Clearone, Inc.

Netstreams, LLC

Clearone Communications, Inc.

Michael Braithwaite

David K Lambert

Derek Graham

Herman Cardenas

Peter H Manley

Tracy A Bathurst

Paul Robert Bryson

Ashutosh Pandey

Sandeep Kalra

Michael Tilelli

Bryan Shaw

Christopher A Bourne

Russell S Ericksen

Brett Harris

Bret Harris

Alan Dean Romig

Chris Wildfoerster

William Deberard

Russel S Ericksen

This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming where the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations and produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile and combines with the single ceiling tile as a single unit; a housing that encloses signal processing circuitry and couples to the back side of the single unit; where the single unit is mountable on the ceiling using mounting accessories; where all or part of the housing is in the ceiling space above the plane of the ceiling; where the single unit further includes beamforming.

Ceiling tile microphone

This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones positioned at predetermined locations and coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array couples to the back side of the single ceiling tile, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the single unit is mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a single ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling, all or part of the single unit is in the drop space of the drop ceiling when the single unit is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto mixing.

A beamforming microphone array may be integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile may include an acoustically transparent outer surface on the front side of the tile, and the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile. The beamforming microphone array may be coupled to the tile as a single unit and may be integrated into the back side of the tile.

Ceiling-tile beamforming microphone array system with auto voice tracking

Ceiling-tile beamforming microphone array system with combined data-power connection

This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone system that includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array and used for beamforming processing, one or more separate processing devices that couple to the microphone array, where one or more separate processing devices further include beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and adaptive acoustic processing; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the system is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the system is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Ceiling tile microphone system

This disclosure describes a ceiling tile microphone that includes: a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array used for beamforming, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent, the microphone array combines with the ceiling tile as a single unit, the ceiling tile being mountable in a drop ceiling in place of a ceiling tile included in the drop ceiling; where the ceiling tile microphone further includes beamforming, acoustic echo cancellation, and auto voice tracking; where the ceiling tile microphone is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration; where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile microphone is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

This disclosure describes a ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system that includes a plurality of microphones coupled together as a microphone array and used for beamforming processing, the plurality of microphones are positioned at predetermined locations that produce audio signals to be used to form a directional pickup pattern; one or more separate processing devices where one of the separate processing devices further includes beamforming processing; a single ceiling tile with an outer surface on the front side of the ceiling tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent; where the ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system is used in a drop ceiling mounting configuration, where the microphone array couples to the back side of the ceiling tile and all or part of the ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system is in the drop space of the drop ceiling.

Ceiling tile beamforming microphone array system

This disclosure describes an apparatus and method of an embodiment of an invention that is a ceiling tile microphone. This embodiment of the apparatus includes: a beamforming microphone array that includes beamforming and acoustic echo cancellation, the plurality of microphones of the beamforming microphone array are positioned at predetermined locations, the beamforming microphone array picks up audio input signals; a ceiling tile combined with the beamforming microphone array, the ceiling tile being sized and shaped to be mountable in a drop ceiling in place of at least one of a plurality of ceiling tiles included in the drop ceiling; where the outer surface of the ceiling tile is acoustically transparent.

The present disclosure describes a networked amplifier in an audio video distribution system that converts a digital audio signal to and from an analog audio signal used in a video and audio system that uses a TCP/IP LAN (local area network) using TCP/IP as the communication protocol. The networked amplifier includes a network controller where the controller includes an embedded controller with a processor, memory, and storage functioning as a web server. Further included is a digital signal processor (DSP) that includes a pre-amplifier, amplifier, and an electronic crossover for frequency division. Also included are analog sensors that used for receiving and or gathering control information that enables internal auto adjustment. And further included is an analog driver circuitry.

Network amplifer in an audio video distribution system

The present disclosure describes a legacy converter for an audio distribution system that uses a local area network where the legacy converter converts a digital audio signal to and from an analog audio signal and provides an external bridge connection between the audio system and one or more legacy sources and one or more legacy control networks. The legacy converter includes a network controller where the network controller further includes an embedded controller with memory and which is programmed to function as a web server. In addition, the legacy converter includes a network interface, an audio format converter that includes one or more audio encoders to provide multiple conversions of different legacy audio inputs simultaneously, an analog to digital converter, a legacy controller, a legacy audio network interface that bridges the legacy sources, and, a legacy control network interface.

Legacy converter

This disclosure describes a conferencing system with spatial rendering of audio data. The conferencing system includes a local conferencing device that includes a plurality of microphones, an audio encoder, and a spatial encoder that are associated with a local endpoint. The conferencing system further includes a remote conferencing device that includes a plurality of speakers, an audio decoder, and a spatial renderer that are associated with the remote endpoint. The spatial renderer is configured to superimpose a coordinate system for the plurality of speakers and a coordinate system for the plurality of microphones during spatial rendering of the audio data.

Conferencing system with spatial rendering of audio data

This disclosure describes a beamforming microphone array integrated into a wall or ceiling tile as a single unit where the beamforming microphone array picks up audio input signals. The beamforming microphone array includes a plurality of microphones that picks up audio input signals. In addition, the wall or ceiling tile includes an outer surface on the front side of the tile where the outer surface is acoustically transparent. The beamforming microphone array is coupled to the tile as a single unit and is integrated into the back side of the tile. Additionally the beamforming microphone array picks up the audio input signals through the outer surface of the tile.

Integrated beamforming microphone array and ceiling or wall tile

Voice over internet protocol (VoIP) devices and conferencing systems may include a spatial encoder associated with a first endpoint and a spatial renderer associated with a second endpoint. The spatial renderer may configured to receive audio data. The audio data may be rendered among a plurality of speakers based on a first set of spatial information for a plurality of microphones associated with the first endpoint, and a second set of spatial information for the plurality of speakers associated with the second endpoint. A method for generating a sound field may include determining spatial information for a plurality of microphones in a local room, determining spatial information for a plurality of speakers in a remote room, mapping the spatial information for the plurality of microphones and the spatial information for the plurality of speakers, and generating a sound field in the remote room based on the mapping.

VOIP device, VOIP conferencing system, and related method

This disclosure describes an audio video distribution system that uses a local area network to distribute a digital audio signal and that uses multiple network speaker nodes to broadcast the digital audio in a multi speaker session. The system includes a local area network that distributes the digital audio signal for the audio video distribution system. In addition, the system includes a first network speaker node participating in a multi speaker session and performing in a master mode, and where the first network speaker node calculates, originates, and controls a distributed multi session clock that is distributed over the network. The system further includes one or more additional network speaker nodes participating in the multi speaker session and perform in a slave mode, and where the additional network speaker nodes receive the distributed multi session clock from the first speaker node.

Growing community of inventors

Austin, TX, United States of America

Michael Braithwaite