Patents by Inventor Thomas Sporer

Thomas Sporer 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: 20240365081
    Abstract: A system and method for assisting selective hearing includes a detector for detecting an audio source signal portion of one or more audio sources by using at least two received microphone signals of a hearing environment. A position determiner allocates position information to each of the one or more audio sources. An audio type classifier assigns an audio source signal type to the audio source signal portion of each of the one or more audio sources. A signal portion modifier varies the audio source signal portion of at least one audio source of the one or more audio sources depending on the audio signal type of the audio source signal portion of the at least one audio source so as to obtain a modified audio signal portion of the at least one audio source. The system includes a signal generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2024
    Publication date: October 31, 2024
    Inventors: Thomas SPORER, Georg FISCHER, Hanna LUKASHEVICH, Florian KLEIN, Stephan WERNER, Annika NEIDHARDT, Ulrike SLOMA, Christian SCHNEIDERWIND, Claudia STIRNAT, Estefania CANO CERON, Jakob ABESSER, Christoph SLADECZEK, Karlheinz BRANDENBURG
  • Patent number: 12069470
    Abstract: A system and a corresponding method for assisting selective hearing are provided. The system includes a detector for detecting an audio source signal portion of one or more audio sources by using at least two received microphone signals of a hearing environment. In addition, the system includes a position determiner for allocating position information to each of the one or more audio sources. In addition, the system includes an audio type classifier for assigning an audio source signal type to the audio source signal portion of each of the one or more audio sources. In addition, the system includes a signal portion modifier for varying the audio source signal portion of at least one audio source of the one or more audio sources depending on the audio signal type of the audio source signal portion of the at least one audio source so as to obtain a modified audio signal portion of the at least one audio source. In addition, the system includes a signal generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2024
    Assignees: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V., TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET ILMENAU
    Inventors: Thomas Sporer, Georg Fischer, Hanna Lukashevich, Florian Klein, Stephan Werner, Annika Neidhardt, Ulrike Sloma, Christian Schneiderwind, Claudia Stirnat, Estefania Cano Ceron, Jakob Abesser, Christoph Sladeczek, Karlheinz Brandenburg
  • Patent number: 11880407
    Abstract: A method for generating a database, having “receiving environmental noises” (e.g. disturbing noise) and “buffered environmental noises for a migrating time window” (like 30 or 60 seconds) alternatively “deriving a set of parameters relative to the environmental noises” and of “buffering the set of parameters for the migrating time window”, he buffered environmental noises or the buffered set of parameters being generally referred to as recording, furthermore “obtaining a signal”, which identifies a signal class (like disturbing noise) of a plurality of signal classes (disturbing noise and non-disturbing noise) in the environmental noises, and “storing the buffered recordings responsive to the signal” in a memory (e.g. internal or external memory). Obtaining and storing are repeated in order to set up the database which has a plurality of buffered recordings for the same signal class.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2024
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Sporer, Tobias Clauss, Judith Liebetrau, Sara Kepplinger, Dietmar Kepplinger
  • Publication number: 20220159403
    Abstract: A system and a corresponding method for assisting selective hearing are provided. The system includes a detector for detecting an audio source signal portion of one or more audio sources by using at least two received microphone signals of a hearing environment. In addition, the system includes a position determiner for allocating position information to each of the one or more audio sources. In addition, the system includes an audio type classifier for assigning an audio source signal type to the audio source signal portion of each of the one or more audio sources. In addition, the system includes a signal portion modifier for varying the audio source signal portion of at least one audio source of the one or more audio sources depending on the audio signal type of the audio source signal portion of the at least one audio source so as to obtain a modified audio signal portion of the at least one audio source. In addition, the system includes a signal generator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2022
    Publication date: May 19, 2022
    Inventors: Thomas SPORER, Georg FISCHER, Hanna LUKASHEVICH, Florian KLEIN, Stephan WERNER, Annika NEIDHARDT, Ulrike SLOMA, Christian SCHNEIDERWIND, Claudia STIRNAT, Estefania CANO CERON, Jakob ABESSER, Christoph SLADECZEK, Karlheinz BRANDENBURG
  • Patent number: 11003709
    Abstract: What is described is a method for associating noises of at least one signal class (like disturbing noise) of a plurality of signal classes (like disturbing noise and non-disturbing noise). The method has the steps of “receiving environmental noises” and “establishing whether the environmental noises or a set of parameters derived from the environmental noises fulfill/s a predefined rule which describes the signal class of the plurality of signal classes”. Starting from this, the steps of “logging that the predefined rule has been fulfilled”, “recording the environmental noises received for a migrating time window”, “deriving a set of parameters from the environmental noises for the migrating time window and storing the set of parameters” or “emitting an activation signal for another device for associating a noise” are performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Sporer, Tobias Clauss, Judith Liebetrau, Sara Kepplinger, Hanna Lukashevich, Dietmar Kepplinger
  • Publication number: 20180122398
    Abstract: What is described is a method for associating noises of at least one signal class (like disturbing noise) of a plurality of signal classes (like disturbing noise and non-disturbing noise). The method has the steps of “receiving environmental noises” and “establishing whether the environmental noises or a set of parameters derived from the environmental noises fulfill/s a predefined rule which describes the signal class of the plurality of signal classes”. Starting from this, the steps of “logging that the predefined rule has been fulfilled”, “recording the environmental noises received for a migrating time window”, “deriving a set of parameters from the environmental noises for the migrating time window and storing the set of parameters” or “emitting an activation signal for another device for associating a noise” are performed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas SPORER, Tobias CLAUSS, Judith LIEBETRAU, Sara KEPPLINGER, Hanna LUKASHEVICH, Dietmar KEPPLINGER
  • Publication number: 20180121540
    Abstract: What is described is a method for generating a database, having “receiving environmental noises”, which may exemplarily have a disturbing noise, and “buffered environmental noises for a migrating time window”, like 30 or 60 seconds or, advantageously, more than 5 seconds, alternatively “deriving a set of parameters relative to the environmental noises” and of “buffering the set of parameters for the migrating time window”, he buffered environmental noises or the buffered set of parameters being generally referred to as recording, furthermore “obtaining a signal”, which identifies a signal class (like disturbing noise) of a plurality of signal classes (disturbing noise and non-disturbing noise) in the environmental noises, and “storing the buffered recordings responsive to the signal” in a memory, like an internal or external memory. Obtaining and storing are repeated in order to set up the database which has a plurality of buffered recordings for the same signal class.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2017
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas SPORER, Tobias CLAUSS, Judith LIEBETRAU, Sara KEPPLINGER, Dietmar KEPPLINGER
  • Patent number: 9813804
    Abstract: A more clear-cut separation of a first audio signal within a first region of a sonication area of a plurality of loudspeakers is achieved in that a calculator calculates that version of the audio signals which results from the spatially selective reproduction of the audio signals at this first region, in that a masking threshold is calculated as a function of the version of that audio signal which is to be separated from the one or more other audio signals at this region, and in that the emission of the audio signals for spatially selective reproduction to the outputs of the plurality of loudspeakers is influenced as a function of a comparison of the masking threshold with the version of the one or more other, i.e. spurious, audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2017
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Franck, Christoph Sladeczek, Thomas Sporer
  • Publication number: 20170150286
    Abstract: An embodiment provides an apparatus for generating a copy-protected wave field synthesis audio representation of an audio scene with a plurality of audio objects, wherein each audio object includes an audio file and position information. The apparatus includes a watermark embedder for embedding a watermark in the audio file of at least one of the plurality of audio objects for generating a modified audio file for the at least one audio object, wherein the watermark specifies a reproduction room. Further, the apparatus includes a wave field synthesis processor for generating the copy-protected wave field synthesis audio representation of the audio scene by using a loudspeaker configuration of the specific reproduction room of the modified audio file and the position for the at least one audio object.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas SPORER, René RODIGAST
  • Patent number: 9656814
    Abstract: A basic idea of the present application is that in case of determining a position of the object on the surface, it is possible to also use transport mechanisms for the transport of the object on the surface which leads to less reproducible transport movements as the regulation may be executed directly on the basis of the observed movement as compared to the desired movement. Embodiments using compressed air, magnetism and/or bending waves are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Stefan Kraegeloh, Harald Popp, Josef Bernhard, Harald Fuchs, Marc Gayer, Manfred Lutzky, Thomas Sporer, Sandra Brix
  • Publication number: 20160283571
    Abstract: An apparatus includes a data model, the data model including three or more nodes, one or more of the three or more nodes of the data model having an ID assigned to it, each of the one or more nodes being unambiguously distinguishable from the other nodes of the data model by its ID, at least two of the nodes of the data model each having one or more attributes, each of the attributes being able to adopt a value stored within the data model, each node of the at least two nodes having a path indication assigned to it, the path indication having the respective node to which the path indication is assigned and at least one further of the three or more nodes of the data model, and the path indication of each node of the at least two nodes differing from the ID of the respective node.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Publication date: September 29, 2016
    Inventors: Gabriel GATZSCHE, Tobias GEHLHAAR, Thomas SPORER, Maximilian HELLER, Mario SEIDENECK
  • Publication number: 20160088388
    Abstract: A more clear-cut separation of a first audio signal within a first region of a sonication area of a plurality of loudspeakers is achieved in that a calculator calculates that version of the audio signals which results from the spatially selective reproduction of the audio signals at this first region, in that a masking threshold is calculated as a function of the version of that audio signal which is to be separated from the one or more other audio signals at this region, and in that the emission of the audio signals for spatially selective reproduction to the outputs of the plurality of loudspeakers is influenced as a function of a comparison of the masking threshold with the version of the one or more other, i.e. spurious, audio signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2015
    Publication date: March 24, 2016
    Inventors: Andreas FRANCK, Christoph SLADECZEK, Thomas SPORER
  • Patent number: 9191734
    Abstract: A loudspeaker includes a two-dimensional array of non-housed individual speakers having flat shapes. The non-housed individual speakers are accommodated within a flat housing, the depth of the housing being smaller than 5 cm, for example. Non-housed individual speakers used are advantageously headphone capsules and/or miniature loudspeakers having diaphragm diameters of less than 5 cm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2015
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Thomas Sporer, Daniel Beer, Stephan Mauer
  • Patent number: 9114940
    Abstract: A basic idea of the present application is that in case of determining a position of the object on the surface, it is possible to also use transport mechanisms for the transport of the object on the surface which leads to less reproducible transport movements as the regulation may be executed directly on the basis of the observed movement as compared to the desired movement. Embodiments using compressed air, magnetism and/or bending waves are described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 25, 2015
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Stefan Kraegeloh, Harald Popp, Josef Bernhard, Harald Fuchs, Marc Gayer, Manfred Lutzky, Thomas Sporer, Sandra Brix
  • Publication number: 20140257557
    Abstract: A basic idea of the present application is that in case of determining a position of the object on the surface, it is possible to also use transport mechanisms for the transport of the object on the surface which leads to less reproducible transport movements as the regulation may be executed directly on the basis of the observed movement as compared to the desired movement. Embodiments using compressed air, magnetism and/or bending waves are described.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 20, 2014
    Publication date: September 11, 2014
    Applicant: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Stefan KRAEGELOH, Harald POPP, Josef BERNHARD, Harald FUCHS, Marc GAYER, Manfred LUTZKY, Thomas SPORER, Sandra BRIX
  • Patent number: 8649529
    Abstract: An apparatus for localizing a sound source includes at least two rotatably arranged microphones, a drive formed to set the microphones into rotation, and an evaluator. The evaluator is formed to receive microphone signals of the at least two microphones, while the at least two microphones are moving, and to obtain information on a direction from which sound arrives from the sound source or information on a position of the sound source, using the microphone signals obtained during the movement of the microphones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Frank Klefenz, Thomas Sporer
  • Patent number: 8615472
    Abstract: In a method of providing a virtual product to third parties, the virtual product being present in an original version in a digital form having a predetermined quality, a reduced version of the virtual product, along with information relating to a distributor of the virtual product, is initially provided. The reduced version's quality is inferior to the quality of the original version, and the information relating to the distributor are associated with this reduced version. On the basis of the information associated with the reduced version, further information may be created. This further information indicates that the reduced version has been passed on to the third party by the content provider. The further information is created if the third party has acquired rights to the virtual product after having obtained the reduced version of same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung E.V.
    Inventors: Patrick Aichroth, Jens Hasselbach, Stefan Puchta, Thomas Sporer
  • Patent number: 8605910
    Abstract: A device for determining a component signal for a WFS system includes a provider for providing WFS parameters, a WFS parameter interpolator, and an audio signal processor. The provider provides WFS parameters for a component signal while using a source position and while using the loudspeaker position at a parameter sampling frequency smaller than the audio sampling frequency. The WFS parameter interpolator interpolates the WFS parameters so as to produce interpolated WFS parameters which are present at a parameter interpolation frequency that is higher than the parameter sampling frequency, the interpolated WFS parameters having interpolated fractions which have a higher level of accuracy than is specified by the audio sampling frequency. The audio signal processor is configured to apply the interpolated fractional values to the audio signal such that the component signal is obtained in a state of having been processed at the higher level of accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Franck, Sandra Brix, Thomas Sporer
  • Publication number: 20130243203
    Abstract: A device for determining a component signal for a WFS system includes a provider for providing WFS parameters, a WFS parameter interpolator, and an audio signal processor. The provider provides WFS parameters for a component signal while using a source position and while using the loudspeaker position at a parameter sampling frequency smaller than the audio sampling frequency. The WFS parameter interpolator interpolates the WFS parameters so as to produce interpolated WFS parameters which are present at a parameter interpolation frequency that is higher than the parameter sampling frequency, the interpolated WFS parameters having interpolated fractions which have a higher level of accuracy than is specified by the audio sampling frequency. The audio signal processor is configured to apply the interpolated fractional values to the audio signal such that the component signal is obtained in a state of having been processed at the higher level of accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Publication date: September 19, 2013
    Inventors: Andreas FRANCK, Sandra BRIX, Thomas SPORER
  • Patent number: 8526623
    Abstract: A device for determining a component signal for a WFS system includes a provider for providing WFS parameters, a WFS parameter interpolator, and an audio signal processor. The provider provides WFS parameters for a component signal while using a source position and while using the loudspeaker position at a parameter sampling frequency smaller than the audio sampling frequency. The WFS parameter interpolator interpolates the WFS parameters so as to produce interpolated WFS parameters which are present at a parameter interpolation frequency that is higher than the parameter sampling frequency, the interpolated WFS parameters having interpolated fractions which have a higher level of accuracy than is specified by the audio sampling frequency. The audio signal processor is configured to apply the interpolated fractional values to the audio signal such that the component signal is obtained in a state of having been processed at the higher level of accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur Foerderung der Angewandten Forschung e.V.
    Inventors: Andreas Franck, Sandra Brix, Thomas Sporer