Abstract: This disclosure describes an invention that that mutes specific talkers using at least one beamforming microphone array 102 that is configured to generate N audio signals 108 where each audio signal is associated with a spatial pickup pattern 130, the microphone array(s) 102 are located in a room 200; a processor 104 and memory 105 operably coupled to the microphone array 102, the processor 104 configured to execute the following steps: (a) selectively mute or unmute an individual talker the room with a mute function 106 that controls whether to mute or unmute the individual talker T1-T7 that is picked up by one or more of the individual audio signals, the mute function 106 includes speech learning that learns to identify different talkers in real time to allow the mute function 106 to identify transitions from one talker to another talker in the room 200, (b) output an audio signal 110 based on the selective muting of the talkers T1-T7 in the room 200.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is improves Direction of Arrival (DOA) determinations. This embodiment of the apparatus includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a processor, memory, storage, and a power supply operably coupled to the microphone array, the processor configured to execute the following steps: processing an algorithm for a Direction of Arrival (DOA) determination; supplemental processing that improves the DOA processing.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a wide band array that uses wideband beamforming with interference cancellation at multiple independent frequencies and spatial locations and main lobe steering at multiple independent frequencies and spatial locations. One embodiment uses one through N analysis filter bands 1410 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 with the output processed through one through N synthesis bands and summed together to produce the full spectrum output signal 1426. Another embodiment uses one through M sensors with Discrete Fourier Transforms (DFT) and one through N frequency bins 1412 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 processed through an Inverse DFT to produce the full spectrum output signal 1428. Another embodiment uses one through N sensor subarrays and one through N frequency bands 1406 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 summed together to produce the full spectrum output signal 1422.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming where the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile and combines with the single ceiling tile as a single unit; a housing that encloses signal processing circuitry and couples to the back side of the single unit; where the single unit is mountable on the ceiling using mounting accessories; where all or part of the housing is in the ceiling space above the plane of the ceiling; where the single unit further includes beamforming.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation; (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation; (3) post processing; (4) selecting one or more of the post processed signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the post processed signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming where the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile and combines with the single ceiling tile as a single unit; a housing that encloses signal processing circuity and couples to the back side of the single unit; where the single unit is mountable on the ceiling using mounting accessories; where all or part of the housing is in the ceiling space above the plane of the ceiling; where the single unit further includes beamforming.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones positioned at predetermined locations and coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the single unit is mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a single ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling, all or part of the single unit is in the drop space of the drop ceiling when the single unit is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto mixing.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation; (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation; (3) post processing; (4) selecting one or more of the post processed signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the post processed signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphone signals from the microphone array into a plurality of combined signals, (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation on the plurality of combined signals to generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals, (3) receiving with a voice activity detector the far end signal as an input, (4) selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the combined echo cancelled signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a wide band array that uses wideband beamforming with interference cancellation at multiple independent frequencies and spatial locations and main lobe steering at multiple independent frequencies and spatial locations. One embodiment uses one through N analysis filter bands 1410 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 with the output processed through one through N synthesis bands and summed together to produce the full spectrum output signal 1426. Another embodiment uses one through M sensors with Discrete Fourier Transforms (DFT) and one through N frequency bins 1412 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 processed through an Inverse DFT to produce the full spectrum output signal 1428. Another embodiment uses one through N sensor subarrays and one through N frequency bands 1406 coupled to one through N narrowband beamformers 1414 summed together to produce the full spectrum output signal 1422.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphone signals from the microphone array into a plurality of combined signals, (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation on the plurality of combined signals to generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals, (3) receiving with a voice activity detector the far end signal as an input, (4) selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the combined echo cancelled signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone system that includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array and used for beamforming processing, one or more separate processing devices that couple to the microphone array, where one or more separate processing devices further include beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and adaptive acoustic processing; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the system is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the system is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is improves Direction of Arrival (DOA) determinations. This embodiment of the apparatus includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a processor, memory, storage, and a power supply operably coupled to the microphone array, the processor configured to execute the following steps: processing an algorithm for a Direction of Arrival (DOA) determination; supplemental processing that improves the DOA processing.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a conferencing device that includes a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones; a processor configured to execute the following steps: performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphones into a plurality of combined signals that is greater in number than one and less in number than the plurality of microphone signals, each of the plurality of combined signals corresponding to a different fixed beam; wherein performing the beamforming operation includes applying beamforming weights to the signals from each microphone to achieve a desired pickup pattern that includes a main lobe and sidelobes together with nulls for each fixed beam; performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals; and selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto voice tracking; where the ceiling tile microphone is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile microphone is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto voice tracking; where the ceiling tile microphone is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile microphone is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.