Sound Location Patents (Class 181/125)
  • Patent number: 11330367
    Abstract: A sound pickup device is a device that picks up target sound that has been output from an object serving as a sound source. The sound pickup device includes a controller that generates object location information indicating a location of the object on the basis of image data of a camera, generates sound-source location information indicating a location of the sound source on the basis of an acoustic signal of a microphone array, sets a weight for the object location information in accordance with an image capturing state of the camera, and determines a direction in which the target sound is to be picked up on the basis of the object location information, the weight for the object location information, and the sound-source location information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshifumi Hirose, Masahiro Nakanishi, Yusuke Adachi
  • Patent number: 11106131
    Abstract: According to several embodiments, a composition of matter includes: a three-dimensional structure comprising photo polymerized molecules. At least some of the photo polymerized molecules further comprise one or more protected click-chemistry compatible functional groups; and at least portions of one or more surfaces of the three-dimensional structure are functionalized with one or more of the protected click-chemistry compatible functional groups. An additive manufacturing resin suitable for fabricating a click-chemistry compatible composition of matter includes: a photo polymerizable compound; and a click-chemistry compatible compound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick Campbell, Eric Duoss, James Oakdale
  • Patent number: 10812008
    Abstract: A motor apparatus includes a motor body, a circuit board, a driver, and a voice detector. The circuit board, which is connected to the motor body, supplies driving electric power to the motor body. The driver, which is mounted on the circuit board, converts power source electric power to the driving electric power. The voice detector, which is mounted on the circuit board, detects a voice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahiro Kimura, Hirotaka Takahashi, Masaki Kato
  • Patent number: 10297924
    Abstract: A radar antenna assembly includes a transmitting antenna including transmitting horns and receiving antennas including receiving horns. The receiving antennas are at regular intervals in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction, and the transmitting antenna is adjacent to the receiving antennas in the second direction. The transmitting horns are at regular intervals in the first direction, and the transmitting antenna includes an oblique arrangement portion and a reverse oblique arrangement portion. The reverse oblique arrangement portion is adjacent to the oblique arrangement portion in the first direction, and the oblique arrangement portion and the reverse oblique arrangement portion are symmetrical to each other about a plane perpendicular to the first direction. The transmitting horns included in the oblique arrangement portion or the reverse oblique arrangement portion are adjacent to each other in the first direction with at least two sorts of magnitude of displacement therebetween.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: NIDEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akira Abe
  • Patent number: 10131414
    Abstract: A Shipboard Auditory Sensor (SAS) for detection and classification of acoustic signaling at sea is capable of detecting whistles blasts from other vessels in accordance with Rules 34 and 35 of COLREGS to support autonomous operations in a maritime environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Leidos, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert J. McCummins, Steven M. Johnson, Glenn H. May
  • Patent number: 9584902
    Abstract: A dynamic microphone which prevents a wall forming a back-side air chamber from having a certain resonance frequency and effectively prevents the generation of standing waves in the back-side air chamber is provided. A dynamic microphone includes a dynamic microphone unit including a diaphragm configured with a voice coil and a magnetic circuit having a magnetic gap provided so as to allow the voice coil to vibrate, a bottomed case which is coupled to the dynamic microphone unit and forms a back-side air chamber communicating with back side of the diaphragm, and an acoustic resistance body which is pressingly attached in the case and composed of metal fiber including a pocket, an open cross sectional area of the pocket gradually decreasing toward the direction remote from the dynamic microphone unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2017
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA AUDIO-TECHNICA
    Inventor: Hiroshi Akino
  • Patent number: 9363594
    Abstract: An in-ear earphone housing has a speaker driver installed therein. The driver has a diaphragm with a front face and a rear face, and a motor to vibrate the diaphragm in accordance with an audio signal. A back volume chamber is positioned behind the driver within the earphone housing. The diaphragm is part of a wall of the back volume chamber. An acoustic mass loading membrane that is part of a wall of the back volume chamber, and that is to vibrate in response to acoustic waves produced by vibration of the diaphragm impinging on a front face of the membrane, is provided. Other embodiments are also described and claimed, including a polymer production process for an elastic material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Yacine Azmi, Scott P. Porter
  • Patent number: 9279839
    Abstract: A machine-implemented method for computerized digital signal processing obtains a digital signal from data storage or from conversion of an analog signal and determines, from the digital signal, Measuring Matrices (MM). Each measuring matrix has a plurality of cells, each cell having an amplitude corresponding to the signal energy in a frequency bin for a time slice. Cells in each measuring matrix having maximum amplitudes within a time slice are identified as maximum cells. Maxima that coincide in time and frequency are identified and a correlated maxima matrix (PMM) is constructed showing the coinciding maxima and the adjacent marked maxima are linked into partial chains. If only one MM is constructed, multiple types of maxima are identified to generate the (PMM). The partial chains are isolated by parameters for a single domain or multiple domains to identify partial chains and possible separation of complex compound waveforms in the digital signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2016
    Assignee: Digital Harmonic LLC
    Inventors: Paul Reed Smith, Jack W. Smith, Ernestine M. Smith, F. Michael Slay, Shane G. W. Morris
  • Patent number: 9084057
    Abstract: A microphoning assembly having a plurality of individual, sound directing, substantially parabolic structures are adjacently arranged to form a single structured acoustic, hemispherically directed array. The parabolic structures' absorption factor is less than 0.3. MEMS microphones of less than 2 mm in size are situated at each focus to pick up sound reflected from the parabolic structures, wherein a 10 dB gain is experienced. A microprocessor, a signal conditioning module, and an analog-to-digital converter is embedded in the array. The microprocessor contains instructions to perform a statistical analysis of among random variables to automatically separate sound sources received by the microphones and automatically determine a distance and direction of a source of the incoming sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Inventors: Marcos de Azambuja Turqueti, Guilherme Cardoso
  • Patent number: 8660815
    Abstract: A method of filtering noise in a three-dimensional position measurement system comprising receiving distance data representative of the respective distances between at least four spatially dispersed known points and an unknown point, performing triangulation calculations to determine at least two solutions to the three dimensional position of the unknown point relative to the known points, calculating a symmetrical bounding surface such as a sphere or cube which just encloses the said solutions, comparing the maximum dimension of the bounding surface with a first predetermined error threshold, and if the maximum dimension is less than the first error threshold, determining the center position of the bounding surface and outputting the center position as a noise-filtered position for the unknown point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Performance Designed Products LLC
    Inventors: Steven Lavache, Richard Baxter
  • Patent number: 8641197
    Abstract: An acoustical receiver for detecting an acoustical signal characterized by a wavelength and a pen transcription system utilizing the same are disclosed. The receiver includes a detector that generates an electrical signal in response to acoustical signals in a predetermined frequency range including that wavelength, a housing surrounding the detector, and a receiving horn. The housing has a housing aperture having a maximum dimension less than the acoustical signal wavelength. The receiving horn has a first opening that is adjacent to the housing aperture and a second aperture having a dimension that is greater than the acoustical signal wavelength.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Luidia Inc.
    Inventor: Yao Ding
  • Patent number: 8403105
    Abstract: A sound source location is estimated by particle filtering where a set of particles represents a probability density function for a state variable comprising the sound source location. The method includes determining the weight for a particle in response to a correlation between estimated acoustic transfer functions from the sound source to at least two sound recording positions. A weight update function may specifically be determined deterministically from the correlation and thus the correlation may be used as a pseudo-likelihood function for the measurement function of the particle filtering. The acoustic transfer functions may be determined from an audio beamforming towards the sound source. The audio weight may be combined with a video weight to generate a multi-modal particle filtering approach.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventors: Wei Pien Lee, Bahaa Eddine Sarroukh, Leon C. A. Van Stuivenberg, Cornelis Pieter Janse
  • Publication number: 20120267187
    Abstract: A system for targeting directed acoustic energy comprises a directed acoustic energy source. The system provides for locating a target relative to the location for the directed acoustic energy source and for aiming the directed acoustic energy source relative to the target to account for at least the effects of wind drift on the sound field generated by the directed energy source. Further sources of atmospheric data may include wind direction and speed and temperature, both at surface levels and at altitude and at a plurality of location including the locations of the target, the directed acoustic energy source and intermediate points.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2011
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Inventor: Curtis E. Graber
  • Patent number: 8213263
    Abstract: An apparatus and method of voice activity detection (VAD) are disclosed. To detect a target sound, a target sound detecting apparatus calculates the phase difference corresponding to each frequency component from a plurality of sound signals converted in frequency domain, calculates a characteristic value indicating possibility that the phase difference of the frequency component is within an allowable phase difference range of target sound calculated based on a direction angle of the target sound, and detects the presence and/or absence of target sound using the characteristic value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kyu-hong Kim, Kwang-cheol Oh
  • Patent number: 8191672
    Abstract: A storage system is provided. The storage system includes a storage unit that stores items; and a panel-shaped display that displays an image of a storage state of the items stored in the storage unit. The storage unit is provided on the backside of the display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Akihiko Arimitsu
  • Patent number: 8055454
    Abstract: A method may include and/or involve at least one mote of a mote network detecting a mechanical disturbance, and the at least one mote applying information about when the mechanical disturbance was detected in order to facilitate determination of a location of the at least one mote with respect to at least one other mote.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander J. Cohen, Edward K. Y. Jung, Royce A. Levien, Robert W. Lord, Mark A. Malamud, John D. Rinaldo, Jr.
  • Publication number: 20110232989
    Abstract: A sound source location is estimated by particle filtering where a set of particles represents a probability density function for a state variable comprising the sound source location. The method includes determining the weight for a particle in response to a correlation between estimated acoustic transfer functions from the sound source to at least two sound recording positions. A weight update function may specifically be determined deterministically from the correlation and thus the correlation may be used as a pseudo-likelihood function for the measurement function of the particle filtering. The acoustic transfer functions may be determined from an audio beamforming towards the sound source. The audio weight may be combined with a video weight to generate a multi-modal particle filtering approach.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2009
    Publication date: September 29, 2011
    Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS ELECTRONICS N.V.
    Inventors: Wei Pien Lee, Bahaa Eddine Sarroukh, Leon C. A. Van Stuivenberg, Cornelis Pieter Janse
  • Patent number: 7995778
    Abstract: A set of filters is configured to distribute input signals representing a single perceptual axis to first and second physically separate arrays of loudspeakers comprising at least first and second transducers, such that the arrays of loudspeakers will create an array pattern corresponding to the input signals when the input signals are between a first frequency and a second frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2011
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: William Berardi, Eric J. Freeman, Michael W. Stark
  • Patent number: 7788066
    Abstract: Noise discrimination in signals from a plurality of sensors is conducted by enhancing the phase difference in the signals such that off-axis pick-up is suppressed while on-axis pick-up is enhanced. Alternatively, attenuation/expansion are applied to the signals in a phase difference dependent manner, consistent with suppression of off-axis pick-up and on-axis enhancement. Nulls between sensitivity lobes are widened, effectively narrowing the sensitivity lobes and improving directionality and noise discrimination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2010
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Jon C. Taenzer, Bruce G. Spicer
  • Patent number: 7644617
    Abstract: An enclosed test stand may be enclosed by at least two reverberant boundary surfaces. Two of said at least two reverberant boundary surfaces may abut against each other to form an edge. A first linear array of microphones may be configured to detect acoustical signals of a sound field. The linear array of microphones may be arranged along the edge. An evaluating unit may be coupled to the linear array of microphones. The evaluating unit may be configured to locate sound sources of the sound field.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft und Raumfahrt Linder Hohe
    Inventors: Peer Böhning, Ulf Michel
  • Patent number: 5642445
    Abstract: The acoustic noise monitor determines acoustic sound levels radiated or stered to an exterior or interior fluid space of a structure such as an enclosed structure by measuring a condition, such as strain level, of the structure itself rather than by directly measuring the fluid itself. From the strain or other condition measured on the structure, the acoustic sound levels can be calculated with the Helmholtz integral. The sensors on the structure are preferably spaced so that non-radiating high wave-number motions of the structure are averaged out. The acoustic noise monitor can be used with submarines, jet aircraft, cars, or the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Joseph A. Bucaro, Brian H. Houston, Anthony J. Romano
  • Patent number: 4605924
    Abstract: Acoustic waves are sensed in contact with or near the plant at at least two points (1, 2, 3, 4) whose position is accurately determined with respect to the monitored region. The order of arrival of the acoustic waves at the sensing points (1, 2, 3, 4) is determined and this order is compared with a predetermined order corresponding to a phenomenon occurring in the monitored region. An alarm is triggered if the order of arrival corresponds to the predetermined order. The apparatus includes an encoding logic (9), a comparator (10) and a monostable circuit (12) triggering the alarm. The invention is particularly applicable to monitoring nuclear reactors in operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 1984
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1986
    Assignee: Framatome & CIE
    Inventors: Jean Marini, Bernard Audenard
  • Patent number: 4583405
    Abstract: This invention is a fluorescent light testing device. It is difficult to determine which fluorescent light or lights may be weak or on the verge of failing when a plurality of lights are disposed in the same general area. This is particularly true when the lights are of the overhead type and the higher the ceiling, the greater the problem. The present invention is a listening device on an extended boom type member to allow the user therof to readily determine which fluorescent lamp is humming thus indicating weakness or imminent failure so that the same can be replaced both to reduce energy use and to keep the lighting system at peak performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 1984
    Date of Patent: April 22, 1986
    Inventor: Levy M. Simmons
  • Patent number: 4309576
    Abstract: A listening device for pinpointing water leakages, which includes a manually operated rod having a handle at one end for manually positioning of the listening device. An acoustic pick-up apparatus is mounted on the other end of the rod, and it comprises a ceramic audio tone transducer which is operatively connected to an amplifier-receiver which has a level meter on which visual leak signals may be seen. The acoustic pick-up apparatus is also connected to a head phone set to allow hearing of the leaks. The transducer includes a brass diaphragm directly attached to a threaded stud for mounting in the rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1982
    Assignee: Heath Consultants Incorporated
    Inventor: James E. Corrigan
  • Patent number: 4245430
    Abstract: A sound responsive toy which seeks an emitted sound such as a child's voice, the toy includes control circuitry for activating an associated drive to turn and/or guide the toy toward the child's voice.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1979
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1981
    Inventor: Steven D. Hoyt
  • Patent number: 3999626
    Abstract: A seismic generator for communicating from either above or below the surface of the earth is disclosed. The generator includes a system of eccentrically weighted masses such as, for example, unbalanced flywheels, which can be rotated to produce a seismic signal capable of being detected at great distances either on the surface or underground.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 1975
    Date of Patent: December 28, 1976
    Inventor: William M. Adams
  • Patent number: H1171
    Abstract: A method is provided for detecting and localizing acoustic sources. Acous signals are transmitted by a sonobuoy and return signals are received. Electrical signals, corresponding to the received return signals, are multiplexed and transmitted. The transmitted signals are received by a receiver which is separated from the transmitter. The receiver applies the received signal to a demultiplexer which is separate from the the receiver. The demultiplexer demultiplexes the applied signals to provide electrical signals to the cardioid beamformer representative of the sonar return signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1993
    Assignee: The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
    Inventors: Ricky M. Fillhart, Donato M. Russo