Patents Represented by Attorney O'Shea, Getz + Kosakowski, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7317800
    Abstract: A circuit for processing an input audio signal received at an input of the circuit provides a processed audio signal at a circuit output. The circuit includes first and second conductive paths through which the received audio signal travels. The audio signal is processed such that harmonics of the signal components with a low-frequency are generated in the second path and are admixed to the signal in the first path. In the second path the audio signal is sequentially bandpass filtered, weighted with a correction factor, amplified, limited to a predetermined value, and bandpass filtered, where the correction factor is reduced when the predetermined value is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventors: Matthias Vierthaler, Martin Winterer
  • Patent number: 7318079
    Abstract: A method and device operable per the method for high-pass filtering an input signal having a sequence of signal values to provide a high-pass filtered output signal having a sequence of filtered signal values. The method includes selecting a first signal value of the input signal and a second signal value preceding the first signal value and a third signal value following the first signal value, determining an interval defined by the second and third signal values, determining a mean value of the interval, and determining whether the first signal value lies within the interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2008
    Assignee: MICRONAS GmbH
    Inventor: Marko Hahn
  • Patent number: 7315623
    Abstract: In order to suppress as much noise as possible in a hands-free device in a motor vehicle, for example, two microphones (M1, M2) are spaced a certain distance apart, the output signals (MS1, MS2) of which are added in an adder (AD) and subtracted in a subtracter (SU). The sum signal (S) of the adder (AD) undergoes a Fourier transform in a first Fourier transformer (F1), and the difference signal (D) of the subtracter (SU) undergoes a Fourier transform in a second Fourier transformer (F2). From the two Fourier transforms R(f) and D(f), a speech pause detector (P) detects speech pauses, during which a third arithmetic unit (R) calculates the transfer function HT of an adaptive transformation filter (TF). The transfer function of a spectral subtraction filter (SF), at the input of which the Fourier transform R(f) of the sum signal (S) is applied, is generated from the spectral power density Srr of the sum signal (S) and from the interference power density Snn generated by the adaptive transformation filter (TF).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Gierl, Christoph Benz
  • Patent number: 7315331
    Abstract: A method for the motion-vector-based conversion of a first video signal which contains a first image sequence at a first frequency to a second video signal which contains a second image sequence at a second frequency, where at least some of the images of the second image sequence which are phase-shifted relative to the images of the first image sequence are generated by an interpolation of the images of the first image sequence such that, for a pixel of an image from the second image sequence, pixels at least from one first image and from one second image of the first image sequence are filtered by a median filter, where the median filter is an adaptively weighted median filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2008
    Assignee: MICRONAS GmbH
    Inventor: Ortwin Ludger Franzen
  • Patent number: 7313427
    Abstract: A non-invasive near infrared spectrophotometric monitoring transducer assembly includes a housing member, which is adhered directly on a patient's skin. The housing member contains a prism coupled to a flexible and lightweight single core optical light guide, which provides a means of transferring narrow spectral bandwidth light from multiple distant laser diodes of different wavelengths by use of a multi-fiber optic light combining assembly. Different wavelengths are needed to monitor the level of blood oxygenation in the patient. The assembly also contains a planar light guide mounted on the prism located in the housing member, which light guide contacts the patient's skin when the housing member is adhered to the patient's skin. The light guide controls the spacing between the prism and the patient's skin, and therefore controls the intensity of the area on the patient's skin which is illuminated by the laser light.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2007
    Assignee: CAS Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul Benni
  • Patent number: 7304593
    Abstract: A linearization circuit with digital element matching for digital-to-analog converters includes an n-bit delta-sigma modulator that receives an input signal and provides a modulated n-bit signal. An encoder receives the modulated n-bit signal and provides an encoded signal (X) having 2n signal components (x0, x1, . . . , x2n?1). 2n digital-to-analog converter elements each receive an associated one of the 2n signal components (x0, x1, . . . , x2n?1) and provide an associated analog signal component (a0, a1, . . . , a2n?1) indicative thereof. A summer receives and sums the analog signal components to provide an analog output signal. A weighting factor supply device provides a first weighting factor (W+) for activated ones of the digital-to-analog converter elements and a second weighting factor (W?) for non-activated ones of the digital-to-analog converter elements, where the encoder is responsive to the first and second weighting factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Luecking, Carsten Noeske
  • Patent number: 7305225
    Abstract: A motor vehicle entertainment system includes a radio receiver and a control unit. The control unit receives a first status signal indicative of whether or not a motor vehicle door has been unlocked and initiates the application of power to the radio receiver upon the first status signal indicating that the door has been unlocked. Upon the application of power to the radio receiver, the radio receiver scans through a selected frequency spectrum to identify valid frequencies and their associated broadcast identifying information and stores a list of the valid frequencies and their associated broadcast identifying information in a memory device associated with the radio receiver. The radio receiver acquires and records information on a plurality of transmitters initially in a standby mode before it switches over to an operating mode. The radio receiver has a device for receiving an ON command from the user and switches from the standby mode to the operating mode when the ON command is received.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Christoph Benz, Stefan Gierl, Andreas Koerner
  • Patent number: 7302062
    Abstract: An audio enhancement system for compensating for ambient noise in a listening environment, comprises an audio system that produces an electrical sound signal and generates a sound output from the electrical sound signal. A sensor (e.g., a microphone) senses a total sound signal representative of the total sound level in the listening environment, including the sound output from the audio system and the ambient noise within the listening environment. A processing unit responsive to the total sound signal and the electrical sound signal extracts from the total sound signal an ambient noise signal representative of the ambient noise in the listening environment. A controller responsive to the ambient noise signal performs a linear predictive coding (LPC) analysis and generates a control signal, which is input to an equalizer to adjust the sound output of the audio system in order to compensate for the ambient noise level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Christoph
  • Patent number: 7293120
    Abstract: A DMA module includes an address generator to perform a write or read access to a location of an addressable memory, and an address counter to advance a stored address to an adjacent memory location. The address counter does not act on an internal register of the DMA module but instead is configured so that between reading an address value from the memory and writing the address value to the memory, the address counter is advanced once. The memory location at which the address value is read or written takes on the function of a register conventionally integrated in the DMA module. This approach reduces the space requirement of the DMA module, and the DMA module may be employed to control a large number of DMA processes that may mutually interrupt each other by providing a plurality of memory locations to store specifications of the DMA blocks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventor: Burkhard Giebel
  • Patent number: 7292707
    Abstract: A loudspeaker has a diaphragm with an edge area and a central area. A voice coil carrier may be fastened to the diaphragm in the central area, a voice coil being wound around the voice coil carrier. A magnet system may be included into which the voice coil carrier and the voice coil are completely or partially inserted. A basket may enclose one face of the diaphragm and to which the magnet system is fastened. An elastic bead may be fastened to the edge area of the diaphragm and to the basket. A centering device may be fastened to the central area of the diaphragm and to the basket. The loudspeaker may include an additional elastic bead as a centering device, which is fastened directly or indirectly to the basket and the diaphragm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Leohard Kreitmeier, Jürgen Ringlstetter
  • Patent number: 7292655
    Abstract: A technique of decoding a biphase signal comprises sampling the biphase signal to obtain phase sample values and sampling the biphase signal to obtain magnitude sample values. A first digital signal is derived from the phase sample values and associated bit combinations are formed from the first digital signal. A decision is made whether the bit combination is an erroneous bit combination, and a probability check is performed to obtain probability values that decide which parts of the erroneous bit combination are true and which are false. A corrected bit combination is generated from the obtained probability values, and a second digital signal is generated whose data states are formed from the valid bit combination and, in the presence of an erroneous bit combination, from the corrected bit combination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventors: Carsten Noeske, Matthias Vierthaler, Thomas Hilpert
  • Patent number: 7284321
    Abstract: A method for testing a chip with a package having connecting pins and mounting the package on a board combines the advantages of a package with inline connecting pins with that of a package with offset connecting pins. The package with inline connecting is inserted into a socket for testing. Before mounting on the board, at least one connecting pin, preferably every second connecting pin, of the package is bent inward by a bending tool to achieve an offset arrangement of the connecting pins. The package is preferably mounted on the board using the bending tool. Since every second connecting pin is not bent inward immediately before insertion of the connecting pins, no subsequent corrective alignment of the offset connecting pins is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Hauser, Heiko Dreher, Christian Kimstedt, Markus Rogalla
  • Patent number: 7287110
    Abstract: A storage device for a multibus architecture includes at least one memory to store data, information, and/or addresses, along with a memory connection having a port to connect the memory to one of the buses of the multibus architecture. The memory connection, the port, and the bus have data lines to transmit data along with address lines to transmit addresses, and/or control information to control the memory and other devices connected to each specific bus within the multibus architecture. A switching device selectively connects the memory connection to one of the buses to enable a memory access to transmit data, addresses, and/or control information to or from the selected one of these buses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventors: Ralf Herz, Carsten Noeske
  • Patent number: 7287050
    Abstract: A digital filter includes a delay network with a plurality of delay elements configured and arranged as all-pass filters, having a controllable coefficient value. In the case of a low-pass or high pass filter, the cut-off frequency of the filter can be controlled via the controllable coefficient value associated with phase angle. Similarly, in a bandpass filter, the center frequency is set as a function of the controllable coefficient value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Markus Christoph
  • Patent number: 7283423
    Abstract: A method and a system (400) for detection and position determination of chips (100), which transmit ultrasound signals in a room. The system (400) comprises electronic identification chips (100), which are attached to objects that have to be monitored. Each chip (100) is equipped with a transmitter (179) and a receiver (180). The signals are received by a plurality of detector units (290), which are connected to a detector base unit (200) that registers and interprets the signals transmitted form the identification chips (100). Detector base units (200) located in different rooms are interconnected in a network (215) and transmit processed information to one or more central units (410) for further interpretation and sorting. The special feature of the invention is that line interference is substantially removed, and it is possible to determine position even though the identification chips (100) are in motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Sonitor Technologies A/S
    Inventors: Sverra Holm, Rune Holm, Ole Hovind
  • Patent number: 7280051
    Abstract: A voice signal is transmitted in an MOST network on a single channel. The width of the transmitted voice data words is preferably up to 14 bits, and each voice data word is transmitted into successive clock periods of the MOST network, in a byte that includes seven bits of the voice data word and one identifier bit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Andreas Stiegler, Harald Schöpp, Frank Bähren
  • Patent number: 7277686
    Abstract: An apparatus determines an optimal antenna and frequency combination by selecting the optimal antenna from among a plurality, N, of antennas associated with a receiver and also selects the optimal frequency from among a plurality, M, of alternative receiving frequencies transmitted from a transmitter. This is achieved by determining all N×M possible antenna/frequency combinations, by determining the received signal quality at each combination, by comparing the N×M received signal qualities, and by selecting the one antenna/frequency combination having the optimal received signal quality.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Gierl, Joachim Wietzke, Erich Geiger
  • Patent number: 7274918
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for automatically finding an AM radio program, by which an AM radio receiver is tuned through in discrete steps, such that, for each set AM frequency, the reception quality at the currently set AM frequency is determined, the field strength of the neighboring frequencies is measured. If a significant field strength is detected at the neighboring frequencies, these are taken into account in determining the overall reception quality, in that the reception quality is reduced by a noise value, and subsequently the overall reception quality is compared with an upper quality limit. If the upper quality limit is exceeded, the program search is interrupted, and the AM radio program with this high overall reception quality is played. This method succeeds in reducing the number of misjudgments of AM radio programs with actually poor quality, and thus improves the reproduction quality of an AM radio receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbH
    Inventor: Bernhard Albicker
  • Patent number: 7274402
    Abstract: In a method and apparatus for motion-vector-aided interpolation of a pixel in an intermediate image lying temporally or spatially between first and second images, motion vectors are assigned to the pixel to be interpolated, one pixel in each image being assigned to each vector. Video information values (e.g., luminance or chrominance values) are determined based on the video information values of pixels assigned to the motion vectors. A further video information value is generated by mixing certain of the video information values, and other video information values form a value interval, the mathematical position of the further video information value being determined relative to the interval boundaries. The video information value to be interpolated is determined depending on the position of the further video information value relative to the interval boundaries.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas GmbH
    Inventor: Marko Hahn
  • Patent number: 7272203
    Abstract: A data-and-pilot directed frequency-and-phase lock loop for an offset-QAM modulated signal having a pilot signal comprising a pilot acquisition loop and a pair of data-directed acquisition loops. The pilot is extracted from the main signal by a pilot filter, then used both by the pilot acquisition loop and to remove the pilot from the signal to the data-directed acquisition loops. The outputs of the pilot and the two data-directed acquisition loops are summed and returned to the VCO to complete the feedback loop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2003
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2007
    Assignee: Micronas Semiconductors, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard W. Citta, Scott M. LoPresto, Jingsong Xia, Wenjun Zhang