Narayan Kovvali

Title: The Innovations of Narayan Kovvali

Introduction

Narayan Kovvali is a prominent inventor based in Tempe, AZ (US). He has made significant contributions to the field of audio processing and beamforming technology. With a total of 6 patents to his name, Kovvali's work has advanced the capabilities of devices in challenging acoustic environments.

Latest Patents

One of his latest patents is titled "Beamformer Enhanced Direction of Arrival Estimation in a Reverberant Environment with Directional Noise." This invention provides an estimator of the direction of arrival (DOA) of speech from a far-field talker to a device, even in the presence of room reverberation and directional noise. The system utilizes audio inputs from multiple microphones and generates beamformer outputs through advanced processing techniques. A first DOA estimate is obtained by performing generalized cross-correlation between microphone inputs, while a second estimate is derived from beamformer outputs. The selection between these estimates is based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and noise reduction estimates.

Another notable patent is the "Pole-Zero Blocking Matrix for Low-Delay Far-Field Beamforming." This system employs pole-zero or IIR modeling to estimate the inter-microphone transfer function between two microphones. It includes adaptive FIR filters that minimize error signals, allowing for effective noise cancellation and low-delay beamforming. The design ensures that the delay is minimal, focusing on the acoustic propagation delay rather than environmental reverberation characteristics.

Career Highlights

Throughout his career, Narayan Kovvali has worked with notable companies such as Cirrus Logic Inc. and Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Limited. His expertise in audio technology has been instrumental in developing innovative solutions for various applications.

Collaborations

Kovvali has collaborated with talented individuals in the field, including Seth Suppappola and Ying Li. These partnerships have contributed to the advancement of his research and the successful implementation of his inventions.

Conclusion

Narayan Kovvali's contributions to audio processing and beamforming technology have established him as a leading inventor in his field. His innovative patents continue to influence the development of advanced audio systems, showcasing his commitment to enhancing communication technology.