Abstract: A computer readable memory to direct a computer to improve the perceived audio quality of a speaker included in that computer. The computer readable memory stores a first, second and third set of instructions. The first set of instructions causes the computer to determine the speaker type. The second set of instructions causes the computer to select a set of default filter coefficients for a digital filter based upon the speaker type. Finally, the third set of instructions causes the computer to realize a digital parametric equalizer using a digital filter and the set of default filter coefficients. Thus, the digital filter alters the audio signal that is input to the speaker, thereby improving the perceived quality of the speaker.

Abstract: A system and process for finding the location of a sound source using direct approaches having weighting factors that mitigate the effect of both correlated and reverberation noise is presented. When more than two microphones are used, the traditional time-delay-of-arrival (TDOA) based sound source localization (SSL) approach involves two steps. The first step computes TDOA for each microphone pair, and the second step combines these estimates. This two-step process discards relevant information in the first step, thus degrading the SSL accuracy and robustness. In the present invention, direct, one-step, approaches are employed. Namely, a one-step TDOA SSL approach and a steered beam (SB) SSL approach are employed. Each of these approaches provides an accuracy and robustness not available with the traditional two-step approaches.

Abstract: A method to automatically and adaptively tune a leaky, normalized least-mean-square (LNLMS) algorithm so as to maximize the stability and noise reduction performance in feedforward adaptive noise cancellation systems. The automatic tuning method provides for time-varying tuning parameters ?k and ?k that are functions of the instantaneous measured acoustic noise signal, weight vector length, and measurement noise variance. The method addresses situations in which signal-to-noise ratio varies substantially due to nonstationary noise fields, affecting stability, convergence, and steady-state noise cancellation performance of LMS algorithms. The method has been embodied in the particular context of active noise cancellation in communication headsets. However, the method is generic, in that it is applicable to a wide range of systems subject to nonstationary, i.e., time-varying, noise fields, including sonar, radar, echo cancellation, and telephony.

Abstract: The sound volume adjustment system for a personal computer includes a memory in which sound volume setting information set for each application is registered, and a sound volume adjustment control unit for adjusting, for each application, sound volume data transferred from the application to an operating system based on the sound volume setting information to generate adjusted sound volume data and transferring the adjusted sound volume data to the operating system.

Abstract: A loudspeaker unit which requires no particular procedure for correction of the acoustic characteristic even if the installation environment of the loudspeaker unit changes, and which can correct, in addition to the frequency characteristic, a sound lag and a phase shift ascribable to the reverberation and an echo of a sound. The loudspeaker unit picks up a sound regenerating from the loud speaker with a microphone, and compares in real time a sound from a sound source with a regenerative sound, referring to a difference therebetween, with reference to the characteristic at an optional frequency and the characteristic of the reverberation or the echo each including the delay time, respectively, and corrects the signal to be sent to the loudspeaker by the result of arithmetic.

Abstract: This invention provides a system capable of transitioning from surround sound effect to stereo sound effect, and then to a monophonic sound effect using front speakers. A user may control the amount of surround sound effect that is combined with stereo sound effect, and the amount of stereo sound effect that is combined with monophonic sound effect. The user may also control the system to hear pure surround sound effect, stereo sound effect, or monophonic sound effect. The system may allow a user to control the contribution of a particular sound effect by controlling the relative proportions of the filtered dipole signals and the attenuated unfiltered dipole signals. The signal processing may be also done through an analog device. The system may also process some audio channels in an inverted form and compensate for these inversions by reversing the polarity of that output to the speaker, as well as accept two-channel and four-channel audio inputs.

Abstract: A headphone mounted 3-in-1 anti-noise radio sound-collection device is described. The device includes an anti-noise circuit system, a radio am/fm circuit system, and a sound collection system for receiving an external sound. The structure is wireless with a microphone and associated cables contained in the headphone headband. The microphone is provided to receive an external noise signal, and the device then generates a nullifying out of phase signal. The device uses a sound collection device to receive an external signal and an am/fm radio is also provided, all of which sound through the ear speakers on the headphone.

Abstract: An improved insert earphone for audiometric testing is provided, having a housing, a receiver located within the housing, a flexible eartip located externally to the housing, and a tube nipple acoustically coupled between the receiver and the flexible eartip. The flexible eartip has a flexible tube portion that is coupled to an output end of the tube nipple, which may be rigid. The housing and tube nipple are configured and arranged such that the angle between a longitudinal axis of the tube nipple and the vertical axis is obtuse, minimizing the stress on the ear canal when the flexible eartip is inserted therein. An acoustic damper may be located at or near the input end of the tube nipple to prevent ear wax from clogging the damper and minimize the need for damper replacement.

Abstract: A head-related impulse response to describe sound signals in a spatial environment is shown to accurately approximate three-dimensional sound data using limited computations, and can also be transformed for ease of computation. The head-related impulse response and disclosed computational methods thereof can be used to produce three-dimensional sound via a method described and refined. Implementations of the method can be used for applications with one or more sound sources, which may or may not have reflective information, and reproduced for a single listener or for multiple listeners.

Abstract: A method of performing sound effect comprising providing a headphone-like or earphone-like device with rear speakers carried therein, wherein the headphone-like or earphone-like device includes an opening for receiving the front speaker signal. Then, the signal is transmitted to the front, rear and sub-woofer signal to associated speakers. The signal to the rear speakers is processed by HRTF and means for creating virtual speakers to obtain virtual speakers of the rear side. The processed signal is transmitted to the rear speaker.

Abstract: An integrating apparatus to lower the levels of audio outputs of an on-board audio system immediately upon cessation of a noise level such as when a vehicle comes to a stop. Audio signals from an audio source are amplified through attenuating means by an amplifying means to drive a loudspeaker. An output of a microphone for detecting a noise is inputted to each of two integrating circuits, which have different fall time constants. Outputs of the integrating circuits are applied to a selectively outputting means, which selectively derives an output having a lower level among the outputs of the integrating circuits, and which then supplies the output as a control signal to the attenuating means. When the level of noise is high such as when the vehicle is running, the control signal has a high level and the attenuating means reduces an attenuation. Thus, the output of the audio source may be heard without a drift of the audio signal level.

Abstract: An audio signal processing method wherein it is detected whether the data supplied from an optical disk reproduction apparatus or the like has continuous zero data for a predetermined period of time, and in the case where zero data continue for the predetermined period of time, it is determined that compressed audio data is involved, and the supplied data is decoded.

Abstract: A mixing console has, for example, eight signal processing channels each for processing audio signals, and indicator units respectively for the signal processing channels. Each indicator unit is to display the channel number or the note name or another short message about the channel. Each channel is provided with a control element for commanding a control such as setting equalizer parameters. When a control element is actuated and held for more than one second, for example, such an actuation causes the designation of a channel about which a long message is displayed by using the indicator units for the eight channels in series.

Abstract: An earphone apparatus is designed for an audio device and a portable communication terminal device. The earphone apparatus includes a first plug for disconnectable connection with the audio device, and a second plug for disconnectable connection with the portable communication terminal device. An electroacoustical transducer connected to the first plug and the second plug is operative for converting a first electric signal transmitted via the first plug into corresponding sound, and for converting a second electric signal transmitted via the second plug into corresponding sound. A suitable controller provided between the first plug and the electroacoustical transducer is operative for controlling a level of the first electric signal transmitted to the electroacoustical transducer.

Abstract: An audio control signal transmission apparatus and reception apparatus, an audio control signal based control system and control method, a program information transmission apparatus and transmission method, and a program reservation apparatus and program reservation method which can realize a control system in which a control signal is superimposed on an audio signal so as to be transmitted and to operate at a distance a reception apparatus capable of receiving the signal and an apparatus connected to the reception apparatus.

Abstract: Means for compensating rear sound effect, comprising a headphone-like or an earphone-like device with rear speakers carried therein, the headphone-like or earphone-like device including an opening for receiving the front speaker signal, wherein the headphone-like or the earphone-like device includes a housing for receiving the rear speakers, wherein the housings opposite each other, the two housings being joined by a headband, to compose the headphone-like structure; an input plug with conductive wire connected to the housing; and wherein the earphone-like or headphone-like device cannot cover the whole ear for receiving the sound from the front speakers and sub-woofer speaker, the opening allowing the ears to listen the sound from the front speakers, the rear speakers being respectively located on both sides of the earphone-like or headphone-like device to provide virtual speaker of rear side without losing rear bass.

Abstract: A computing device allows selective output of audio signals within a frequency band. The computing device has a main system having an audio signal generator generating audio signals, a main audio outputting unit attached to the main system and outputting the generated audio signals, an auxiliary system connected to the main system and receiving the audio signals generated by the audio signal generating unit, and an auxiliary audio outputting unit attached to the auxiliary system and outputting the audio signals received in the auxiliary system A switching unit controls the audio signals to pass through a plurality of selectable filters filtering the audio signals within respective frequency bands and to supply the selected filtered audio signals to the main audio outputting unit, and to the auxiliary audio outputting unit, depending upon whether the auxiliary system is connected to the main system.

Abstract: The production of multidirectional or instantaneous live virtual surround sound broadcasting is obtained by positioning a plurality of microphones on an oval frame in a predetermined pattern and with a predetermined orientation, connecting the microphones to a virtual surround semiconductor chip and connecting outputs from the semiconductor chip to a pair of speakers.

Abstract: A multifunction analog input/output interface for a sound processing system reduces the number of I/O pins and system components by using a speaker as an output device, an input device, and/or a control device. The system includes an integrated circuit containing a multifunction pin for connection to the speaker, an output circuit that drives the speaker, and an input circuit that receives a signal from the speaker when sound or touching the speaker moves a magnet in the speaker. An activation circuit coupled to the multifunction pin, activates an operation of the integrated circuit when the speaker provides a signal above a threshold level. Thus, a single pin serves three functions, sound signal input, sound signal output, and operation activation. The operation activated can be, for example, a playback or record operation. A delay element in the activation circuit prevents reactivation of an operation until vibrations in the speaker from a completed operation have died away.

Abstract: Submersible headphones comprising an acoustic circuit in which the electro-acoustic transducer is separated from the open proximal end of the circuit by a length of small hollow tube, and the volume of air in the tube is at least equal to the volume of air in the transducer itself. When the headphones are accidentally dislodged from the ear at some depth below the surface of a body of water, the proportioning of the volume of the air in the tube so that it at least equals the volume of air in the transducer prevents water from traveling down the tube into contact with the transducer. The tube is constructed of hydrophobic material, which tends to prevent water from entering the small diameter tube at atmospheric pressure. Transducers that are suitable for use include piezoelectric transducers and bipolar armature transducers.