Patents by Inventor Philip Robinson

Philip Robinson 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: 10721521
    Abstract: An audio system generates virtual acoustic environments with three-dimensional (3-D) sound from legacy video with two-dimensional (2-D) sound. The system relocates sound sources within the video from 2-D to into a 3-D geometry to create an immersive 3-D virtual scene of the video that can be viewed using a headset. Accordingly, an audio processing system obtains a video that includes flat mono or stereo audio being generated by one or more sources in the video. The system isolates the audio from each source by segmenting the individual audio sources. Reverberation is removed from the audio from each source to obtain each source's direct sound component. The direct sound component is then re-spatialized to the 3-D local area of the video to generate the 3-D audio based on acoustic characteristics obtained for the local area in the video.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Philip Robinson, Sebastiá Vicenc̨ Amengual Gari, Andrew Lovitt, Carl Schissler, Peter Henry Maresh
  • Patent number: 10708706
    Abstract: A shared communication channel allows for the transmitting and receiving audio content between multiple users. Each user is associated with a headset configured to transmit and receive audio data to and from headsets of other users. After the headset of a first user receives audio data corresponding to a second user, the headset spatializes the audio data based upon the relative positions of the first and second users such that when the audio data is presented to the first user, the sounds of the audio data appear to originate at a location corresponding to the second user. The headset reinforces the audio data based upon a deviation between the location of the second user and a gaze direction of the first user, allowing for the first user to more clearly hear audio data from other users that they are paying attention to.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: William Owen Brimijoin, II, Philip Robinson, Andrew Lovitt
  • Patent number: 10679602
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include applying, via a sound reproduction system, sound cancellation that reduces an amplitude of various sound signals. The method further includes identifying, among the sound signals, an external sound whose amplitude is to be reduced by the sound cancellation. The method then includes analyzing the identified external sound to determine whether the identified external sound is to be made audible to a user and, upon determining that the external sound is to be made audible to the user, the method includes modifying the sound cancellation so that the identified external sound is made audible to the user. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Lovitt, Antonio John Miller, Philip Robinson, Scott Selfon
  • Patent number: 10674307
    Abstract: Determination of a set of acoustic parameters for a headset is presented herein. The set of acoustic parameters can be determined based on a virtual model of physical locations stored at a mapping server. The virtual model describes a plurality of spaces and acoustic properties of those spaces, wherein the location in the virtual model corresponds to a physical location of the headset. A location in the virtual model for the headset is determined based on information describing at least a portion of the local area received from the headset. The set of acoustic parameters associated with the physical location of the headset is determined based in part on the determined location in the virtual model and any acoustic parameters associated with the determined location. The headset presents audio content using the set of acoustic parameters received from the mapping server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Philip Robinson, Carl Schissler, Peter Henry Maresh, Andrew Lovitt, Sebastiá Vicenç Amengual Gari
  • Patent number: 10674259
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include establishing and implementing a virtual microphone. The method may include receiving an input specifying a location for a virtual microphone that is configured to capture audio as if located in the specified location. The method may next include initializing physical microphones to begin capturing audio as if located at the specified location. The physical microphones may be electronically or physically oriented to listen from the specified location. The method may then include combining audio streams from the physical microphones to generate a combined audio signal that sounds as if recorded at the specified location. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Lovitt, Antonio John Miller, Philip Robinson, Scott Selfon
  • Patent number: 10645520
    Abstract: An audio system on a headset presents, to a user, audio content simulating a target artificial reality environment. The system receives audio content from an environment and analyzes the audio content to determine a set of acoustic properties associated with the environment. The audio content may be user generated or ambient sound. After receiving a set of target acoustic properties for a target environment, the system determines a transfer function by comparing the set of acoustic properties and the target environment's acoustic properties. The system adjusts the audio content based on the transfer function and presents the adjusted audio content to the user. The presented adjusted audio content includes one or more of the target acoustic properties for the target environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sebastiá Vicenç Amengual Gari, Carl Schissler, Peter Henry Maresh, Andrew Lovitt, Philip Robinson
  • Publication number: 20200134026
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method for performing natural language translation in AR may include accessing an audio input stream that includes words spoken by a speaking user in a first language. The method may next include performing active noise cancellation on the words in the audio input stream so that the spoken words are suppressed before reaching a listening user. Still further, the method may include processing the audio input stream to identify the words spoken by the speaking user, and translating the identified words spoken by the speaking user into a second, different language. The method may also include generating spoken words in the second, different language using the translated words, and replaying the generated spoken words in the second language to the listening user. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 25, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Andrew Lovitt, Antonio John Miller, Philip Robinson, Scott Selfon
  • Publication number: 20200137488
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include establishing and implementing a virtual microphone. The method may include receiving an input specifying a location for a virtual microphone that is configured to capture audio as if located in the specified location. The method may next include initializing physical microphones to begin capturing audio as if located at the specified location. The physical microphones may be electronically or physically oriented to listen from the specified location. The method may then include combining audio streams from the physical microphones to generate a combined audio signal that sounds as if recorded at the specified location. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Inventors: Andrew Lovitt, Antonio John Miller, Philip Robinson, Scott Selfon
  • Patent number: 10638248
    Abstract: An audio system is configured to present a modified audio experience that reduces the degradation of a target audio experience presented to a user by the audio system. The audio system includes an acoustic sensor array, a controller, and a playback device array. To generate the modified audio experience, the acoustic sensor array receives the sound waves from one or more non-target audio source(s) causing the degradation, identifies the audio source(s), determines the spatial location of the audio source(s), determines the type of the audio source(s) and generates audio instructions that, when executed by the playback device array, present the modified audio experience to the user. The modified audio experience may perform active noise cancelling, ambient sound masking, and/or neutral sound masking to compensate for the sound waves received from non-target audio sources. The audio system may be part of a headset that can produce an artificial reality environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Harty Dodds, Tetsuro Oishi, Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: 10638251
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and audio system for customizing a set of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) for a user of the audio system to account for the user's bias in hearing. The audio system first presents, via one or more speakers on a headset, audio content to the user wearing the headset, the audio content generated using a set of HRTFs. The audio system monitors responses of the user to the audio content. The audio system customizes the set of HRTFs for the user based on at least one of the monitored responses. The audio system updates audio content using the customized set of HRTFs. The audio system presents the updated audio content to the user with the speakers on the headset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Philip Robinson, William Owen Brimijoin, II, Henrik Gert Hassager
  • Patent number: 10616706
    Abstract: An audio analysis system receives a first recording of a speech signal from an origin audio assembly and a second recording of at least a portion of the speech signal from a receiving audio assembly. The speech signal originates from a speaking user of the origin audio assembly and the second recording is recorded by a receiving audio assembly operated by a different user. Both the origin audio assembly and the receiving audio assembly are located within a room. The audio analysis system selects one or more audio frames in the first recording and one or more audio frames in the second recording that both occur over the same time period. The audio analysis system determines a transfer function for the room based in part on the selected one or more audio frames in the first recording and the selected one or more audio frames in the second recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sebastià Vicenç Amengual Gari, William Owen Brimijoin, II, Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: 10574472
    Abstract: The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) establishing a communication channel to indirectly convey a conversation, (2) receiving, via the communication channel, a portion of the conversation, (3) presenting the portion of the conversation to a user, (4) receiving, via the communication channel, an additional portion of the conversation, (5) detecting an additional communication channel capable of conveying the conversation, (6) determining a human-perceivable difference between how the conversation has been conveyed via the communication channel and how the conversation will be conveyed via the additional communication channel, and (7) compensating for the human-perceivable difference when presenting the additional portion of the conversation to the user in order to smoothly transition the conversation from the communication channel to the additional communication channel. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Lovitt, Antonio John Miller, Philip Robinson, Scott Selfon
  • Publication number: 20200045491
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method and audio system for customizing a set of head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) for a user of the audio system to account for the user's bias in hearing. The audio system first presents, via one or more speakers on a headset, audio content to the user wearing the headset, the audio content generated using a set of HRTFs. The audio system monitors responses of the user to the audio content. The audio system customizes the set of HRTFs for the user based on at least one of the monitored responses. The audio system updates audio content using the customized set of HRTFs. The audio system presents the updated audio content to the user with the speakers on the headset.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Publication date: February 6, 2020
    Inventors: Philip Robinson, William Owen Brimijoin, II, Henrik Gert Hassager
  • Patent number: 10440498
    Abstract: An audio analysis system receives a first recording of a speech signal from an origin audio assembly and a second recording of at least a portion of the speech signal from a receiving audio assembly. The speech signal originates from a speaking user of the origin audio assembly and the second recording is recorded by a receiving audio assembly operated by a different user. Both the origin audio assembly and the receiving audio assembly are located within a room. The audio analysis system selects one or more audio frames in the first recording and one or more audio frames in the second recording that both occur over the same time period. The audio analysis system determines a transfer function for the room based in part on the selected one or more audio frames in the first recording and the selected one or more audio frames in the second recording.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Facebook Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Sebastià Vicenç Amengual Garí, William Owen Brimijoin, II, Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: 10349194
    Abstract: A technique for auditory masking for a coherence-controlled calibration system includes generating a first auditory masking pattern based on a frequency spectrum of at least a first frame of a first audio signal. The technique continues by generating a first calibration signal based on the first auditory masking pattern. The technique then includes producing a combined input signal based on the first audio signal and the first calibration signal. The technique also includes performing one or more calibration operations based on the combined input signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: FACEBOOK TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Pablo Francisco Faundez Hoffman, Scott Porter, Philip Robinson, Antonio John Miller, Ravish Mehra
  • Publication number: 20190023234
    Abstract: An automated wash rig is disclosed for cleaning the interior of a freight container. The wash rig may be transported atop a mobile platform or carriage and inserted into the interior of the freight container. During the cleaning process, the wash rig may travel along the length of the floor of the freight container. Washers (e.g., spray nozzles) on the wash rig may be used to direct cleaning fluid at the surfaces of the interior of the freight container, while dryers (e.g., air knives) on the wash rig may be used to dry off those surfaces. As the wash rig traverses the entire length of the freight container, the entire interior of the freight container is washed and dried. The wash rig may also have ultraviolet (UV) lamps which can provide UV light to sanitize the interior of the freight container during this process.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Publication date: January 24, 2019
    Inventors: Pamela Lugg Young, Michael E. Ray, Lora Eade, James R. Lugg, Alvin Trentelman, David Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: D823798
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2018
    Assignee: IAP Worldwide Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Gleave, Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: D829170
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: IAP Worldwide Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Gleave, Philip Robinson
  • Patent number: D840335
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: IAP Worldwide Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter S. Gleave, Philip Robinson, Elaine Medway
  • Patent number: D864111
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: IAP Worldwide Services, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Gleave, Douglas Kitani, Jonathan McLaughlin, Philip Robinson, Christopher Russell