H03G3/3005

Active microphone for increased DAS acoustic sensing capability
11736867 · 2023-08-22 · ·

Aspects of the present disclosure describe DFOS/DAS systems, methods, and structures that employ active microphones to enhance DAS operational capabilities by using an active circuit to amplify acoustic signals including voice(s). The circuit includes a microphone to collect acoustic signal(s) resulting from voice signals in the environment, and a speaker or a vibration device driven by an amplifier. The circuit can be clipped onto the fiber, with direct contact through the speaker or vibration device. A microcontroller may advantageously be employed to control the circuit for reduced power consumption, by detecting activities locally and only enabling the speaker when needed. The microcontroller may also send other information such as battery status to the DFOS interrogator through vibration codes.

Loudness control methods and devices

Audio data in a first format may be processed to produce audio data in a second format, which may be a reduced or simplified version of the first format. A loudness correction process may produce loudness-corrected audio data in the second format. A first power of the audio data in the second format and a second power of the loudness-corrected audio data in the second format may be determined. A second-format loudness correction factor for the audio data in the second format may be based, at least in part, on a power ratio between the first power and the second power. A first-format loudness correction factor for the audio data in the first format may be based, at least in part, on the power ratio and a power relationship between the audio data in the first format and the audio data in the second format.

Inter-occupant conversation device and inter-occupant conversation method
11328720 · 2022-05-10 · ·

A rear display displays a driver image of a driver to a rear occupant. An operational information acquisition unit acquires operational information for changing a size of the driver image displayed on the rear display. An image control unit changes the size of the driver image displayed on the rear display, on the basis of the operational information acquired by the operational information acquisition unit. A sound control unit controls, at a time of generating a synthetic sound by combining a spoken voice of the driver with a reproduced sound of an AV source, a sound-level ratio between the spoken voice of the driver and the reproduced sound of the AV source, on the basis of the size of the driver image displayed on the rear display. A rear speaker outputs the synthetic sound generated by the sound control unit toward the rear occupant.

Method and apparatus for controlling audio signal for applying audio zooming effect in virtual reality

An audio signal controlling method includes identifying whether an audio zooming effect is used for at least one audio object present in a virtual reality (VR) through an audio zooming effect field included in metadata, and controlling an audio signal corresponding to the audio object based on a preset method when the audio zooming effect is identified as being used.

Tracking and correcting gain of open-loop driver in a multi-path processing system

A method for calibrating gain in a multi-path subsystem having a first processing path, a second processing path, and a mixed signal return path, may include low-pass filtering an input signal and a mixed signal return path signal generated from the input signal at subsonic frequencies to generate a filtered input signal and a filtered mixed signal return path signal and tracking and correcting for a gain difference between the first processing path and the second processing path based on the filtered input signal and the filtered mixed signal return path signal.

Signal tracking-based supply voltage generation with over-boosted voltage

A power converter may include an input for receiving an input signal and output for generating an intermediate signal that is a power converted signal from the input signal wherein the intermediate signal is determined based on various parameters of a signal path that utilizes the intermediate signal, wherein the various parameters comprise one or more of the following: a peak output signal of the signal path, energy requested over a period of time by the signal path, available energy from an energy source to the power converter, stored energy at an output of the power converter, and stored energy of a battery for providing electrical energy at the input.

Audio de-esser independent of absolute signal level

Methods, systems, and computer program products of automatic de-essing are disclosed. An automatic de-esser can be used without manually setting parameters and can perform reliable sibilance detection and reduction regardless of absolute signal level, singer gender and other extraneous factors. An audio processing device divides input audio signals into buffers each containing a number of samples, the buffers overlapping one another. The audio processing device transforms each buffer from the time domain into the frequency domain and implements de-essing as a multi-band compressor that only acts on a designated sibilance band. The audio processing device determines an amount of attenuation in the sibilance band based on comparison of energy level in sibilance band of a buffer to broadband energy level in a previous buffer. The amount of attenuation is also determined based on a zero-crossing rate, as well as a slope and onset of a compression curve.

Audio-haptic signal generator

An audio-haptic signal generator for a haptic system including an amplifier coupled to a haptic actuator is described. The audio-haptic signal generator includes an audio input configured to receive an audio signal; a haptic input configured to receive a haptic signal and a controller configured to receive to at least one of the haptic signal, an amplifier state and a haptic actuator state. A mixer is coupled to the audio input and the haptic input. The mixer has an output configured to be coupled to a haptic actuator. The controller controls the mixer to process the audio signal dependent on at least one of a characteristic of the haptic signal, an amplifier state, and a haptic actuator state. The mixer is configured to mix the haptic signal and processed audio signal on to output the mixed haptic signal and processed audio signal.

AUDIO DEVICE WITH DYNAMICALLY RESPONSIVE VOLUME
20230253941 · 2023-08-10 · ·

Described herein is an audio device with a microphone which may adapt the audio output volume of a speaker by either increasing or decreasing output volume based on an audio input volume from a user and a distance from the user to the audio device. The audio device may also adapt its output volume to lower the audio output based on detecting one or more interruptions including occupancy and acoustic sounds.

Volume adjustments
11321047 · 2022-05-03 · ·

A method to adjust volume may include obtaining an audio signal during a communication session between a first device and a second device. The method may also include adjusting a volume level of the audio signal so that the volume level is a particular volume level above a noise floor of the audio signal and directing the adjusted audio signal to a remote transcription system.