Patents Examined by David L Ton
  • Patent number: 10761803
    Abstract: A playback sound provision device includes: a surrounding information detection device configured to detect detection information including information on a three-dimensional object or a planar display around the vehicle; and a control device configured to determine a playback method for a playback sound based on a music piece based on the detection information when a predetermined target is included in the detection information, and provide the playback sound based on the playback method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Suzuki, Yukari Nakane, Chisato Komurasaki, Hiroshi Ishii
  • Patent number: 10757521
    Abstract: A stereo parameter conditioner performs a conditioning operation on a first value of a stereo parameter and a second value of the stereo parameter to generate a conditioned value of the stereo parameter. The first value is associated with a first frequency range, and the second value is associated with a second frequency range. The conditioned value is associated with a particular frequency range that is a subset of the first frequency range or a subset of the second frequency range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Venkata Subrahmanyam Chandra Sekhar Chebiyyam, Venkatraman Atti
  • Patent number: 10757504
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present technology may comprise methods and apparatus for controlling a bias voltage. Methods and apparatus for controlling a bias voltage to an electrical device according to various aspects of the present invention may comprise a voltage regulator circuit to generate a first voltage, a clock driver circuit to generate a second voltage, and a charge pump system to generate the bias voltage and supply the bias voltage to the electrical device. The apparatus may be responsive to a control signal that indicates a startup operation of the electrical device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2020
    Assignee: SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC
    Inventor: Akinobu Onishi
  • Patent number: 10750306
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to reverberation generation for headphone virtualization. A method of generating one or more components of a binaural room impulse response (BRIR) for headphone virtualization is described. In the method, directionally-controlled reflections are generated, wherein directionally-controlled reflections impart a desired perceptual cue to an audio input signal corresponding to a sound source location. Then at least the generated reflections are combined to obtain the one or more components of the BRIR. Corresponding system and computer program products are described as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Louis D. Fielder, Zhiwei Shuang, Grant A. Davidson, Xiguang Zheng, Mark S. Vinton
  • Patent number: 10747495
    Abstract: Methods and devices for aggregating a plurality of display devices in communication with a computer device and representing the display devices as a single audio endpoint may include receiving audio data from an application. The methods and devices may include combining the audio data for the plurality of display devices in communication with the computer device into an audio buffer with a size determined by a total number of audio channels of the plurality of display devices. The methods and devices may include partitioning the audio buffer into sections and identifying a subset of the sections of the audio buffer that correspond to each of the plurality of display devices. The methods and devices may include transmitting the subset of the sections of the audio buffer that correspond to each of the plurality of display devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2020
    Assignee: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
    Inventors: Laxmi Narsimha Rao Kakulamarri, Edward Sumanaseni, Egidio Sburlino
  • Patent number: 10735859
    Abstract: A speaker system is provided having a line array of drivers wired in parallel and treated with passive or active component systems that serve to electrically taper its effective radiating length with frequency so that it is long/tall at low frequencies and short at higher frequencies, with the effective length of the array determined so as to maintain a listener in the nearfield at typical home and studio listening distances while minimizing the destructive effects of path-length dependent high frequency comb filtering. In alternate embodiments, an array of drivers is provided and wired in series or series-parallel with passive components between the output of one driver and the input of the next. Schemes of active drive and combination schemes of active and passive drive are also contemplated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: LAMASSU LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Brandt Kwiram, Joachim Gerhard
  • Patent number: 10723250
    Abstract: The technology described in this document can be embodied in a system that includes a seat headrest enclosing at least one first acoustic transducer that generates audio output in a first frequency range. The system also includes an adjustable headrest wing disposed in front of the seat headrest, the headrest wing being pivotally coupled to the seat headrest and adjustable to one of multiple positions. The headrest wing includes at least one second acoustic transducer that generates audio output in a second frequency range that includes frequencies higher than the upper end of the first frequency range. The system further includes a controller configured to adjust, for a given position of the headrest wing, one or more parameters of at least one of: (i) the first acoustic transducer and (ii) the second acoustic transducer in accordance with a target acoustic distribution.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Charles Oswald, Tobe Z. Barksdale, Michael S. Dublin, Ryan C. Struzik
  • Patent number: 10726853
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide encoding and decoding methods, and associated encoders and decoders, for encoding and decoding of an audio scene which is represented by one or more audio signals. The encoder generates a bit stream which comprises downmix signals and side information which includes individual matrix elements of a reconstruction matrix which enables reconstruction of the one or more audio signals in the decoder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Heiko Purnhagen, Lars Villemoes, Leif Jonas Samuelsson, Toni Hirvonen
  • Patent number: 10721561
    Abstract: The technology described this document can be embodied in a method that includes receiving an error signal captured using a microphone, the error signal representing a difference between the sinusoidal component of a noise signal and an output of an acoustic transducer. The output of the acoustic transducer is configured to reduce the effects of the sinusoidal component of the noise signal. The method includes processing the error signal to compensate for effects due to a signal path between the acoustic transducer and the microphone, and determining a current estimate of one or more first parameters of the error signal. Based on such parameters, a current estimate of a time-varying step size associated with an adaptive process is determined, and based on the current estimate of the time-varying step size, a driver signal configured to change the output of the acoustic transducer is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Ankita D. Jain, Wade P. Torres
  • Patent number: 10715933
    Abstract: A binaural hearing aid system includes first and second hearing aids. A first signal processor of the first hearing aid is configured to generate a first monaural beamforming signal based on microphone signal(s) supplied by a first microphone arrangement of the first hearing aid, the first monaural beamforming signal exhibiting a first polar pattern with maximum sensitivity in a target direction. The first signal processor is also configured to: generate a bilateral beamforming signal based on the first monaural beamforming signal and a second monaural beamforming signal from the second hearing aid; generate a third monaural beamforming signal based on the microphone signal(s) and exhibiting a third polar pattern with maximum sensitivity at the ipsilateral side of the first hearing aid; delay the third monaural beamforming signal; and combine the first bilateral beamforming signal and the time-delayed third monaural beamforming signal to form a first hybrid beamforming signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: GN HEARING A/S
    Inventors: Changxue Ma, Jonathan Boley
  • Patent number: 10698477
    Abstract: A method includes receiving headset motion data over a headset interface of a device while playing an audio selection on the device. A preference indicator for the audio selection is generated based on the headset motion data. A device includes a headset interface and a processor coupled to the headset interface. The processor is to receive headset motion data over the headset interface while playing an audio selection over the headset interface and generate a preference indicator for the audio selection based on the headset motion data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC
    Inventors: Vivek Tyagi, Sudhir Vissa
  • Patent number: 10701197
    Abstract: The disclosure herein provides a mobile system including a base station and a wireless earbud. The base station comprising a connection hole, a user input button, at least one processor, at least one memory, and circuitry. The wireless earbud is configured for plugging into the connection hole of the base station to form an integrated body with the base station. The system is capable of wirelessly pairing with a smartphone for the wireless earbud to receive audio data originated from the smartphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Pinn, Inc.
    Inventor: Seung Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 10701502
    Abstract: Methods for dialogue enhancing audio content, comprising providing a first audio signal presentation of the audio components, providing a second audio signal presentation, receiving a set of dialogue estimation parameters configured to enable estimation of dialogue components from the first audio signal presentation, applying said set of dialogue estimation parameters to said first audio signal presentation, to form a dialogue presentation of the dialogue components; and combining the dialogue presentation with said second audio signal presentation to form a dialogue enhanced audio signal presentation for reproduction on the second audio reproduction system, wherein at least one of said first and second audio signal presentation is a binaural audio signal presentation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International AB
    Inventors: Leif Jonas Samuelsson, Dirk Jeroen Breebaart, David Matthew Cooper, Jeroen Koppens
  • Patent number: 10684814
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus control sound signal output. The method of controlling a sound signal output in a terminal includes: storing receiver identifications and corresponding sound signal control parameters associated with each other by the terminal; providing a receiver selection interface capable of selecting one from a list of the receiver identifications and the receiver identifications included in the list by the terminal; receiving one receiver identification through the receiver selection interface; converting a digital sound signal into an analog sound signal by applying a sound signal control parameter corresponding to the received receiver identification; and outputting the analog sound signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hyungjin Kwon, Kwanhee Han, Sungmin Kim
  • Patent number: 10687149
    Abstract: A MEMS microphone includes a substrate, and a first conversion portion and a second conversion portion provided on the substrate, the first conversion portion and the second conversion portion convert sound into an electrical signal, the first conversion portion includes a first through hole, a first membrane covering the first through hole, and a first back plate facing the first membrane via a first air gap, the second conversion portion includes a second through hole, a second membrane covering the second through hole, and a second back plate facing the second membrane via a second air gap, and an area of the second membrane is 1.21 times or more and 2.25 times or less an area of the first membrane when viewed in a thickness direction of the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: TDK CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akifumi Kamijima, Tohru Inoue
  • Patent number: 10665246
    Abstract: A downmixer for downmixing at least two channels of a multichannel signal having the two or more channels includes: a processor for calculating a partial downmix signal from the at least two channels; a complementary signal calculator for calculating a complementary signal from the multichannel signal, the complementary signal being different from the partial downmix signal; and an adder for adding the partial downmix signal and the complementary signal to obtain a downmix signal of the multichannel signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: FRAUNHOFER-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FOERDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG E.V.
    Inventors: Christian Borss, Bernd Edler, Guillaume Fuchs, Jan Buethe, Sascha Disch, Florin Ghido, Stefan Bayer, Markus Multrus
  • Patent number: 10667053
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a sound reproducing apparatus and method, and a program that enable sound reproduction with high sound quality and excellent directivity characteristics at lower costs. A sound reproducing apparatus includes: an amplification unit that amplifies an acoustic signal; a plurality of electroacoustic transducers that output sound in accordance with the acoustic signal output from the amplification unit, the electroacoustic transducers having characteristics of a capacitive load; and a switching unit that switches connections of the electroacoustic transducers to the amplification unit, to connect one or a plurality of electroacoustic transducers among the plurality of electroacoustic transducers to the amplification unit. The present technology can be applied to a sound reproducing apparatus, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Nakagawa, Yoshio Ohashi
  • Patent number: 10667048
    Abstract: A recording method, a recording play method, apparatuses and terminals, where the recording method comprises obtaining, by a terminal, recording data in all sound source directions input by at least three microphones, and generating, by the terminal, a recording file according to the obtained recording data, wherein the recording file saves the recording data in all the sound source directions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: HUAWEI TECHNOLOGIES CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Zhihua Wang, Bo Han, Jie Liu, Wei Yang, Xiong Zhou, Li Liu
  • Patent number: 10667050
    Abstract: An audio circuit drives a speaker. A DSP corrects an audio signal S1 according to the state of the speaker. An amplifier drives the speaker according to a corrected audio signal S3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Moritoki, Mitsuaki Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 10667070
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a system and method for demonstrating spatial performance of a demonstration speaker model to consumers in order to evaluate different speakers. The system and method comprise a microphone array for recording the output of the demonstration speaker model. The system and method comprise acoustic input samples for processing to an acoustic output and a processor for determining characteristics of each microphone recording, and processing an acoustic input sample and characteristics of each microphone recording corresponding to a selected demonstration speaker model. The system and method further comprise a reference speaker model for outputting an acoustic signal based on the result of the processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: CRUTCHFIELD CORPORATION
    Inventors: William G. Crutchfield, Jr., Richard I. Wright