Having Microphone Patents (Class 381/91)
  • Publication number: 20140112510
    Abstract: An electronic device may be provided with environmental sensors. Environmental sensors may include one or more environmental sensor components and one or more acoustic components. Acoustic components may include a speaker or a microphone. Environmental sensor components may include a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, a humidity sensor, or other sensors or combinations of sensors for sensing attributes of the environment surrounding the device. The environmental sensor may have an enclosure with an opening. The enclosure may be formed from a rigid support structure and a portion of a printed circuit. The opening may be formed in the rigid support structure or the printed circuit. The opening in the enclosure for the environmental sensor may be aligned with an opening in an outer structural member for the device. The outer structural member may be a housing structure or a cover layer for a device display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2012
    Publication date: April 24, 2014
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Henry H. Yang, Matthew E. Last, Romain A. Teil
  • Patent number: 8699739
    Abstract: A boundary microphone includes: a base made of metal; a cover that is made of metal and has a plurality of holes through which a sound wave is guided; a microphone unit that converts sound into an electric signal; and a microphone unit holder slidably provided on the base and holds the microphone unit. The microphone unit holder has a knob. The base has a hole through which the knob of the microphone unit holder penetrates the base. The knob of the microphone unit holder and the hole of the base are so provided that the microphone unit holder can be moved with the microphone unit by a movement of the knob within a range defined by the hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Audio-Technica
    Inventor: Noriko Matsui
  • Patent number: 8675882
    Abstract: In reverberant environments, reflected waves including an echoic sound and a muffled sound affect and disable recognition of sound arrival directions. As a result, the subjective clearness of the sounds deteriorates. In order to enhance the clearness of a reproduced sound in a reverberant environment, a pre-processing filter unit corrects an input sound signal portion having a frequency band relating to human auditory recognition on a sound wave arrival direction, and speakers reproduce the sound signal. The correction involves attenuating an input sound signal in the frequency band portion, based on the relationship between the frequencies of the input sound signal and the magnitude of influence to the recognition of the sound wave arrival direction. This attenuation is achieved by filtering using filter coefficients that are set by a first filter characteristic setting unit using hearing characteristic parameters that are set by a hearing characteristic setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Naoya Tanaka
  • Publication number: 20140072141
    Abstract: Systems and methods for retaining a microphone using a microphone boot are disclosed. The microphone boot may include a sound channeling structure for receiving and delivering sound, and a microphone retaining block for retaining a microphone and passing the sound to the microphone. The sound channeling structure may be secured to a housing of an electronic device. The sound channeling structure may include a sound tube and a hooking component that may be insertable into a tunnel and a slot, respectively, of the microphone retaining block. The sound tube may deliver the sound into the tunnel for passing to the microphone. The hooking component may lock into the slot to secure the sound channeling structure to the microphone retaining block. Thus, the microphone boot may be tightly sealed to prevent leakage of the sound, and may fix the microphone within the electronic device even in the presence of external force.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2012
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: APPLE INC.
    Inventors: Sawyer Cohen, Michael Wittenberg, David Pakula
  • Patent number: 8660286
    Abstract: A speaker system includes a case defining a center hole and a body surrounding the center hole, an electroacoustic transducer received in the center hole of a case, and a microphone. The body of the case defines a sidewall, a bottom extending outwards from the sidewall, and a projecting element extending upwardly from the bottom and opposite to the sidewall. A slot is formed between the projecting element and the sidewall, and the microphone is positioned in the slot.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignees: AAC Acoustic Technologies (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., American Audio Components Inc.
    Inventors: Jing He, Qian Xu
  • Patent number: 8660275
    Abstract: A microphone compensation system responds to changes in the characteristics of individual microphones in an array of microphones. The microphone compensation system provides a communication system with consistent performance despite microphone aging, widely varying environmental conditions, and other factors that alter the characteristics of the microphones. Furthermore, lengthy, complex, and costly measurement and analysis phases for determining initial settings for filters in the communication system are eliminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Nuance Communictions, Inc.
    Inventors: Markus Buck, Tim Haulick
  • Patent number: 8654990
    Abstract: A system and method for use in filtering of an acoustic signal are provided for producing an output signal of attenuated amount of diffuse sound in accordance with predetermined parameters of desired output directional response and required attenuation of diffuse sound. The system includes a filtration module and a filter generation module including a directional analysis module and filter construction module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Waves Audio Ltd.
    Inventor: Christof Faller
  • Publication number: 20140044278
    Abstract: A smartpen configured for hands free audio recording is disclosed. One example smartpen may be configured so that a microphone contained in the smartpen is automatically oriented for unobstructed reception of ambient sound when the smartpen is placed on a supporting surface. Another example smartpen may have a weight distribution that causes the smartpen to roll to a desired orientation of the microphone when the smartpen is placed on a supporting surface with the microphone in a different orientation. Still another example smartpen may have one or more surface features disposed on a surface of the body of the smartpen, where the surface features are configured to position the microphone in a desired orientation when the smartpen is placed on a supporting surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 16, 2013
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: EMPIRE TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT LLC
    Inventors: Christopher A. WIKLOF, Anna Marie PORTINGA
  • Patent number: 8649528
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a microphone assembly comprising a microphone assembly casing having a sound inlet port and a transducer for receiving acoustic waves through the sound inlet port. The transducer converts the received acoustic waves to analog audio signals. The assembly according to the present invention further comprises an electronic circuit positioned within the microphone assembly casing, said electronic circuit comprising a pre-amplifier and an analog-to-digital converter preferably in form of a sigma-delta modulator so as to convert amplified analog audio signals to digital audio signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Techtronic A/S
    Inventors: Claus Erdmann Fürst, Igor Mucha, Lars Stenberg
  • Patent number: 8649534
    Abstract: The invention provides an audio interface device and method utilizing a single audio jack connector for plugging into a three-wire analog microphone or a three-wire digital microphone, thereby reducing dimensions and production costs thereof and an electronic system using the same. The audio interface comprises an audio jack connector, having first to third contacts electronically connected with the three-wire microphone plugged thereinto; and an audio processing device, detecting a type of the three-wire microphone plugged into the audio jack connector, outputting a clock signal to the three-wire microphone and receiving a digital audio signal from the three-wire microphone when the type is digital; or receiving analog audio signals from the three-wire microphone when the type is analog.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Fortemedia, Inc.
    Inventors: Li-Te Wu, Wei-Chan Hsu
  • Patent number: 8625815
    Abstract: A rearview mirror system for a vehicle includes an interior rearview mirror assembly including a control. The interior rearview mirror assembly may include a video display device operable to display video information for viewing by a driver of the equipped vehicle through an electrochromic reflective element of the interior rearview mirror assembly. The control may include a digital signal processor disposed in the interior rearview mirror assembly. The interior rearview mirror assembly may include a vehicle bus node. When the interior rearview mirror assembly is mounted in the equipped vehicle, the vehicle bus node may be connected to a vehicle bus of the equipped vehicle, and at least one of (a) the control conveys signals to the vehicle bus via the vehicle bus node and (b) the vehicle bus conveys signals to the control via the vehicle bus node.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Donnelly Corporation
    Inventors: Jonathan E. DeLine, Niall R. Lynam, Ralph A. Spooner, Philip A. March
  • Patent number: 8615092
    Abstract: A sound processing device includes: a plurality of sound input units; a detecting unit for detecting a frequency component of each sound input to the plurality of sound signal unit, the each sound arriving from a direction approximately perpendicular to a line determined by arrangement positions of two sound input units among the plurality of sound input units; a correction coefficient unit for obtaining a correction coefficient for correcting a level of at least one of the sound signals generated from the input sounds by the two sound input units so as to match the levels of the sound signals with each other based on the sound of the detected frequency component; a correcting unit for correcting the level of at least one of the sound signals using the obtained correction coefficient; and a processing unit for performing a sound process based on the sound signal with the corrected level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Naoshi Matsuo
  • Patent number: 8587715
    Abstract: A sound pickup device is designed for an imaging apparatus including an objective lens and a camera casing. The sound pickup device includes first and second microphone holders fixed to the camera casing and each having an inner wall surface neighboring and facing a surface of the camera casing. First and second microphone units are held by the first and second microphone holders, respectively. The first and second microphone holders are located at left and right sides of the camera casing respectively while being separated from each other in a direction perpendicular to an optical axis of the objective lens. The aforesaid surface of the camera casing forms a sound reflecting surface which reflects incoming sound. Each of the first and second microphone units has a sound pickup surface facing the sound reflecting surface to pick up the sound reflected by the sound reflecting surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: JVC KENWOOD Corporation
    Inventor: Masami Takeda
  • Patent number: 8559664
    Abstract: A microphone unit comprises a microphone, leg members and a base. The microphone comprises a diaphragm for detecting sound and a housing for containing the diaphragm. The leg members project outwardly from a rear wall of the housing, and are provided near a second through-hole which connects a second inner space to outer space. The base is connected to the leg members to form a gap between the housing and the base. When the microphone unit thus formed in a simple structure and reduced thickness is mounted in a product, the gap allows the outer space to be connected to the second inner space through the second through-hole, making it possible to efficiently guide sound to the second inner space and obtain good differential characteristics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takeshi Inoda, Ryusuke Horibe, Fuminori Tanaka
  • Patent number: 8553906
    Abstract: There is provided an apparatus for enabling karaoke. The apparatus includes a casing for the apparatus; a microphone array incorporated within the casing, the microphone array being concealed from a user by the casing; a controller coupled to the microphone array to at least process audio signals from the user input at the microphone array; a data storage device coupled to the controller, the data storage device being for storing pre-recorded songs used for karaoke, and for storing songs as sung by the user; and an image capturing device coupled to the controller, the image capturing device being for capturing images of the user while the user is singing, with the captured images of the user being stored on the data storage device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd
    Inventors: Wong Hoo Sim, Yew Teng Too, Tieh Cheng Goh
  • Patent number: 8553903
    Abstract: A representative embodiment of the invention provides a sound-direction detector having a miniature sensor coupled to a signal-processing block. The sensor has (i) a microphone responsive to a sound wave and (ii) a differential pressure sensor (DPS) responsive to a pressure difference induced by the sound wave between two inlet ports located in proximity to the microphone. The signal-processing block applies phase-sensitive detection to the output signal generated by the DPS, while using the output signal generated by the microphone as a reference for the phase-sensitive detection, to measure the pressure difference. The signal-processing block then determines direction to the sound-wave source based on the amplitude of the sound wave at the microphone and the measured pressure difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Alcatel Lucent
    Inventor: Dennis S. Greywall
  • Publication number: 20130230201
    Abstract: Loudspeaker system including a housing and at least four transducers arranged therein. Each transducer includes a substantially circular diaphragm and the diaphragms are constructed with specific sizes such that the ratio of a diameter of each diaphragm to the diameter of an immediately larger diaphragm is between 1:1 and 1:Phi2 (Phi=(1+?5)/2), preferably 1:Phi, and the ratio of the diameter of each diaphragm to an immediately smaller diaphragm is between 1:1 and 1:(1/Phi2), preferably 1:1/Phi. Moreover, the diaphragms are arranged such that centers thereof lie on a spiral, clockwise or counterclockwise, in ascending size order with the center of the smallest diaphragm being closest to the pole of the spiral. A microphone and single-diaphragm loudspeaker in which the diaphragm has a spiral shape are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2013
    Publication date: September 5, 2013
    Inventor: Frank RIZZELLO
  • Publication number: 20130208914
    Abstract: An outdoor security communication device comprises: a fixing substrate; a base that is combined with the fixing substrate and has a first waterproof washer, a groove and an anti-thief unit being further disposed on the base; an upper lid combined with the base to form an accommodating space; and a cover plate covering over the surface opposite to the one where the upper lid and the base are combined. A main circuit board, an amplifier module, a shooting module, an audio input module and a button module are further disposed in the accommodating space for operation of the outdoor security communication device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: AMROAD TECHNOLOGY, INC.
    Inventor: AMROAD TECHNOLOGY, INC.
  • Publication number: 20130195284
    Abstract: A microphone system has a base forming a base aperture, and a lid coupled to the base to form a package having an interior chamber. The system also has a member coupled with the base within the interior chamber, and a microphone die coupled to the member within the interior chamber. The member is positioned between the base and the microphone die and has a member aperture that is laterally offset from the base aperture. The member aperture, member, and base together form an acoustic path between the base aperture and the microphone die.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Publication date: August 1, 2013
    Applicant: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.
    Inventor: ANALOG DEVICES, INC.
  • Patent number: 8477956
    Abstract: A howling suppression device that can reduce quality deterioration of processed sound includes: a delay unit delaying the input signal to output the delayed input signal as a reference signal; a signal separation unit including an adaptive filter extracting a periodic signal component from the reference signal by adaptively updating a filter coefficient; a howling detection unit detecting an occurrence of howling using at least a signal of the periodic signal component output from the adaptive filter; and a howling suppression unit. The howling suppression unit includes: a suppression filter obtaining the updated filter coefficient from the adaptive filter with timing when the howling detection unit detects the occurrence of the howling, to extract the periodic signal component from the reference signal based on the filter coefficient; and a subtractor subtracting the periodic signal component from the input signal so as to output a signal obtained by the subtraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignee: Panasonic Corporation
    Inventor: Takefumi Ura
  • Patent number: 8472633
    Abstract: Devices connected with a computer system are interrogated to detect whether they are configured and functioning. In an audio device implementation, a known audio sample is output to a loudspeaker. If the loudspeaker is properly configured and functional, an attached microphone will capture the sound corresponding to the audio sample generated by the loudspeaker. If sound corresponding to the audio sample is detected, an indication is provided to the user that the microphone and loudspeaker are operational. If no sound corresponding to the audio sample is detected, an indication is provided to the user that the loudspeaker is not enabled and additional configuration is required.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: Anton W. Krantz, William L. Looney
  • Patent number: 8472640
    Abstract: A video teleconferencing directional microphone includes three microphone elements arranged coincidentally on a vertical axis. The three microphone elements are placed on a supporting surface so that a first microphone element is on the surface, and the second and third microphone elements are elevated above the supporting surface. The directional microphone also includes three filters, a summing node, and an equalizer, which are used to shape the directivity pattern of the directional microphone into an elevated toroid sensitivity pattern. The elevated toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Trygve Frederik Marton
  • Publication number: 20130156219
    Abstract: A soundskin for a pad-type device comprises a housing, at least one microphone, a signal processing device, at least one audio transducer, and an acoustic waveguide. The housing receives a pad-type device. The signal processing device receives a signal from a pad-type device when the pad-type device is received by the housing. The signal processing device provides a directive sound enhancement of the audio input signals based on room acoustics, such as reverberation, echo, noise, delay, frequency response, and/or speaker-positional information that is determined by the signal processing device. The audio transducer device generates an audible audio output in response to an audio signal output from the signal processing device. The acoustic waveguide receives the audible audio output and generates an enhanced bass audio output from the acoustic waveguide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2012
    Publication date: June 20, 2013
    Inventors: Robert C. Proebstel, Patrick A. Quinn, Manpreet S. Khaira, Thomas Irrgang, Nigel D. Waites, Ian J. Myles
  • Patent number: 8467551
    Abstract: A microphone mounting assembly (800A/800b) include one or more transducers (801) mounted to a printed circuit board (PCB) (805) where a spacer (803) is used having a channel (807) positioned on the PCB (805) for allowing acoustical energy to pass through the channel (807) to a port (809) in the PCB (805). A first cover (811) is positioned over the channel (807) for disrupting the direct encounter with airflow into the channel (807) while a top section (813) having a second cover (815) is further positioned adjacent to the first fabric cover (811) for preventing debris from obstructing the first fabric cover (811).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Gentex Corporation
    Inventors: Robert R. Turnbull, Alan R. Watson, Michael A. Bryson
  • Patent number: 8467542
    Abstract: In order to facilitate the operation to select a directional microphone and a non-directional microphone, an IC recorder includes a directional microphone having directivity, a non-directional microphone not having directivity, a scene selection portion to select one of the four scenes of oral dictation, conference, lecture, and music, a first EEPROM for storing in advance a correspondence table that assigns either one of the directional microphone and the non-directional microphone to each of the four scenes, and a microphone switching portion to switch, between the directional microphone and the non-directional microphone, to the one assigned to the selected scene by the correspondence table in response to one of the four scenes being selected by the scene selection portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroyoshi Sato
  • Patent number: 8447595
    Abstract: A method for performing a call between a near-end user and a far-end user, which includes the following operations performed during the call by the near-end user's communications device. Automatic gain control (AGC) is performed to update a gain applied to an uplink speech signal. A frame is detected in a downlink signal that contains speech; in response, the updating of the gain is frozen. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Shaohai Chen
  • Publication number: 20130122963
    Abstract: An object is to obtain a semiconductor device having a high sensitivity in detecting signals and a wide dynamic range, using a thin film transistor in which an oxide semiconductor layer is used. An analog circuit is formed with the use of a thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor which has a function as a channel formation layer, has a hydrogen concentration of 5×1019 atoms/cm3 or lower, and substantially functions as an insulator in the state where no electric field is generated. Thus, a semiconductor device having a high sensitivity in detecting signals and a wide dynamic range can be obtained.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2013
    Publication date: May 16, 2013
    Applicant: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
  • Patent number: 8442254
    Abstract: A portable electronic device that provides compact configurations for audio elements are disclosed. The audio elements can be drivers (e.g., speakers) or receivers (e.g., microphones). In one embodiment, an audio element can be mounted on or coupled to an intermediate structure (e.g., a flexible electrical substrate) having an opening therein to allow audio sound to pass there through. In another embodiment, an audio chamber can be formed to assist in directing audio sound between an opening an outer housing and a flexible electronic substrate to which the audio element is mounted or coupled thereto. In still another embodiment, a barrier, such as a mesh barrier, can be provided in an opening of an outer housing so that undesired foreign substances can be blocked from further entry into the opening in the outer housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Michelle Yu, Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Tang Yew Tan, Shaohai Chen
  • Patent number: 8437490
    Abstract: A video teleconferencing directional microphone has two surfaces joined with an angle of 90° relative to each other, a first omni directional microphone element arranged adjacent to the intersection between the two surfaces. The ceiling microphone assembly also includes a second omni directional microphone element arranged at a predetermined distance (d) from both surfaces. A subtractor subtracts the output of the first microphone element from the output of the second microphone element, and the output of the subtractor is equalized by an equalizer (Heq) to generate an equalized output. The surfaces and subtractor generates a quarter toroid directivity pattern for the ceiling microphone assembly. The quarter toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations or reverberations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Trygve Frederik Marton
  • Patent number: 8424904
    Abstract: A steering wheel system for a vehicle includes a steering wheel and an airbag module located within the hub portion of the steering wheel. The airbag module includes an airbag and a cover for the airbag. The steering wheel system also includes at least one microphone configured to receive audio input from a vehicle driver in which the at least one microphone is located on the cover of the airbag module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2013
    Assignee: TK Holdings Inc.
    Inventor: Leonard Cech
  • Publication number: 20130064390
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for media devices including a housing, a frame disposed adjacent to the housing, and a microphone assembly that is integrated with the frame for receiving sound.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 6, 2012
    Publication date: March 14, 2013
    Applicant: Apple Inc.
    Inventor: Apple Inc.
  • Patent number: 8396242
    Abstract: In a sound receiver, a sound wave is directly received by microphones at a predetermined phase difference. The microphones are arranged in opening cavities of a casing, at positions that are different from the volume center points of the opening cavities. The microphones are supported by supporting springs in a state of not closely contacting inner peripheral walls. The sound wave received by the microphones is input to a signal processing unit and after a signal component in a predetermined low frequency band is removed by a filter, the resulting sound wave is amplified by an amplifier and is made in phase by a phase shifter and output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Junichi Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20130052956
    Abstract: A mobile device dock is provided. The dock is a hand-held mobile device that receives a mobile phone, tablet, or other mobile device. The dock improves a user's grip of a mobile device, allows for hands-free use of the mobile device, and/or may improve sound quality of the mobile device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Inventor: James W. McKell
  • Publication number: 20130050652
    Abstract: A system for aerially moving a payload, the system having at least two payloads, at least one platform for carrying the at least two payloads, at least one line connected to the at least one object, the at least one line connected to the at least one platform in at least four locations, and at least one reel and motor coupled to the at least one line connected to the at least one platform, such that the at least one reel and motor in conjunction with the at least one line is capable of moving the at least one platform carrying the at least two payloads in at lest two of the x-, y-, and z-directions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: CABLECAM, LLC
    Inventor: Stephen Wharton
  • Publication number: 20130051576
    Abstract: The invention provides a touch pen with wireless voice capability which comprises a body, an audio receiving unit, a wireless communication module, and a micro-processing unit. The body has a touch portion and a first signal connector. The wireless communication module is disposed in the body, and the wireless communication module is for wirelessly transmitting audio data generated by the sound receiving unit and for wirelessly receiving audio data. The micro-processing unit is disposed in the body and is electrically coupled to the audio receiving unit and the wireless communication module. The micro-processing unit transmits the audio data received by the wireless communication module to the first signal connector. Accordingly, the touch pen with wireless voice capability provides the personal wireless voice communication for the user, or cooperates with a speaker device adapted to the conference call for multi-users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 7, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: DEXIN CORPORATION
    Inventor: HO-LUNG LU
  • Patent number: 8374363
    Abstract: In an amplifier circuit of a capacitor microphone, when a too high input signal from the capacitor microphone is inputted, the levels of output signals of the amplifier circuit are limited. A first feedback capacitor of an operational amplifier is formed using a changeable capacitance type MOS capacitor element, and has a characteristic of increasing the capacitance value CAf1 according to the amplitude of an input signal generated by a capacitor increases. Therefore, CAf (=CAf1+CAF2) increases according to the amplitude of the input signal increases, and accordingly the gain of the operational amplifier decreases, thereby limiting the output signals of the operational amplifier. This realizes the appropriate limitation of the output signals of the operational amplifier, even when the amplitude of the input signal becomes too high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2013
    Assignees: SANYO Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC
    Inventor: Akinobu Onishi
  • Publication number: 20130007955
    Abstract: A spa enabled to permit a user to conduct hands-free mobile telephone calls while immersed in the spa, comprising a Bluetooth enabled audio system contained in one or more watertight compartments, including a microphone and one or more speakers, whereby the Bluetooth enabled audio system is adapted to be paired with and wirelessly communicate with a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone to permit hands-free use in the spa.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2012
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: COAST SPAS MANUFACTURING INC.
    Inventor: Donald Alfred Elkington
  • Patent number: 8335321
    Abstract: An audio signal processing apparatus generates an audio signal having an omni-directivity in the whole circumferential direction, generates an audio signal having a directivity in the right-left direction, generates an audio signal having a directivity in the front-back direction, adds the audio signal resulting from the multiplication of the audio signal having a directivity in the whole circumferential direction by a predetermined coefficient, the audio signal resulting from the multiplication of the audio signal having a directivity in the right-left direction by a predetermined coefficient, and the audio signal resulting from the multiplication of the audio signal having a directivity in the front-back direction by a predetermined coefficient, and generates a unidirectional audio signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Takuya Daishin, Yoshitaka Miyake, Kaoru Gyotoku
  • Patent number: 8331601
    Abstract: A housing sub-assembly for mounting a microphone sub-assembly to a vehicle includes, but is not limited to a main body portion that is adapted to be mounted to an interior surface of the vehicle. The main body portion is configured to connect to the microphone sub-assembly and to support the microphone sub-assembly in a position such that a portion of the microphone sub-assembly protrudes beyond an end of the main body portion when the main body portion is connected to the microphone sub-assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignees: General Motors LLC, GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Jesse T. Gratke, Darryl T. Fornatoro
  • Patent number: 8320596
    Abstract: A plurality of speakers are linked in the present invention. The linked position of each speaker can be detected. Audio signal is input to any one of the master speakers. The master speaker synchronizes the other linked speakers, and supplies audio signals to other speakers. It also controls the delay quantity of the speaker unit of each speaker. For a single speaker, the apparent width of this array speaker system becomes twice the width, and the speaker unit spacing becomes one third the spacing. Consequently, the frequency band at which direction is controllable becomes enhanced. Additionally, a plurality of microphone devices are linked at the top, bottom, left and right sides in the present invention. The linked position of each microphone device can be detected. Audio data is output from each microphone device to the master microphone device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Ishibashi, Takuya Tamaru
  • Patent number: 8315418
    Abstract: A sound receiver includes a casing having multiple cavities which house multiple microphones and through which sound waves are received. A first sound wave is directly received by microphones. A second sound wave is reflected by an inner wall of the cavities and changes in phase corresponding to the material of the inner wall. The material of the inner wall differs for each cavity, thereby effecting a different change in phase of the second sound wave at each of the inner walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
    Inventor: Junichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8306252
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for media devices including a housing, a frame disposed adjacent to the housing, and a microphone assembly that is integrated with the frame for receiving sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Apple Inc.
    Inventors: Richard Hung Minh Dinh, Tang Yew Tan, Derek Boyd Barrentine
  • Patent number: 8295959
    Abstract: There is provided in a substantially rectangular sound-recording apparatus including: two first audio acquirers to which audio is stereophonically inputted; a second audio acquirer to which audio is monophonically inputted; and a supporter for holding the sound-recording apparatus in a predetermined attitude, in which the first and second audio acquirers are placed on different surfaces, and the two first audio acquirers are placed at both ends of a longer side of the main body, a sound-recording apparatus including an opening and closing sensor for sensing an opened and closed state of the supporter, and an attitude sensor for sensing an attitude of the sound-recording-apparatus main body, in which based on a sensing result of the opening and closing sensor and a sensing result of the attitude sensor, a stem sound-recording and a monophonic sound-recording are switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: SANYO Electric Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Eiji Wakabayashi
  • Patent number: 8295512
    Abstract: An integrated circuit configured to provide a microphone output signal, comprising: a preamplifier coupled to receive an input signal, generated by either a first microphone member or a second microphone member, where one of the members is movable relative to the other microphone member; a voltage pump to output a pumped voltage; and a low-pass filter coupled to filter the pumped voltage from the voltage pump and to provide a bias voltage to either microphone member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Deruginsky, Claus Erdmann Fuerst, Mohammad Shajaan, Daifi Sassene
  • Patent number: 8290189
    Abstract: A method and an acoustic signal processing system for noise reduction of a binaural microphone signal (x1, x2) with one target point source and M interfering point sources (n1, n2, . . . , nM) as input sources to a left and a right microphone of a binaural microphone system, include: filtering a left and a right microphone signal by a Wiener filter to obtain binaural output signals of a target point source, where the Wiener filter is calculated as: H W = 1 - ? ( x 1 , n + x 2 , n ) ? ( x 1 , n + x 2 , n ) ? ( x 1 + x 2 ) ? ( x 1 + x 2 ) , where HW is the Wiener filter, ?(x1,n+x2,n)(x1,n+x2,n) is the auto power spectral density of the sum of all of the M interfering point sources components (x1,n, x2,n) contained in the left and right microphone signals and ?(x1+x2)(x1+x2) is the auto power spectral density of the sum of the left and right microphone signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Walter Kellermann, Yuanhang Zheng
  • Patent number: 8284951
    Abstract: In a pen-based computing system, a pair of microphones captures audio concurrently with a smart pen device capturing handwriting gestures. The audio captured by the pair of microphones is processed to produce an enhanced audio recording. Noise cancellation techniques may be applied to reduce noise generated by the smart pen device interacting with the writing surface to produce a higher quality audio recording. In addition, beam steering techniques may be applied to adjust the gain of portions of the audio signal from different directions and allow the user to focus between multiple audio sources.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: LiveScribe, Inc.
    Inventors: Andy Van Schaack, Frank Canova
  • Patent number: 8275147
    Abstract: Angular discrimination between signals is described. Multiple signals are sampled with multiple signal sensors spatially separated from each other. Respective transform signals are determined that are representative of each sampled signal. If a difference between the transform signals in a given transform kernel bin is greater than a difference threshold, a first transform signal is modified by altering that kernel bin. Then the resulting modified transform signal is inverse transformed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: DEKA Products Limited Partnership
    Inventors: Russell H. Beavis, Derek G. Kane
  • Patent number: 8275161
    Abstract: For enabling fast, customer-specific and precise matching of a hearing device's directional characteristic, a hearing device having a signal processing unit for performing a processing algorithm is provided, with at least one design-related parameter of the hearing device having been made available to the signal processing unit and with the signal processing unit performing the processing algorithm based on the design-related parameter of the hearing device. It should be considered as especially advantageous in the case of the inventive hearing device that a processing algorithm can be performed particularly precisely and customer-specifically based on the provided design-related parameters of the hearing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Instruments Pte. Ltd.
    Inventors: Eghart Fischer, Peter Nikles, Erika Radick, Benjamin Schmidt, Christian Schmitt, Erwin Singer, Cornelia Wiedenbrüg
  • Patent number: 8265298
    Abstract: A hands-free loudspeaker system which is capable of achieving high-quality voice amplification without requiring a human speaker to move to a microphone or a microphone to be moved to a human speaker. A microphone whose input level has continued to be above a threshold value for not shorter than a predetermined time period is detected, based on input signals from dispersedly arranged microphones. An input signal from the microphone is selected and outputted to a loudspeaker at an output level or with a delay time, according to a location of the loudspeaker. A preset lowest threshold level is initially set to the threshold value, and an input level of the microphone higher than the threshold value is newly set to the same, while when the input level is lower than the threshold value, a lower value is set to the same in a step-by-step manner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Yamaha Corporation
    Inventors: Atsuko Ito, Akira Miki, Shinichi Sawara
  • Patent number: 8254605
    Abstract: A pen based computing system concurrently captures handwriting gestures and records audio using binaural recording. A binaural headset communicatively coupled to the smart pen device uses at least two microphones. A left microphone is placed in or near the left ear and the right microphone is placed in or near the right ear, each facing outward. Speakers are integrated into a shared housing with the microphones facing inward towards the ear canal to play back the audio recordings. By recording audio with microphones placed close to the ears, the system provides realistic sounding playback and allows users to more easily differentiate between multiple sources of audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Livescribe, Inc.
    Inventors: Andy Van Schaack, Frank Canova, Byron Connell, Rick Lewis