Patents Examined by David L Ton
  • Patent number: 11849061
    Abstract: The disclosure herein provides a mobile system including a mobile 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 establishes a wireless Bluetooth pairing between a smartphone and the wireless earbud using two-way wireless communication to produce Bluetooth communication between the smartphone and the wireless earbud.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: December 19, 2023
    Assignee: Pinn, Inc.
    Inventor: Seung Jin Kim
  • Patent number: 11841033
    Abstract: An electric powered work machine according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a first and a second digital filters, a control sound source, an error sensor, and a characteristics adjustor. The first digital filter includes a series of taps and generates a control signal. The control sound source produces an artificial noise in accordance with the control signal. The error sensor converts a synthesized sound of the artificial noise and a target noise at a canceling location to an error signal. The second digital filter includes N taps and generates a filtered reference signal. The characteristics adjustor uses the error signal and the filtered reference signal to adjust a coefficient of each tap of M taps in the series of taps. Each of M and N is a positive integer satisfying M<N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2023
    Assignee: MAKITA CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hideaki Takano
  • Patent number: 11831863
    Abstract: Display device ON/OFF detection methods and apparatus are disclosed. Example display activity detectors disclosed herein are to extract regions from respective ones of captured video frames, the regions corresponding to a depiction of a display of a monitored media device Disclosed example display activity detectors are also to compute a distance metric that is to represent an amount a first one of the regions of a first one of the captured video frames differs from a corresponding second one of the regions of a second one of the captured video frames. Disclosed example display activity detectors are further to compare the distance metric to a threshold to determine whether the monitored media device is ON or OFF.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: The Nielsen Company (US), LLC
    Inventors: Christen V. Nielsen, Dan Nelson
  • Patent number: 11832081
    Abstract: An example method of operation includes identifying a loudspeaker array profile defining characteristics of a loudspeaker array stored in memory, identifying a three-dimensional venue geometry value stored in the memory, defining virtual receivers to simulate acoustic characteristics within the venue geometry, defining a number of passive acoustic filter permutations to perform within a range of passive acoustic filter settings, and each passive acoustic filter setting is unique and has one or more passive acoustic filters to apply to one or more loudspeakers in the loudspeaker array, selecting performance criteria to apply to the loudspeaker array to represent its sound coverage uniformity at a given location throughout the venue geometry, calculating the performance criteria of the loudspeaker array via a passive acoustic filter setting selected from one or more of the passive acoustic filter permutations by performing a simulation with the passive acoustic filter settings, identifying an optimized passive
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2023
    Date of Patent: November 28, 2023
    Assignee: Biamp Systems, LLC
    Inventor: Xian Yu
  • Patent number: 11824507
    Abstract: Apparatus, systems, articles of manufacture, and methods for volume adjustment are disclosed herein. An example method includes collecting data corresponding to a volume of an audio signal as the audio signal is output through a device, when an average volume of the audio signal does not satisfy a volume threshold for a specified timespan, determining a difference between the average volume and a desired volume, and applying a gain to the audio signal to adjust the volume of the audio signal to the desired volume, the gain determined based on the difference between the average volume and the desired volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2023
    Assignee: Gracenote, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Coover, Jeffrey Scott, Markus K. Cremer, Aneesh Vartakavi
  • Patent number: 11817076
    Abstract: A playback device is configured to: produce a first channel audio output of a first channel of audio content; produce a second channel audio output of a second channel of the audio content; receive captured audio content comprising (i) a first portion corresponding to the first channel audio output, (ii) a second portion corresponding to the second channel audio output, and (iii) a third portion corresponding to a voice command, wherein the captured audio content has a first signal-to-noise ratio; determine a set of signal components from at least one of the first channel or the second channel of the audio content; perform acoustic echo cancellation on a subset of signal components; determine an acoustic echo cancellation output; and apply the acoustic echo cancellation output to the captured audio content and thereby increase the first signal-to-noise ratio to a second signal-to-noise ratio that is greater than the first signal-to-noise ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 14, 2023
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Saeed Bagheri Sereshki, Romi Kadri
  • Patent number: 11792569
    Abstract: The application describes a switched driver (401) for outputting a drive signal at an output node (402) to drive a load such as a transducer. The driver receives respective high-side and low-side voltages (VinH, VinL) defining an input voltage at first and second input nodes and has connections for first and second capacitors (403H, 403L). A network of switching paths is configured such that each of the first and second capacitors can be selectively charged to the input voltage, the first input node can be selectively coupled to a first node (N1) by a path that include or bypass the first capacitor, and the second input node can be selectively coupled to a second node (N2) by a path that includes or bypasses the second capacitor. The output node (402) can be switched between two switching voltages at the first or second nodes. The driver is selectively operable in different operating modes, where the switching voltages are different in each of said modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2023
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2023
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic Inc.
    Inventors: Anthony S. Doy, Eric J. King
  • Patent number: 11782673
    Abstract: An apparatus, method and computer program for controlling audio output is disclosed. The apparatus may comprise means for receiving data from one or more sensors representing one or more motion characteristics of a user and determining, based on the received data, one or more time instances associated with a sound event. The apparatus may also comprise means for controlling an active hear-through system of a wearable audio output device so as to temporarily modify, at a time of the one or more time instances, sound received by one or more input transducers associated with the active hear-through system that are output to an output transducer associated with the active hear-through system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Lasse Juhani Laaksonen, Jussi Leppänen, Miikka Vilermo, Arto Lehtiniemi
  • Patent number: 11785382
    Abstract: Various aspects include active noise reduction (ANR) devices and approaches, one approach including: receiving an input signal representing audio captured by a feedforward microphone of an ANR headphone; receiving an error signal representing audio captured by an error measurement sensor; generating an anti-noise signal configured to reduce a noise signal over a frequency range; and applying a gain to at least one of the input signal or the anti-noise signal over the frequency range based on the error signal, wherein the applied gain is configured to enhance noise reduction for a plurality of users having distinct fits for the ANR headphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Inventors: Michael P. O'Connell, Joseph H. Cattell, Dale Ian McElhone
  • Patent number: 11778380
    Abstract: Various implementations include speaker systems. In one implementation, a self-powered speaker system includes: a self-powered speaker system, having: a first module, including: a processor; an audio signal and control connector coupled with the processor and enabling audio signal and control communication between the processor and another module in the speaker system; a dedicated power supply for the speaker system; a front end backup power supply; and a power connector coupled with the dedicated power supply and the front end backup power supply, where the first module and another module in the speaker system each include an amplifier module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: David Charles Gill, Benjamin Grant Karnavas, Jeffrey Alan Rocha, Curtis Rex Reed, Richard Gerald Ireland, Jr., James Kurt Mahan, Jeremy Lynn Garff
  • Patent number: 11776525
    Abstract: A wave control system includes a substrate with a plurality of beams spaced apart from each other, a plurality of sensors disposed on the plurality of beams, a plurality of actuators disposed on the plurality of beams, a processor, and a memory communicably coupled to the processor. The memory stores machine-readable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a frequency of a fundamental incident wave propagating within and/or incident on the plurality of beams based on a plurality of signals from the plurality of sensors, and control the plurality of actuators to generate at least one of a cancellation wave, a subharmonic wave, and a superharmonic wave, based on the frequency of the fundamental incident wave. In addition, a reflected fundamental wave, the sub harmonic wave, and/or the superharmonic wave can be steered to a desired direction or path along the substrate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Xiaopeng Li, Ziqi Yu, Danil V. Prokhorov, Taehwa Lee
  • Patent number: 11776523
    Abstract: In the sound insulation apparatus, a sound wave transmitter configured to transmit sound waves with frequencies including the frequencies of propagation sound waves from a sound source and a sound wave receiver configured to receive the sound waves transmitted from the sound wave transmitter are coupled such that the orientation of a sound wave transmission surface of the sound wave transmitter and the orientation of a sound wave receiving surface of the sound wave receiver intersect each other and one pair set is formed. The one pair set is disposed in plurality such that the sound wave transmission surface of one set is spaced from and opposed to the sound wave receiving surface of another set and a space surrounding the sound source is formed. The sound waves transmitted from each of the sound wave transmitters are mixed with the propagation sound waves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Inventor: Katsunori Suetsugu
  • Patent number: 11769478
    Abstract: A digital signal processing system for multiplying a digital value and a digital signal. The digital signal processing system receives the digital value in an encoded format, and multiplies the digital value with the digital signal. The digital value in the encoded format has an offset, which is encoded as a floating point. The disclosure provides a digital processing system that can carry out a multiplication operation with a smaller area, less complexity and/or reduced power usage compared with known multipliers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 26, 2023
    Assignee: Dialog Semiconductor B.V.
    Inventors: Wessel Harm Lubberhuizen, Johannes Steensma
  • Patent number: 11765499
    Abstract: In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of driving a playback waveform to an electromagnetic actuator by a transducer driving system may include operating the transducer driving system in a first mode wherein the electromagnetic actuator is driven with the playback waveform in a closed loop to form a closed-loop voltage drive system that includes a negative impedance, operating the transducer driving system in a second mode wherein the electromechanical actuator is driven with the playback waveform in an open loop, and operating a mode switch for transitioning the transducer driving system to operate between the first mode and the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic Inc.
    Inventors: Jon D. Hendrix, Emmanuel A. Marchais, Nicholas Joseph, Bryant Tran, Marco A. Janko, Noel Preecs
  • Patent number: 11763795
    Abstract: A vehicle sound generation device includes a controller that generates a sound signal representing a sound and sets the localization of the sound, and left and right front speakers and left and right rear speakers that output sounds corresponding to the sound signals for which localization has been set by the controller, in which the controller sets the localization of the sounds based on the change amounts (such as the pitch rate, the torque change amount, the roll rate, and steering angular speed) per unit time of the physical quantities correlated with a driving operation by the driver of the vehicle so that the sound image of at least part (low frequency component) of frequency components of the sound is located toward the wheel where the ground load is increasing according to the driving operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yukifusa Hattori, Shuhei Otsuki, Ryuichi Yamada, Takatoshi Nomura
  • Patent number: 11765539
    Abstract: An audio personalisation method for a user, to reproduce an area-based or volumetric sound source, includes the steps of, for a head related transfer function ‘HRTF’ associated with the user, smoothing HRTF coefficients relating to peaks and notches in the HRTF's spectral response, responsive to the size of the area or volume of the sound source; filtering the sound source using the smoothed HRTF for the notional position of the sound source; and outputting the filtered sound source signal for playback to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Calum Armstrong, Marina Villanueva Barreiro, Alexei Smith, Michael Lee Jones, Fabio Cappello
  • Patent number: 11749252
    Abstract: The present technology relates to a signal processing device, a signal processing method, and a program that enable implementation of more effective distance feeling control. The signal processing device includes a reverb processing unit that generates a signal of a reverb component on the basis of object audio data of an audio object and a reverb parameter for the audio object. The present technology can be applied to a signal processing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Sony Group Corporation
    Inventors: Minoru Tsuji, Toru Chinen, Takao Fukui, Mitsuyuki Hatanaka
  • Patent number: 11749253
    Abstract: An example reverberation device configured for use with a musical instrument is disclosed. The example reverberation device comprises: (a) an input amplifier configured to receive an input signal from the musical instrument and output an amplified input signal based on the received input signal; (b) an input transducer connected to the input amplifier and configured to transmit the amplified input signal; (c) a reverberation plate comprising a bended surface, wherein the reverberation plate is connected to the input transducer, and wherein the reverberation plate is configured to output the input signal as an output signal at the bended surface; (d) an output transducer connected to the reverberation plate at the bended surface and configured to transmit the output signal; and (e) an output amplifier configured to receive the transmitted output signal from the output transducer and output an amplified output signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Inventor: James Lenger
  • Patent number: 11750992
    Abstract: A switching amplifier includes: a driver circuit with differential inputs and differential outputs; and a fault detection circuit coupled to the differential outputs. The fault detection circuit includes: a power supply input; and a sense circuit coupled to the differential outputs. The sense circuit includes: a first resistor between the power supply input and a positive output of the differential outputs; a second resistor between the positive output and ground; a third resistor between the power supply input and a negative output of the differential outputs; and a fourth resistor between the negative output and ground. The fault detection circuit also includes an analyzer circuit coupled to the sense circuit and configured to determine a fault location relative to the differential outputs based on an output of the sense circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED
    Inventors: Venkata Ramanan Ramamurthy, Mohit Chawla
  • Patent number: 11743669
    Abstract: The invention discloses rendering sound field signals, such as Higher-Order Ambisonics (HOA), for arbitrary loudspeaker setups, where the rendering results in highly improved localization properties and is energy preserving. This is obtained by rendering an audio sound field representation for arbitrary spatial loudspeaker setups and/or by a decoder that decodes based on a decode matrix (D). The decode matrix (D) is based on smoothing and scaling of a first decode matrix {circumflex over (D)} with smoothing coefficients. The first decode matrix {circumflex over (D)} is based on a mix matrix G and a mode matrix {tilde over (?)}, where the mix matrix G was determined based on L speakers and positions of a spherical modelling grid related to a HOA order N, and the mode matrix {tilde over (?)} was determined based on the spherical modelling grid and the HOA order N.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2023
    Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation
    Inventors: Johannes Boehm, Florian Keiler