Patents by Inventor Cristian M. Hera

Cristian M. Hera has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20200372891
    Abstract: A method of suppressing residual echo includes calculating a spectral mismatch of an acoustic echo canceler based upon a program content signal and a residual signal; determining a set of filter coefficients based at least in part upon a selected spectral mismatch; filtering the residual signal based upon the set of filter coefficients; freezing the calculation of the selected spectral mismatch in response to detecting a double talk condition in the residual signal; waiting a predetermined hold period in response to detecting that the double talk condition has ended; and, after the predetermined hold period, resuming the calculation of the spectral mismatch based upon the program content signal and the residual signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2019
    Publication date: November 26, 2020
    Inventors: Elie Bou Daher, Cristian M. Hera
  • Patent number: 10839786
    Abstract: An audio system including an accelerometer positioned to produce an accelerometer signal representative of road noise within a vehicle cabin; a microphone operably positioned within the vehicle to receive the road noise and to produce a microphone signal having a road-noise component; and a cabin road-noise canceler, comprising a cabin road-noise cancellation filter, configured to receive the accelerometer signal and to produce a cabin road-noise cancellation signal, wherein the cabin road-noise cancellation signal is provided to an acoustic transducer for transduction of an acoustic road-noise cancellation signal, the acoustic road-noise cancellation signal minimizing the road noise within at least one cancellation zone in the vehicle cabin; a microphone road-noise canceler, comprising a microphone road-noise cancellation filter, configured to receive the cabin road-noise signal and the microphone signal and to minimize the road-noise component of the microphone signal according to the cabin road-noise cance
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher, Vigneish Kathavarayan, Ankita D. Jain
  • Patent number: 10839821
    Abstract: An audio system includes a noise-estimation filter, configured to receive a magnitude-squared frequency-domain noise-reference signal and to generate a magnitude-squared frequency-domain noise-estimation signal; and a noise-reduction filter configured to receive a microphone signal from a microphone, the microphone signal including a noise component correlated to an acoustic noise signal, and to suppress the noise component of the microphone signal, based, at least in part, on the magnitude-squared frequency-domain noise-estimation signal, to generate a noise-suppressed signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Ankita D. Jain, Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher
  • Patent number: 10594869
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods of suppressing residual echo are provided that determine spectral mismatches by comparing a spectral density of a residual signal from an acoustic echo canceler to a spectral density of a program content signal. At least one spectral mismatch is stored in memory. The systems and methods select a spectral mismatch to use for calculating a filter coefficient, from among one or more of the stored or actively determined spectral mismatches, and filter the residual signal based upon the calculated filter coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher
  • Patent number: 10542153
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for suppressing residual echo are provided. First and second audio program content signals are received, and a residual signal from an echo canceler is received. A first spectral mismatch is determined based at least upon a cross power spectral density of the first program content signal and the residual signal. A second spectral mismatch is determined based at least upon a cross power spectral density of the second program content signal and the residual signal. The residual signal is filtered to reduce residual echo, based at least upon the first spectral mismatch, the second spectral mismatch, a spectral density of the first program content signal, a spectral density of the second program content signal, and a spectral density of the residual signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher, Ankita D. Jain
  • Patent number: 10388300
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for providing intelligible audio content within a vehicle cabin. In one example, the audio system includes a first speaker to provide first audio content to a first seating position based on an audio signal received from an audio signal source, a second speaker to provide second audio content to a second seating position, a first microphone assembly positioned to detect speech content originating at the second seating position, leaked second audio content from the second speaker, and road noise, and audio signal processing circuitry configured to determine a perturbing signal based at least in part on a combination of the first speech content, the leaked second audio content, and the road noise, and adjust the audio signal to the first speaker to compensate for an effect of the perturbing signal on the first audio content at the first seating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos, Vigneish Kathavarayan
  • Patent number: 10305439
    Abstract: An active sound management system comprises a transducer that senses an actual sound or vibration from a sound generating source and generates a transducer signal in response to sensing the actual sound or vibration; a harmonic extractor device that extracts a plurality of harmonics from the transducer signal; and a harmonic modifier device that adjusts a feature of the extracted harmonic to be within a predetermined threshold with respect to a target harmonic corresponding to a desired sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Peter Raymond, Samuel Rhee
  • Publication number: 20190104360
    Abstract: Double-talk detection systems and methods are provided that include a plurality of microphones and array processing to detect when a vehicle occupant is speaking. One or more array processors combine the microphone signals to provide a primary signal and a reference signal. The responses of the primary signal and the reference signal are different in the direction of an occupant location. A comparison of energy content is made between the primary signal and reference signal to selectively indicate double-talk based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2018
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Elie Bou Daher, Cristian M. Hera, Vigneish Kathavarayan, Tobe Z. Barksdale
  • Publication number: 20190045065
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for suppressing residual echo are provided. First and second audio program content signals are received, and a residual signal from an echo canceler is received. A first spectral mismatch is determined based at least upon a cross power spectral density of the first program content signal and the residual signal. A second spectral mismatch is determined based at least upon a cross power spectral density of the second program content signal and the residual signal. The residual signal is filtered to reduce residual echo, based at least upon the first spectral mismatch, the second spectral mismatch, a spectral density of the first program content signal, a spectral density of the second program content signal, and a spectral density of the residual signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher, Ankita D. Jain
  • Publication number: 20190045064
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods are provided to reduce echo content in an audio signal. The systems and methods receive an audio signal and sound stage rendering parameter(s), and select a set of filter coefficients to filter the audio signal to provide an estimated echo signal. The estimated echo signal is subtracted from a microphone signal to provide an output signal with reduced echo content. The set of filter coefficients are selected based upon the sound stage rendering parameter(s) from among a plurality of stored sets of filter coefficients.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Vigneish Kathavarayan, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos
  • Publication number: 20190045066
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods of suppressing residual echo are provided that determine spectral mismatches by comparing a spectral density of a residual signal from an acoustic echo canceler to a spectral density of a program content signal. At least one spectral mismatch is stored in memory. The systems and methods select a spectral mismatch to use for calculating a filter coefficient, from among one or more of the stored or actively determined spectral mismatches, and filter the residual signal based upon the calculated filter coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Elie Bou Daher
  • Patent number: 10200540
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods are provided to reduce echo content in an audio signal. The systems and methods receive an audio signal and sound stage rendering parameter(s), and select a set of filter coefficients to filter the audio signal to provide an estimated echo signal. The estimated echo signal is subtracted from a microphone signal to provide an output signal with reduced echo content. The set of filter coefficients are selected based upon the sound stage rendering parameter(s) from among a plurality of stored sets of filter coefficients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Vigneish Kathavarayan, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos
  • Publication number: 20180308504
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for providing intelligible audio content within a vehicle cabin. In one example, the audio system includes a first speaker to provide first audio content to a first seating position based on an audio signal received from an audio signal source, a second speaker to provide second audio content to a second seating position, a first microphone assembly positioned to detect speech content originating at the second seating position, leaked second audio content from the second speaker, and road noise, and audio signal processing circuitry configured to determine a perturbing signal based at least in part on a combination of the first speech content, the leaked second audio content, and the road noise, and adjust the audio signal to the first speaker to compensate for an effect of the perturbing signal on the first audio content at the first seating position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Publication date: October 25, 2018
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos, Vigneish Kathavarayan
  • Publication number: 20180294789
    Abstract: An active sound management system comprises a transducer that senses an actual sound or vibration from a sound generating source and generates a transducer signal in response to sensing the actual sound or vibration; a harmonic extractor device that extracts a plurality of harmonics from the transducer signal; and a harmonic modifier device that adjusts a feature of the extracted harmonic to be within a predetermined threshold with respect to a target harmonic corresponding to a desired sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Publication date: October 11, 2018
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Peter Raymond, Samuel Rhee
  • Publication number: 20180233159
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for providing intelligible audio content within a vehicle cabin. In one example, the audio system includes a first speaker to provide first audio content to a first seating position based on an audio signal received from an audio signal source, a second speaker to provide second audio content to a second seating position, a first microphone assembly positioned to detect speech content originating at the second seating position, leaked second audio content from the second speaker, and road noise, and audio signal processing circuitry configured to determine a perturbing signal based at least in part on a combination of the first speech content, the leaked second audio content, and the road noise, and adjust the audio signal to the first speaker to compensate for an effect of the perturbing signal on the first audio content at the first seating position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Publication date: August 16, 2018
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos, Vigneish Kathavarayan
  • Patent number: 10049686
    Abstract: Audio systems and methods for providing intelligible audio content within a vehicle cabin. In one example, the audio system includes a first speaker to provide first audio content to a first seating position based on an audio signal received from an audio signal source, a second speaker to provide second audio content to a second seating position, a first microphone assembly positioned to detect speech content originating at the second seating position, leaked second audio content from the second speaker, and road noise, and audio signal processing circuitry configured to determine a perturbing signal based at least in part on a combination of the first speech content, the leaked second audio content, and the road noise, and adjust the audio signal to the first speaker to compensate for an effect of the perturbing signal on the first audio content at the first seating position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: BOSE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Jeffery R. Vautin, Elie Bou Daher, Paraskevas Argyropoulos, Vigneish Kathavarayan
  • Patent number: 9928823
    Abstract: A method is provided for attenuating road noise in a vehicle cabin. The method includes filtering a noise signal representative of road noise with a first fixed filter to provide an attenuation signal, and filtering the attenuation signal with an adaptive filter to provide a first filtered attenuation signal. The first filtered attenuation signal is provided to an electro-acoustic transducer for transduction to acoustic energy, thereby to attenuate the road noise in a vehicle cabin at an expected position of an occupant's ears. The method also includes receiving a microphone signal representative of the acoustic energy, filtering the attenuation signal with a second fixed filter to provide a second filtered attenuation signal, and updating a set of variable filter coefficients of the adaptive filter based on the microphone signal and the second filtered attenuation signal to accommodate for variations in a transfer function of the speaker.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Hiroshi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 9908466
    Abstract: In a general aspect, a system includes circuitry for providing an engine harmonic scaling module and a summer. The engine harmonic scaling module is configured to receive a torque signal and a throttle signal, process the torque signal to generate a calibrated torque value, process the throttle signal to generate a throttle percentage value, determine a control parameter based on an examination of the calibrated torque value and the throttle percentage value, determine, based on the control parameter, a harmonic-specific scaling factor for each of one or more engine harmonic signals of a plurality of engine harmonic signals, and apply the corresponding harmonic-specific scaling factor to each of the one or more engine harmonic signals to generate corresponding scaled engine harmonic signals. The summer is configured to generate, from the scaled engine harmonic signals, a combined engine harmonic signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2018
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventor: Cristian M. Hera
  • Publication number: 20180047383
    Abstract: A method is provided for attenuating road noise in a vehicle cabin. The method includes filtering a noise signal representative of road noise with a first fixed filter to provide an attenuation signal, and filtering the attenuation signal with an adaptive filter to provide a first filtered attenuation signal. The first filtered attenuation signal is provided to an electro-acoustic transducer for transduction to acoustic energy, thereby to attenuate the road noise in a vehicle cabin at an expected position of an occupant's ears. The method also includes receiving a microphone signal representative of the acoustic energy, filtering the attenuation signal with a second fixed filter to provide a second filtered attenuation signal, and updating a set of variable filter coefficients of the adaptive filter based on the microphone signal and the second filtered attenuation signal to accommodate for variations in a transfer function of the speaker.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Publication date: February 15, 2018
    Applicant: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Hiroshi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 9838786
    Abstract: A method to produce a dynamic sound stage for engine harmonic enhancement (EHE). Dynamic refers to the ability to position the sound stage at different positions as the engine operates at various RPMs and load. In order to control the sound stage width, a phase difference can be introduced between a first audio channel (e.g., a left audio channel) and second audio channel (e.g., a right audio channel). In the most general case, the phase difference can be introduced per harmonic per RPM. In this approach, the phase difference can be adjusted such that a vehicle occupant will perceive each harmonic signal to have a particular width. This width can be adjusted independently per RPM regions by tuning the per harmonic phase difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2017
    Assignee: Bose Corporation
    Inventors: Cristian M. Hera, Donald J. MacLellan, Ben J. Feng