Patents Examined by Brian Ensey
  • Patent number: 10412482
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a loudspeaker apparatus and a method of driving the acoustic transducers by predicting and compensating a physical phenomenon of acoustic pressure changes within an enclosure caused by at least one of the acoustic transducers. The loudspeaker apparatus includes an enclosure having an inner space, a first acoustic transducer, a second acoustic transducer, and a controller. The first and second acoustic transducers are mounted on the enclosure and share the same inner space of the enclosure, such as sound bar and the likes. For the operation of the loudspeaker apparatus, the controller applies an algorithm or mathematical model (e.g., transfer function) to an audio signal received from an external source, so that the sound respectively outputted by the first and second acoustic transducers sharing the same inner space may be compensated as if the first and second acoustic transducers are individually mounted on its own enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Merry Electronics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Diego Jose Hernandez Garcia, Che-Wei Hsu, Chih-Hung Lee
  • Patent number: 10412508
    Abstract: The application relates to a filter bank for an audio processing device, e.g. a hearing aid. The filter bank comprises an analysis filter bank comprising a plurality of M first filters hm(n), where m=0, 1, . . . , M?1 is a frequency band index, n being a time index, the first filters hm(n) having a first filter length of Lhm; a synthesis filter bank comprising a plurality of M second filters gm(n), m=0, 1, . . . , M?1, the second filters gm(n) having second filter lengths of Lgm; the plurality of first and second filters being arranged in pairs, each pair forming a frequency channel. the first filters hm(n) exhibiting a first filter delay ?h, the second filters gm(n) exhibiting a second filter delay ?g, each of the first filter lengths Lhm and the second filter lengths Lgm is uneven, and wherein the first filters are subject to the constraint that the sum of the first filters hm(n) of the analysis filter bank is a delta function ?(n??h).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventor: Jan Mark De Haan
  • Patent number: 10405105
    Abstract: A micro electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) microphone includes a first back plate positioned on top of a first moving plate, wherein the first moving plate flexes in response to changes in air pressure caused by audio signals. The MEMS microphone also includes a valve comprising a valve moving plate, wherein a first end of the valve moving plate is fixedly attached to a MEMS die and the valve moving plate flexes in response to high sound pressure levels such that a second end of the valve moving plate enables airflow to prevent audio signal distortion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Mikko Kursula, Kalle I. Makinen, Roope S. Kiiski
  • Patent number: 10405087
    Abstract: A radial acoustic speaker assembly including a transducer and a plurality of segmented spiral horns acoustically coupled to the transducer. Each of the segmented spiral horns have an acoustical path. The plurality of segmented spiral horns include a first segmented spiral horn and a second segmented spiral horn. The first segmented spiral horn being adjacent to the second segmented spiral horn, and the first segmented spiral horn and the second segmented spiral horn have substantially identical shapes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Inventor: Curtis E. Graber
  • Patent number: 10390118
    Abstract: A sound collecting device includes a microphone array having unit holders each of which a microphone unit is attached to. Connection of connecting portions formed on the holders to each other causes a directional axis of each microphone unit to be directed outward from a face of a regular polyhedron. The sound collecting devices further includes a frame disposed outside the microphone array so as to surround the microphone array and an even number of ring-shaped elastic bodies that connect a part of the frame and the connected holders at a plurality of positions such that the microphone array is positioned at a central portion of the frame, wherein a half of the even number of elastic bodies are connected twistedly in one direction from the frame toward the microphone array, and another half elastic bodies are connected twistedly in an opposite direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: AUDIO-TECHNICA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yusuke Sano
  • Patent number: 10390152
    Abstract: A hearing system includes a hearing aid (10) and a personal communication device (20), and both have a short range data transceiver (15, 29) for short range data communication. The hearing aid (10) has a signal processor (13) processing an electric input signal according to predefined audio processing parameters, and a signal processing sub-system with at least two modes of operation applying respective sets of audio processing parameters. A program selector component (16) has a classifier (51) analyzing the electric input signal and classifies an auditory environment of the hearing aid (10). The personal communication device (20) has an auxiliary classifier component (24) monitoring the use of the personal communication device, and generates and transmits a notification upon detection of a change of the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Widex A/S
    Inventors: Michael Ungstrup, Mike Lind Rank
  • Patent number: 10382859
    Abstract: A loudspeaker comprises an enclosure, at least one dynamic driver mounted in the enclosure, and at least one porous monolithic block comprises of a gas adsorbing material and a binder. The at least one porous monolithic block comprises a plurality of pores and is mounted within the enclosure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Sound Solutions International Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Christian Lembacher, Christoph Schmauder, Gordon Schriefer
  • Patent number: 10382868
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a membrane. The membrane includes a central dome part, and a suspension part surrounding the dome part. The suspension part includes a number of first reinforcing parts, a number of third reinforcing parts spacing from the first reinforcing parts, and an included angle formed between each third reinforcing part and an adjacent first reinforcing part. The third reinforcing part includes a second master extension part, a second slave extension part, and a connecting part connecting the second master extension part and the second slave extension part. The second master extension part and the second slave extension part locate at two ends of the connecting part respectively, and a width of at least one of the second master extension part and the second slave extension part is less than a width of the connecting part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: AAC TECHNOLOGIES PTE. LTD.
    Inventors: Meiwei Wu, Xiaojiang Gu
  • Patent number: 10375481
    Abstract: A MEMS capacitive transducer with increased robustness and resilience to acoustic shock. The transducer structure includes a flexible membrane supported between a first volume and a second volume, and at least one variable vent structure in communication with at least one of the first and second volumes. The variable vent structure includes at least one moveable portion which is moveable in response to a pressure differential across the moveable portion so as to vary the size of a flow path through the vent structure. The variable vent may be formed through the membrane and the moveable portion may be a part of the membrane, defined by one or more channels, that is deflectable away from the surface of the membrane. The variable vent is preferably closed in the normal range of pressure differentials but opens at high pressure differentials to provide more rapid equalisation of the air volumes above and below the membrane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Colin Robert Jenkins, Tsjerk Hans Hoekstra, Euan James Boyd
  • Patent number: 10375486
    Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a) first and second microphones b) an adaptive beamformer filtering unit comprising, b1) a memory comprising a first and second sets of complex frequency dependent weighting parameters representing a first and second beam patterns, b3) an adaptive beamformer processing unit providing an adaptation parameter ?opt(k) representing an adaptive beam pattern, b4) a memory comprising a fixed adaptation parameter ?fix(k) representing a third, fixed beam pattern, b5) a mixing unit providing a resulting complex, frequency dependent adaptation parameter ?mix(k) as a combination of said fixed and adaptively determined frequency dependent adaptation parameters ?fix(k) and ?opt(k), respectively, and b6) a resulting beamformer (Y) for providing a resulting beamformed signal YBF based on first and second microphone signals, said first and second sets of complex frequency dependent weighting parameters, and said resulting complex, frequency dependent adaptation parameter ?mix(k).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2019
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Andreas Thelander Bertelsen, Michael Syskind Pedersen, Jesper Jensen, Thomas Kaulberg, Morten Christophersen
  • Patent number: 10362419
    Abstract: A hearing aid contains a housing and, inserted in the housing, is a frame for receiving electrical or electronic assemblies. The assemblies received in the frame contains a transmitting and/or receiving unit for electro-magnetic waves. The hearing aid moreover has an antenna assigned to the transmitting and/or receiving unit, which antenna is configured as an integral part of the frame, as a stamped/bent part or as inlay part made of metal. The antenna contains two parts which are each configured as open loops with two ends, wherein the two loop-shaped parts of the antenna are electrically shorted to each other by a respective end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Sivantos Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Johannes Kuhn, Oliver Nipp, Daniela Beck, Constantine Farmakidis
  • Patent number: 10362432
    Abstract: A signal indicative of sound detected by at least one sensor at an audio device is received. The audio device may at least partially covers a pinna and the detected sound may interact with at least a torso of a human body, but can also interact with the head and shoulder. The signal is modulated with a non-linear transfer function to generate a modulated signal indicative of one or more audio cues for spatializing the detected sound while the audio device at least partially covers a pinna. Sound is output by the audio device based on the modulated signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: EmbodyVR, Inc.
    Inventor: Kapil Jain
  • Patent number: 10356510
    Abstract: An earphone comprising an earphone housing having a wall comprising (1) a front side that joins (2) an end portion in which a primary sound output opening is formed, which joins (3) a face portion in which a secondary output opening is formed, which joins (4) a back side which joins the front side and encloses a driver, wherein the primary output opening is dimensioned to output sound generated by a diaphragm of the driver contained within the earphone housing into the ear and the secondary output opening is dimensioned to vent the ear to a surrounding environment, and wherein the primary output opening and the secondary output opening face different directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michael B. Howes, Yacine Azmi, Scott P. Porter, Jonathan S. Aase, Andrew P. Bright, Christopher R. Wilk
  • Patent number: 10351416
    Abstract: A model is specified in which a MEMS component is connected to the carrier in a stress-free fashion over a large temperature range. For this purpose, a mechanical connection comprises a compensation structure which bridges a horizontal offset of mounting points by means of a horizontal shoulder and the thermal expansion coefficient of which is suitably selected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: TDK Corporation
    Inventor: Pirmin Hermann Otto Rombach
  • Patent number: 10356538
    Abstract: A hearing system includes a hearing aid and a personal communication device connected via a short range data communication link. The hearing aid has a signal processor processing an input signal according to audio processing parameters, a sub-system applying respective sets of processing parameters for at least two modes, a classifier component analyzing the auditory environment statistically by comparing specific characteristics of the input signal to one or more thresholds. A program selector component selects automatically an appropriate mode for the signal processing sub-system according to the classifier output. The personal communication device offers the user a user interface for controlling and interacting with the program selector component of the hearing aid, and for generating and transmitting a notification to the hearing aid. Upon reception of the notification, the processor at least one of said one or more thresholds used by the classifier component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: Widex A/S
    Inventors: Michael Ungstrup, Mike Lind Rank
  • Patent number: 10343894
    Abstract: The application describes a MEMS transducer comprising a layer of conductive material provided on a surface of a layer of membrane material. The layer of conductive material comprises first and second regions, wherein the thickness and/or the conductivity of the/each first and second regions is different.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Stephen Duffy, Colin Robert Jenkins, Tsjerk Hans Hoekstra
  • Patent number: 10334368
    Abstract: An acoustic sensor including an electroacoustic transducer and an electrical conductor. The electroacoustic transducer includes a plate-shaped transducer element, which is configured to output an acoustic signal when it is excited by the electrical signal. The electroacoustic transducer furthermore includes a first contacting, which is situated on at least one of the surfaces of the plate-shaped transducer element in such a way that it has at least one portion which ends flush with the outer circumference of the first or second surface of the plate-shaped transducer element, or extends at least partially outside the outer circumference of the first or second surface of the plate-shaped transducer element. The electrical conductor includes a contact area in contact with an outer circumference of the first contacting, the contact area of the electrical conductor being situated in a plane defined by the first surface, outside an area which overlaps with the electroacoustic transducer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Matthias Karl
  • Patent number: 10334339
    Abstract: A MEMS transducer package (1) comprises a semiconductor die element (3) and a cap element (23). The semiconductor die element (3) and cap element (23) have mating surfaces (9, 21). The semiconductor die element (3) and cap element (23) are configured such that when the semiconductor die element (3) and cap element (4) are conjoined, a first volume (7, 27) is formed through the semiconductor die element (3) and into the semiconductor cap element (23), and an acoustic channel is formed to provide an opening between a non-mating surface (11) of the semiconductor die element (3) and a side surface (10, 12) of the transducer package.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: John Laurence Pennock, Tsjerk Hoekstra, David Talmage Patten
  • Patent number: 10334356
    Abstract: A hearing aid includes a microphone unit arranged in a hearing aid housing. The microphone unit is oriented in the housing relative to a microphone inlet element to cause a pressure equalization that allows acoustic cancellation of vibrations in the microphone unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Martin Larsen, Jesper Pedersen, Rasmus Andersson, Morten Fuglsang-Philip, Gorm Dannesboe, Mario Stoll
  • Patent number: 10327078
    Abstract: A hearing aid comprises a BTE-part adapted for being located behind an ear (ear) of a user, and comprising a) a multitude M of microphones, which—when located behind the ear of the user—are characterized by respective transfer functions, HBTEi(?, ?, r, k), representative of propagation of sound from sound sources S to the respective microphones b) a memory unit comprising complex, frequency dependent constants Wi(k)?, i=1, . . . , M, c) a beamformer filtering unit for providing a beamformed signal Y as a weighted combination of the microphone signals using said complex, frequency dependent constants The frequency dependent constants are determined to provide a resulting transfer function Hpinna(?,?,r,k)=?i=1MWi(k)·HBTEi(?,?,r,k), so that a difference between the resulting transfer function Hpinna(?, ?, r, k) and a transfer function HITE(?, ?, r, k) of a microphone located close to or in the ear canal fulfills a predefined criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Oticon A/S
    Inventors: Michael Syskind Pedersen, Andreas Thelander Bertelsen