University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated

Texas Instruments Corporation

Motorola Corporation

Other

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Motorola Mobility LLC

Technopolis Csata Novus Ortus

John Gregory Harris

Jose Carlos Principe

Marc Andre Boillot

Zhiliang Julian Chen

Thomas Lawrence Reinke

Tomaso A Poggio

Steve Clynes

Nicola Ancona

Michael Erwin

Du Chen

Qiang Luo

Jaime Andres Borras

Zaffer S Merchant

Ravi Kishore Kummaraguntla

Toshikazu Nishida

Christof Koch

Christy Leigh She

Rizwan Bashirullah

Justin C Sanchez

Xiaochuan Guo

Colleen Garbe Le Prell

Qing Yang

Dazhi Wei

Vitor Manual Grade Tavares

Pedro Guedes De Oliveira

Vishnu V Ravinuthula

William S Gann

Jose A B Fortes

Devices and methods for digital sound leveling are disclosed. The subject devices and methods can be used to reduce the risk of noise induced hearing loss. According to an embodiment, an audio file can be parsed into frames that are filtered using an A-weighted digital filter and scaled to a desired power level. Accordingly, the dynamic range of an audio output at a particular volume level can be controlled.

Digital sound leveling device and method to reduce the risk of noise induced hearing loss

In one embodiment, a neural interface system includes an implantable neural probe having a flexible substrate, electrodes that extend from the substrate that are adapted to contact neural tissue of the brain, a signal processing circuit configured to process neural signals collected with the electrodes, and a wireless transmission circuit configured to wirelessly transmit the processed neural signals, and a backend computing device configured to wirelessly receive the processed neural signals, to process the received signals to reconstruct the collected neural signals, and to analyze the collected neural signals.

Neural interface systems and methods

The use of SOLA speech time compression/expansion in the present invention method as a means to alter a speaker's talking rate by adjusting the speech rate at which people hear their own voice. A person speaks at a certain comfort rate, which is established and maintained by their own auditory system's capability to hear their own voice as they speak i.e., it is a self-auditory feedback mechanism. Changing the rate () at which a talker hears their own voice () will accordingly change their talking rate. This effect is achieved in this invention by employing a real time processing method (-, FIG.) that temporarily adjusts the speech rate in an effort to impose this psychoacoustic condition which coerces the speaker into changing their talking rate. This invention permits users to adjust the comfort rate at which they normally speak () or to adjust the rate at which others speak to them through the use of a speech processing device or system.

Psychoacoustic method and system to impose a preferred talking rate through auditory feedback rate adjustment

A method for coding time signals based on generating an asynchronous biphasic pulse train is provided. The method includes generating response signals based upon one or more input signals. A pulse comprises a positive pulse if a voltage of the response signal is greater than a predetermined positive voltage threshold. A pulse comprises a negative pulse if the voltage of the response signal is less than a predetermined negative voltage threshold. The method further includes a method for the reconstruction of a uniformly sampled version of the original signal.

Device and methods for biphasic pulse signal coding

A multi-scale spike detector for performing multi-resolution spike detections of a signal is provided. The spike detector includes a gamma filter having cascaded low-pass filters. The cascaded filters collectively provide different cutoff frequencies, each of the filters having a respective output. One of the filters has an input, at which the signal is received. The spike detector further includes combining circuitry that combines at least some of the respective outputs of the cascaded filters. The differences formed from this combining provide a waveform representation of the input signal. The waveform representation consists essentially of spikes that occur in the signal.

Low power, wavelet-based spike detector

A speech filter () enhances the loudness of a speech signal by expanding the formant regions of the speech signal beyond a natural bandwidth of the formant regions. The energy level of the speech signal is maintained so that the filtered speech signal contains the same energy as the pre-filtered signal. By expanding the formant regions of the speech signal on a critical band scale corresponding to human hearing, the listener of the speech signal perceives it to be louder even though the signal contains the same energy.

Method and apparatus for enhancing loudness of a speech signal

A time-mode analog computation circuit is provided. The time-mode analog computation circuit includes one or more inputs for receiving one or more temporal input signals. The time-mode analog computation circuit further includes circuitry for performing a mathematical operation based on the one or more temporal input signals. A result of the mathematical operation is expressed in a timing of an output signal generated by the circuit.

Time-mode analog computation circuits and methods

A time domain sampling technique for a CMOS imager enables a wide dynamic range and flexibility by employing up to two-degrees of freedom during such sampling. Two degrees of freedom can be achieved by making one or both of an integration time and a reference (e.g., voltage or current) variable during sampling. The sampling (or image capture) is implemented by associating a time with when a pixel has a desired value relative to the reference in response to the pixel receiving incident light. The reference can be fixed or variable during different portions of the sampling, and further can be programmable to implement a desired sampling pattern for a given application.

System and method to facilitate time domain sampling for solid state imager

An amplifier-based system having pulsed output includes an amplifier for amplifying a time varying voltage signal to produce an output voltage signal. A voltage-to-current (V-I) converter converts the output voltage signal into a current signal. An output stage including a current integrator integrates the current signal to generate an integrated voltage. An amplitude to time converter generates a pulse train from the integrated voltage, wherein a timing of the pulses in the pulse train represents the original time varying voltage signal. The pulse train representation permits transmission and accurate remote reconstruction of the original time varying voltage signal, such as signals generated by electrodes implanted inside a subject, including neural signals.

Amplifier with pulse coded output and remote signal reconstruction from the pulse output

Human hearing perceives loudness based on critical bands corresponding to different frequency ranges. As a sound's frequency spectrum increases beyond a critical band into a previously unexcited critical band, the perception is that the sound has increased in loudness. To take advantage of this principle, a filter is applied to a speech signal so as to expand the formant bandwidths of formants in the speech sample.

Method and apparatus for enhancing loudness of an audio signal

An imaging architecture is provided employing CMOS imaging sensors. The imaging architecture utilizes time domain sampling techniques to extract image data from a photodiode (PD) pixel array. The CMOS imaging architecture associates time index values with firing of CMOS imaging sensors in response to a capture of an image. The time index values correspond to the brightness of the illumination received by the CMOS imaging sensor. The time index value associated with the firing of the CMOS imaging sensor can be stored and employed in reconstruction of the image. The imaging architecture includes systems and methods for reading and compressing imaging data extracted from the PD pixel array.

Adaptive relative and absolute address coding CMOS imager technique and system architecture

The present invention () permits a user to speed up and slow down speech without changing the speakers pitch (). It is a user adjustable feature to change the spoken rate to the listeners' preferred listening rate or comfort. It can be included on the phone as a customer convenience feature without changing any characteristics of the speakers voice besides the speaking rate with soft key button () combinations (in interconnect or normal). From the users perspective, it would seem only that the talker changed his speaking rate, and not that the speech was digitally altered in any way. The pitch and general prosody of the speaker are preserved. The following uses of the time expansion/compression feature are listed to compliment already existing technologies or applications in progress including messaging services, messaging applications and games, real-time feature to slow down the listening rate.

Synchronization and overlap method and system for single buffer speech compression and expansion

This CMOS imager represents illuminance in the time domain. Once per frame, each pixel outputs a pulse after a time proportional to the illuminance on that pixel. Therefore, the illuminance on that pixel is related to the time difference between its pulse event and global reset of the imager. A counter reports the times of these pulse events in a digital format. Thus no analog to digital converter is necessary. This imager enables easy computation of pixel intensity histograms. Frame data is stored in pixel intensity order using row and column arbiters to produce a pixel address. Because each pixel has its own exposure time, the imager has a wide dynamic range of 120 dB. This imager has low power dissipation and avoids the noise and mismatch problems of prior complicated analog readout circuits.

CMOS imager having asynchronous pixel readout in order of pixel illumination

A photodiode sensor ( ) has a photodiode ( ) with an associated capacitance ( ), which may be a parasitic capacitance of the photodiode ( ). A switch ( ) is provided for charging the capacitance ( ) to a predetermined reset voltage (V ), such that when light impinges upon the photodiode ( ), the voltage on the capacitance ( ) discharges in a time proportional to an intensity of the light. A circuit ( ) is also provided for measuring the time for the capacitance ( ) to discharge to a predetermined threshold value ( ), which may be a function of time. The voltage on the output ( ) of the comparator ( ) may be sampled, with the sampling period also being variable as a function of time. The image may be reconstructed from time data indicating the relative times that discharge voltage of the pixels in an array cross the reference voltage ( ).

Time domain sensing technique and system architecture for image sensor

The subject invention pertains to a method and circuit design particularly useful for long time constant RC active or passive circuits in either continuous or discrete time domains. The subject invention also relates to a method and circuit design useful for long time constant RL active or passive circuits in either continuous or discrete time domains. The subject invention can find advantage in the mixed-signal, electronic circuit component market. The subject invention widens the application and the price/performance ratio of VLSI analog electronic circuits, and can be easily included in conventional circuit designs.

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Gainesville, FL, United States of America

John Gregory Harris