Patents Examined by Douglas J Suthers
  • Patent number: 12219316
    Abstract: A headphone device including (i) a first and second earpiece, (ii) a headbow adjustably connecting the first and second earpiece, wherein the first and/or the second earpiece is extendable from the headbow, and wherein the headbow includes (a) an inner cavity and (b) a fastener positioned within the inner cavity at a midpoint of the headbow, and (iii) a cable assembly including a cable formed into a sinusoidal pattern when the cable assembly is in a resting position, the cable assembly extending between the first and second earpieces and positioned within the inner cavity in the resting position such that the cable assembly is extendable within the inner cavity from the resting position when the first and/or second earpieces are extended from the headbow, and wherein a midpoint of the cable assembly is fixed, within the inner cavity, at the midpoint of the headbow via the fastener.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Dieter Rapitsch, Patrice Billaudet
  • Patent number: 12219319
    Abstract: Various implementations include audio devices and methods for noise reduction control in wearable audio devices and/or vehicle audio systems. Certain implementations include a non-occluding wearable audio device having: at least one electro-acoustic transducer; at least one microphone; and a control system coupled with the at least one electro-acoustic transducer and the at least one microphone, the control system programmed to: adjust an active noise reduction (ANR) setting for audio output to the at least one electro-acoustic transducer in response to detecting use of the non-occluding wearable audio device in a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2025
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Brandon Lee Olmos, Lei Cheng, Ray Scott Wakeland, Jahn Dmitri Eichfeld, Travis Lee Hein, Yashar M. Aval, Siamak Farahbakhsh
  • Patent number: 12212939
    Abstract: Provided is a target sound extraction technique based on a steering vector generation method enabling instability in a calculation to be prevented when a neural network is trained by using an error back propagation method to reduce an estimation error of a beamformer. A target sound signal generation apparatus generates a target sound signal yt,f corresponding to a target sound included in an observed sound from an observed signal vector xt,f corresponding to the observed sound collected by using a plurality of microphones. The target sound signal generation apparatus includes a mask generation unit, a steering vector generation unit, a beamformer vector generation unit, and a target sound signal generation unit. The mask generation unit is configured as a neural network trained by using an error back propagation method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2025
    Assignee: NIPPON TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakatani, Keisuke Kinoshita, Marc Delcroix
  • Patent number: 12192742
    Abstract: An object of the present disclosure is to provide a filter generation device and a filter generation method, capable of generating a filter suitable for out-of-head localization processing. A processing device according to an embodiment includes: a frequency characteristics acquisition unit configured to acquire frequency characteristics based on sound pickup signals; a level calculation unit configured to calculate a reference level in the frequency characteristics; a correction unit configured to correct the frequency characteristics so that the frequency characteristics fall within a predetermined level range including the reference level, and thereby calculate corrected characteristics; and a filter generation unit configured to generate a corrected filter based on the corrected characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: JVCKENWOOD Corporation
    Inventors: Hisako Murata, Takahiro Gejo, Yumi Fujii, Masaya Konishi
  • Patent number: 12170883
    Abstract: Spatial audio is rendered at a companion device or server connected to a wearable device, where the spatial audio is rendered based on a first pose estimate of the wearable device that is estimated at the companion device or server. The rendered spatial audio is then transmitted to the wearable device. The rendered spatial audio is refined at the wearable device based on a second pose estimate of the wearable device that is estimated at the wearable device. The refined spatial audio is then provided for playback via speakers of the wearable device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2024
    Assignee: GOOGLE LLC
    Inventors: Mugur Marculescu, John D. Muir, Pierric Gimmig
  • Patent number: 12167197
    Abstract: An audio device may be configured to have multiple modes of operation. The mode of the device may be associated with a particular geometric configuration of the device, such as by swiveling an arm of the device and/or changing the orientation of the device with respect to gravity and/or a surface (e.g., table) on which the device rests. The device may determine the appropriate state based on the current geometry, and based on the state may tune the device for a particular operation suited for that geometry. For example, different signal processing parameters may be applied, different microphones may be enabled and disabled, and/or different acoustic conditions may be provided (for example, different modes of a passive radiator) based on the mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2024
    Assignee: Shure Acquisition Holdings, Inc.
    Inventors: Brent Robert Shumard, Walter Timothy Harwood, Michael Knappe
  • Patent number: 12148284
    Abstract: A workspace assembly includes at least a first sound sensor located in a first facility space, at least one communication device located within the first space, and a processor in communication with the at least a first sound sensor and the communication device. The processor is adapted to compare the volume of sound emanating from within the first space to a threshold level and to generate a signal via the communication device when the volume of sound emanating from within the first space exceeds the threshold level. The processor also periodically automatically adjusts the threshold level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2024
    Assignee: Steelcase Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Scheper, Matthew Warner, Karl Mead, Brett Kincaid, Kurt Heidmann
  • Patent number: 12126311
    Abstract: An apparatus or method to allow a user to control an audio processing operation of an internal and/or external microphone(s). The method includes providing a configurable user interface which enables mixing of audio signals through interaction with the user interface. The audio signals may be captured with internal or external microphones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2024
    Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy
    Inventors: Birgir Magnusson, Koray Ozcan
  • Patent number: 12114125
    Abstract: A noise cancellation processing method, device and apparatus are provided. The noise cancellation processing method includes: collecting first voice data in a surrounding environment by using a noise-cancelling earphone in response to detecting that the noise-cancelling earphone is in a wearing state and a noise cancellation mode is enabled; extracting to-be-recognized voiceprint feature information according to the first voice data; identifying similarities between registered voiceprint feature information stored in a registered voiceprint database and the to-be-recognized voiceprint feature information entry by entry; and in response to at least one of the similarities being greater than a first preset threshold, performing a preset action in the noise-cancelling earphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignees: INVENTEC APPLIANCES (PUDONG) CORPORATION, INVENTEC APPLIANCES (SHANGHAI) CO. LTD., INVENTEC APPLIANCES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Wei Shen
  • Patent number: 12112735
    Abstract: A noise cancellation system for a vehicle, with a microphone for receiving noise and generating a corresponding noise signal; a loudspeaker for emitting an acoustic wave according to a cancellation signal to cancel the noise; a control unit comprising a memory and a controller; wherein the memory has a noise filter; and wherein the controller is configured to obtain at least a vehicle related information of the vehicle; to configure the noise filter based on the at least one vehicle related information; and to generate a cancellation signal based on the noise signal and the noise filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: AGCO International GmbH
    Inventor: Daniel Vonroth
  • Patent number: 12112734
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure set forth a method of reducing noise in an audio signal. The method includes determining, based on sensor data acquired from a first set of sensors, a first position of a user in an environment. The method also includes acquiring, via the first set of sensors, one or more audio signals associated with sound in the environment and identifying one or more noise elements in the one or more audio signals. The method also includes generating a first directional audio signal based on the one or more noise elements. When the first directional audio signal is outputted by a first speaker, the first speaker produces a first acoustic field that attenuates the one or more noise elements at the first position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2024
    Assignee: Harman International Industries, Incorporated
    Inventor: Donald Joseph Butts
  • Patent number: 12100380
    Abstract: A system comprising a feedback device comprising one or more elements operable to generate an output in response to an input from a processing device, a microphone operable to capture one or more audio inputs, an input detection unit operable to detect one or more inputs to the feedback device from the processing device, and a response generation unit operable to generate a response to the detected input in dependence upon the input and at least a distance between an element associated with the corresponding output and the microphone.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2024
    Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Calum Armstrong, Michael Lee Jones
  • Patent number: 12089668
    Abstract: Provided is a mask apparatus. The mask apparatus includes a mask body in which a microphone and a speaker are installed, a face guard coupled to a rear surface of the rear body so as to be in close contact with a user's face and having a breathing space therein, a pressure sensor installed in the mask body to measure a pressure of the breathing space, and a controller configured to compare a current pressure value measured by the pressure sensor to a reference pressure value and control a voice output of the speaker based on a difference between the current pressure value and the reference pressure value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Minsoo Kim, Jinmoo Park, Seonghun Lee, Junchan Kwon, Sooyong Park
  • Patent number: 12091822
    Abstract: A system for actively attenuating acoustic vibrations of a rail for rail traffic is provided including at least one sensor for detecting at least a vertical acoustic vibration of the rail, at least one actuator for exciting at least a vertical counter-vibration of the rail and at least one control unit communicatively connected to the at least one sensor and the at least one actuator for controlling the at least one actuator depending on the vibration detected by the sensor, the counter-vibration being adapted to destructively interfere with the detected vibration, and the at least one actuator being mechanically coupled to the rail and to a carrier element supporting the rail. Also provided is a carrier element for the system and a method for actively attenuating acoustic vibrations of a rail for rail traffic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2024
    Assignee: STABILUS GMBH
    Inventors: Markus Müller, Joshua Burrell, Alexander Hüsch, Marian Bochen, Luis De Jesus
  • Patent number: 12089014
    Abstract: A remote control with a microphone subsystem comprising a pair of internal microphones is shown and described. When connected to a remote-control base station that is itself connected to an external power source, the microphone subsystem is continuously energized by the external power source, and the pair of internal microphones operate as far field microphones that receive oral commands uttered by a user from a distance. When the remote control is removed from the base, the microphone subsystem is configured for selective connection to an internal power source by actuating a user control on the remote control. In the external power source mode, signals from both microphones are digitally processed to provide a far-field microphone array with beam forming. In the direct current mode, only one microphone's signals are digitally processed as a simple monaural signal (or they are not digitally processed).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2022
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2024
    Assignee: Vizio, Inc.
    Inventors: W. Leo Hoarty, Glen Gihong Kim
  • Patent number: 12081952
    Abstract: Systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, methods are disclosed to reshape fan noise of a fan of an electronic device. An example system includes a microphone to detect a first acoustic signal including fan noise. The example system also includes a processor to: identify a tone in the first acoustic signal; and determine a gain to add to the first acoustic signal to mask the tone. In addition, the example system includes a sound transducer to present a second acoustic signal including the gain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventors: Shantanu D. Kulkarni, Jeff Ku, Sumod Cherukkate, Tongyan Zhai, Srikanth Potluri, Jordan E. Maslov
  • Patent number: 12080307
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides methods, devices and computer program products for encoding and decoding a stereo audio signal based on an input signal. According to the disclosure, a hybrid approach of using both parametric stereo coding and a discrete representation of the stereo audio signal is used which may improve the quality of the encoded and decoded audio for certain bitrates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2023
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2024
    Assignee: DOLBY INTERNATIONAL AB
    Inventors: Heiko Purnhagen, Kristofer Kjoerling
  • Patent number: 12075218
    Abstract: A hearing protection apparatus, a related method, and a server device is disclosed. The hearing protection apparatus comprises a set of microphones comprising a first microphone and a second microphone; a first positioning device for provision of first position data of the hearing protection apparatus; and a communication device connectable to the first microphone and the second microphone and the first positioning device, the communication device comprising a processing unit and an interface; wherein the processing unit is configured to: obtain a first audio input signal from the first microphone and a second audio input signal from the second microphone; determine first audio data based on the first audio input signal and the second audio input signal; and transmit the first audio data and the first position data to a radio unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: Falcom A/S
    Inventors: Casper Silbo Raft, Søren Christian V. Pedersen, Jesse Caster
  • Patent number: 12069452
    Abstract: An audio circuit includes N (N?1) input pins each of which receive input of a digital audio signal or an analog audio signal. When analog audio signals are input to the N input pins, an audio interface circuit applies a bias voltage to each of the N input pins via a bias resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: ROHM CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Mitsuteru Sakai
  • Patent number: 12069460
    Abstract: Provided is a vibration diaphragm, comprising a wireless transmission unit which is arranged on one side of the vibration diaphragm where a voice coil can be fixed, and is used for electrically connecting with the voice coil, wirelessly receiving an audio signal transmitted from an external terminal and processing the audio signal to obtain audio current, and inputting the audio current into the voice coil; and a wireless charging unit which is electrically connected with the wireless transmission unit, generating electric energy under an action of an external power supply module and inputting the electric energy into the wireless transmission unit. Also provided are a vibration assembly, a sound generator and a sound generator module. With integration of the receiving and processing of audio signal on the vibration diaphragm, long-distance routing of a voice coil lead of the voice coil is avoided, noise is reduced, and product quality is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignee: Goertek Inc.
    Inventors: Xinxiang Huo, Dan Han