Patents by Inventor Tobias Wolff

Tobias Wolff 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: 12154551
    Abstract: A vehicle defines an interior space and an exterior space. Within the vehicle are internal microphones that are disposed to capture an acoustic event that originated in an origination space, which is either the interior space or the exterior space. An infotainment system includes circuitry that forms a head unit having an acoustic-signal processor that is configured to receive, from the microphones, a sound vector indicative of the acoustic event and to identify the origination space based at least in part on the sound vector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2024
    Assignee: Cerence Operating Company
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck, Jonas Jungclaussen, Amaury Astier, Tim Haulick
  • Publication number: 20240205637
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems, methods, and other implementations, including a method for controlling a configurable audio processor, coupled via a plurality of transducers (such as the microphones 220A-C and/or the loudspeakers 224A-B of FIG. 2) to an acoustic environment, that includes determining a three-dimensional spatial variation in the acoustic environment of a processing characteristic of the audio processor based on configuration values for the audio processor, forming a three-dimensional image of the three-dimensional spatial variation of the processing characteristic, and providing the three-dimensional image for presentation to a user for controlling the configuration values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2023
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Inventors: Gabriel Haas, Markus Funk, Simon Graf, Tobias Wolff
  • Publication number: 20220319502
    Abstract: A vehicle defines an interior space and an exterior space. Within the vehicle are internal microphones that are disposed to capture an acoustic event that originated in an origination space, which is either the interior space or the exterior space. An infotainment system includes circuitry that forms a head unit having an acoustic-signal processor that is configured to receive, from the microphones, a sound vector indicative of the acoustic event and to identify the origination space based at least in part on the sound vector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 22, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck, Jonas Jungclaussen, Amaury Astier, Tim Haulick
  • Patent number: 11437020
    Abstract: According to some aspects, a system for detecting a designated wake-up word is provided, the system comprising a plurality of microphones to detect acoustic information from a physical space having a plurality of acoustic zones, at least one processor configured to receive a first acoustic signal representing the acoustic information received by the plurality of microphones, process the first acoustic signal to identify content of the first acoustic signal originating from each of the plurality of acoustic zones, provide a plurality of second acoustic signals, each of the plurality of second acoustic signals substantially corresponding to the content identified as originating from a respective one of the plurality of acoustic zones, and performing automatic speech recognition on each of the plurality of second acoustic signals to determine whether the designated wake-up word was spoken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: CERENCE OPERATING COMPANY
    Inventors: Julien Prémont, Tim Haulick, Emanuele Dalmasso, Munir Nikolai Alexander Georges, Andreas Kellner, Gaetan Martens, Oliver Van Porten, Holger Quast, Martin Roessler, Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck
  • Patent number: 11227588
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of sources. One or more feature values of a plurality of features may be assigned to a first source of the plurality of sources. One or more feature values of the plurality of features may be assigned to a second source of the plurality of sources. A first score for the first source and a second score for the second source may be determined based upon, at least in part, the one or more feature values assigned to the first source and the second source. One of the first source and the second source may be selected for spatial processing based upon, at least in part, the first score for the first source and the second score for the second source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2022
    Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Simon Graf
  • Patent number: 10924846
    Abstract: A system and method for generating a self-steering beamformer is provided. Embodiments may include receiving, at one or more microphones, a first audio signal and adapting one or more blocking filters based upon, at least in part, the first audio signal. Embodiments may also include generating, using the one or more blocking filters, one or more noise reference signals. Embodiments may further include providing the one or more noise reference signals to an adaptive interference canceller to reduce a beamformer output power level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck
  • Publication number: 20200349933
    Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods aware of ongoing conversations and configured to intelligently schedule a speech prompt to an intended addressee. A method for intelligently scheduling a speech prompt in a speech dialog system includes monitoring an acoustic environment to detect an intended addressee's availability for a speech prompt having a measure of urgency corresponding therewith. Based on the intended addressee's availability, the method predicts a time that is convenient to present the speech prompt to the intended addressee, and schedules the speech prompt based on the predicted time and the measure of urgency. A measure of rudeness can be estimated using a cost function that includes cost for presence of an utterance, cost for presence of a conversation, and cost for involvement of the intended addressee in the conversation. Scheduling the speech prompt can include trading off the measure of urgency and the measure of rudeness.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 30, 2019
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Nils Lenke
  • Patent number: 10789950
    Abstract: A multi-mode voice controlled user interface is described. The user interface is adapted to conduct a speech dialog with one or more possible speakers and includes a broad listening mode which accepts speech inputs from the possible speakers without spatial filtering, and a selective listening mode which limits speech inputs to a specific speaker using spatial filtering. The user interface switches listening modes in response to one or more switching cues.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck, Tim Haulick, Suhadi
  • Publication number: 20200184994
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of sources, wherein a first source of the plurality of sources is a source of interest and wherein a second source of the plurality of sources is an interference source. The first source and the second source may be monitored simultaneously by implementing a spatial pre-filter for acoustic source localization.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Simon Graf, Timo Matheja
  • Publication number: 20200184954
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of sources. One or more feature values of a plurality of features may be assigned to a first source of the plurality of sources. One or more feature values of the plurality of features may be assigned to a second source of the plurality of sources. A first score for the first source and a second score for the second source may be determined based upon, at least in part, the one or more feature values assigned to the first source and the second source. One of the first source and the second source may be selected for spatial processing based upon, at least in part, the first score for the first source and the second score for the second source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Publication date: June 11, 2020
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Simon Graf
  • Patent number: 10481831
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, an input signal. A first power spectral density estimate may be generated for a linear reverberant component associated with the input signal. A second power spectral density estimate may be generated for a non-linear reverberant component associated with the input signal. A power spectral density estimate may be generated by combining the first power spectral density estimate for the linear reverberant component and the second power spectral density estimate for the non-linear reverberant component. One or more parameters for at least one of the linear reverberant component and the non-linear reverberant component may be updated. One or more undesired signal components in an output signal resulting from the input signal may be reduced via residual echo suppression based upon, at least in part, updating the one or more parameters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Ingo Schalk-Schupp, Friedrich Faubel, Markus Buck, Naveen Kumar Desiraju, Tobias Wolff
  • Patent number: 10482878
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, a first signal emitted from one or more sources. A second signal may be received emitted from the one or more sources. A first confidence level that the wake-up-word is included in the first signal may be determined. A second confidence level that the wake-up-word is included in the second signal may be determined. It may be identified that the wake-up-word originated from a first source of the one or more sources based upon, at least in part, the first and second confidence levels. The first source may be enabled to participate in a dialog phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Jan Philip Janssen, Simon Graf, Tim Haulick
  • Patent number: 10453470
    Abstract: A system and method for speech enhancement of a portable electronic device. Embodiments may include receiving an audio signal at a portable electronic device having a first microphone and a second microphone. Embodiments may also include receiving an input from a proximity detector associated with the portable electronic device and controlling a processing component associated with at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Friedrich Faubel, Tobias Wolff, Tim Haulick
  • Patent number: 10403300
    Abstract: A system and associated method for estimating one or more reverberation parameters includes an adaptive, parametric, linear prediction filter having one or more power spectral density (PSD) estimates of signals of one or more channels as inputs. The prediction filter estimates at least one parameter related to reverberation time, such as T60, and can further estimate an additional parameter, such as Direct-to-Reverberant Ratio (DRR). The prediction filter may be adapted during a period of reverberation by minimizing a cost function. Adaptation can include using a gradient descent approach, which can operate according to a step size provided by an adaptation controller configured to determine the period of reverberation. One or more microphones can provide the signals. The reverberation parameters estimated can be applied to a reverberation suppressor, with an estimator that does not require a training phase and without relying on assumptions of the user's position relative to the microphones.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Naveen Kumar Desiraju
  • Publication number: 20190164542
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, a first signal emitted from one or more sources. A second signal may be received emitted from the one or more sources. A first confidence level that the wake-up-word is included in the first signal may be determined. A second confidence level that the wake-up-word is included in the second signal may be determined. It may be identified that the wake-up-word originated from a first source of the one or more sources based upon, at least in part, the first and second confidence levels. The first source may be enabled to participate in a dialogue phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2017
    Publication date: May 30, 2019
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Jan Philip Janssen, Simon Graf, Tim Haulick
  • Patent number: 10276181
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for addressing acoustic signal reverberation is provided. Embodiments may include receiving, at one or more microphones, a first audio signal and a reverberation audio signal. Embodiments may further include processing at least one of the first audio signal and the reverberation audio signal. Embodiments may also include limiting a model based reverberation equalizer using a temporal constraint for direct sound distortions, the model based reverberation equalizer configured to generate one or more outputs, based upon, at least in part, at least one of the first audio signal and the reverberation audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Lars Tebelmann
  • Publication number: 20190102108
    Abstract: A method, computer program product, and computer system for receiving, by a computing device, an input signal. A first power spectral density estimate may be generated for a linear reverberant component associated with the input signal. A second power spectral density estimate may be generated for a non-linear reverberant component associated with the input signal. A power spectral density estimate may be generated by combining the first power spectral density estimate for the linear reverberant component and the second power spectral density estimate for the non-linear reverberant component. One or more parameters for at least one of the linear reverberant component and the non-linear reverberant component may be updated. One or more undesired signal components in an output signal resulting from the input signal may be reduced via residual echo suppression based upon, at least in part, updating the one or more parameters.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2017
    Publication date: April 4, 2019
    Inventors: Ingo Schalk-Schupp, Friedrich Faubel, Markus Buck, Naveen Kumar Desiraju, Tobias Wolff
  • Patent number: 10242690
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure may include a system and method for speech enhancement using the coherent to diffuse sound ratio. Embodiments may include receiving an audio signal at one or more microphones and controlling one or more adaptive filters of a beamformer using a coherent to diffuse ratio (“CDR”).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Timo Matheja, Markus Buck
  • Publication number: 20190080709
    Abstract: A system and associated method for estimating one or more reverberation parameters includes an adaptive, parametric, linear prediction filter having one or more power spectral density (PSD) estimates of signals of one or more channels as inputs. The prediction filter estimates at least one parameter related to reverberation time, such as T60, and can further estimate an additional parameter, such as Direct-to-Reverberant Ratio (DRR). The prediction filter may be adapted during a period of reverberation by minimizing a cost function. Adaptation can include using a gradient descent approach, which can operate according to a step size provided by an adaptation controller configured to determine the period of reverberation. One or more microphones can provide the signals. The reverberation parameters estimated can be applied to a reverberation suppressor, with an estimator that does not require a training phase and without relying on assumptions of the user's position relative to the microphones.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2016
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Inventors: Tobias Wolff, Naveen Kumar Desiraju
  • Publication number: 20190073999
    Abstract: According to some aspects, a system for detecting a designated wake-up word is provided, the system comprising a plurality of microphones to detect acoustic information from a physical space having a plurality of acoustic zones, at least one processor configured to receive a first acoustic signal representing the acoustic information received by the plurality of microphones, process the first acoustic signal to identify content of the first acoustic signal originating from each of the plurality of acoustic zones, provide a plurality of second acoustic signals, each of the plurality of second acoustic signals substantially corresponding to the content identified as originating from a respective one of the plurality of acoustic zones, and performing automatic speech recognition on each of the plurality of second acoustic signals to determine whether the designated wake-up word was spoken.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Publication date: March 7, 2019
    Applicant: Nuance Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Julien Prémont, Tim Haulick, Emanuele Dalmasso, Munir Nikolai Alexander Georges, Andreas Kellner, Gaetan Martens, Oliver van Porten, Holger Quast, Martin Rößler, Tobias Wolff, Markus Buck