Patents Examined by Ubachukwu Odunukwe
  • Patent number: 10524079
    Abstract: A directivity adjustment device that includes a test sound signal generator, a surface detector, and a content processor is described. The test sound signal generator generates test sound signals to scan a listening area (e.g., a room) in a nodding and rotating fashion. The test sounds are emitted by one or more loudspeaker arrays and are sensed by a microphone as they permeate throughout the listening area. The sensed sound is analyzed by the surface detector, to identify reflected sounds in relation to direct sound. Based on the amplitude variance between the peaks that represent the direct and reflected sounds reaching a predefined threshold, an adjusted directivity ratio for the content processor is selected or calculated, which results in a reduction of the level of reflected sounds and corresponding comb filtering effects. Other embodiments are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventor: Tomlinson M. Holman
  • Patent number: 10520184
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an audio lighting device, which includes a casing, a circuit board located within the casing, an audio guiding device located below the casing, a speaker, a bass tube, a heat dissipation device, a plurality of audio signal outlets and a light source part. The audio guiding device has a top ring sheet and a bottom audio shield located therebelow; the top ring sheet and the casing are sealed to form an audio box. The speaker is located in a central opening of the top ring sheet. The bass tube is disposed on the top ring sheet of the audio guiding device, so that the audio box has open-end conduit that facilitates the propagation and output of the low-frequency audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: XIAMEN ECO LIGHTING CO. LTD.
    Inventors: Jiaqing Zhuang, Zhenqi Yan, Maojin Zeng, Runfu Zhang
  • Patent number: 10523162
    Abstract: An integrated circuit includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier. A first impedance matching circuit is coupled to the first amplifier, a first charge pump, and a single MEMS transducer. A second impedance matching circuit is coupled to the second amplifier, a second charge pump, and to the single MEMS transducer. A first capacitive load as measured at an input of first amplifier, and a second capacitive load as measured at an input of the second amplifier exist. The first capacitive load and the second capacitive load are balanced with respect to each other. A single pressure change causes the single MEMS transducer to create a first electrical signal and a second electrical signal. Both the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal are matched or approximately matched in magnitude, and 180 degrees or approximately 180 degrees out of phase with respect to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2019
    Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: John J. Albers, Thomas Froehlich
  • Patent number: 10516925
    Abstract: The housing for a wireless audio speaker includes an inner threaded portion that is complimentary to a drinking bottle threaded neck portion, enabling the housed speaker to be screwed onto a drinking bottle neck. The housing contains a misting subsystem including an atomizer enabling expulsion of water from the bottle out of the speaker housing as a mist. The system includes an electronic chip that performs additional electronic functions including a built-in light emitting diode (LED). The system includes an attachment subsystem including a handlebar-type clamp with an extension having a replica threaded bottle neck to which the speaker housing can be attached. When attached to a person, the housed audio speaker can perform the additional electronic functions of: heart rate sensor, pedometer, step counting and recording, calorie calculation, and distance calculation. A lost phone alarm can be generated if the smartphone is left more than a predetermined distance away.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Inventors: Larry VanSickel, Wang Hai, Gu Wendong, Zhou Liang
  • Patent number: 10506361
    Abstract: A device in control of a speaker system may receive from one or more sensors information indicative of a user's location and/or body position. The device may use the information to the determine the user's location and/or body position and may adjust the outputs of speakers in the sound system. For example, the device may instruct a speaker to switch from outputting a first audio channel at a first volume level to outputting a second audio channel at a second volume level. If the user changes location or body position, the device may adjust the speaker's output to accommodate the user's new location and/or body position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Venkata Rajesh Pallamsetty, Srujana Veeramalla, Dheebu Kaithavana John
  • Patent number: 10506360
    Abstract: An acoustic spatial adjustment system may be provided that includes: a wireless communication module which receives a voice signal from a mobile terminal connected thereto by wireless communication; an adjustment controller which filters the voice signal in order to generate a sound source signal for focusing an output of the voice signal transmitted from the wireless communication module on a bright zone (BZ); an amplifier which divides the sound source signal transmitted from the adjustment controller into multi-channels and amplifies; and a plurality of speakers which output the sound source signal transmitted from the amplifier. As a result, the sound can be focused on a specific zone in the vehicle by using existing mounted speakers in the vehicle or by installing only additional speakers for performance improvement. Also, the individually distinguished sound (audio signal of a stereo system, CD, DVD, etc., a telephone voice signal connected by Bluetooth, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2019
    Assignee: SQAND CO. LTD.
    Inventor: Yang-Hann Kim
  • Patent number: 10499150
    Abstract: A microphone assembly includes a transducer and a processing circuit. The processing circuit includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to receive, sample and quantize an electrical signal generated by the transducer to generate a corresponding digital signal. The processing circuit includes a feedback path including a digital loop filter configured to receive and filter the digital signal to provide a first digital feedback signal and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to convert the first digital feedback signal into a corresponding analog feedback signal. The processing circuit additionally includes a summing node configured to combine the electrical signal and the analog feedback signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: Knowles Electronics, LLC
    Inventors: Mohammad Shajaan, Claus Erdmann Fürst, Per Flemming Høvesten, Kim Spetzler Berthelsen, Henrik Thomsen
  • Patent number: 10482895
    Abstract: Step size can be used to slow or freeze the adaptive filter to improve AEC system performance, such as during double talk events. An AEC control system may be used to adjust the step size based on an echo-to-disturbance energy ratio (EDER). The algorithm adjusts the step size to lower the adaptation rate when the EDER is small (or the combination of the near signal and noise is large compared to the echo) and raise the adaptation rate when the EDER is large (echo is large compared to a combination of near signal and noise).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.
    Inventors: Khosrow Lashkari, Justin Allen
  • Patent number: 10482868
    Abstract: A method of operating a playback device includes receiving source audio content that includes a first and second channel stream of audio. The method also includes playing back, via a first and second speaker driver of the playback device, the first and second channel streams of audio, thereby producing a first and second channel audio output. A captured stream of audio is received by a microphone of the playback device, and portions of the captured stream of audio correspond to the first and second channel audio outputs. The first and second channel streams of audio are combined into a compound audio signal, and acoustic echo cancellation is performed on the compound audio signal to produce an acoustic echo cancellation output, which is then applied to the captured stream of audio to increase the signal-to noise ratio of the captured stream of audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Saeed Bagheri Sereshki, Romi Kadri
  • Patent number: 10477316
    Abstract: An amplifier circuit is disclosed suitable for feeding a loudspeaker system having plural drivers. The amplifier circuit has an output stage and plural output connectors such that there is an output connector for each driver, wherein the output stage is connected separately to each output connector for independent connection to each driver. A method of feeding a loudspeaker system having plural drivers with an amplifier circuit having an output stage is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2019
    Assignee: Blueprint Acoustics Pty Ltd
    Inventors: Zeljko Velican, Walter Melville Dower
  • Patent number: 10453326
    Abstract: An alert system for generating a signal indicating at least one aspect of sound within a workspace environment, the system comprising at least a first sensor positioned one of within and proximate a workspace, the at least a first sensor sensing at least one aspect of sound generated within the workspace and generating a signal indicating the at least one aspect, a communication device located within the workspace, the communication device configured to generate a signal perceivable within the workspace and a processor receiving signals from the at least a first sensor and linked to the communication device, the processor programmed to perform the steps of identifying when the at least one aspect exceeds a threshold value and driving the communication device to indicate that the at least one aspect exceeds the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Steelcase Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Scheper, Matthew Warner, Karl Mead, Brett Kincaid, Kurt Heidmann
  • Patent number: 10455338
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for removing dust in a sound outlet hole of a loudspeaker and a terminal device are disclosed. The method includes reading a prestored audio frequency for removing dust; and playing the audio file for removing dust. When the loudspeaker plays the audio file for removing dust, a wind speed in the sound outlet hole is at a maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd.
    Inventor: Ling Ouyang
  • Patent number: 10453440
    Abstract: A method of noise filtering on a locomotive includes converting sounds received by one or more transducer at first and second period of times into first and second electric signals and comparing a value of a signal that varies with operation, movement, or both of the locomotive to a reference value. When the signal value is one of less than or greater than the reference value during the first period of time, a controller stores a first unfiltered digitized version of the first sound in a memory. When the signal value is the other of less than or greater than the reference value during the second period of time, the controller stores in the memory a second, filtered digitized version of the second sound that is filtered in a frequency spectrum associated with the second sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: Brian E. Kurz
  • Patent number: 10441806
    Abstract: A system capable of self-adjusting both sound level and spectral content to improve audibility and intelligibility of medical device audible cues. Audible cues are stored as sound files. Ambient noise is detected, and the output of the audible cues is altered based on the ambient noise. Various embodiments include processed sound files that are more robust in noisy environments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: PHYSIO-CONTROL, INC.
    Inventor: Robert Eugene Smith
  • Patent number: 10447221
    Abstract: Embodiments are provided for satellite volume control. An example method includes receiving an input at a playback device to adjust a volume for a plurality of playback devices that are grouped for synchronous playback of audio content, wherein the plurality of playback devices includes the playback device. The method also includes sending a first message over a network from the playback device to a device associated with the plurality of playback devices, the first message including information based on the input, wherein the information is used to adjust the volume of the plurality of playback devices. The method also includes receiving a second message at the playback device over the network, the second message including information for the volume of the playback device, wherein the volume is based on the adjusted volume of the plurality of playback devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Sonos, Inc.
    Inventors: Bob Dizon, Neil Griffiths, Luis R. Vega Zayas
  • Patent number: 10438579
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a rotating blade noise reduction device for reducing noise from a flight vehicle including rotating blades, the device includes loudspeakers, one or more reference microphones, an estimator, and a processor. The loudspeakers are arranged coaxially in a circumferential form for each of the rotating blades. The reference microphones acquire noise generated from the rotating blades and control sounds generated from the loudspeakers. The estimator estimates angular frequencies of the rotating blades. The processor generates control signals so as to reduce sound pressures at the reference microphones, delays the control signals by time delays corresponding to the loudspeakers dependent on installation angles between the loudspeakers arranged coaxially in a circumferential form from a circle center, the angular frequencies estimated, and a number of the loudspeakers, and inputs the control signals to the loudspeakers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tatsuhiko Goto, Akihiko Enamito
  • Patent number: 10439439
    Abstract: A device includes a first module having an electromagnetic loudspeaker having an inductive element configured to drive a membrane of the electromagnetic loudspeaker. A second module is coupled between the inductive element and a load. The second module is configured to carry out a contactless transfer of energy from an emitter to the load via the inductive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: STMicroelectronics (Grand Ouest) SAS
    Inventor: Lionel Cimaz
  • Patent number: 10433076
    Abstract: An audio processing device comprises a) at least one input unit for providing a time-frequency representation Y(k,n) of an electric input signal representing sound consisting of target speech and noise signal components, where k and n are frequency band and time frame indices, respectively, b) a noise reduction system configured to: determine a first signal to noise ratio estimate ?(k,n) of said electric input signal, and determine a second signal to noise signal ratio estimate ?(k,n) of said electric input signal from said first signal to noise ratio estimate ?(k,n) based on a recursive algorithm providing non-linear smoothing, and wherein parameters of said smoothing are determined in dependence of the first and/or the second signal to noise ratio estimates corresponding to a multitude of frequency band indices. The invention may be used in hearing aids, headsets, ear phones, active ear protection systems, handsfree telephone systems, mobile telephones, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: OTICON A/S
    Inventors: Jesper Jensen, Andreas Thelander Bertelsen, Michael Syskind Pedersen
  • Patent number: 10433072
    Abstract: The equipment of micro-acoustic detection analysis and the processing method of audio signal array based on this equipment, which is the field of micro-acoustic detection, could give a solution that having an excessive sound intensity lower limit using capacitor micro-acoustic detector, and using current way of audio signal processing could not identification and positioning for sound source from micro-acoustic detector at same time. This equipment detects sound pressure based on micro-acoustic detection cell of graphene membrane. The method includes separate the noise from audio signal, compare the extract audio feature and sound source position information with multi sound source signal stored in memory, identifying the target sound source, and the procedure of positioning the sound source according the sound source position information. This invention could be applied to the micro-acoustic detection and then identification and positioning using the detected sound source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: HARBIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Lin Yang, Jianwei Zhang, Chengyu Hou, Guojian Cao
  • Patent number: 10425717
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for an awareness intelligence headphone with an always listening mode. Headphone units share the ability to output audio sound to a user, but may not provide additional functionality that users may require. A headphone unit with the always listening mode is used to analyze ambient noise surrounding the headphone unit in order to detect predetermined sounds, issue alerts to a user, and respond to an input command from the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: SR HOMEDICS, LLC
    Inventor: Donald Earl Angel, Jr.