Khim Sia Tan

Title: Khim Sia Tan and Directional Audio Beam Steering.

Introduction

Khim Sia Tan is an inventor associated with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His work includes a patent on steering directional sound beams using ultrasound.

Latest Patents

Tan’s listed patent, “Steering of Directional Sound Beams,” describes apparatus and methods for directing an audio beam that is self-demodulated from an ultrasound carrier. The system modulates a carrier with an audio signal and adjusts the amplitude or phase of the audio signal, the carrier signal, or both, to steer the beam toward a desired direction. It then generates an ultrasound beam in that direction.

The disclosed techniques may use zeroth-order Bessel-function weighting to synthesize a Bessel distribution source. They may also generate harmonics of low audio frequencies to create a psychoacoustic impression of improved low-frequency perception. Other approaches divide signals into frequency bands and transmit them through ultrasonic transducers whose mechanical resonances correspond to the bands. The patent also describes square-root processing intended to limit the generation of large numbers of harmonics. Tan is listed as having 1 patent.

Career Highlights

Tan’s patent reflects research into ultrasonic audio processing, directional sound reproduction, and methods for controlling the direction and perceived quality of audio beams. His listed institutional affiliation is Nanyang Technological University.

Collaborations

Khim Sia Tan’s listed coworkers include Kan Sha and Meng Hwa Er.

Conclusion

Khim Sia Tan’s patent documents approaches to steering directional audio through ultrasound, combining signal modulation and processing with ultrasonic transducer techniques.