Abstract: A sun visor assembly includes a body having a first face, a second face and an internal receiver between the first face and the second face. The sun visor assembly also includes a microphone that his held in the internal receiver as well as a baffle that is carried on the body and configured to efficiently and effectively direct sound toward the microphone.

Abstract: Methods of encoding voice data for loading into an artificial intelligence (AI) integrated circuit are provided. The AI integrated circuit may have an embedded cellular neural network for implementing AI tasks based on the loaded voice data. An encoding method may generate a two-dimensional (2D) frequency-time array from an audio waveform, apply a probability function to the 2D frequency-time array to generate a set of 2D arrays, load the set of 2D arrays into the AI integrated circuit, execute programming instructions contained in the AI integrated circuit to feed the set of 2D arrays into the embedded cellular neural network in the AI integrated circuit to generate a voice recognition result, and output the voice recognition result. The encoding method also trains a convolution neural network (CNN) and loads the weights of the CNN into the AI integrated circuit for implementing the AI tasks.

Abstract: Example embodiments disclosed herein relate to content-adaptive surround sound virtualization. A method of virtualizing surround sound is disclosed. The method includes receiving a set of input audio signals, each of the input audio signals being indicative of sound from one of different sound sources, and determining a probability of the set of input audio signals belonging to a predefined audio content category. The method also includes determining a virtualization amount based on the determined probability, the virtualization amount indicating to which extent the set of input audio signals is virtualized as surround sound. The method further includes performing surround sound virtualization on two or more input audio signals in the set based on the determined virtualization amount and generating output audio signals based on the virtualized input audio signals and other input audio signals in the set. Corresponding system and computer program product for virtualizing surround sound are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method detects whether an ear mold of a listening device is correctly mounted in the ear of a user. An indication of whether or not a mold of a listening device is correctly mounted in an ear canal of a user is provided. The method comprises a) providing a long term estimate of the feedback path; b) providing an estimate of the current feedback path; c) comparing the long term feedback path estimate with the current feedback path estimate, and providing a measure of their difference, termed the feedback difference measure FBDM; and optionally d) providing an alarm indication, if the feedback difference measure exceeds a predefined threshold.

Abstract: The present technology relates to an amplifier, an audio signal output method, and an electronic device that can inhibit unintended sound output in a class D amplifier that changes a peak value of a PWM signal. The amplifier includes: a positive-side amplitude generating circuit configured to generate positive-side amplitude of an output PWM signal that is a PWM signal to be output outside an apparatus; a negative-side amplitude generating circuit configured to generate negative-side amplitude of the output PWM signal; and a feedback circuit configured to feed back a difference between the amplitude generated by the positive-side amplitude generating circuit and the amplitude generated by the negative-side amplitude generating circuit to the positive-side amplitude generating circuit and the negative-side amplitude generating circuit. The present technology is applicable, for example, to an amplifier or the like of an electronic device such as an audio player.

Abstract: A sound output and pickup device is provided with a speaker system, a microphone, and a housing. The housing includes inside the speaker system, the microphone, and a wall that divides a space in which the speaker system is stored and a space in which the microphone is stored. The wall has a through hole. The distance from the through hole to the outside of the housing is shorter than the distance from the through hole to the microphone.

Abstract: A method for modifying sound in a motor vehicle that has an audio system. The audio system has at least one electro-acoustic transducer that creates sound from audio signals. An initial audio signal that represents a particular vehicle sound is provided, where the initial audio signal has a plurality of signal properties. A modified audio signal is then provided to the audio system, based on at least one current motor vehicle operating condition. The modified audio signal includes at least one modified signal property that differs from that of the initial audio signal. The at least one signal property is modified by a modification process that relates to a vehicle operating condition.

Abstract: Disclosed is an audio signal processing method. The audio signal processing method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: receiving a bit-stream including at least one of a channel signal and an object signal; receiving a user's environment information; decoding at least one of the channel signal and the object signal on the basis of the received bit-stream; generating the user's reproducing channel information on the basis of the user's received environment information; and generating a reproducing signal through a flexible renderer on the basis of at least one of the channel signal and the object signal and the user's reproducing channel information.

Abstract: Systems and methods disclosed herein include, while a microphone of a first networked microphone device is enabled, determining whether a first reference device is in a specific state, and in response to determining that the first reference device is in the specific state, disabling the microphone of the first networked microphone device. Some embodiments further include, while the microphone of the first networked microphone device is enabled, receiving a command to disable the microphone of the first networked microphone device via one of the microphone of the networked microphone device or a network interface of the networked microphone device, and in response to receiving the command to disable the microphone of the networked microphone device via one of the microphone of the networked microphone device or the network interface of the networked microphone device, disabling the microphone of the networked microphone device.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise within an acoustic signal includes receiving at least a primary acoustic signal from a primary microphone and a secondary acoustic signal from a different, secondary microphone, wherein the primary acoustic signal includes a speech component emanating from a user and a noise component. The method also includes measuring a first value of a first coefficient based on the primary and secondary signals and performing a noise cancellation process based on the measured first value of the first coefficient to produce a set of noise-cancelled primary sub-bands. The method also includes generating, by the processor, a set of multiplicative gain mask values, the multiplicative gain mask values having a frequency dependency that is based at least in part on a pre-indicated approximate sound pressure level of the speech component.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a piezoelectric speaker 30 includes a sheet member 32 and multiple piezoelectric vibration parts 31. The multiple piezoelectric vibration parts 31 each have a vibration plate 311 supported on the sheet member 32 in a vibratable manner, as well as a piezoelectric element 312 joined to the vibration plate 311. In an embodiment, the piezoelectric speaker 30 in combination with a dynamic speaker 20 constitutes an electroacoustic transducer 104L/104R, and a pair of the electroacoustic transducers 104L, 104R constitute headphones 100. The piezoelectric speaker can improve sound pressures without lowering the resonance frequency.

Abstract: A photoinduction loudspeaker, photoinduction loudspeaker control method and apparatus are provided. The photoinduction loudspeaker includes a loudspeaker and a photoinduction device. The photoinduction device is configured to acquire a light intensity value of an ambient environment where the loudspeaker is located and the photoinduction device transmits the light intensity value to the loudspeaker. The loudspeaker controls its own playing status based on the light intensity value. The photoinduction loudspeaker in the present invention is capable of identifying the ambient environment for selecting its own playing status based on the ambient environment in order to provide more intelligent service for a user.

Abstract: An audio system that adjusts one or more beam patterns emitted by one or more loudspeaker arrays based on the preferences of users/listeners is described. The audio system includes an audio receiver that contains a listener location estimator, a listener identifier, and a voice command processor. Inputs from the listener location estimator, the listener identifier, and the voice command processor are fed into an array processor. The array processor drives the one or more loudspeaker arrays to emit beam patterns into the listening area based on inputs from each of these devices. By examining the location, preferred usage settings, and voice commands from listeners, the generated beam patterns are customized to the explicit and implicit preferences of the listeners with minimal direct input. Other embodiments are also described.

Abstract: An acoustic conversion device for an active noise control is provided. The acoustic conversion device can effectively suppress or remove noise by controlling variation in a lowest resonance frequency. A volume of a closed space is smaller than an equivalent compliance air volume of a speaker unit. Therefore, motion of a vibration plate, an edge and a damper is suppressed, it is possible to restrain the edge and the damper from being deteriorated with time, variation in lowest resonance frequency can be suppressed, phase of emitted sound can be less prone to be deviated from opposite phase of noise, and it is possible to effectively suppress or remove noise.

Abstract: A digital microphone is provided. The digital microphone includes an acoustic sensor, a bias generator, first and second attenuators, a buffer, an amplifier, an ADC, and a controller. The acoustic sensor transfers an acoustic signal to a voltage signal. The bias generator provides a bias voltage to the acoustic sensor. The first attenuator attenuates the voltage signal by a first attenuation value. The buffer buffers the voltage signal to generate a buffered voltage signal. The amplifier amplifies the buffered voltage signal to generate an amplified signal. The ADC converts the amplified signal to a data signal with a digital format. The second attenuator attenuates the data signal by a second attenuation value. The controller determines whether the amplified signal is larger than a reference value and adjusts the bias voltage and the first and second attenuation values of the first and second attenuators according to the result determined by the controller.

Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling sensors include analyzing streams of sensor data from respective sensors to determine if multiple streams from the plurality of streams share a context. All but one sensor is deactivated associated with the multiple streams to conserve battery power across the sensors.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing cross-talk between transmitted audio signals and received audio in a headset. The headset includes one or more of a set of earphones, a headset frame, a microphone boom with an array of MEMS microphone configured to isolate the earphone audio from the microphone audio, a VOX circuit, low crosstalk cable(s), and/or other components. Sets of microphones may be enabled and/or disabled to reduce cross-talk between received audio signals and transmitted audio signals. The VOX circuit is configured to reduce cross-talk between received audio signals and transmitted audio signals.

Abstract: A headset including a wireless communication unit configured to provide wireless communication; a first microphone mounted on the headset; and a second microphone to be placed within an ear of the user wearing the headset; a controller configured to receive a phone call via the wireless communication unit from an external device, select either one of the first microphone or the second microphone to receive a voice signal of the user responding to the received phone call, in response to the selection of the first microphone, receive the voice signal of the user through the first microphone, correct a sound quality of the voice signal received through the first microphone, and transmit the corrected voice signal to the external device, and in response to the selection of the second microphone, receive the voice signal of the user from the external auditory canal of the ear of the user having the second microphone placed therein, correct a sound quality of the voice signal received through the second microphone

Abstract: An audio cross-connect headphone with an audio cross-connect. A first embodiment has an acoustical cross-connect duct. A second embodiment has a first time delay circuit configured generate a time delayed right stereo signal and mix the time delayed right stereo signal with a left stereo signal, and a second time delay circuit configured to generate a time delayed left stereo signal and mix the time delayed left stereo signal with the right stereo signal. A third embodiment has a Resister-Inductor-Capacitor (RLC) circuit, wherein the right speaker ground wire and left speaker ground wire both split and terminate on a first node of the RLC circuit, then both resume from the second node of the RLC circuit towards the left speaker and right speaker. A fourth embodiment, similar to the third, but the speaker ground wires from the speakers join, but do not connect to the RLC circuit.

Abstract: A noise-cancelling headphone is provided that avoids an influence of the wind and prevents degradation in the sound quality of the reproduced sound output from a driver unit. The noise-cancelling headphone includes an ear piece including a housing unit having an interior and an exterior, a driver unit attached to the housing unit, and a microphone collecting external sounds at the exterior of the housing unit. The housing unit includes an accommodating portion accommodating the microphone and a sound collecting hole establishing the communication between the accommodating portion and the exterior of the housing unit. The accommodating portion is disposed in an upper portion of the housing unit of the noise-cancelling headphone when worn by the user. The sound collecting hole is open toward the upper side of the housing unit of the noise-cancelling headphone when worn by the user.