Abstract: An IP based remote video conferencing system (100) comprises a near-end (200) having a first room (200a) and at least one microphone (210) configured to detect audio signals from at least one participant (201, 202) in the first room (200a) and to determine position information regarding the at least one first participant (201, 202), a far end (300) having a second room (300a) with at least one second participant (301) and at least one audio reproducer (330), wherein said at least one audio reproducer (330) receives and reproduces spatial audio signals based on the audio signals and the position information detected by the at least one microphone (210), and a video conferencing service (400) coupled to the near end (200) and the far end (300) configured to forward audio signals from the near end (200) to the far end (300).

Abstract: In radio networks having a plurality of access points, for example WiFi, a wireless audio end device like for example a microphone or headphones is connected to an access point, to which it sends its audio data or from which it receives same. Audio transmission should occur as far as possible in interruption-free manner and with low latency. If the audio end device is moved the connection quality in relation to the previous access point can decrease and require scanning or roaming. In that respect first another base station is sought and then the radio connection is redirected there. In order in that case to avoid disruptive signal interruptions portions of the audio signal which can be particularly well predicted are detected or predicted by means of short-term statistical methods, like for example speech pauses. Scanning and roaming are then carried out during the predicted portions, whereby interruptions which are perceptible to a user are avoided.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide for methods for automatically controlling loudness of an audio signal. Embodiments of the invention also provide for a device for automatically controlling loudness of an audio signal. In particular, the invention relates to controlling loudness of an audio signal to be replayed within a vehicle, such as a car.

Abstract: A loudspeaker power amplifier comprising a digital amplifier is provided. The amplifier has a negative input and a positive input as well as a negative output and a positive output. The power amplifier further comprises a first feedback circuit from the positive output to the negative input, and a second feedback circuit from the negative output to the positive input. The first and the second feedback circuit each have a first and a second amplification circuit.

Abstract: An electret microphone is provided. This comprises an electrically conductive membrane, and a counter-electrode having at least one first hole having a first distance from an edge of the counter-electrode and a second plurality of second holes each having a second distance from the edge of the counter-electrode. The second distance is shorter than the first distance. The electret microphone has a first electrically conductive coating on a first side of the counter-electrode and a second electrically conductive coating on a second side of the counter-electrode. The at least one first hole comprises a via in order to electrically contact the first and second electrically conductive coating. A third distance is provided in each case between the second holes and the first electrically conductive coating so that the first electrically conductive coating does not reach as far as the second holes.

Abstract: A mobile wireless audio transmission system is provided, comprising at least one mobile wireless transmitter for the wireless transmission of audio signals which have been recorded via a microphone in the transmitter or which have been transmitted via an audio input to the transmitter. The transmitter comprises a transmitter rechargeable battery unit. The system further comprises a mobile wireless receiver for the wireless reception of audio signals transmitted wirelessly by the at least one transmitter, wherein the receiver comprises a receiver rechargeable battery unit. The system further comprises a mobile charging/transport dock which comprises at least one transmitter receiving compartment for receiving a transmitter and a receiver receiving compartment for receiving a receiver and a rechargeable battery unit as power supply.

Abstract: An electret microphone is provided, comprising a microphone capsule with an output connection, a first input connection as an earth connection and a second input connection for providing a supply voltage for the microphone capsule and for leading out a microphone output signal of the microphone capsule, and a cascode consisting of a first and second transistor. An output connection of the microphone capsule is provided as input of the cascode. The second transistor is configured as a field effect transistor FET and the gate connection thereof is coupled to the output connection of the microphone capsule. A drain connection of the second transistor is coupled to an emitter connection of the first transistor as bipolar transistor or to a source connection of the first transistor as an FET transistor. Furthermore, a third transistor is provided as bipolar transistor, whose emitter connection is coupled to the second input connection.

Abstract: Microphone capsules for condenser or electret microphones often exhibit individual deviations from a desired ideal behavior, e.g. the frequency response and phase response. Particularly if a plurality of microphone capsules are interconnected to form a microphone array, suitable microphone capsules must be found in a selection process. Some of these deviations can be corrected electronically, e.g. by filtering with a corresponding filter that is individually adapted. An improved microphone capsule, with which an automatic selection and automatic assembly of circuit boards with microphone capsules is facilitated, comprises an electrostatic sound transducer, an amplifier element that outputs an amplified output signal of the electrostatic sound transducer, and at least one electronic memory element. Data obtained by a measurement and relating to the individual frequency response or phase response of the respective microphone capsule can be stored therein.

Abstract: A microphone array system or microphone array unit for a conference system is provided that includes a front board, side walls and a plurality of microphone capsules arranged in or on the front board mountable on or in a ceiling of a conference room. The microphone array system or unit is adapted for generating a steerable beam within a maximum detection angle range. The microphone array system or microphone array unit includes a processing unit which is configured to receive the output signals of the microphone capsules and to steer the beam based on the received output signal of the microphone array. The processing unit is configured to control the microphone array to limit the detection angle range to exclude at least one predetermined exclusion sector in which a noise source is located.

Abstract: Microphone arrays comprise several microphone capsules, the outputs of which being electronically combined for directional recording of sound. The directional and frequency properties of the microphone array depend on the number and positions of the microphone array. In order to obtain the smallest possible microphone array with only few microphone capsules, which, however, has an essentially uniform directional and frequency dependence over a speech frequency range, is scalable and robust against small incorrect positioning of the capsules, fifteen or twenty-one microphone capsules (K15,11 - K15,35, K21,11 - K21,37) are arranged on a carrier such that they lie on three similar branches, each with the same number of microphone capsules, which are rotated against each other by 120°. Each of the microphone capsules lies on a corner of a triangle of a grid in a flat isometric coordinate system with three axes rotated by 60° against each other and forming the grid_of equilateral triangles.

Abstract: A microphone array system or microphone array unit for a conference system is provided that includes a front board, side walls and a plurality of microphone capsules arranged in or on the front board mountable on or in a ceiling of a conference room. The microphone array system or unit is adapted for generating a steerable beam within a maximum detection angle range. The microphone array system or microphone array unit includes a processing unit which is configured to receive the output signals of the microphone capsules and to steer the beam based on the received output signal of the microphone array. The processing unit is configured to control the microphone array to limit the detection angle range to exclude at least one predetermined exclusion sector in which a noise source is located.

Abstract: A microphone array device including microphone capsules and at least one processing unit configured to receive output signals of the microphone capsules, dynamically steer an audio beam based on the received output signal of the microphone capsules, and generate and provide an audio output signal based on the received output signal of the microphone capsules. The processing unit is configured to operate in a dynamic beam mode where at least one focused audio beam is formed that points towards a detected audio source and in a default beam mode where a broader audio beam is formed that covers substantially a default detection area. The microphone array may be incorporated into a conference system.

Abstract: Microphone arrays comprise several microphone capsules, the outputs of which being electronically combined for directional recording of sound. The directional and frequency properties of the microphone array depend on the number and positions of the microphone array. In order to obtain the smallest possible microphone array with only few microphone capsules, which, however, has an essentially uniform directional and frequency dependence over a speech frequency range, is scalable and robust against small incorrect positioning of the capsules, fifteen or twenty-one microphone capsules (K15,11-K15,35, K21,11-K21,37) are arranged on a carrier such that they lie on three similar branches, each with the same number of microphone capsules, which are rotated against each other by 120°. Each of the microphone capsules lies on a corner of a triangle of a grid in a flat isometric coordinate system with three axes rotated by 120° against each other and forming the grid of equilateral triangles.

Abstract: Power supply units e.g. in network operated loudspeakers are tailored to peak values that are reached only relatively rarely and then in pulses. With an intermediate storage of electrical energy in an intermediate circuit energy storage element it is possible to provide a significantly higher amount of power at least for a short period of time. The intermediate circuit energy storage element may be a capacitor or accumulator, for example, which is connected to an intermediate circuit voltage that is higher than the input voltage, and that is generated by an upconverter. A downconverter generates the output voltage of the power supply unit from the energy stored in the intermediate circuit storage element. The output voltage of the power supply unit is used as power supply for an audio amplifier. The power supply unit may provide for a short period of time a higher current or more energy respectively than the actual energy source, for example the network node.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide for methods for automatically controlling loudness of an audio signal. Embodiments of the invention also provide for a device for automatically controlling loudness of an audio signal. In particular, the invention relates to controlling loudness of an audio signal to be replayed within a vehicle, such as a car.

Abstract: A multi-channel microphone receiver (MCR) for two or more wireless microphones (M1, . . . , MN) comprises a network interface and at least one mixer (MX) adapted for mixing audio signals (D1, . . . , DN) of the microphones. The mixer may be configured without any reconfiguration of the actual network being required. In addition to the single audio channels, the audio signal mixed according to the configuration may be output via a separate audio output channel (DOMx, AOMx), which may be analog or digital.

Abstract: There is set forth a method and a system for recording and synchronizing audio and video signals. The audio signal and the video signal are stored together with time stamps from a respective associated system clock. The invention relates to an adaptation of the duration of the recorded audio sequence to the duration of an associated video sequence in order to level out differences in synchronization of the two system clocks. Alignment of the two system clocks is also introduced, which is based on a data transfer which has variable waiting times for the access to a transmission channel. This thus permits clock alignment with means as are available for example on a smartphone.

Abstract: When an OFDM radio system which uses a wide frequency band is interfered with by another narrow-band radio system, the interference can frequently be compensated but the transmission quality decreases drastically. Thus, narrow-band interferers in an OFDM radio system are determined according to the invention whereby none of the subscribers of the radio system transmits in a defined time slot or scan slot but all switch at the same time into the receiving mode. If there is interference (P1, P2), it is detected in this time slot. Countermeasures are taken individually in all the mobile devices, in particular the detection of the frequency and strength of the narrowband interference (P1, P2) and the configuration of a flexible notch filter (140) in the time range to the detected frequency and strength. The scanned received signal (RXS) is then filtered in the time range, i.e. before the FFT (120) and the OFDM channel estimation (130) by the correspondingly configured notch filter (140).