At least one acoustic parameter of an environment is obtained by emitting a sound signal emitted, receiving a sound signal received, estimating a sampling frequency shift and of a temporal shift between the emission and reception devices on the basis of impulse responses obtained on the basis of portions of the sound signal received and of corresponding portions of the sound signal emitted, obtaining a corrected sound signal received by applying to the sound signal received a sampling frequency shift correction and a temporal shift correction on the basis of the estimating, determining the impulse response of the environment on the basis of portions of the corrected sound signal received and of corresponding portions of the sound signal emitted, and obtaining acoustic parameters of the environment on the basis of the impulse response.

A method for processing an audio signal in accordance with a room impulse response is described. The audio signal is separately processed with an early part and a late reverberation of the room impulse response, and the processed early part of the audio signal and the reverberated signal are combined. A transition from the early part to the late reverberation in the room impulse response is reached when a correlation measure reaches a threshold, the threshold being set dependent on the correlation measure for a selected one of the early reflections in the early part of the room impulse response.

A method for processing an audio signal in accordance with a room impulse response is described. The audio signal is separately processed with an early part and a late reverberation of the room impulse response, and the processed early part of the audio signal and the reverberated signal are combined. A transition from the early part to the late reverberation in the room impulse response is reached when a correlation measure reaches a threshold, the threshold being set dependent on the correlation measure for a selected one of the early reflections in the early part of the room impulse response.

Systems and methods are provided for selectively utilizing ultrasound data to quantify a part being scanned. One embodiment is a system that includes an ultrasonic wave generator configured to induce ultrasonic waves at locations along a part being scanned, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the ultrasonic wave generator to collect data points that each indicate amplitude data and time-of-flight data of an ultrasonic wave at the part, to calculate a standard deviation of the time-of-flight data of the data points (.sub.tof), to utilize the amplitude data to quantify the part if .sub.tof is less than a threshold value, and to flag the data points in memory as including noise if .sub.tof is greater than the threshold value.

Systems and methods are provided for selectively utilizing ultrasound data to quantify a part being scanned. One embodiment is a system that includes an ultrasonic wave generator configured to induce ultrasonic waves at locations along a part being scanned, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the ultrasonic wave generator to collect data points that each indicate amplitude data and time-of-flight data of an ultrasonic wave at the part, to calculate a standard deviation of the time-of-flight data of the data points (.sub.tof), to utilize the amplitude data to quantify the part if .sub.tof is less than a threshold value, and to flag the data points in memory as including noise if .sub.tof is greater than the threshold value.

A transmitting piezoelectric element and receiving piezoelectric elements and are arranged on a vibrating plate opposed to each opening of openings of a piezoelectric sensor, and, when an external force is applied in a vertical direction with respect to the vibrating plate opposed to the openings, a region which has a maximum principal stress which is a maximum value of the stress of the vibrating plate is a first region, and a region which has a minimum principal stress which is a minimum value of the stress of the vibrating plate is a second region, the receiving piezoelectric elements and are arranged in the first region and the transmitting piezoelectric element is arranged in the second region.

A transmitting piezoelectric element and receiving piezoelectric elements and are arranged on a vibrating plate opposed to each opening of openings of a piezoelectric sensor, and, when an external force is applied in a vertical direction with respect to the vibrating plate opposed to the openings, a region which has a maximum principal stress which is a maximum value of the stress of the vibrating plate is a first region, and a region which has a minimum principal stress which is a minimum value of the stress of the vibrating plate is a second region, the receiving piezoelectric elements and are arranged in the first region and the transmitting piezoelectric element is arranged in the second region.

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer-based method for reproducing an acoustic environment including accessing a computer stored multi-dimensional sound profile of a first space, wherein the multi-dimensional sound profile of the first space includes at least one multi-dimensional sound signature, the at least one multi-dimensional sound signature comprising a time-based sound reflection sequence within the first space for at least two sound parameters; and modifying a characteristic of an array of speakers in a second space to change the multi-dimensional sound profile in the second space to resemble at least one characteristic of the computer stored multi-dimensional sound profile of the first space.

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for a computer-based method for reproducing an acoustic environment including accessing a computer stored multi-dimensional sound profile of a first space, wherein the multi-dimensional sound profile of the first space includes at least one multi-dimensional sound signature, the at least one multi-dimensional sound signature comprising a time-based sound reflection sequence within the first space for at least two sound parameters; and modifying a characteristic of an array of speakers in a second space to change the multi-dimensional sound profile in the second space to resemble at least one characteristic of the computer stored multi-dimensional sound profile of the first space.

In at least one embodiment, an apparatus for generating virtual venues in a listening room in a vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a vehicle audio controller configured to receive an incoming audio signal including entertainment data from an audio source for playback and to receive at least one captured audio signal from at least one microphone positioned in the listening room of the vehicle. The vehicle audio controller is further configured to receive a control signal indicative of a desired venue to playback the entertainment data and to adjust reverberation of at least one of the incoming audio signal and the at least one captured audio signal to playback the entertainment data in the desired venue.