Patents Examined by Vivian Chin
-
Patent number: 9967672Abstract: Seat systems and vehicle audio systems are provided. In one example, a seat system includes a seat including at least a first armrest, and a first acoustic element attached to the first armrest and configured to radiate acoustic energy to a surface in a forward facing direction of the seat.Type: GrantFiled: November 11, 2015Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: ClearMotion Acquisition I LLCInventor: Michael Rosen
-
Patent number: 9961375Abstract: A method of removing common mode noise in a vehicle includes: a radio frequency (RF) switch connecting a feeder cable ground to a common mode (CM) filter or a digital signal processor (DSP) according to a selection signal of an amplitude modulation (AM) broadcast or a frequency modulation (FM) broadcast selected by a user and the CM filter increasing impedance of the feeder cable ground to remove the common mode noise.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2016Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Hyundai Motor CompanyInventors: Kwang Woo Ryu, Jang Soon Han
-
Patent number: 9959852Abstract: A method includes performing a harmonic decomposition on a target engine sound, thereby to extract each of N harmonics of the target engine sound over an RPM range; and out of the extracted harmonics, extracting phase and shape information for each of the N harmonics over the RPM range for reproducing the target engine sound. The method also includes configuring an engine harmonic enhancement (EHE) system to utilize the extracted phase and shape information to generate an engine harmonic enhancement signal, he(t), to be added on top of a baseline engine sound.Type: GrantFiled: September 12, 2014Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: Bose CorporationInventor: Cristian Marius Hera
-
Patent number: 9959854Abstract: A performance enhancing device includes a first glove configured to be worn on a first hand of a user. The first glove includes a plurality of finger pockets, at least one pressure sensor secured proximate a distal end of a respective finger pocket and configured to produce an output signal, a processor coupled to the at least one pressure sensor and configured to receive the output signal and translate the output signal to a wireless output signal, and an antenna coupled to the processor and configured to transmit the wireless signal. The performance enhancing device also includes a jacket configured to be worn by the user, where the jacket includes a receiver to receive the wireless output signal, an amplifier coupled to the receiver, and a speaker integrated within the jacket and coupled to the amplifier and configured to produce an audible sound.Type: GrantFiled: June 9, 2016Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Inventors: Almasi A. Sims, Tony Hines
-
Patent number: 9961444Abstract: A reproducing device includes a reproducing unit configured to reproduce a contents sound, an output unit configured to output the contents sound which has been reproduced using the reproducing unit to a headphone, a talk detection unit configured to detect that a headphone fitter who fits the headphone talks with a person and an image normal position control unit configured to move the normal position of the image of the contents sound which has been reproduced using the reproducing unit to an arbitrary position when the talk detecting unit has detected that the headphone fitter has started talking with the person.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2017Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: SONY CORPORATIONInventor: Kiminobu Ichimura
-
Patent number: 9952826Abstract: An audio mixer system and method is provided. The audio mixer system includes an audio interface, an audio signal processor, and a control circuit. The control circuit is configured to recognize a source type of an audio signal at the audio interface based on analyzing the audio signal. The control circuit is configured to control a setting of a signal path of the audio signal from an input of the audio interface through the audio signal processor to an output of the audio interface based on the recognized source type.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2014Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Harman International Industries LimitedInventors: Matthew Rowe, Richard Ayres, Chris Gomm, Suvra Saurav Tripathy
-
Patent number: 9949878Abstract: Embodiments relate generally to an active hearing protection device comprising a communication device operable to provide active hearing protection to a wearer; a set of earmuffs connected to the communication device, wherein each earmuff comprises an indicator mechanism operable to indicate to the communication device when the earmuff is inserted into a user's ear, a processor operable to receive information from the set of earmuffs and the indicator mechanisms of the earmuffs, and operable to automatically power the active hearing protection device on or off based on the information received from the indicator mechanism(s). When it is determined that both earmuffs are inserted into the user's ears, the active hearing protection device is powered on, and when it is determined that at least one of the earmuffs is not inserted into the user's ear(s), the active hearing protection device is powered off.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2015Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Sunil Bhila Pawar, Trym Holter
-
Patent number: 9955260Abstract: A loudspeaker configured to provide asymmetrical beam coverage. A first group of drivers to outputs a first beam pattern. A second group of drivers, which is different from the first group of drivers, is configured to output a second beam pattern. A transmission line is adapted to output signals to the first driver group and the second driver group to provide an asymmetrical beam pattern. The first driver group outputs a beam pattern different than the second driver group. This can improve acoustic coverage, e.g., sound pressure levels, in the acoustic environment. In an example, the transmission line is separated into two distinct parts that feeds the first driver group and the second driver group respectively.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2016Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Harman International Industries, IncorporatedInventor: Douglas J. Button
-
Patent number: 9949050Abstract: The present invention concerns a method for calibrating an array of receivers (rj), each receiver being configured for receiving a signal transmitted by at least one transmitter (si), and echoes of the transmitted signal as reflected by one or more reflective surfaces (w), said method comprising the following steps: sorting said echoes, by assigning each echo to a reflective surface or to a combination of reflective surfaces (w) calibrating said array of receivers (rj) based on said sorting.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2014Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: Ecole Polytechnic Federale De Lausanne (EPFL)Inventors: Ivan Dokmanic, Laurent Daudet, Martin Vetterli
-
Patent number: 9949054Abstract: Method and apparatus for spatial mapping of two or more audio playback devices in a listening environment. Two or more playback devices may signal each other. Based on the signaling, a position of the two or more playback devices relative to each other is determined and a device map of the two or more playback devices in the listening environment is generated based on this position.Type: GrantFiled: September 30, 2015Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: Sonos, Inc.Inventors: Romi Kadri, Chris Davies
-
Patent number: 9949017Abstract: An earpiece includes a feed-forward microphone coupled to the environment outside the headphones, a feedback microphone coupled to an ear canal of a user when the earpiece is in use, a speaker coupled to the ear canal of the user when the earpiece is in use, a digital signal processor implementing feed-forward and feedback noise compensation filters between the respective microphones and the speaker, and a memory storing an ordered sequence of sets of filters for use by the digital signal processor. Each of the sets of filters includes a feed-forward filter that provides a different frequency-dependent amount of sound pass-through or cancellation, which in combination with residual ambient sound reaching the ear results in a total insertion gain at the ear of a user.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2015Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: Bose CorporationInventors: John Allen Rule, Daniel M. Gauger, Jr.
-
Patent number: 9942676Abstract: Method of throttling a pilot tone for thermal monitoring of an electro-mechanical actuator starts by computing a power estimate based on a driving signal. A first temperature estimate is then computed based on the power estimate. The pilot tone may be generated by adjusting a level of the pilot tone based on at least one of the power estimate or the first temperature estimate. The pilot tone is injected into the driving signal to generate a driving output signal that is outputted by an electro-mechanical actuator. Other embodiments are also described.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2015Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: APPLE INC.Inventors: Thomas M. Jensen, David T. Yeh
-
Patent number: 9942657Abstract: This application relates to methods and apparatus for loudspeaker protection. A loudspeaker protection system (100) receives a digital audio signal comprising a plurality of samples at an input node (IN). A delay block (15) delays the digital audio signal and a gain block (14) applies a controlled gain to the delayed digital audio signal. An excursion predictor (12) is configured to receive a version of the audio signal from the signal path upstream of the delay block and determine a predicted excursion for a loudspeaker based on the audio signal. A gain controller (23) controls a gain setting (g) of the gain block in response to the predicted excursion and a first loudspeaker impulse response model and a predetermined excursion limit. The gain controller (23) is configured to determine at least one gain setting {ga gi} to be applied to a set of samples {Va . . .Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2016Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: Cirrus Logic, Inc.Inventors: Jason William Lawrence, Roger David Serwy, Roberto Napoli
-
Patent number: 9936318Abstract: Examples described herein involve calibration of a playback device. In an example, a system maintains a database of representative acoustic characteristics. Each representative acoustic characteristic corresponds to a respective plurality of network devices and the network devices in each respective plurality of network devices shares characteristics. The system receives, from a particular network device, data indicating characteristics of the particular network device, an identification of a playback device, and data indicating audio detected by the particular network device while the playback device played a calibration tone. The system identifies, in the database, the representative acoustic characteristic corresponding to those characteristics. Based on the identified representative acoustic characteristic, the identification of the playback device, and the data indicating the detected audio, the system determines an audio processing algorithm to adjust audio output of the playback device.Type: GrantFiled: October 19, 2016Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: Sonos, Inc.Inventor: Timothy W. Sheen
-
Patent number: 9936291Abstract: A spherical microphone array that includes a sound-diffracting structure having a closed three-dimensional shape of at least one non-regular, regular or semi-regular convex polyhedron with congruent faces of regular or non-regular polygons and at least two omnidirectional microphones disposed in or on the sound-diffracting structure on an oval line whose center is disposed on a center line that subtends the center of one of the faces of the regular polygons.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2014Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: Harman Becker Automotive Systems GmbHInventor: Markus Christoph
-
Patent number: 9928419Abstract: A system for identifying a periodicity-related attribute in a multi-frequency signal. The system is configured to produce phase and delay modulated signals from a complex input signal. The system is designed to combine these phase and delay modulated signals to identify a periodicity-related attribute associated with the multi-frequency signal. The system is configured to produce a physically perceptible output based on the identified periodicity-related attribute.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2017Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Inventor: Evan Donald Balster
-
Patent number: 9930470Abstract: An example implementation involves a first device receiving, from a sensor, first location data that is associated with the first device, and, from a second device, second location data that is associated with the second device. The first device determines a first location of a listener relative to the first device based on the first and second location data. The first device generates a first sound field during media content playback based on the determined first location. The first device receives, from the sensor, third location data that is associated with the first device, and, from the second device, fourth location data associated with the second device. Based on the third and fourth location data, the first device determines a second location of the listener relative to the first device. Based on the second determined location, the first device generates a second sound field during media playback.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2015Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: Sonos, Inc.Inventors: Jonathon Reilly, Niels Van Erven
-
Patent number: 9930450Abstract: An audio apparatus includes a signal processor, a power amplifier, a speaker, and a controller. A current consumption prediction unit in the controller predicts current consumption on the basis of a monitoring result of an output level monitoring unit in the signal processor and/or a monitoring result of a power supply voltage monitoring unit in the controller. A limiter control unit in the controller controls a limiter in the signal processor in a normal mode or a current limiting mode on the basis of predicted current consumption. In the current limiting mode, the limiter is controlled so that an attenuation speed higher than that in the normal mode and a threshold value smaller than that in the normal mode are obtained.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: ALPINE ELECTRONICS, INC.Inventor: Minoru Matsuyama
-
Patent number: 9930452Abstract: A system includes a class D amplifier and a current steering digital-to-analog converter (DAC) directly connected to the class D amplifier. The system also includes a common mode servo circuit coupled to a node interconnecting the current steering DAC to the class D amplifier. The common servo circuit amplifies a difference between a common mode signal determined from the node and a reference voltage and generates a feedback current to the node based on the amplified difference. A feed-forward common-mode compensation circuit is included to reduce an alternating current (AC) ripple from the class D amplifier. The feed-forward common-mode compensation circuit includes first and second resistors coupled to respective outputs of the class D amplifier. A current mirror is coupled to the first and second resistors and is configured to sink a current from the node to ground that approximates a common mode feedback current of the class D amplifier.Type: GrantFiled: December 30, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATEDInventors: Lars Risbo, Ryan Erik Lind, Jasjot Singh Chadha
-
Patent number: 9928025Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for a dynamically equalizing receiver. An example disclosed system includes a mobile device and a vehicle. The example mobile device generates a sound profile based on media identifying information. The sound profile specifies equalizer settings for a receiver. The example vehicle includes the receiver. The receiver is communicatively coupled to the mobile device. The example receiver collects the media identifying information, and adjusts the equalizer settings of the receiver as specified by the sound profile.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2016Date of Patent: March 27, 2018Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Perry Robinson MacNeille, Oleg Yurievitch Gusikhin, Doug VanDagens, Omar Makke