estimating adaptive filter is halted to prevent adapting to the tones. Adaptation of the adaptive filters is then sequenced so any disruption of the secondary path adaptive filter response is removed before allowing the anti-noise generating filter to adapt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson, Antonio John Miller, Chin Yong, Gautham Devendra Kamath
  • Patent number: 9294836
    Abstract: In accordance with methods and systems of the present disclosure, a processing circuit may implement at least one of: a feedback filter having a response that generates at least a portion of an anti-noise component from a playback corrected error, the playback corrected error based on a difference between the error microphone signal and a secondary path estimate; and a feedforward filter having a response that generates at least a portion of the anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal. The processing circuit may also implement a secondary path estimate filter configured to model an electro-acoustic path of a source audio signal and have a response that generates a secondary path estimate from the source audio signal and a secondary path estimate performance monitor for monitoring performance of the secondary path estimate filter in modeling the electro-acoustic path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Ning Li
  • Publication number: 20160063988
    Abstract: A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone is also provided proximate the speaker to measure the ambient sounds and transducer output near the transducer, thus providing an indication of the effectiveness of the noise canceling. A processing circuit uses the reference and/or error microphone, optionally along with a microphone provided for capturing near-end speech, to determine whether the ANC circuit is incorrectly adapting or may incorrectly adapt to the instant acoustic environment and/or whether the anti-noise signal may be incorrect and/or disruptive and then take action in the processing circuit to prevent or remedy such conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Inventors: Jon D. Hendrix, Ali Abdollahzadeh Milani, Nitin Kwatra, Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Jeffrey Alderson
  • Patent number: 9264808
    Abstract: In accordance with methods and systems of the present disclosure, an integrated circuit for implementing at least a portion of a personal audio device may include an output including an anti-noise signal, a reference microphone input, an error microphone input, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit may implement an adaptive filter having a response that generates the anti-noise signal from the reference microphone signal to reduce the presence of the ambient audio sounds heard by the listener, wherein the processing circuit may implement a coefficient control block that shapes the response of the adaptive filter in conformity with the error microphone signal and the reference microphone signal by adapting the response of the adaptive filter in accordance with a calculated narrow-band-to-full-band ratio, wherein the narrow-band-to-full-band ratio is a function of a narrow-band power of the reference microphone signal divided by a full-band power of the reference microphone signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2016
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu
  • Patent number: 9230532
    Abstract: A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from an output of a microphone that measures ambient audio. The anti-noise signal is combined with source audio to provide an output for a speaker. The anti-noise signal causes cancellation of ambient audio sounds that appear at the microphone. A processing circuit estimates a level of background noise from the microphone output and sets a power conservation mode of the personal audio device in response to detecting that the background noise level is lower than a predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2016
    Assignee: Cirrus, Logic Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson
  • Publication number: 20150365761
    Abstract: In accordance with the present disclosure, an adaptive noise cancellation system may include a controller. The controller may be configured to determine a degree of convergence of an adaptive coefficient control block for controlling an adaptive response of the adaptive noise cancellation system. The controller may enable adaptation of the adaptive coefficient control block if the degree of convergence of the adaptive response is below a particular threshold and disable adaptation of the adaptive coefficient control block if the degree of convergence of the adaptive response is above a particular threshold, such that when the adaptive noise cancellation system is adequately converged, the adaptive noise cancellation system may conserve power by disabling one or more of its components.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 13, 2014
    Publication date: December 17, 2015
    Inventors: Jeffrey D. Alderson, Jon D. Hendrix, Dayong Zhou
  • Patent number: 9208771
    Abstract: An adaptive noise canceller adapts a secondary path modeling response using ambient noise, rather than using another noise source or source audio as a training source. Anti-noise generated from a reference microphone signal using a first adaptive filter is used as the training signal for training the secondary path response. Ambient noise at the error microphone is removed from an error microphone signal, so that only anti-noise remains. A primary path modeling adaptive filter is used to modify the reference microphone signal to generate a source of ambient noise that is correlated with the ambient noise present at the error microphone, which is then subtracted from the error microphone signal to generate the error signal. The primary path modeling adaptive filter is previously adapted by minimizing components of the error microphone signal appearing in an output of the primary path adaptive filter while the anti-noise signal is muted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2015
    Assignee: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
    Inventors: Dayong Zhou, Yang Lu, Jon D. Hendrix, Jeffrey Alderson
  • Publication number: 20150296296
    Abstract: A personal audio device includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone is also provided proximate the speaker to provide an error signal indicative of the effectiveness of the noise cancellation. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter is used to estimate the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. Noise is injected so that the adaptation of the secondary path estimating adaptive filter can be maintained, irrespective of the presence and amplitude of the source audio. The noise is shaped by a noise shaping filter that has a response controlled in conformity with at least one parameter of the secondary path response.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2014
    Publication date: October 15, 2015
    Applicant: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Lu, Dayong Zhou, Ning Li
  • Publication number: 20150269926
    Abstract: A personal audio device, such as a wireless telephone, includes an adaptive noise canceling (ANC) circuit that adaptively generates an anti-noise signal from a reference microphone signal and injects the anti-noise signal into the speaker or other transducer output to cause cancellation of ambient audio sounds. An error microphone is also provided proximate to the speaker to provide an error signal indicative of the effectiveness of the noise cancellation. A secondary path estimating adaptive filter is used to estimate the electro-acoustical path from the noise canceling circuit through the transducer so that source audio can be removed from the error signal. A level of the source audio with respect to the ambient audio is determined to determine whether the system may generate erroneous anti-noise and/or become unstable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 9, 2015
    Publication date: September 24, 2015
    Inventors: Jeffrey Alderson, Jon D. Hendrix, Dayong Zhou, Antonio John Miller, Chin Yong, Gautham Devendra Kamath