Abstract: An acoustic sensor including a fixed conductive plate and an elastic conductive plate placed in parallel, an electric circuit connected to the fixed conductive plate and to the elastic conductive plate and providing a signal indicating temporal capacitance between the fixed conductive plate and to the elastic conductive plate, a controller including an input terminal connected to the electric circuit and an output terminal providing gain-control output signal, and a variable-gain amplifier including a first input terminal connected to the at least one fixed conductive plate, a second input terminal connected to the elastic conductive plate, a gain-control input terminal connected to the controller output, and an output terminal providing the sensed acoustic signal.

Abstract: Performing sound selection by processing sound source separation on input received from microphones mounted in a wide sector around a device to create a plurality of first sound streams, each first sound stream associated with a source of sound; detecting at least one human image in imaging data acquired from at least one camera collecting imaging data from the wide sector; determining a first direction within the wide sector for at least one of the human images; forming an acoustic beam, the first direction, using a plurality of microphones, where the beam being directed at the first direction to produce a second sound stream; comparing the second sound stream with each of the first sound streams to form a plurality of comparison results; and associating a selected first sound stream with the human object according to a best-fit comparison result.

Abstract: A microphone circuit including a JFET or MOSFET transistor, one input of an impedance network connected to the transistor's gate, a terminal of a source resistor connected to the transistor's source, another terminal of the source resistor connected to ground, a bypass capacitor connected in parallel to the source resistor, one terminal of a load resistor connected to the transistor's drain, VCC_LOW connected to another terminal of the load resistor, an input of an op-amplifier connected to the transistor's source through a bi-directional low-pass-filter, another input of the op-amplifier connected to reference voltage, an output of the op-amplifier connected to another terminal of the input impedance network through an LPF, an energy detector connected to the transistor's drain via a coupling capacitor, an LPF connected to the energy detector output, and an LPF connected to the output of the energy detector, the input impedance network connected to a microphone.

Abstract: A communication device and method including a microphone, a first filter coupled to the microphone adapted to pass signals in an audio band only, a second filter coupled to the microphone adapted to pass signals only in an upper region of the audio band, an optional amplifier or two, an analog to digital converter (ADC) unit or two, an optional a switching unit connected between an input of the ADC unit and an output of each of the first and second filters and configured to selecting between the first and second filters, and a controller configured to control the switching unit and/or to select the second filter for acoustic communication, where the acoustic communication is adapted to the upper region of the audio band.

Abstract: Controlling one or more service providing devices, including a mobile device operative to control a service providing device within a first range, where the mobile device is operative to interrogate the one or more service providing devices within a second range being smaller than the first range, where, responsive to the interrogation by the mobile device, the service providing device identifies itself to the mobile device, and where the mobile device is operative to present to a user a list including one or more of the service providing devices within the second range.

Abstract: A microphone system including a JFET or MOSFET transistor, an input-impedance-network with one terminal connected to the transistor's gate, a resistor connected to the transistor's source and another terminal connected to ground, with bypass capacitor connected in parallel to the resistor, a load resistor connected between the transistor's drain and low-voltage connected, an inverted voltage connected to an op-amplifier, a switch where each throw is connected to a different Vref, one input of the op-amplifier connected to the transistor's source through a bidirectional LPF, a second input connected to the switch pole, a power terminals connected to the inverted voltage and main supply voltage, an output terminal connected to a second terminal of the input impedance network through a second LPF, and an input electrets capacitor source connected in parallel to the input impedance network.

Abstract: An electrostatic loudspeaker, or a diaphragm for an electrostatic loudspeaker, where the diaphragm includes a plurality of conductive parts and, at least one insulator part separating between the conductive parts, and where each of the plurality of conductive parts is electrically connectable to a different bias voltage according to the minimal distance between the particular conductive part and one or more fixed conductive grids positioned in parallel to the diaphragm.

Abstract: A microphone circuit including a JFET or MOSFET transistor, a terminal of an input-impedance-network connected to the transistor's gate, one terminal of a source resistor connected to the transistor's source, and another terminal connected to ground, a bypass capacitor connected in parallel to the source resistor, one terminal of a load resistor connected to the transistor's drain, a charge-pump generating low-voltage connected to the second terminal of the load resistor, and an inverted voltage connected to a power supply terminal of an op amplifier, one input of the op-amplifier connected to the source terminal of the transistor through a bi-directional low-pass-filter, another input connected to a reference voltage, one power supply terminal connected to the inverted voltage, another power supply terminal connected to main supply voltage, an output terminal connected to another terminal of the input-impedance-network through a low pass filter, where the input-impedance-network connected to a microphone.

Abstract: An acoustic transducer including a transducer including a first rigid conductive grid, a second rigid conductive grid, and an elastic conductive diaphragm located between the first rigid conductive grid and the second rigid conductive grid, a power supply having an input voltage VCC and providing a first LOW VCC supply voltage, and a second inverted voltage, a driving circuit operating the transducer as an electrostatic speaker, a buffer circuit operating the transducer as an electrostatic microphone, a switch selecting between electrostatic speaker and a microphone, a main supply input, a signal input, and an output.

Abstract: An ultra-low-power acoustic locator circuitry for locating a battery operated device when the battery is dead, or when a mobile communication device is set to silent mode.

Abstract: A system and a method for selecting wireless communication mode between a mobile device and a local node, where the selection is between RF communication technology and acoustic communication technology, the selection including determining the location of the mobile device with respect to the local node, and selecting the communication mode according to characterization of the location, where the location is characterized according to history of quality of acoustic communication in or around the location.

Abstract: A method and a system for measuring ambient light, including detecting power transition of electric power powering a LED light source, where the power transition comprises at least one power transition from OFF to ON and at least one power transition from ON to OFF, performing a plurality of measurements of output signal of an LDR measurement circuit, wherein the plurality of measurements is performed between the power transition from ON to OFF and the power transition from OFF to ON, and calculating ambient light intensity from the plurality of measurements where the time period between the power transition from ON to OFF and the power transition from OFF to ON is less than time period for stabilizing LDR light measurement.

Abstract: A capacitive microphone including a rigid plate of a conductive material, a movable plate positioned in parallel to the rigid plate, electrically separated from the rigid plate, and held firmly with respect to the rigid plate in at least one place of the movable plate, where the movable plate and/or the rigid plate is divided into a plurality of regions according to the minimum distance between the region and the other plate, and/or the extent of motion of the region with respect to the other plate, where each of the regions includes a conductive material and the regions are separated by non-conductive materials, where each of the regions is electrically coupled to a separate connector configured for connection to a voltage source and an amplifier input, and where the voltage provided to each region is adapted to the minimum distance and/or the extent of motion for that region.

Abstract: An amplifier comprising a FET transistor, a bias resistor having a first terminal connected to a gate terminal of the FET transistor, a load resistor having a first terminal connected to a D terminal of the FET transistor, a DC-to-DC step-down converter with an input terminal connected to a supply voltage, and an output terminal connected to a second terminal of the load resistor, a two-pin current-to-voltage converter with a first pin connected to an S terminal of the FET transistor and a second pin connected to ground, and a comparator having a first pin connected to a positive supply voltage, a second pin connected to a negative supply voltage, a third (output) pin connected to a second terminal of the bias resistor, a fourth pin connected to a reference voltage, and a fifth pin connected to the first pin of the current-to-voltage converter.

Abstract: A method and a system for remote controlling one or more service providing devices, including a mobile device operative to control a service providing device within a first range, where the mobile device is operative to interrogate the one or more service providing devices within a second range being smaller than the first range, where, responsive to the interrogation by the mobile device, the service providing device identifies itself to the mobile device, and where the mobile device is operative to present to a user a list including one or more of the service providing devices within the second range.

Abstract: A method and a system for ultra-low-power acoustic sensor including a buffer transistor, which gate terminal is connected to a first terminal of a capacitive acoustic sensor, which drain terminal is connected via a load network to a power source and to an output terminal, and which source terminal is connected to the regulated current source, where the regulated current source is connected between the source terminal of the buffer transistor and a reference terminal, and where the reference terminal being connectable to a second terminal of the capacitive acoustic sensor.

Abstract: A communication device and method including a microphone, a first filter coupled to the microphone adapted to pass signals in an audio band only, a second filter coupled to the microphone adapted to pass signals only in an upper region of the audio band, an optional amplifier or two, an analog to digital converter (ADC) unit or two, an optional a switching unit connected between an input of the ADC unit and an output of each of the first and second filters and configured to selecting between the first and second filters, and a controller configured to control the switching unit and/or to select the second filter for acoustic communication, where the acoustic communication is adapted to the upper region of the audio band.

Abstract: A method and a system for ultra-low-power acoustic sensor including a buffer transistor, which gate terminal is connected to a first terminal of a capacitive acoustic sensor, which drain terminal is connected via a load network to a power source and to an output terminal, and which source terminal is connected to the regulated current source, where the regulated current source is connected between the source terminal of the buffer transistor and a reference terminal, and where the reference terminal being connectable to a second terminal of the capacitive acoustic sensor.

Abstract: A method and a system for remote controlling one or more service providing devices, including a mobile device operative to control a service providing device within a first range, where the mobile device is operative to interrogate the one or more service providing devices within a second range being smaller than the first range, where, responsive to the interrogation by the mobile device, the service providing device identifies itself to the mobile device, and where the mobile device is operative to present to a user a list including one or more of the service providing devices within the second range.

Abstract: A modulation scheme for long range transceiver utilizing a processing scheme in combination with a Hadamard transform is disclosed. The processing scheme can correspond to an industry standard or to other processing schemes. An input signal is parallelized through serial to parallel conversion. The processed parallel signals are orthogonalized using a Hadamard transform to allow multiple channel signals with increased throughput. Accordingly, the long range modulation scheme of this invention can achieve high efficiency and increased throughput while meeting performance goals of long range signal transmission.