Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming where the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile and combines with the single ceiling tile as a single unit; a housing that encloses signal processing circuity and couples to the back side of the single unit; where the single unit is mountable on the ceiling using mounting accessories; where all or part of the housing is in the ceiling space above the plane of the ceiling; where the single unit further includes beamforming.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones positioned at predetermined locations and coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the single unit is mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a single ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling, all or part of the single unit is in the drop space of the drop ceiling when the single unit is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto mixing.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation; (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation; (3) post processing; (4) selecting one or more of the post processed signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the post processed signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphone signals from the microphone array into a plurality of combined signals, (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation on the plurality of combined signals to generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals, (3) receiving with a voice activity detector the far end signal as an input, (4) selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the combined echo cancelled signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a conferencing device with beamforming and echo cancellation that includes: a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor configured to execute the following steps: (1) performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphone signals from the microphone array into a plurality of combined signals, (2) performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation on the plurality of combined signals to generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals, (3) receiving with a voice activity detector the far end signal as an input, (4) selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end where a signal selector uses the far end signal as information to inhibit the signal selector from changing the selection of the combined echo cancelled signals while only the far end signal is active.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone system that includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array and used for beamforming processing, one or more separate processing devices that couple to the microphone array, where one or more separate processing devices further include beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and adaptive acoustic processing; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the system is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the system is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a conferencing device that includes a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones; a processor configured to execute the following steps: performing a beamforming operation to combine the plurality of microphones into a plurality of combined signals that is greater in number than one and less in number than the plurality of microphone signals, each of the plurality of combined signals corresponding to a different fixed beam; wherein performing the beamforming operation includes applying beamforming weights to the signals from each microphone to achieve a desired pickup pattern that includes a main lobe and sidelobes together with nulls for each fixed beam; performing an acoustic echo cancellation operation generate a plurality of combined echo cancelled signals; and selecting one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals for transmission to the far end.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto voice tracking; where the ceiling tile microphone is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile microphone is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto voice tracking; where the ceiling tile microphone is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile microphone is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a conferencing apparatus. This embodiment of the apparatus/system includes a microphone array that further comprises a plurality of microphones where each microphone is configured to sense acoustic waves and the plurality of microphones are oriented to develop a corresponding plurality of microphone signals; a processor, memory, and storage operably coupled to the microphone array, the processor configured to: perform a beamforming operation; perform an acoustic echo cancellation operation; perform a direction of arrival determination; and select one or more of the combined echo cancelled signals.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a band-limited beamforming microphone array with acoustic echo cancellation that includes: a plurality of first microphones configured as a beamforming microphone array to resolve first audio input signals within a first frequency range, the beamforming microphone array includes acoustic echo cancellation; one or more additional microphone(s) configured to resolve second audio input signals within a restricted second frequency range such that the additional microphone(s) are coupled to the beamforming microphone array; augmented beamforming that processes audio signals from the beamforming microphone array and the additional microphone(s).

Abstract: This disclosure describes a ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system that includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array and used for beamforming processing, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations that produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; one or more separate processing devices where one of the separate processing devices further includes beamforming processing; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent; where the ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration, where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone. This embodiment of the apparatus includes: a beamforming microphone array that includes beamforming and acoustic echo cancellation, the plurality of microphones of the beamforming microphone array are positioned at predetermined locations, the beamforming microphone array picks up audio input signals; a ceiling tile combined with the beamforming microphone array, the ceiling tile being sized and shaped to be mountable in a drop ceiling in place of at least one of a plurality of ceiling tiles included in the drop ceiling; where the outer surface of the ceiling tile is acoustically transparent.

Abstract: This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a band-limited beamforming microphone array with acoustic echo cancellation that includes: a plurality of first microphones configured as a beamforming microphone array to resolve first audio input signals within a first frequency range, the beamforming microphone array includes acoustic echo cancellation; one or more additional microphone(s) configured to resolve second audio input signals within a restricted second frequency range such that the additional microphone(s) are coupled to the beamforming microphone array; augmented beamforming that processes audio signals from the beamforming microphone array and the additional microphone(s).

Abstract: This disclosure describes a band-limited beamforming microphone array made by the augmenting a beamforming microphone array with non-beamforming microphones. The band-limited beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of first microphones configured as a beamforming microphone array to resolve first audio input signals within a first frequency range. The band-limited array further includes one or more additional microphone configured to resolve second audio input signals within a restricted second frequency range such that the additional microphones are coupled to the beamforming microphone array. In addition, the band-limited array includes augmented beamforming that processes audio signals from the beamforming microphone array and the additional microphone(s), where the augmented beamforming combines the beamformed first audio input signal with the resolved and restricted second audio input signals to create an audio signal within a band-limited frequency range.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a plurality of light emitting diodes positioned to backlight a liquid crystal display. A plurality of electrical conductors are each electrically connected to, and provide electrical power to, a different respective subset of the light emitting diodes. An electronic controller is electrically coupled to each of the conductors and individually controls conduction of electricity through each of the conductors to thereby change a brightness of at least one of the subsets of the light emitting diodes relative to a brightness of at least one other subset of the light emitting diodes during operation of the motor vehicle.