Abstract: In an audio system having a microphone, a speaker coupled to a source of audio output, and an echo canceller coupled to the speaker and microphone, latency between the source of audio output and the speaker may be compensated in echo cancellation performed by the echo canceller. The echo canceller may use a reference signal derived from a signal from the source of audio output in echo cancellation. The latency may be compensated by measuring the latency between the signal from the source of audio output and the speaker, determining a delay amount from the latency, delaying the reference signal by the delay amount to produce a delayed reference signal, and using the delayed reference signal as the reference signal in the echo canceller.

Abstract: An audio headset may comprise a case, near field microphone and far field microphone. A speaker, processor, memory, battery, charging interface and cradle detection circuit may be mounted to the case. Processor-executable instructions embodied in the memory, may be configured to implement a battery charging method. The headset may be shut off in response to placement of the headset in a charging cradle. The far-field microphone is turned on but not the near-field microphone. The battery may then be charged from the cradle. A headset having near-field and far-field microphones may be used to distinguish between user speech and competing sounds by generating signals from the sounds detected by each microphone and comparing the strengths of the signals. The signals may be processed as user speech if they are of comparable strength. Otherwise, the near-field signal may be processed as user speech and the far-field signal as competing sounds.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a method for use in providing input to a system that includes the steps of determining position information for a controller for the system, comparing the determined position information for the controller with predetermined position information associated with commands, and providing a command to the system if the determined position information matches predetermined position information for the command.

Abstract: A controller provides inputs to control execution of a program by combining controller input information and supplementary information indicating a three-dimensional motion of the controller. The combined input can be obtained by assigning the value of the controller input information as coarse control information and assigning the value of the supplementary input information as fine control information or vice versa.

Abstract: A peripheral device for communicating with a computer gaming system having an image capture device associated therewith is provided. The image capture device is configured to capture image data of the peripheral device and the computer system is configured to exchange wireless communication data with the peripheral device. The peripheral device includes a body having a first location and a second location, where the first location is defined for a first light emitting object and the second location is defined for a second light emitting object. The first and second illuminating objects having a size that is identifiable in captured image data. The first location on the body is at a fixed predetermined distance from the second location. The peripheral device includes one or more buttons, and circuitry interfaced with the first and second light emitting objects.

Abstract: In an audio headset having one or more far-field microphones mounted to the headset; and one or more speakers mounted to the headset environmental sound may be recorded using the one or more far-field microphones and mixed with source media sound to produce a mixed sound. The mixed sound may then be played over the one or more speakers.

Abstract: A host device is provided to include a processor, a memory, and a peripheral device communication port. The processor and the memory are defined to collectively execute a computer application. The host device is defined to establish a communication channel for a datastream associated with the computer application as transmitted through the peripheral device communication port. A bluetooth host chip is connected within the host device to enable bluetooth communication with a bluetooth client chip in an external device outside the host device. The host device is further defined to enable connection of the bluetooth client chip to the communication channel for the datastream, such that the datastream can be monitored by the external device.

Abstract: An apparatus for capturing image and sound during interactivity with a computer game in a game environment is provided. The apparatus includes a housing and a base stand for supporting the housing. An image capture device is defined along a front portion of the housing. Also, an array of microphones is defined along the front portion of the housing. The array of microphones is defined by a single microphone positioned on a first lateral side of the image capture device and two or more microphones positioned on a second lateral side of the image capture device opposite the first side. The apparatus also includes a connector for connecting to a computing device.

Abstract: Targeted sound detection methods and apparatus are disclosed. A microphone array has two or more microphones M0 . . . MM. Each microphone is coupled to a plurality of filters. The filters are configured to filter input signals corresponding to sounds detected by the microphones thereby generating a filtered output. One or more sets of filter parameters for the plurality of filters are pre-calibrated to determine one or more corresponding pre-calibrated listening zones. Each set of filter parameters is selected to detect portions of the input signals corresponding to sounds originating within a given listening zone and filter out sounds originating outside the given listening zone. A particular pre-calibrated listening zone is selected at a runtime by applying to the plurality of filters a set of filter coefficients corresponding to the particular pre-calibrated listening zone.

Abstract: A peripheral device for communicating with a computer gaming system having an image capture device associated therewith is provided. The image capture device is configured to capture image data of the peripheral device and the computer system is configured to exchange wireless communication data with the peripheral device. The peripheral device includes a body having a first location and a second location, where the first location is defined for a first light emitting object and the second location is defined for a second light emitting object. The first and second illuminating objects having a size that is identifiable in captured image data. The first location on the body is at a fixed predetermined distance from the second location. The peripheral device includes one or more buttons, and circuitry interfaced with the first and second light emitting objects.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise disturbance associated with an audio signal received through a microphone that is part of a video game controller, is provided. The method initiates with magnifying a noise disturbance of the audio signal relative to a remaining component of the audio signal. Then, a sampling rate of the audio signal is decreased. Next, an even order derivative is applied to the audio signal having the decreased sampling rate to define a detection signal. Then, the noise disturbance of the audio signal is adjusted according to a statistical average of the detection signal. A system capable of canceling disturbances associated with an audio signal, a video game controller, and an integrated circuit for reducing noise disturbances associated with an audio signal are included.

Abstract: A method and system for determining an intensity value of an interaction with a computer program is described. The method and device includes capturing an image of a capture zone, identifying an input object in the image, identifying an initial value of a parameter of the input object, capturing a second image of the capture zone, and identifying a second value of the parameter of the input object. The parameter identifies one or more of a shape, color, or brightness of the input object and is affected by human manipulation of the input object. The extent of change in the parameter is calculated, which is the difference between the second value and the first value. An activity input is provided to the computer program, the activity input including an intensity value representing the extent of change of the parameter. A method for detecting an intensity value from sound generating input objects, and a computer video game are also described.

Abstract: A method for processing an audio signal received through a microphone array coupled to an interfacing device is provided. The method is processing at least in part by a computing device that communicates with the interfacing device. The method includes receiving a signal at the microphone array and applying adaptive beam-forming to the signal to yield an enhanced source component of the signal. Also, an inverse beam-forming is applied to the signal to yield an enhanced noise component of the signal. The method combines the enhanced source component and the enhanced noise component to produce a noise reduced signal, where the noise reduced signal is a target voice signal. Then, monitoring an acoustic set-up associated with the audio signal as a background process using the adaptive beam-forming inverse beam-forming to track the target signal component, and periodically setting a calibration of the monitored acoustic set-up.

Abstract: A method for reducing noise disturbance associated with an audio signal received through a microphone is provided. The method initiates with magnifying a noise disturbance of the audio signal relative to a remaining component of the audio signal. Then, a sampling rate of the audio signal is decreased. Next, an even order derivative is applied to the audio signal having the decreased sampling rate to define a detection signal. Then, the noise disturbance of the audio signal is adjusted according to a statistical average of the detection signal. A system capable of canceling disturbances associated with an audio signal, a video game controller, and an integrated circuit for reducing noise disturbances associated with an audio signal are included.

Abstract: A controller provides inputs to control execution of a program by combining controller input information and supplementary information indicating a three-dimensional motion of the controller. The combined input can be obtained by assigning the value of the controller input information as coarse control information and assigning the value of the supplementary input information as fine control information or vice versa.

Abstract: One embodiment provides a method for use in providing input to a system that includes the steps of determining position information for a controller for the system, comparing the determined position information for the controller with predetermined position information associated with commands, and providing a command to the system if the determined position information matches predetermined position information for the command.

Abstract: Systems, methods and for analyzing game control input data are disclosed. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon instructions for analyzing game control input data is also disclosed.

Abstract: Systems, methods and for analyzing game control input data are disclosed. A machine-readable medium having embodied thereon instructions for analyzing game control input data is also disclosed.

Abstract: A tracking device may include a body, a sound emitter operable to emit a sound, an array of two or more microphones adapted to produce discrete time domain input signals at a runtime, one or more processors coupled to the array of two or more microphones; and a memory coupled to the microphones and the processor. The memory has a set of processor readable instructions embodied therein. The instructions include one or more instructions for: determining a listening direction of the sound source relative to the microphone array from the discrete time domain input signals; using the listening direction in a semi-blind source separation to select filtering functions that separate out sounds from the sound emitter from the discrete time domain input signals; identifying a listening zone containing the sound emitter from the filtering functions; and determining a location of the sound emitter from the identified listening zone.

Abstract: Methods of obtaining input for controlling execution of a game program are disclosed. Controller input information can identify a current position of a user-movable control stick in relation to a rest position of the control stick. Supplementary input information from an environment can indicate a three-dimensional motion of a user-movable object. A combined input for controlling the execution of the game program can be obtained by processing the controller input information and the supplementary input information. The combined input can be obtained by assigning the value of the controller input information representative of a position of the control stick as coarse control information and assigning the value of the supplementary input information representative of the orientation of the user-movable object as fine control information.