Apple Inc.

Other

Ronald Nadim Isaac

Martin E Johnson

Aleksandar Pance

Brett C Bilbrey

Afrooz Family

Darby E Hadley

Vasu Iyengar

Niel David Warren

Aram M Lindahl

Craig C Leong

Sean Anthony Ramprashad

Sylvain J Choisel

Paul Puskarich

Nathan Alan Johanningsmeier

Rajabali M Koduri

Matthew Xavier Mora

Daniel J Culbert

Ruchi Goel

Tom-Davy William Jendrik Saux

Changki Min

Brett D George

David A Leech

Jim Lynn Tenneboe

Darbey E Hadley

A system for enhancing audio including a plurality of sensors, an output device, and a processor in communication with the plurality of sensors and the output device. The processor is configured to process data captured by the plurality of sensors, and based on that, modify an output of the output device. The processor also is configured to determine whether there are a plurality of users associated with a video conferencing session, determine which user of the plurality of users is speaking, and enhance the audio or video output of the speaking user on the output device.

Devices with enhanced audio

A directivity adjustment device that maintains a constant direct-to-reverberant ratio based on the detected location of a listener in relation to the speaker array is described. The directivity adjustment device may include a distance estimator, a directivity compensator, and an array processor. The distance estimator detects the distance between the speaker array and the listener. Based on this detected distance, the directivity compensator calculates a directivity index form a beam produced by the speaker array that maintains a predefined direct-to-reverberant sound energy ratio. The array processor receives the calculated directivity index and processes each channel of a piece of sound program content to produce a set of audio signals that drive one or more of the transducers in the speaker array to generate a beam pattern with the calculated directivity index.

Adjusting the beam pattern of a speaker array based on the location of one or more listeners

A system for enhancing audio including a computer and an output device. The computer includes a sensor configured to determine a user location relative to the computer. The sensor is also configured to gather environment data corresponding to an environment of the computer. The computer also includes a processor in communication with the sensor and configured to process the user location and the environment data and adjust at least one of an audio output or a video output. The output device is in communication with the processor and is configured to output at least one of the audio output or the video output.

A video conferencing system is described that includes a near-end and a far-end system. The near-end system records both audio and video of one or more users proximate to the near-end system. This recorded audio and video is transmitted to the far-end system through the data connection. The video stream and/or one or more settings of the recording camera are analyzed to determine the amount of a video frame occupied by the recorded user(s). The video conferencing system may directly analyze the video frames themselves and/or a zoom setting of the recording camera to determine a ratio or percentage of the video frame occupied by the recorded user(s). By analyzing video frames associated with an audio stream, the video conferencing system may drive a speaker array of the far-end system to more accurately reproduce sound content based on the position of the recorded user in a video frame.

Using the location of a near-end user in a video stream to adjust audio settings of a far-end system

An audio receiver that performs crosstalk cancellation using a speaker array is described. The audio receiver detects the location of a listener in a room and processes a piece of sound program content to be output through the speaker array using one or more beam pattern matrices. The beam pattern matrices are generated according to one or more constraints. The constraints may include increasing a right channel and decreasing a left channel at the right ear of the listener, increasing a left channel and decreasing a right channel at the left ear of the listener, and decreasing sound in all other areas of the room. These constraints cause the audio receiver to beam sound primarily towards the listener and not in other areas of the room such that crosstalk cancellation is achieved with minimal effects due to changes to the frequency response of the room. Other embodiments are also described.

Robust crosstalk cancellation using a speaker array

A loudspeaker that measures the impulse response of a listening area is described. The loudspeaker may output sounds corresponding to a segment of an audio signal. The sounds are sensed by a listening device proximate to a listener and transmitted to the loudspeaker. The loudspeaker includes an adaptive filter that estimates the impulse response of the listening area based on the signal segment. An error unit analyzes the estimated impulse response together with the sensed audio signal received from the listening device to determine the accuracy of the estimate. New estimates may be generated by the adaptive filter until an accuracy level is achieved for the signal segment. A processor may utilize one or more estimated impulse responses corresponding to various signal segments that cover a defined frequency spectrum for adjusting the audio signal to compensate for the impulse response of the listening area. Other embodiments are also described.

Adaptive room equalization using a speaker and a handheld listening device

Systems and methods for controlling echo in audio communications between a near-end system and a far-end system are described. The system and method may intelligently assign a plurality of microphone beams to a limited number of echo cancellers for processing. The microphone beams may be classified based on generated statistics to determine beams of interest (e.g., beams with a high ratio of local-voice to echo). Based on this ranking/classification of microphone beams, beams of greater interest may be assigned to echo cancellers while less important beams may temporally remain unprocessed until these beams become of higher importance/interest. Accordingly, a limited number of echo cancellers may be used to intelligently process a larger number of microphone beams based on interest in the beams and properties of echo cancellation performed for each beam.

Echo cancellation and control for microphone beam patterns

In one embodiment, a process for suppressing reverberation begins with a device of a user obtaining a reverberant speech signal from a voice of the user. The device determines a first estimated reverberation component of the reverberant speech signal. The device generates a first de-reverberated output signal with a first reverberation suppression based on the reverberant speech signal and the first estimated reverberation component. Then, the device generates a second improved reverberation component using the first de-reverberated output signal. The device generates a second de-reverberated output signal with a second reverberation suppression based on the reverberant speech signal and the second improved reverberation component.

Methods and devices for reverberation suppression

A system that allows a vehicle operator to record and send a voice message without ever releasing their hands from the wheel and taking their eyes off the road is disclosed. This system also allows incoming notification of messages to be read out loud to the user if they choose. The recipient, if not driving, can choose to see a transcription of the voice message, otherwise the recorded message is played back as recorded by a sending user.

Method and apparatus for safely and reliably sending and receiving messages while operating a motor vehicle

Methods and apparatus for processing media signals. In one embodiment, a data processing device processes fixed and variable rate data using a first and second processing unit. The processing comprises real-time processing of audio/video signals by a graphics processing unit (GPU) and/or central processing unit (CPU). The processing units process data efficiently by establishing one processor as always processing variable rate data, and using one or more schemes for determining processor will process fixed rate data. A shared memory enables the processors to communicate with one another in order to determine which will process the fixed rate data. In one scheme for determining which of the processors will process the fixed rate data the second processor need merely be unlocked. In another embodiment, the second processor must be unlocked and immediately available.

Growing community of inventors

San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Ronald Nadim Isaac