Patents by Inventor Shawn K. Steenhagen

Shawn K. Steenhagen 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).

  • Patent number: 7912228
    Abstract: In a method and equipment for operating a voice-supported system, such as a communications and/or intercom/two-way intercom device in a motor vehicle, using at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker to reproduce a signal generated by the microphone, as well as a bandpass filter configured between the microphone and the loudspeaker, a power of the signal as a function of a frequency is determined, and the bandpass filter is adjusted as a function of at least one local maximum of the power of the signal as a function of the frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignees: Volkswagen AG, Audi AG
    Inventors: Brian Michael Finn, Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Patent number: 7467084
    Abstract: A method and a device are for operating a voice-enhancement system, such as a communication and/or intercom/two-way intercom or duplex telephony device in a motor vehicle. The device includes at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker for reproducing a signal generated by the microphone, as well as a bandpass filter configured between the microphone and the loudspeaker. The bandpass filter is adjusted as a function of a comparison between the power of the signal generated by the microphone at a test frequency, and the power of the signal generated by the microphone at an at least substantially integral multiple of the test frequency, or as a function of a comparison between the power of the signal generated by the microphone at a test frequency, and the power of the signal generated by the microphone at the test frequency at at least an earlier point in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2008
    Assignees: Volkswagen AG, Audi AG
    Inventors: Brian Michael Finn, Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Patent number: 7434205
    Abstract: Interpretation of virtual types in a software development, debugging, or monitoring environment. Display and modification of variables having virtual types. Detection of virtual types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Inventors: Shawn K. Steenhagen, Jerry J. Trantow, Mark C. Allie
  • Publication number: 20040158460
    Abstract: A method and a device for operating a voice-enhancement system, such as a communication and/or intercom/two-way intercom or duplex telephony device in a motor vehicle, having at least one microphone and at least one loudspeaker for reproducing a signal generated by the microphone, as well as a bandpass filter configured between the microphone and the loudspeaker, the bandpass filter being adjusted as a function of a comparison between the power of the signal generated by the microphone at a test frequency, and the power of the signal generated by the microphone at an at least substantially integral multiple of the test frequency, or as a function of a comparison between the power of the signal generated by the microphone at a test frequency, and the power of the signal generated by the microphone at the test frequency at at least an earlier point in time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2003
    Publication date: August 12, 2004
    Inventors: Brian Michael Finn, Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Patent number: 6665411
    Abstract: A digital voice enhancement, DVE, communication system includes an instability detector detecting an unstable acoustic feedback condition from a loudspeaker to a microphone by sensing a condition of the electrical signal transmitted from the microphone to the loudspeaker, and a corrective processor responsive to the instability detector to modify the electrical signal to reduce unstable acoustic feedback. The sensed condition may be magnitude, power, or, preferably, the sinusoidal characteristic of the electrical signal, namely the electrical signal becoming sinusoidal in nature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Digisonix LLC
    Inventor: Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Patent number: 6549629
    Abstract: In a DVE, digital voice enhancement, communication system, the selection decision for choosing which microphone to be active is based on a given function of the speech of a respective talker relative to his/her acoustic environment at the respective microphone. The selection decision is based on a selection technique normalizing at least one of a) different microphone sensitivities and b) different background noise levels at the respective microphones, preferably based on the ratio of how much louder a talker speaks over the background noise at his/her respective microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignee: Digisonix LLC
    Inventors: Brian M. Finn, Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Publication number: 20020141601
    Abstract: In a DVE, digital voice enhancement, communication system, the selection decision for choosing which microphone to be active is based on a given function of the speech of a respective talker relative to his/her acoustic environment at the respective microphone. The selection decision is based on a selection technique normalizing at least one of a) different microphone sensitivities and b) different background noise levels at the respective microphones, preferably based on the ratio of how much louder a talker speaks over the background noise at his/her respective microphone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Inventors: Brian M. Finn, Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Publication number: 20020136416
    Abstract: A digital voice enhancement, DVE, communication system includes an instability detector detecting an unstable acoustic feedback condition from a loudspeaker to a microphone by sensing a condition of the electrical signal transmitted from the microphone to the loudspeaker, and a corrective processor responsive to the instability detector to modify the electrical signal to reduce unstable acoustic feedback. The sensed condition may be magnitude, power, or, preferably, the sinusoidal characteristic of the electrical signal, namely the electrical signal becoming sinusoidal in nature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 21, 2001
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventor: Shawn K. Steenhagen
  • Patent number: 5710822
    Abstract: An active adaptive control system and method has frequency dependent filtering with a transfer characteristic which is a function of a frequency dependent shaped power limitation characteristic maximizing usage of available output transducer authority. Band separation is provided for different tones. Power limit partitioning is provided for effectively distributing power between correction tones to maximize model performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignees: Digisonix, Inc., Lord Corporation
    Inventors: Shawn K. Steenhagen, Steve C. Southward, Kent F. Delfosse
  • Patent number: 5278913
    Abstract: An active acoustic attenuation system prevents overdriving of the canceling output transducer or speaker (14) by shunting at least part of the correction signal (46) to a parallel shunt path (306) and away from the output transducer (14) Variable gains (308 and 310) are provided in the shunt path (306) and the input to the output transducer (14) for varying the ratio between the part of the correction signal (46) supplied to the output transducer (14) and the part of the correction signal (46) shunted to the shunt path (306). A first adaptive filter model (40) has an error input (202) from the error signal and outputs the correction signal (46). A second adaptive filter model (142) models the output transducer (14) and the error path (56) between the output transducer (14) and the error transducer (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 11, 1994
    Assignee: Nelson Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Kent F. Delfosse, Shawn K. Steenhagen