Patents by Inventor Mark Robert Every
Mark Robert Every 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).
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Patent number: 11211061Abstract: Voice control in a multi-talker and multimedia environment is disclosed. In one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving a microphone signal for each zone in a plurality of zones of an acoustic environment; generating a processed microphone signal for each zone in the plurality of zones of the acoustic environment, the generating including removing echo caused by audio transducers in the acoustic environment from each of the microphone signals, and removing interference from each of the microphone signals; and performing speech recognition on the processed microphone signals.Type: GrantFiled: January 7, 2019Date of Patent: December 28, 2021Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Xueman Li, Mark Robert Every, Darrin Kenneth John Fry
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Patent number: 11127414Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 9, 2019Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: BlackBerry LimitedInventors: Mohammad Aamir Husain, Michael Andrew Percy, Mark Robert Every, Frank Linseisen
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Patent number: 11127413Abstract: A method and system of estimating human perception of audibility of audio alerts in the presence of background noise. In the audibility estimation system, a microphone generates an input signal corresponding to an audio alert. A processor receives the input signal and generates an audibility metric representing human perception of audibility of the audio alert based on a comparison between a background noise estimate and an audio alert estimate, and causes an action to be taken based on the audibility metric.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2019Date of Patent: September 21, 2021Assignee: BlackBerry LimitedInventors: Sam Karimian Azari, Mark Robert Every
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Publication number: 20210012789Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2019Publication date: January 14, 2021Applicant: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mohammad Aamir HUSAIN, Michael Andrew PERCY, Mark Robert EVERY, Frank LINSEISEN
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Publication number: 20210012788Abstract: A method and system of estimating human perception of audibility of audio alerts in the presence of background noise. In the audibility estimation system, a microphone generates an input signal corresponding to an audio alert. A processor receives the input signal and generates an audibility metric representing human perception of audibility of the audio alert based on a comparison between a background noise estimate and an audio alert estimate, and causes an action to be taken based on the audibility metric.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 9, 2019Publication date: January 14, 2021Applicants: BlackBerry Limited, 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Sam KARIMIAN AZARI, Mark Robert EVERY
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Publication number: 20200219493Abstract: Voice control in a multi-talker and multimedia environment is disclosed. In one aspect, there is provided a method comprising: receiving a microphone signal for each zone in a plurality of zones of an acoustic environment; generating a processed microphone signal for each zone in the plurality of zones of the acoustic environment, the generating including removing echo caused by audio transducers in the acoustic environment from each of the microphone signals, and removing interference from each of the microphone signals; and performing speech recognition on the processed microphone signals.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 7, 2019Publication date: July 9, 2020Applicant: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Xueman Li, Mark Robert Every, Darrin Kenneth John Fry
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Patent number: 10629182Abstract: A method and system for adaptive noise masking powertrain noise in a vehicle is described. The method comprises: determining frequency and amplitude characteristics of the powertrain noise; determining amplitude characteristics of background noise in the vehicle; dynamically generating a masking audio signal based on the determined characteristics of the powertrain noise and background noise; and outputting the masking audio signal in a cabin of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2019Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignees: BlackBerry Limited, 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Leonard Charles Layton, Mark Robert Every
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Patent number: 10530917Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more hands-free library parameters. The system and method plays one or more test signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a hands-free system under test or the hands-free tuning system and records the responses of a hands-free tuning system or hands-free tuning system at a microphone of the hands-free tuning system and a microphone of the hands-free system under test. The system and method measures the sound generation and sound pickup characteristics of the hands-free system under test or the hands-free system with respect to the one or more of the test signals and one or more of the microphone signals. The system and method calculates tunable parameters. The system and method updates a hands-free system library with the calculated plurality of tunable parameters.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2018Date of Patent: January 7, 2020Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Mark William Harvey, Rodney Dwight Rempel, Michael Andrew Percy
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Publication number: 20190281149Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more hands-free library parameters. The system and method plays one or more test signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a hands-free system under test or the hands-free tuning system and records the responses of a hands-free tuning system or hands-free tuning system at a microphone of the hands-free tuning system and a microphone of the hands-free system under test. The system and method measures the sound generation and sound pickup characteristics of the hands-free system under test or the hands-free system with respect to the one or more of the test signals and one or more of the microphone signals. The system and method calculates tunable parameters. The system and method updates a hands-free system library with the calculated plurality of tunable parameters.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 8, 2018Publication date: September 12, 2019Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Mark William Harvey, Rodney Dwight Rempel, Michael Andrew Percy
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Patent number: 10313218Abstract: A system and method receives one or more captured signals through a captured audio path and produces one or more playback signals through a playback audio path. The system and method executes one or more signal processing functions and measures the delays within the playback audio path and captured audio path during operation of the one or more signal processing functions. The system and method stores the measured delays in a memory and compensates the one or more signal processing functions for the playback delay and the capture delay.Type: GrantFiled: August 11, 2017Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Leona Arlene Neufeld
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Publication number: 20190052555Abstract: A system and method receives one or more captured signals through a captured audio path and produces one or more playback signals through a playback audio path. The system and method executes one or more signal processing functions and measures the delays within the playback audio path and captured audio path during operation of the one or more signal processing functions. The system and method stores the measured delays in a memory and compensates the one or more signal processing functions for the playback delay and the capture delay.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 11, 2017Publication date: February 14, 2019Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Leona Arlene Neufeld
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Patent number: 10163432Abstract: A system and method (referred to as the system) that actively reduces noise in a vehicle. The system generates one or more control output signals to drive multiple loudspeakers; and adapts multiple control coefficients of a control filter based on multiple secondary path transfer functions. The secondary path transfer functions model the acoustic paths between each loudspeaker and multiple microphones. The multiple control coefficients are time varying and frequency dependent and the rate the plurality control coefficients adapt is based on an adaptive step size based on one or more step size criteria.Type: GrantFiled: February 23, 2017Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventor: Mark Robert Every
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Patent number: 10165363Abstract: An active noise equalization (ANE) system may be run on the existing audio/infotainment system as a software library. The ANE system may share components (e.g., microphones and sensors) with other audio applications. Some ANEs include a complex-domain formulation of a multiple-frequency multiple-channel ANE that requires less memory and processing requirements. The complex-domain system replaces the multiplication of multiple real gains with multiple real signals with a single complex multiplication operation.Type: GrantFiled: September 28, 2017Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Kyle Tegan MacDonald, Michael Andrew Percy
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Patent number: 10153744Abstract: A system and method automates the tuning of one or more multiband compressors or multiband limiters to minimize loudspeaker distortion. The system and method render one or more test loudspeaker signals that vary in frequency and in amplitude out of a loudspeaker and records the responses of the loudspeaker at a microphone. The system and method measure a distortion of the loudspeaker, relative to a frequency and an amplitude, with respect to the one or more test loudspeaker signals and a microphone signal and calculate tunable parameters of the multiband compressor that includes cutoff frequencies in response to the measured distortion.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2017Date of Patent: December 11, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventor: Mark Robert Every
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Patent number: 10110997Abstract: A system and method (referred to as the system) that mitigates feedback in an audio system that adjust voice signals in a vehicle. The system generates transfer function estimates from multiple loudspeakers to multiple microphones and generates maximum forward path frequency-dependent gains based on the transfer function estimates and a frequency-dependent tuning factor for each of the loudspeakers to each of the microphones. The system generates forward path frequency-dependent gains independently that are applied to multiple loudspeaker signals, each of the loudspeaker signals drive one of the loudspeakers, respectively. The forward path frequency-dependent gains are adjusted based on the maximum forward path frequency-dependent gains.Type: GrantFiled: February 17, 2017Date of Patent: October 23, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario, Inc.Inventor: Mark Robert Every
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Publication number: 20180242081Abstract: A system and method (referred to as the system) that mitigates feedback in an audio system that adjust voice signals in a vehicle. The system generates transfer function estimates from multiple loudspeakers to multiple microphones and generates maximum forward path frequency-dependent gains based on the transfer function estimates and a frequency-dependent tuning factor for each of the loudspeakers to each of the microphones. The system generates forward path frequency-dependent gains independently that are applied to multiple loudspeaker signals, each of the loudspeaker signals drive one of the loudspeakers, respectively. The forward path frequency-dependent gains are adjusted based on the maximum forward path frequency-dependent gains.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 17, 2017Publication date: August 23, 2018Inventor: Mark Robert Every
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Publication number: 20180240452Abstract: A system and method (referred to as the system) that actively reduces noise in a vehicle. The system generates one or more control output signals to drive multiple loudspeakers; and adapts multiple control coefficients of a control filter based on multiple secondary path transfer functions. The secondary path transfer functions model the acoustic paths between each loudspeaker and multiple microphones. The multiple control coefficients are time varying and frequency dependent and the rate the plurality control coefficients adapt is based on an adaptive step size based on one or more step size criteria.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 23, 2017Publication date: August 23, 2018Inventor: Mark Robert Every
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Patent number: 9978355Abstract: A system and method for acoustic management that includes improving the sound quality of two or more audio processing modules in an acoustic environment may receive first control parameters from a first audio processing module. Receiving second control parameters from a second audio processing module. An audio processing interaction may be derived between with the first audio processing module and the second audio processing module determined from the first control parameters and the second control parameters. The first control parameters and the second control parameters may be modified responsive to the derived audio processing interaction.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2017Date of Patent: May 22, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Phillip Alan Hetherington
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Patent number: 9944127Abstract: A system and method for synthesizing an engine sound may receive one or more vehicle operational data signals. One or more tone parameters associated with a Shepard tone generator may be modified responsive to the one or more vehicle operation data signals. A Shepard tone may be generated responsive to the modified one or more tone parameters. The Shepard tone may be reproduced using one or more audio transducers.Type: GrantFiled: August 12, 2016Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc.Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Phillip Alan Hetherington, Leonard Charles Layton
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Publication number: 20180043826Abstract: A system and method for synthesizing an engine sound may receive one or more vehicle operational data signals. One or more tone parameters associated with a Shepard tone generator may be modified responsive to the one or more vehicle operation data signals. A Shepard tone may be generated responsive to the modified one or more tone parameters. The Shepard tone may be reproduced using one or more audio transducers.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 12, 2016Publication date: February 15, 2018Inventors: Mark Robert Every, Phillip Alan Hetherington, Leonard Charles Layton