Apple Inc.

United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of Nasa

Sorin V Dusan

Aram M Lindahl

Robert D Watson

Esge Brandt Andersen

Dubravko Biruski

Vasu Iyengar

Alexander Kanaris

Baptiste Pierre Paquier

Scott Charles Grinker

Andrew P Bright

Raghunandan K Pai

Scott Lopatin

Tommy Rochette

Siva Ganesh Movva

Navin Bindiganavile Suparna

Emmanuel Lalande

Charles C Jorgensen

Sungyub D Yoo

Matthew Emanuel Last

John F Schipper

Henry Hung Yang

Sean Anthony Ramprashad

Joshua D Atkins

Todd K Whitehurst

Tarun Pruthi

Tom-Davy W Saux

Vladan Bajic

Tony S Verma

Lalin S Theverapperuma

Daniel J Culbert

Wesley Scott Smith

David T Yeh

Fatos Myftari

Eugene Belousof

A signal processing method to determine whether or not a detected key-phrase is spoken by a wearer of a headphone. The method receives an accelerometer signal from an accelerometer in a headphone and receives a microphone signal from at least one microphone in the headphone. The method detects a key-phrase using the microphone signal and generates a voice activity detection (VAD) signal based on the accelerometer signal. The method determines whether the VAD signal indicates that the detected key-phrase is spoken by a wearer of the headphone. Responsive to determining that the VAD signal indicates that the detected key-phrase is spoken by the wearer of the headphone, triggering a virtual personal assistant (VPA).

Automatic speech recognition imposter rejection on a headphone with an accelerometer

An automatic speech recognition (ASR) triggering system, and a method of providing an ASR trigger signal, is described. The ASR triggering system can include a microphone to generate an acoustic signal representing an acoustic vibration and an accelerometer worn in an ear canal of a user to generate a non-acoustic signal representing a bone conduction vibration. A processor of the ASR triggering system can receive an acoustic trigger signal based on the acoustic signal and a non-acoustic trigger signal based on the non-acoustic signal, and combine the trigger signals to gate an ASR trigger signal. For example, the ASR trigger signal may be provided to an ASR server only when the trigger signals are simultaneously asserted. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Automatic speech recognition triggering system

A remote microphone signal is obtained from a remote device, and a local microphone signal from a local device. A difference between strength of the remote microphone signal and strength of the local microphone signal is determined. An output audio signal is produced to drive a speaker in the local device. If the difference is greater than a threshold, then the local and remote microphone signals are applied to two input channels, respectively, of a two channel noise suppressor which produces the output audio signal, but if the difference is less than the threshold after a certain delay since the difference was greater than the threshold, then only the remote microphone signal is applied to a single input of a single channel noise suppressor which produces the output audio signal. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Applying noise suppression to remote and local microphone signals

System for automatic right-left ear detection for headphone comprising: first earcup and second earcup that are identical. Each of first and second earcups includes: first microphone located on perimeter of each earcup, when first earcup is worn on user's right ear first microphone of first earcup is at location farthest from user's mouth when headphone is worn in normal wear position; second microphone located on perimeter of each earcup, when first earcup is worn on user's right ear, second microphone of first earcup is at location closer than first microphone of first earcup to user's mouth; third microphone located inside each earcup facing user's ear cavity, fourth microphone located at perimeter and bottom center portion of each earcup and facing exterior of each earcup, and fifth microphone located on perimeter of each earcup above and to left of second microphone when looking at outside housing of each earcup.

System and method for automatic right-left ear detection for headphones

A method performed by a near-end headphone device, while the device is engaged in a voice communication session with a far-end device. The method receives a downlink audio signal from the far-end device and drives a speaker with the downlink audio signal. The method receives an accelerometer signal from an accelerometer of the near-end device and performs echo cancellation and residual echo suppression. The method generates a combined SNR-RES signal based on a SNR of the echo cancelled the accelerometer signal and the residual echo suppression signal. The method determines whether the combined SNR-RES signal is below a threshold. In response to being below the threshold, the method gates the echo cancelled accelerometer signal, generates an uplink audio signal by blending the gated signal with a microphone signal and transmits the uplink audio signal to the far-end device.

Accelerometer echo suppression and echo gating during a voice communication session on a headphone device

An electronic device that can be worn on a limb of a user can include a processing device and one or more position sensing devices operatively connected to the processing device. The processing device can be adapted to determine which limb of the user is wearing the electronic device based on one or more signals received from at least one position sensing device.

Detecting a gesture made by a person wearing a wearable electronic device

A device implementing an automatic speech recognition triggering system includes at least one processor configured to receive first and second audio signals respectively corresponding to first and second microphones of a device. The at least one processor is further configured to generate, based on at least one of the first or second audio signals, a third audio signal corresponding to a voice beam directed to an expected position of a mouth of a user. The at least one processor is further configured to determine whether wind noise is present in at least one of the first, second, or third audio signals. The at least one processor is further configured to, based on determining whether wind noise is present, an audio signal from among the second or third audio signals, for a determination of whether at least one of the first or second audio signals corresponds to the user.

Noise-dependent audio signal selection system

An electronic device that can be worn by a user can include a processing unit and one or more sensors operatively connected to the processing unit. The processing unit can be adapted to determine an installation position of the electronic device based on one or more signals received from at least one sensor.

Detecting use of a wearable device

Systems, methods, devices and non-transitory, computer-readable storage mediums are disclosed for location-tracking wireless devices. In an embodiment, a method performed by an electronic device comprises: playing, or initiating the playing of, a sound through a loudspeaker of an accessory device via a communication link. The sound is played at a specified frequency that utilizes a frequency response of the loudspeaker (or loudspeaker plus speaker enclosure). The sound is received through two or more microphones of the electronic device and filtered by one or more filters. The one or more filters are configured to pass the sound at or around the specified frequency and to reduce masking of the sound by ambient noise. The filtered sound is associated with direction data generated from sensor data provided by one or more inertial sensors of the electronic device. In another embodiment, the specified frequency is higher than the maximum human hearing range.

Locating wireless devices

A speaker recognition algorithm is trained (one or more of its models are tuned) with samples of a microphone signal produced by an inside microphone of a headphone, while the headphone is worn by a speaker. The trained speaker recognition algorithm then tests other samples of the inside microphone signal and produces multiple speaker identification scores for its given models, or a single speaker verification likelihood score for a single given model. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Speaker recognition based on an inside microphone of a headphone

Detecting an installation position of a wearable electronic device

A wearable device configured to acquire and process electrocardiographic measurements, detect lead inversion and correct the acquired measurements for lead inversion is provided. In one example, the wearable device can detect lead inversion by first assessing whether the P-wave of a given electrocardiographic measurement has a negative amplitude, and if the P-wave is found to be negative, the device can determine if the magnitude of the R-wave is smaller than the maximum of the magnitudes of the S-wave and the Q-wave. In another example, the device can be put through an enrollment procedure in which electrocardiographic measurements are taken with the device being worn at known locations on the body. Once the enrollment procedure is completed, when the device is being used, any electrocardiographic results obtained can be compared against the measurements taken during the enrollment phase, and the location of the device on the body can be determined.

Method of detecting the wearing limb of a wearable electronic device

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Sorin V Dusan