Patents by Inventor Lae Hoon Kim

Lae Hoon Kim 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: 20200312341
    Abstract: A device includes a memory and one or more processors coupled to the memory. The one or more processors are configured to perform an active noise cancellation (ANC) operation on noisy input speech as captured by a first microphone, the noisy input speech as captured by a second microphone, or both, to suppress a noise level associated with the noisy input speech. The one or more processors are configured to match a second frequency spectrum of a second signal with a first frequency spectrum of a first signal. The first signal is representative of the noisy input speech as captured by the first microphone, and the second signal is representative of the noisy input speech as captured by the second microphone. The one or more processors are also configured to generate an output speech signal that is representative of input speech based on the second signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2019
    Publication date: October 1, 2020
    Inventors: Rogerio Guedes ALVES, Taher SHAHBAZI MIRZAHASANLOO, Erik VISSER, Lae-Hoon KIM, Fatemeh SAKI, Dongmei WANG
  • Patent number: 10791411
    Abstract: Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for HRTF profile selection are presented. In one example, a device prompts a user to follow a simple procedure to obtain measurements that are matched to a suitable high-resolution HRTF profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Dongmei Wang, Lae-Hoon Kim, Erik Visser
  • Publication number: 20200304903
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for signal processing are described. Generally, in one example as provided for by the described techniques, a wearable device includes a processor configured to retrieve a plurality of external microphone signals that includes audio sound from outside of the device from a memory; to separate, based on at least information from an internal microphone signal, a self-voice component from a background component; to perform a first listen-through operation on the separated self-voice component to produce a first listen-through signal; and to produce an output audio signal that is based on at least the first listen-through signal, wherein the output audio signal includes an audio zoom signal that includes audio sound of the plurality of external microphone signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon KIM, Dongmei WANG, Fatemeh SAKI, Taher SHAHBAZI MIRZAHASANLOO, Erik VISSER, Rogerio Guedes ALVES
  • Patent number: 10783890
    Abstract: In a particular aspect, a speech generator includes a signal input configured to receive a first audio signal. The speech generator also includes at least one speech signal processor configured to generate a second audio signal based on information associated with the first audio signal and based further on automatic speech recognition (ASR) data associated with the first audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 22, 2020
    Assignee: Moore Intellectual Property Law, PLLC
    Inventors: Erik Visser, Shuhua Zhang, Lae-Hoon Kim, Yinyi Guo, Sunkuk Moon
  • Publication number: 20200278832
    Abstract: In general, techniques are described that enable voice activation for computing devices. A computing device configured to support an audible interface that comprises a memory and one or more processors may be configured to perform the techniques. The memory may store a first audio signal representative of an environment external to a user associated with the computing device and a second audio signal sensed by a microphone coupled to a housing of the computing device. The one or more processors may verify, based on the first audio signal and the second audio signal, that the user activated the audible interface of the computing device, and obtain, based on the verification, additional audio signals representative of one or more audible commands.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 25, 2020
    Publication date: September 3, 2020
    Inventors: Taher Shahbazi Mirzahasanloo, Rogerio Guedes Alves, Lae-Hoon Kim, Erik Visser, Dongmei Wang, Fatemeh Saki
  • Publication number: 20200228915
    Abstract: Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for HRTF profile selection are presented. In one example, a device prompts a user to follow a simple procedure to obtain measurements that are matched to a suitable high-resolution HRTF profile.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Dongmei WANG, Lae-Hoon KIM, Erik VISSER
  • Publication number: 20200194021
    Abstract: Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for signal enhancement are presented. One example of such an apparatus includes a receiver configured to produce a remote speech signal from information carried by a wireless signal; a signal canceller configured to perform a signal cancellation operation on a local speech signal to generate a room response; and a filter configured to filter the remote speech signal according to the room response to produce a filtered speech signal. In this example, the signal cancellation operation is based on the remote speech signal as a reference signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon KIM, Sharon KAZIUNAS, Anne Katrin KONERTZ, Erik VISSER, Cheng-Yu HUNG, Shuhua ZHANG, Fatemeh SAKI, Dongmei WANG
  • Patent number: 10681452
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for signal processing are described. Generally, as provided for by the described techniques, a wearable device may receive an input audio signal (e.g., including both an external signal and a self-voice signal). The wearable device may detect the self-voice signal in the input audio signal based on a self-voice activity detection (SVAD) procedure, and may implement the described techniques based thereon. The wearable device may perform beamforming operations or other separation procedures to isolate the external signal and the self-voice signal from the input audio signal. The wearable device may apply a first filter to the external signal, and a second filter to the self-voice signal. The wearable device may then mix the filtered signals, and generate an output signal that sounds natural to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Dongmei Wang, Fatemeh Saki, Taher Shahbazi Mirzahasanloo, Erik Visser, Rogerio Guedes Alves
  • Publication number: 20200178014
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for head-related transfer function generation are described. A device may receive a digital representation of a first audio signal associated with a location relative to a subject, and select from a database a first reference head-related transfer function measurement pair corresponding to the location of the first audio signal. The device may then obtain a second head-related transfer function measurement pair by performing a style transfer operation on the selected reference head-related transfer function measurement pair based on a set of head-related transfer function measurement pairs specific to the subject. As a result, the device may output a second audio signal based on the digital representation of the first audio signal and the second head-related transfer function measurement pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2018
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Dongmei Wang, Erik Visser
  • Patent number: 10623845
    Abstract: Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for gesture control are presented. One example includes indicating, based on information from a first audio input signal, a presence of an object in proximity to a microphone, and increasing a volume level in response to the indicating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Dongmei Wang, Fatemeh Saki, Erik Visser, Anne Katrin Konertz, Sharon Kaziunas, Shuhua Zhang, Cheng-Yu Hung
  • Patent number: 10547947
    Abstract: A headset device includes a first earpiece configured to receive a reference sound and to generate a first reference audio signal based on the reference sound. The headset device further includes a second earpiece configured to receive the reference sound and to generate a second reference audio signal based on the reference sound. The headset device further includes a controller coupled to the first earpiece and to the second earpiece. The controller is configured to generate a first signal and a second signal based on a phase relationship between the first reference audio signal and the second reference audio signal. The controller is further configured to output the first signal to the first earpiece and output the second signal to the second earpiece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2020
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Hyun Jin Park, Erik Visser, Raghuveer Peri
  • Patent number: 10540979
    Abstract: A device includes a memory, a receiver, a processor, and a display. The memory is configured to store a speaker model. The receiver is configured to receive an input audio signal. The processor is configured to determine a first confidence level associated with a first portion of the input audio signal based on the speaker model. The processor is also configured to determine a second confidence level associated with a second portion of the input audio signal based on the speaker model. The display is configured to present a graphical user interface associated with the first confidence level or associated with the second confidence level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Erik Visser, Lae-Hoon Kim, Minho Jin, Yinyi Guo
  • Patent number: 10492015
    Abstract: A wireless device is described. The wireless device includes at least two microphones on the wireless device. The microphones are configured to capture sound from a target user. The wireless device also includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is coupled to the microphones. The processing circuitry is configured to locate the target user. The wireless device further includes a communication interface. The communication interface is coupled to the processing circuitry. The communication interface is configured to receive external device microphone audio from at least one external device microphone to assist the processing circuitry in the wireless device to locate the target user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Pei Xiang, Erik Visser
  • Publication number: 20190355351
    Abstract: A device includes a memory configured to store a user experience evaluation unit. A processor is configured to receive a first user input corresponding to a user command to initiate a particular task, the first user input received via a first sensor. The processor is configured to, after receiving the first user input, receive one or more subsequent user inputs, the one or subsequent user inputs including a second user input received via a second sensor. The processor is configured to initiate a remedial action in response to determining, based on the user experience evaluation unit, that the one or more subsequent user inputs correspond to a negative user experience.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 17, 2018
    Publication date: November 21, 2019
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Yinyi Guo, Ravi Choudhary, Sunkuk Moon, Erik Visser, Fatemeh Saki
  • Publication number: 20190341026
    Abstract: A device includes a memory configured to store category labels associated with categories of a natural language processing library. A processor is configured to analyze input audio data to generate a text string and to perform natural language processing on at least the text string to generate an output text string including an action associated with a first device, a speaker, a location, or a combination thereof. The processor is configured to compare the input audio data to audio data of the categories to determine whether the input audio data matches any of the categories and, in response to determining that the input audio data does not match any of the categories: create a new category label, associate the new category label with at least a portion of the output text string, update the categories with the new category label, and generate a notification indicating the new category label.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 4, 2018
    Publication date: November 7, 2019
    Inventors: Erik Visser, Fatemeh Saki, Yinyi Guo, Sunkuk Moon, Lae-Hoon Kim, Ravi Choudhary
  • Publication number: 20190320281
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a processor configured to receive one or more media signals associated with a scene. The processor is also configured to identify a spatial location in the scene for each source of the one or more media signals. The processor is further configured to identify audio content for each media signal of the one or more media signals. The processor is also configured to determine one or more candidate spatial locations in the scene based on the identified spatial locations. The processor is further configured to generate audio to playback as virtual sounds that originate from the one or more candidate spatial locations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 12, 2018
    Publication date: October 17, 2019
    Inventors: Yinyi Guo, Lae-Hoon Kim, Dongmei Wang, Erik Visser
  • Publication number: 20190311728
    Abstract: Methods, systems, and devices for auditory enhancement are described. A device may receive a respective auditory signal at each of a set of microphones, where each auditory signal includes a respective representation of a target auditory component and one or more noise artifacts. The device may identify a directionality associated with a source of the target auditory component (e.g., based on an arrangement of the multiple microphones). The device may determine a distribution function for the target auditory component based at least in part on the directionality associated with the source and on the received plurality of auditory signals. The device may generate an estimate of the target auditory component based at least in part on the distribution function and output the estimate of the target auditory component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 9, 2018
    Publication date: October 10, 2019
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Shuhua Zhang, Erik Visser
  • Patent number: 10431211
    Abstract: An apparatus includes multiple microphones to generate audio signals based on sound of a far-field acoustic environment. The apparatus also includes a signal processing system to process the audio signals to generate at least one processed audio signal. The signal processing system is configured to update one or more processing parameters while operating in a first operational mode and is configured to use a static version of the one or more processing parameters while operating in the second operational mode. The apparatus further includes a keyword detection system to perform keyword detection based on the at least one processed audio signal to determine whether the sound includes an utterance corresponding to a keyword and, based on a result of the keyword detection, to send a control signal to the signal processing system to change an operational mode of the signal processing system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Lae-Hoon Kim, Erik Visser, Asif Mohammad, Ian Ernan Liu, Ye Jiang
  • Publication number: 20190251971
    Abstract: In a particular aspect, a speech generator includes a signal input configured to receive a first audio signal. The speech generator also includes at least one speech signal processor configured to generate a second audio signal based on information associated with the first audio signal and based further on automatic speech recognition (ASR) data associated with the first audio signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Erik Visser, Shuhua Zhang, Lae-Hoon Kim, Yinyi Guo, Sunkuk Moon
  • Patent number: 10379534
    Abstract: A drone system and method. Audio signals are received via one or more microphones positioned relative to a location on a drone and one or more of the audio signals are identified as of interest. Flight characteristics of the drone are then controlled based on the audio signals that are of interest.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2019
    Assignee: Qualcomm Incorporated
    Inventors: Erik Visser, Lae-Hoon Kim, Ricardo De Jesus Bernal Castillo, Shuhua Zhang, Raghuveer Peri