A system, including a first microphone of a non-body carried device and a processor configured to receive input based on sound captured by the first microphone and analyze the received input to determine whether the sound captured by the first microphone is indicative of an attempted communication between humans, which humans are located in a structure where the microphone is located, upon a determination that the sound is indicative of an attempted communication between humans, evaluate the success of that communication.

An active acoustic system includes a thin-film sheet having an array of piezoelectric microstructures embossed in the film. Each piezoelectric microstructure may act as a speaker and/or a microphone. A control circuit is configured to individually address the piezoelectric microstructures to provide a separate voltage signal to, or receive a separate voltage signal from, each piezoelectric microstructure.

A method for manufacturing a MEMS sound transducer for generating and/or detecting sound waves in the audible wavelength range and/or in the ultrasonic range, includes arranging at least one piezoelectric element on a support substrate. A diaphragm is formed on the at least one piezoelectric element. In forming the diaphragm, a flowable and curable polymer, which forms the diaphragm after curing, is at least partially cast around the at least one piezoelectric element. The invention further relates to the MEMS sound transducer formed by the method.

Utilization of microphone ultrasonic response is described. A system, comprising: a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone device configured to capture signal data representing an ultrasonic signal and an audio-band signal simultaneously, and a processing circuitry configured to adjust a configuration parameter associated with the MEMS microphone device based on the ultrasonic signal.

The present disclosure provides a smart headphone. The smart headphone includes a sensor configured to sense external information, a memory configured to store feature information, and a controller operatively connected to the sensor and the memory, respectively, and the controller is configured to compare the external information sensed by the sensor with the feature information stored in the memory, and to control a playback state of audio information in the smart headphone according to the result of the comparison.

Audio circuitry, comprising: a speaker driver operable to drive a speaker based on a speaker signal; a current monitoring unit operable to monitor a speaker current flowing through the speaker and generate a monitor signal indicative of that current; and a microphone signal generator operable, when external sound is incident on the speaker, to generate a microphone signal representative of the external sound based on the monitor signal and the speaker signal.

A method is provided for operating a loudspeaker unit for a portable device, in which sound waves in the audible wavelength range are generated and/or detected with the aid of a MEMS sound transducer. A control unit of the loudspeaker unit operates MEMS sound transducer as an ultrasonic proximity sensor that generates and detects ultrasonic waves to measure a distance between itself and an object. The invention also relates to a loudspeaker unit that includes a control unit for operating a MEMS sound transducer that generates and/or detects sound waves in the audible wavelength range so as to measure a distance between itself and an object.

A housing for a communication device comprises a first housing section with a membrane opening, wherein the first housing section comprises around the circumference of the membrane opening a first membrane support configured to couple to a sound membrane, and a magnet carrying support, which is integrally formed with the first housing section and is configured to support a magnet in the housing and below the membrane opening. Furthermore, the present invention provides a communication device.

Systems and methods for suppressing noise and detecting voice input in a multi-channel audio signal captured by a plurality of microphones include (i) capturing a first audio signal via a first microphone and a second audio signal via a second microphone, wherein the first and second audio signals respectively comprises first and second noise content from a noise source; (ii) identifying the first noise content in the first audio signal; (iii) using the identified first noise content to determine an estimated noise content captured by the plurality of microphones; (iv) using the estimated noise content to suppress the first and second noise content in the first and second audio signals; (v) combining the suppressed first and second audio signals into a third audio signal; and (vi) determining that the third audio signal includes a voice input comprising a wake word.

A user terminal apparatus is provided. The user terminal apparatus includes: a flexible display including: a main area; and a sub area comprising a curved portion and extending from the main area to a side portion of the user terminal apparatus; a housing configured to enclose the flexible display; a sound output hole provided between the flexible display and the housing and configured to output a sound from a call function; and a sound input hole configured to receive an input sound.