Patents by Inventor Harvey D. Thornburg

Harvey D. Thornburg 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).

  • Patent number: 10614812
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Publication number: 20190251974
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Patent number: 10304462
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 28, 2019
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Patent number: 10141005
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for removing non-stationary and/or colored noise can include one or more of the three following innovative aspects: (1) detection of an unwanted target signal, or component thereof, within an observed signal; (2) removal of the target (component) from the observed signal; and (3) filling of a gap in the observed signal generated by removal of the unwanted target (component). Removal regions, frequency bands, and/or regions of the observed signal used to train the gap filler can be adapted in correspondence with local characteristics of the observed signal and/or the target signal (component). Related aspects also are described. For example, disclosed noise detection and/or removal methods can include converting an incoming acoustic signal to a corresponding machine-readable form. And, a corrected signal in machine-readable form can be converted to a human-perceivable form, and/or to a modulated signal form conveyed over a communication connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Hyung-Suk Kim, Peter A. Raffensperger
  • Patent number: 10013981
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Patent number: 9984701
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for removing non-stationary and/or colored noise can include one or more of the three following innovative aspects: (1) detection of an unwanted target signal, or component thereof, within an observed signal; (2) removal of the target (component) from the observed signal; and (3) filling of a gap in the observed signal generated by removal of the unwanted target (component). Removal regions, frequency bands, and/or regions of the observed signal used to train the gap filler can be adapted in correspondence with local characteristics of the observed signal and/or the target signal (component). Related aspects also are described. For example, disclosed noise detection and/or removal methods can include converting an incoming acoustic signal to a corresponding machine-readable form. And, a corrected signal in machine-readable form can be converted to a human-perceivable form, and/or to a modulated signal form conveyed over a communication connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Hyung-Suk Kim, Peter A. Raffensperger
  • Publication number: 20180137864
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Patent number: 9865265
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2018
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Publication number: 20170358314
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for removing non-stationary and/or colored noise can include one or more of the three following innovative aspects: (1) detection of an unwanted target signal, or component thereof, within an observed signal; (2) removal of the target (component) from the observed signal; and (3) filling of a gap in the observed signal generated by removal of the unwanted target (component). Removal regions, frequency bands, and/or regions of the observed signal used to train the gap filler can be adapted in correspondence with local characteristics of the observed signal and/or the target signal (component). Related aspects also are described. For example, disclosed noise detection and/or removal methods can include converting an incoming acoustic signal to a corresponding machine-readable form. And, a corrected signal in machine-readable form can be converted to a human-perceivable form, and/or to a modulated signal form conveyed over a communication connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Hyung-Suk Kim, Peter A. Raffensperger
  • Publication number: 20170358316
    Abstract: Systems and techniques for removing non-stationary and/or colored noise can include one or more of the three following innovative aspects: (1) detection of an unwanted target signal, or component thereof, within an observed signal; (2) removal of the target (component) from the observed signal; and (3) filling of a gap in the observed signal generated by removal of the unwanted target (component). Removal regions, frequency bands, and/or regions of the observed signal used to train the gap filler can be adapted in correspondence with local characteristics of the observed signal and/or the target signal (component). Related aspects also are described. For example, disclosed noise detection and/or removal methods can include converting an incoming acoustic signal to a corresponding machine-readable form. And, a corrected signal in machine-readable form can be converted to a human-perceivable form, and/or to a modulated signal form conveyed over a communication connection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Hyung-Suk Kim, Peter A. Raffensperger
  • Patent number: 9754607
    Abstract: An acoustic-scene interpretation apparatus can have a transducer configured to convert an acoustic signal to a corresponding electrical signal. A feature extractor can receive a sequence of frames representing the electrical signal and extract a plurality of acoustic features corresponding to each frame. An acoustic-scene classifier can be configured to determine a most-likely acoustic state for each frame in the sequence of frames in correspondence with the respective plurality of acoustic features corresponding to the frame and a selected probability distribution of duration of an acoustic state for each of one or more classes of acoustic scenes. Each respective probability distribution of duration can correspond to a selected class of acoustic scenes. The correspondence between acoustic state and probability distribution of duration can be learned from training data corresponding to each of a plurality of classes of acoustic scenes. Related methods also are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2017
    Assignee: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Charles Pascal Clark
  • Publication number: 20170061969
    Abstract: An acoustic-scene interpretation apparatus can have a transducer configured to convert an acoustic signal to a corresponding electrical signal. A feature extractor can receive a sequence of frames representing the electrical signal and extract a plurality of acoustic features corresponding to each frame. An acoustic-scene classifier can be configured to determine a most-likely acoustic state for each frame in the sequence of frames in correspondence with the respective plurality of acoustic features corresponding to the frame and a selected probability distribution of duration of an acoustic state for each of one or more classes of acoustic scenes. Each respective probability distribution of duration can correspond to a selected class of acoustic scenes. The correspondence between acoustic state and probability distribution of duration can be learned from training data corresponding to each of a plurality of classes of acoustic scenes. Related methods also are disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2015
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Charles Pascal Clark
  • Publication number: 20160358619
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Publication number: 20160358606
    Abstract: A speech recognition system for resolving impaired utterances can have a speech recognition engine configured to receive a plurality of representations of an utterance and concurrently to determine a plurality of highest-likelihood transcription candidates corresponding to each respective representation of the utterance. The recognition system can also have a selector configured to determine a most-likely accurate transcription from among the transcription candidates. As but one example, the plurality of representations of the utterance can be acquired by a microphone array, and beamforming techniques can generate independent streams of the utterance across various look directions using output from the microphone array.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2015
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Sean A. Ramprashad, Harvey D. Thornburg, Arvindh Krishnaswamy, Aram M. Lindahl
  • Patent number: 9378755
    Abstract: Method of detecting voice activity starts with by generating probabilistic models that respectively model features of speech dynamically over time. Probabilistic models may model each feature dependent on a past feature and a current state. Features of speech may include a nonstationary signal presence feature, a periodicity feature, and a sparsity feature. Noise suppressor may then perform noise suppression on an acoustic signal to generate a nonstationary signal presence signal and a noise suppressed acoustic signal. An LPC module may then perform residual analysis on the noise suppressed data signal to generate a periodicity signal and a sparsity signal. Inference generator receives the probabilistic models and receives, in real-time, nonstationary signal presence signal, periodicity signal, and sparsity signal. Inference generator may then generate in real time an estimate of voice activity based on the probabilistic models, nonstationary signal presence signal, periodicity signal, and sparsity signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2016
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Charles P. Clark
  • Publication number: 20150348572
    Abstract: Method of detecting voice activity starts with by generating probabilistic models that respectively model features of speech dynamically over time. Probabilistic models may model each feature dependent on a past feature and a current state. Features of speech may include a nonstationary signal presence feature, a periodicity feature, and a sparsity feature. Noise suppressor may then perform noise suppression on an acoustic signal to generate a nonstationary signal presence signal and a noise suppressed acoustic signal. An LPC module may then perform residual analysis on the noise suppressed data signal to generate a periodicity signal and a sparsity signal. Inference generator receives the probabilistic models and receives, in real-time, nonstationary signal presence signal, periodicity signal, and sparsity signal. Inference generator may then generate in real time an estimate of voice activity based on the probabilistic models, nonstationary signal presence signal, periodicity signal, and sparsity signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Inventors: Harvey D. Thornburg, Charles P. Clark