Patents Examined by Davetta W. Goins
  • Patent number: 10492000
    Abstract: Provided are methods, systems, and apparatuses for recording a three-dimensional (3D) sound field using a vertically-oriented cylindrical array with multiple circular arrays at different heights. The design of the cylindrical array is well-suited to providing a high-resolution in azimuth and a reduced resolution in elevation, and offers improved performance over existing 3D sound reproduction systems. The methods, systems, and apparatuses provide a larger vertical aperture than horizontal aperture, as opposed to a spherical array, which has the same aperture for all dimensions, and further provides an alternative format to mixed-order spherical decomposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventor: Mark Poletti
  • Patent number: 10483933
    Abstract: A method to adjust audio amplification may include presenting an audio configuration interface. The audio configuration interface may include multiple amplification settings that each correspond to a different one of multiple frequency range. The multiple amplification settings indicating amplifications may be applied to the multiple frequencies of audio output by a device. The method may further include obtaining an action to adjust the amplification of one or more of multiple amplification settings in the audio configuration interface to generate adjusted amplification settings. The method also includes, in response to obtaining the action, automatically applying the adjusted amplification settings to test audio and automatically outputting the test audio with the applied adjusted amplification settings through a speaker of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Sorenson IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Christian Lalor
  • Patent number: 10475429
    Abstract: A sound acquisition device, particularly for acoustic guitars, comprising sound acquisition elements connected to output and power supply elements. The sound acquisition elements comprise at least one microphone and are associated with a clip-like body adapted to be coupled along the edge of the sound hole of a soundbox of an acoustic musical string instrument, the clip-like body being configured to support the sound acquisition elements inside the soundbox.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: IK MULTIMEDIA PRODUCTION SRL
    Inventors: Enrico Iori, Davide Barbi
  • Patent number: 10469047
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a radio and method for automatically adjusting, in response to ambient noise, the volume setting of a radio. The radio comprises a microphone for receiving ambient audio and generating a microphone signal; a codec for receiving the microphone signal and generating a processor signal representative of the ambient audio; and processor circuitry operable to receive the processor signal, determine an ambient audio level in response to the processor signal, and determine an adjusted radio volume to generate a radio volume control signal, wherein the adjusted radio volume is determined by calculating a difference between a baseline volume level and ambient audio level and adding a current volume level setting, wherein the codec is also operable to receive the radio volume control signal and generate an output signal to adjust the radio volume setting to maintain a net difference between the adjusted radio volume and ambient audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: E.F. JOHNSON COMPANY
    Inventors: Christian K. Barker, Joshua Alan Johnson, Stephen Joseph Borer, Marshall Pommier Schiring
  • Patent number: 10462593
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for matrixed audio settings. In an audio system that comprises at least one audio output element operable to output audio signals, a first user input that comprises a selection of audio mode may be received, and based on the selected audio mode, one or more audio settings applicable during generating, processing, and/or outputting of the audio signals may be determined. At least one user control element may be configured to enable receiving of a second user input that comprises a selection between the determined one or more corresponding audio settings. The audio system (or at least the audio output element thereof) may be a headset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: VOYETRA TURTLE BEACH, INC.
    Inventors: Kevin Arthur Robertson, David Gallagher, Nicholas Richard Bourne
  • Patent number: 10461711
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for outputting an audio signal and a method of adjusting the volume of an audio signal are provided. An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for outputting an audio signal that includes: (a) determining an output level of a modulated signal to be outputted for each respective frequency band by using a hearing threshold measured for the respective frequency band; and (b) outputting the modulated signal and an audio signal simultaneously. An embodiment of the present invention can improve hearing ability by outputting an audio signal and a modulated signal together. Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a user can use visual signals to personally set the output level of audio signals that is optimal for each frequency band in accordance with changes in the user's dynamic hearing threshold for each respective frequency band, even while listening to audio signals of which the output level for each frequency band was determined previously.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: Gaonda Corporation
    Inventor: Sang-Yeop Kwak
  • Patent number: 10446171
    Abstract: Systems and methods for processing multichannel audio signals include receiving a multichannel time-domain audio input, transforming the input signal to plurality of multi-channel frequency domain, k-spaced under-sampled subband signals, buffering and delaying each channel, saving a subset of spectral frames for prediction filter estimation at each of the spectral frames, estimating a variance of the frequency domain signal at each of the spectral frames, adaptively estimating the prediction filter in an online manner using a recursive least squares (RLS) algorithm, linearly filtering each channel using the estimated prediction filter, nonlinearly filtering the linearly filtered output signal to reduce residual reverberation and the estimated variances, producing a nonlinearly filtered output signal, and synthesizing the nonlinearly filtered output signal to reconstruct a dereverberated time-domain multi-channel audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: SYNAPTICS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Saeed Mosayyebpour Kaskari, Francesco Nesta, Trausti Thormundsson
  • Patent number: 10438578
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is a lighting system including a luminaire having a lighting device and a sound reduction device. The lighting device includes an illumination output surface, which is at least partially reflective with respect to an audio wave from outside the luminaire. The lighting device also includes an illumination light source configured to generate illumination light for emission through the illumination output surface for illumination of an area. The sound reduction device includes a pick up microphone and an audio output source. The pick up microphone is configured to detect incoming audio waves in a vicinity of the luminaire. The lighting system further includes a circuitry including a sound reduction controller coupled to the pick up microphone and the audio output source of the sound reduction device. The sound reduction controller is configured to operate the audio output source to control sound at least in vicinity of the illuminated area associated with the incoming audio waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC
    Inventors: Robert M. Krass, David P. Ramer, Gregory Malone, Rashmi Kumar Rogers
  • Patent number: 10433087
    Abstract: A method for reducing vibration noise by an electronic device is described. The method includes obtaining an audio signal. The audio signal includes vibration noise. The method also includes obtaining vibration data from one or more motion sensor signals. The method further includes processing the vibration data to produce microphone-response matched vibration data based on a transfer function. The method additionally includes reducing the vibration noise based on the microphone-response matched vibration data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Ricardo De Jesus Bernal Castillo, Daniel Weber, Dipanjan Sen, Eric Mattis, Mark Cherry, Nils Günther Peters
  • Patent number: 10432797
    Abstract: A pre-distortion system for improved mobile device communications via cancellation of nonlinear distortion is disclosed. The pre-distortion system may transmit an acoustic signal from a network to a device, wherein the acoustic signal includes a linear signal and a nonlinear cancellation signal that cancels at least a portion of nonlinear distortions created once a loudspeaker in the device emits the linear signal. Thus, when a loudspeaker of a mobile device is operating and nonlinear distortions are generated by the loudspeaker or adjacent components of the mobile device in close proximity to the loudspeaker, the pre-distortion system may create one or more nonlinear cancellation signals in the network. The nonlinear cancellation signal may be combined with the linear signal sent to the loudspeaker to cancel the nonlinear distortion signal created by the loudspeaker emitting acoustic sounds from the linear signal. Thus, the nonlinear cancellation signal becomes a pre-distortion signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I, L.P.
    Inventors: Horst J. Schroeter, Donald J. Bowen, Dimitrios Dimitriadis, Lusheng Ji
  • Patent number: 10425731
    Abstract: An audio processing apparatus includes an audio input unit configured to input a plurality of audio signals, a reduction unit configured to reduce the amount of wind noise in the plurality of input audio signals, and a controller configured to control the reduction amount of the wind noise by the reduction unit based on a difference between an in-phase component and an antiphase component of the plurality of audio signals and control the speed of change of the reduction amount of the wind noise by the reduction unit based on a magnitude of the in-phase component of the plurality of audio signals. The audio processing apparatus reduces the adverse effects of the wind noise reduction process on the audio quality of the audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tomohito Inoue
  • Patent number: 10414337
    Abstract: In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for generating a simulated vehicle sound is provided. At least one parameter module receives a first driver throttle signal and to transmit a first input signal indicative of a first simulated vehicle sound. An engine sound generator block audibly generates a first simulated vehicle sound in response to the first input signal. An engine sound removal block is operably coupled to a microphone that receives a first microphone input signal. The first microphone input signal includes first environmental noise associated with a vehicle exterior environment and the first simulated vehicle sound. The engine sound removal block is configured to filter the first simulated vehicle sound from the first microphone input signal to determine the first environmental noise. The engine sound generator generates a second simulated vehicle sound that is louder than the first environmental noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Kreifeldt, James Kirsch
  • Patent number: 10409325
    Abstract: The present embodiment relates to a double-faced display device generating sound by directly vibrating a display panel and includes: a first display panel and a second display panel disposed at the front and rear surface thereof, respectively; a single sound generating actuator connected to the first display panel and the second display panel to simultaneously vibrate the first display panel and the second display panel and thus generate sound; and a support part configured to support the sound generating actuator, the first display panel, and the second display panel. The present embodiment does not require a separate speaker and thus can achieve a thin or slim display device, and can improve the localization or the quality of sound output in opposite directions in the double-faced display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: YeongRak Choi, Sungtae Lee
  • Patent number: 10410654
    Abstract: Embodiments of active noise control (ANC) headphones and operating methods thereof are disclosed herein. In one example, a headphone for ANC includes a speaker, a microphone, an echo-cancel module, and an ANC module. The speaker is configured to play an audio based on a first audio source signal. The microphone is configured to obtain a mixed audio signal including a noise signal and a second audio source signal based on the audio played by the speaker. The echo-cancel module is configured to reduce the second audio source signal from the mixed audio signal based on the first audio source signal to generate an echo-cancel audio signal. The ANC module is operatively coupled to the echo-cancel module and configure to generate a noise-controlled audio source signal to be played by the speaker based on the echo-cancel audio signal and the first audio source signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: BESTECHNIC (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Weifeng Tong, Mingliang Xu, Liang Zhang, Lei Yang, Like Zheng
  • Patent number: 10412500
    Abstract: Provided are an actuator fixing device and a panel vibration type sound-generating display device including the same. A display device includes: a display panel configured to display an image, a cover bottom configured to cover the display panel, and a plurality of sound-generating actuators supported by the cover bottom, the sound-generating actuators being configured to vibrate the display panel to generate sound, at least two of the sound-generating actuators being adjacent to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Sungtae Lee, KwanHo Park, YeongRak Choi, Kwangho Kim, MyungJin Bae
  • Patent number: 10412474
    Abstract: A modular speaker system includes a plurality of speaker modules configured prior to use to function in reproducing various sound channels depending upon specific desires of a user. Each of the plurality of speaker modules includes a substantially cylindrical housing including an open first end and a closed second end, as well as a cylindrical sidewall extending between the first end and the second end. Each speaker module also includes a first driver secured within the first end of the housing, the first driver being mounted within the first end of the housing for directing sound outwardly, and a second driver positioned within the housing at a central position between the first end and the second end of the housing. A plurality of circular rings are positioned around the housing allowing for control of the speaker module in various ways.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Inventor: Dennis A. Tracy
  • Patent number: 10412494
    Abstract: Embodiments of wireless audio systems and methods for operation mode switch of wireless headphones are disclosed herein. In one example, a wireless audio system includes a first wireless headphone and a second wireless headphone. The first wireless headphone is configured to establish a first short-range wireless link with an audio source; transmit, to a second wireless headphone, link information associated with the first short-range wireless link; and remove the first short-range wireless link with the audio source in response to the second wireless headphone successfully establishing a second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information. The second wireless headphone is configured to receive, from the first wireless headphone, the link information associated with the first short-range wireless link; and establish the second short-range wireless link with the audio source based on the link information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: BESTECHNIC (SHANGHAI) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Weifeng Tong, Liang Zhang, Qianli Ma, Junhong Liu, Tianxu Wu, Fei Luo
  • Patent number: 10402158
    Abstract: An electronic system and an audio processing method are provided. The electronic system includes a physiological signal sensor, a processing circuit, an audio processing circuit and an audio output device. The physiological signal sensor is utilized for measuring a physiological signal of a user. The processing circuit is utilized for determining an audio setting according to the physiological signal. The audio processing circuit is utilized for receiving an audio signal and adjusting the audio signal according to the audio setting so as to generate an audio output signal. The audio output circuit is utilized for playing the audio output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: ACER INCORPORATED
    Inventor: Feng-Ming Liu
  • Patent number: 10403292
    Abstract: Encoding of Higher Order Ambisonics (HOA) signals commonly results in high data rates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Krueger, Sven Kordon
  • Patent number: 10383769
    Abstract: An eye cover includes ear plugs integrated into the head strap to transmit audio signals. The audio portion of the device is battery-operated and preprogrammed with a variety of sounds traditionally considered emotionally soothing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Inventor: Juanita Miller