Patents Examined by David L Ton
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Patent number: 11641560Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 2, 2021Date of Patent: May 2, 2023Assignees: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation, Dolby International ABInventors: Leif Jonas Samuelsson, Dirk Jeroen Breebaart, David Matthew Cooper, Jeroen Koppens
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Patent number: 11638095Abstract: A method for improving the effective signal-to-noise ratio (“SNR”) of an analog to digital converter (“ADC”) for active loudspeakers uses the two available channels of a stereo ADC to separately process the low- and high-frequency components of an audio signal. Because the power spectral density of music approximates a pink noise spectrum, the high-frequency component of the signal has peak levels low enough to avoid exceeding the maximum ADC input level. The audio signal is analog high-pass filtered and the resulting high-frequency signal component is sent directly to a first ADC channel without attenuation. The remaining low-frequency component is attenuated and sent to a second ADC channel. The digital signals are processed, converted back to analog, amplified, and reproduced by loudspeaker drivers. Noise and distortion at low frequencies is less audible than higher frequencies, so the improved SNR at higher frequencies yields a significant practical improvement in audio fidelity.Type: GrantFiled: August 30, 2021Date of Patent: April 25, 2023Assignee: Barefoot Sound, LLCInventor: Thomas Barefoot
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Patent number: 11632627Abstract: A separate virtual (e.g. aural) location for one or more interaction or telephony call participants may provide an indication or clue for at least one of the call participants of who is speaking at any one time, reducing errors and misunderstandings during the call. Auditory localization may be used so that participants are heard from separate virtual locations. An audible user interface (AUI) may be produced such that audio presented to the listening user is location-specific, the location being relevant to the user, just as information presented in a graphical user interface (GUI) might be relevant. For example, a plurality of audio streams which are part of an interaction between communicating parties may be accepted, and based on the audio streams, a plurality of audio outputs may be provided, each located at a different location in three-dimensional space.Type: GrantFiled: June 17, 2021Date of Patent: April 18, 2023Assignee: INCONTACT, INC.Inventors: Adam Samuel Horrocks, Matthew Lawrence Page, Nathan Edwin Boden, Christopher Garn Seaman
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Patent number: 11626097Abstract: Systems and methods for audio listening devices, comprise a speaker coupled to a first housing, a sound port having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled to the first housing, and the second end is configured to be inserted in an ear canal of a person such that sound waves emitted from the speaker propagates via a secondary path to the ear canal through the sound port, active noise cancellation (ANC) components configured to generate anti-noise signals through the micro-speakers to cancel external noise, and a first microphone disposed within the sound port at the second end of the sound port such that the first microphone is configured to detect the anti-noise signal that propagates through the sound port via the secondary path and the external noise that propagates via a primary path.Type: GrantFiled: October 5, 2020Date of Patent: April 11, 2023Assignee: Google LLCInventors: Wensen Liu, Govind Kannan, Jayvon Timmons, Trausti Thormundsson
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Patent number: 11616871Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: July 26, 2021Date of Patent: March 28, 2023Assignee: Pinn, Inc.Inventor: Seung Jin Kim
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Patent number: 11606642Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: June 9, 2021Date of Patent: March 14, 2023Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventors: Anthony S. Doy, Eric J. King
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Patent number: 11601738Abstract: Display panel and display apparatus including the same. A display panel includes a first substrate including a display portion configured to display an image, a second substrate attached to the first substrate by an adhesive member, and a vibration generating module within the adhesive member to overlap the display portion. The vibration generating module is surrounded by the second substrate and the adhesive member.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: March 7, 2023Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.Inventors: YongGyoon Jang, Yong-Su Ham, YongWoo Lee, Kyungyeol Ryu
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Patent number: 11594208Abstract: An information processing device includes a first acquisition unit that acquires biological information on a user, a first judgment execution unit that executes a first judgment on whether a first discomfort condition is satisfied or not based on first discomfort condition information specifying the first discomfort condition and the biological information, a second acquisition unit that acquires a sound signal, an acoustic feature detection unit that detects an acoustic feature based on the sound signal, a second judgment execution unit that executes a second judgment on whether a second discomfort condition is satisfied or not based on second discomfort condition information specifying the second discomfort condition and the acoustic feature, and an output judgment unit that judges whether first masking sound should be outputted or not based on a result of the first judgment and a result of the second judgment.Type: GrantFiled: November 3, 2021Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONInventors: Kaori Handa, Masaru Kimura
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Patent number: 11581865Abstract: An audio system has an amplifier for driving an audio actuator and includes a switched-mode power supply that draws power from a power source (e.g., battery) to supply power to the amplifier, a capacitor charged by the switched-mode power supply to supply power to the amplifier, and a feed-forward compressor that performs dynamic range compression of an audio input to provide an audio output for amplification by the amplifier. The compressor includes a sidechain frequency-biasing filter that generates a frequency-biased version of the audio input that is attenuated as frequency increases which causes the compressor to decrease the compression as frequency increases. A control block limits current drawn from the battery by the switched-mode power supply independent of audio input frequency, but the frequency-biasing filter enables the amplifier to service audio power transients greater than the current-limited power supply can supply by advantageously concurrently sourcing extra power from the capacitor.Type: GrantFiled: May 18, 2021Date of Patent: February 14, 2023Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventor: Miles Klett Roberto
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Patent number: 11567510Abstract: An ambient sound environment is captured by a microphone array of an autonomous vehicle traveling in the ambient sound environment. A perception module of the autonomous vehicle classifies sounds and localizes sound sources in the ambient sound environment. Classification is performed using spectrum analysis and/or machine learning. In an embodiment, sound sources within a field of view (FOV) of an image sensor of the autonomous vehicle are localized in a visual scene generated by the perception module. In an embodiment, one or more sound sources outside the FOV of the image sensors are localized in a static digital map. Localization is performed using parametric or non-parametric techniques and/or machine learning. The output of the perception module is input into a planning module of the autonomous vehicle to plan a route or trajectory for the autonomous vehicle in the ambient sound environment.Type: GrantFiled: January 24, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Assignee: Motional AD LLCInventors: Metarsit Leenayongwut, Weng Fei Low
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Patent number: 11568852Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: December 15, 2020Date of Patent: January 31, 2023Inventor: James Lenger
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Patent number: 11564052Abstract: 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 passiveType: GrantFiled: July 30, 2021Date of Patent: January 24, 2023Assignee: Biamp Systems, LLCInventor: Xian Yu
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Patent number: 11546579Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 1, 2021Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: THE NIELSEN COMPANY (US), LLCInventors: Christen V. Nielsen, Dan Nelson
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Patent number: 11545125Abstract: An electronic system includes a fan module, an embedded controller, an error microphone, an active noise cancellation controller, and a micro speaker module. The error microphone is configured to output an error signal by detecting the noise level during the operation of the electronic system. According to the error signal and the fan information provided by the embedded controller, the active noise cancellation controller calculates the narrow-band noises associated with the actual single-blade fundamental frequency noise and the actual BPF fundamental frequency noise generated by the fan module, and drives the micro speaker module accordingly for providing a noise cancellation signal. The error signal may be reduced to zero by adaptively adjusting the noise cancellation signal for canceling the noises generated during the operation of the electronic system.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 2021Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Assignee: ACER INCORPORATEDInventors: Jia-Ren Chang, Ruey-Ching Shyu
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Patent number: 11545949Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 11, 2020Date of Patent: January 3, 2023Inventors: Robert Coover, Jeffrey Scott, Markus K Cremer, Aneesh Vartakavi
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Patent number: 11538451Abstract: A playback device is configured to receive, via a network interface, a source stream of audio including first and second channel streams of audio, and to produce, via respective first and second speaker drivers, a first channel audio output and a second channel audio output. The playback device is also configured to receive, via one or more microphones, a captured stream of audio including first and second portions corresponding to the respective first and second channel audio outputs. The playback device is also configured to combine at least the first channel stream of audio and the second channel stream of audio into a compound audio signal and perform acoustic echo cancellation on the compound audio signal and thereby produce an acoustic echo cancellation output, then to apply the acoustic echo cancellation output to the captured stream of audio and thereby increase a signal-to noise ratio of the captured stream of audio.Type: GrantFiled: January 11, 2021Date of Patent: December 27, 2022Assignee: Sonos, Inc.Inventors: Saeed Bagheri Sereshki, Romi Kadri
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Patent number: 11533035Abstract: An example speaker for providing alerts includes: a housing and a cover forming an integrated unit; a microphone configured to sense an ambient noise level; and a processor configured to adjust a volume of the speaker based upon the ambient noise level. A hinge can be positioned between the housing and the cover to allow the cover to be pivoted relative to the housing from a close position to an open position.Type: GrantFiled: September 2, 2020Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Federal Signal CorporationInventors: Scott M. Cassidy, Lonnie E. Moravetz, Mark J. Dietel
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Patent number: 11533574Abstract: A method is used for detecting whether a device is being worn, when the device comprises a first transducer and a second transducer. It is determined when a signal detected by at least one of the first and second transducers represents speech. It is then determined when said speech contains speech of a first acoustic class and speech of a second acoustic class. A first correlation signal is generated, representing a correlation between signals generated by the first and second transducers during at least one period when said speech contains speech of the first acoustic class. A second correlation signal is generated, representing a correlation between signals generated by the first and second transducers during at least one period when said speech contains speech of the second acoustic class. It is then determined from the first correlation signal and the second correlation signal whether the device is being worn.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2021Date of Patent: December 20, 2022Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventor: John P. Lesso
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Patent number: 11514878Abstract: A method of using an acoustic resonator including receiving at a first stage of a resonator an incoming acoustic wave. The method further includes resonating the incoming wave with a flexible membrane, a taper of the flexible membrane, and a cavity of a first stage, thereby producing synergistic effect on a resulting acoustic resonance. Additionally, the method includes transforming an acoustic energy associated with the incoming acoustic wave into an elastic energy, wherein the elastic energy is channeled through the flexible membrane, thereby reducing an intensity of the incoming acoustic wave and resulting in a first reduced incoming acoustic wave. Further the method includes transferring the first reduced incoming acoustic wave through a hole of a neck of the flexible membrane. The method also includes transferring a first pressure wave caused by a perturbation in the flexible membrane into a second stage, thereby producing a second acoustic wave.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2019Date of Patent: November 29, 2022Assignee: Purdue Research FoundationInventors: Fabio Semperlotti, Mehdi Jokar
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Patent number: 11501209Abstract: In a behavior identification method, surrounding sound is acquired, a feature value that is specified by a spectrum pattern included in spectrum information generated from sound made by a person performing a predetermined behavior is extracted from the sound acquired, the predetermined behavior is identified by the feature value, and information indicating the predetermined behavior identified is output.Type: GrantFiled: November 12, 2019Date of Patent: November 15, 2022Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CORPORATION OF AMERICAInventors: Kousuke Itakura, Ko Mizuno