Entries |
Document | Title | Date |
20080219099 | DETERMINING ANGLES OF ARRIVAL USING MULTIPATHS - In one aspect, a method to determine multipath angles of arrival includes performing an autocorrelation on a first signal received at a first received beam from a signal source, performing a cross-correlation between the first signal and a second signal received at a second receive beam from the signal source, and determining an angle of arrival for a first path from the signal source and an angle of arrival for a second path from the signal source based on the autocorrelation and the cross-correlation. | 09-11-2008 |
20080259730 | Method and apparatus for ultrasonic sensing - A distance and temperature sensing unit is used on paving vehicles. The unit has a first set of range sensors of a first diameter and a second set of range sensors of a second diameter. The unit calculates a weighted average distance to a road surface based on ranges measured by the multiple sensors. The unit also has a temperature sensor on a temperature bar. The bar is affixed to the unit by a flexible connection preventing break-off when the bar encounters obstacles, like the road surface, while the paving vehicle is moving. | 10-23-2008 |
20090003135 | System for Localizing and Positioning Towed Acoustic Linear Antennas - A system for localizing and positioning towed acoustic linear antennas. In one aspect, a system for localizing and positioning towed acoustic linear antennas includes two or more linear antennas, where each linear antenna has at least one distance measurement device configured to measure the distance to at least one adjacent linear antenna and to transmit signals corresponding to distance measurements. The system further includes one or more navigational control devices along each linear antenna that are configured to control at least the lateral position of each linear antenna. The system also includes one or more controllers distributed over the length of each linear antenna, where each controller is configured to receive distance measurement signals from at least one distance measurement device, process the distance measurement signals, and to control at least one navigational control device according to the processed distance measurement signals. Other aspects are disclosed. | 01-01-2009 |
20090059724 | Systems and Methods for Analyzing Acoustic Waves - Systems for analyzing acoustic waves are provided. An exemplary system includes a housing, multiple acoustic passageways and an acoustic sensor. The housing defines an interior cavity. The multiple acoustic passageways communicate acoustically between the interior cavity and an exterior of the housing. Each of the acoustic passageways has an inlet port and an outlet port, with each outlet port being located within the housing to direct a portion of an acoustic wave to the interior cavity. The acoustic sensor is mounted within the interior cavity and is operative to receive portions of an acoustic wave directed to the interior cavity by the acoustic passageways. The acoustic sensor also is operative to provide information such as direction of arrival information corresponding to a composite waveform formed by acoustic interference, within the interior cavity, of the portions of the acoustic wave. Methods and other systems also are provided. | 03-05-2009 |
20090067291 | COMPUTER COMMUNICATIONS USING ACOUSTIC SIGNALS - A method of communicating with an electronic device. The method includes providing an electronic device having an audible sound receiving and generating sub-system including a microphone, transmitting from a source at least one acoustic signal encoded with information, receiving said at least one acoustic signal by said microphone and determining a spatial position, distance or movement of the microphone relative to the source, responsive to the received at least one signal. | 03-12-2009 |
20090097359 | AUDIO COMPASS FOR MOTION TRACKING - A method for tracking motion using an audio compass is disclosed. The method comprises receiving motion sensor data indicating seismic activity recorded by at least two seismic sensors, and converting the received motion sensor data into audio signals for interpretation at an audio compass. The method uses the audio compass to determine a current distance to the seismic activity based on an interpreted signal intensity of the audio signals. The method further uses the audio compass to identify a current position of the audio compass relative to the seismic activity. | 04-16-2009 |
20090109795 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTION OF AN OBJECT OF INTEREST DURING PHYSICAL BROWSING BY FINGER POINTING AND SNAPPING - A system and method for selecting an object from a plurality of objects in a physical environment is disclosed. The method may include analyzing acoustic data received by a plurality of acoustic sensors, detecting a snapping sound in the acoustic data, determining the direction of the snapping sound, estimating the distance to an object based on loudness measurements of the snapping sound detected in the acoustic data, and determining the location of the object relative to the system based at least in part on the determined direction, the estimated distance to the object and the location of the system. The method may further include identifying the selected object based on its geolocation, collecting and merging data about the identified object from a plurality of data sources, and displaying the collected and merged data. | 04-30-2009 |
20090154293 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUGMENTED REALITY INSPECTION AND DATA VISUALIZATION - A 3D tracking system is provided. The 3D tracking system includes at least one acoustic emission sensor disposed around an object. The acoustic emission sensor is configured to identify location of a probe inserted into the object based upon time of arrival of an acoustic signature emitted from a location on or near the probe. The 3D tracking system also includes a first sensor configured to detect an elevation of the probe. The 3D tracking system further includes a second sensor configured to detect an azimuth of the probe. | 06-18-2009 |
20090231958 | RSSI AND ULTRASONIC BASED HYBRID RANGING TECHNOLOGY - Disclosed is a hybrid ranging method comprising the steps of: transmitting from a first node an ultrasonic signal and a radio signal comprising at least one radio synchronization signal with a predetermined ratio; calculating, at a second node, a ultrasonic transmission time period between the receipt of the radio synchronization signal and the receipt of the ultrasonic signal; calculating, at the second node, an ultrasonic measured result between the first node and the second node by using the ultrasonic transmission time period; calculating, at the second node, the strength of the received radio signal, and obtaining a radio measured result between the first node and the second node from a reference database; calculating, at the second node, the smoothness of the ultrasonic measured result and the radio measured result; and determining at the second node, a final measured result according to the smoothness of the ultrasonic measured result and the radio measured result. | 09-17-2009 |
20090279389 | ULTRASONIC SIGNAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR DIVERS, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD - An ultrasonic signal communication device that has an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least two resonance frequencies according to the oscillation mode, a transmission unit that generates a first ultrasonic signal at one of the two resonance frequencies and transmits the generated first ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit, and a reception unit that receives from the ultrasonic oscillation unit a second ultrasonic signal that is transmitted at the other of the two resonance frequencies. | 11-12-2009 |
20090323474 | SOUND SOURCE DETECTING DEVICE AND METHOD THEREOF - A sound source detecting device includes a number of sound wave detectors, a voltage comparator, and an analyzer. The sound wave detectors are positioned at different positions, and configured for detecting a sound wave, and each of the detectors produces an electrical signal associated to the sound wave detected by the detector and outputting the electrical signal. The voltage comparator is connected to the detectors and configured for receiving the electrical signals transmitted from the detectors and comparing the voltages of electrical signals to get the highest, second highest, and lowest voltages, then outputs a comparison result. The analyzer is connected to the voltage comparator and configured for identifying the position of a sound source producing the sound wave according to the comparison result transmitted from the voltage comparator and a predetermined principle stored in the analyzer, and then outputs an analyzing result indicating the direction of the sound source. | 12-31-2009 |
20100002542 | ULTRASONIC DISTANCE-MEASURING SENSOR ASSEMBLY AND ULTRASONIC DISTANCE-MEASURING SENSOR THEREOF - An ultrasonic distance-measuring sensor assembly and an ultrasonic distance-measuring sensor thereof are disclosed. The ultrasonic distance-measuring sensor includes at least two piezoelectric actuators and a member. The member includes a side wall, at least two vibration generating/receiving surfaces and a partition. The vibration generating/receiving surfaces accommodate the piezoelectric actuators as sources. The side wall surrounds the vibration generating/receiving surfaces. The partition is disposed between the vibration generating/receiving surfaces and includes a gap. The gap is disposed between the vibration sending/receiving surfaces. | 01-07-2010 |
20100054084 | Fan beam transducer assembly - A transducer assembly including a fan beam transducer having a beam generation axis for generating a fan shaped acoustic beam along the beam generation axis. The fan shaped acoustic beam can have a generally elliptical cross sectional shape with a major axis and a minor axis across a plane generally perpendicular to the beam generation axis. The transducer can be housed in a housing and have a direction of travel axis. The fan shaped acoustic beam can be rotatable relative to the direction of travel axis. The housing can have a release locking arrangement for rotationally releasing and locking the position of the fan shaped acoustic beam for orienting at least one of the major axis and minor axis of the fan shaped acoustic beam at a desired position relative to the direction of travel axis. | 03-04-2010 |
20100080084 | MICROPHONE PROXIMITY DETECTION - A mobile communications device contains at least two microphones. One microphone is located away from the handset receiver and serves to pick up voice of a near end user of the device for transmission to the other party during a call. Another microphone is located near the handset receiver and serves to pick up acoustic output of the handset receiver (a far end signal). A signal processor measures the frequency response of the receiver. The signal processor performs spectral analysis of the receiver frequency response to determine whether or not the device is being held at the ear of the user. On that basis, the device automatically changes its operating mode, e.g., turns on or off a touch sensitive display screen during the call. Other embodiments are also described. | 04-01-2010 |
20100142325 | MEMS MICROPHONE - A MEMS microphone comprising:
| 06-10-2010 |
20100172212 | EDGE DETECTING APPARATUS AND AUTOMATIC DEVICE WITH SAME - An edge detecting apparatus for using in an automatic device and configured for detecting edges of a surface on which the automatic device moves is provided. The edge detecting apparatus includes an emitter, a guiding member, and a receiver. The emitter is configured for emitting projecting signal. The guiding member is around the automatic device. The guiding member and the surface define a signal channel, and the signal channel is configured for guiding the projecting signal to travel around the automatic device, if no edge of the surface exists under the signal channel. The receiver is configured for receiving the projecting signal. | 07-08-2010 |
20100284249 | ALERTING SYSTEM FOR A FACILITY - A surveillance system is configured to detect a rotary-wing aircraft approaching a fixed facility and provide a warning upon detection. The system includes acoustic processing nodes that receive acoustic signals from the environment surrounding the fixed facility. As the nodes receive the acoustic signals, the nodes perform a spectral analysis of the signals to detect if the source of the acoustic signals is a rotary-wing aircraft. Additionally, based upon the acoustic signals, the nodes detect an altitude of the rotary-wing aircraft and a distance between the rotary-wing aircraft and the fixed facility. In the case where the system identifies the rotary-wing aircraft as encroaching a predefined geographical area outside of the facility, based upon the altitude and distance between the rotary-wing aircraft and the facility, the system generates a warning to allow security forces to intercept the rotary-wing aircraft prior to its arrival at the facility. | 11-11-2010 |
20100322035 | Audio-Based, Location-Related Methods - The presently claimed technology relates generally to audio-based, location-related methods. One claim recites a method in which a microphone in a user's portable device captures ambient sound, and corresponding data is then processed to determine location information about the user's location. Action is then taken involving the determined location information. By such arrangement, location information is determined by reference to ambient sound captured by a user-carried portable device. A great number of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 12-23-2010 |
20110103190 | Method and Apparatus for Passive Determination of Target Parameters - A method and an apparatus for passive determination of target parameters by directionally selective reception of sound waves emitted or transmitted from a target, by an arrangement ( | 05-05-2011 |
20110110195 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING A LAUNCH POSITION OF A PROJECTILE - A method and apparatus for detecting the launch position of a projectile is described. The apparatus includes at least one wideband microphone array positioned so as to be responsive to acoustic emissions generated by the launch and flight of a projectile. The apparatus includes signal processing means, for processing the signals generated by the microphone array or arrays, the output of which provides an estimate of launch position and kinematic information relating to the projectile. | 05-12-2011 |
20110128820 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISCRIMINATING A SUBSURFACE TARGET IN THE WATER FROM A SURFACE TARGET IN THE WATER - A computer-implemented method of discriminating a surface from a subsurface sound-generating target in the water includes identifying an arrival angle of sound generated by the sound-generating target and received by a sound receiver at a known depth in the water. The method also includes generating a probability density function about the measured arrival angle having a corresponding plurality sound arrival angles and mapping the probability density function about the measured arrival angle to a probability density function of vertex depths. The method also includes calculating a probability that the depth of the sound-generating target is greater than a threshold depth by integrating the probability density function of vertex depth. A computer readable storage medium has instructions for implementing the above method and a system has modules for implementing the above method. | 06-02-2011 |
20110128821 | SIGNAL PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REMOVING REFLECTED WAVE GENERATED BY ROBOT PLATFORM - Disclosed herein is a signal processing apparatus and method for removing a reflected wave generated by a robot platform. The signal processing apparatus includes a transfer function measuring unit for measuring an inter-channel transfer function (IcTF) from signals of a plurality of channels; an impulse response obtaining unit for obtaining an inter-channel impulse response (IcIR) from the IcTF measured by the transfer function measuring unit; and reflected wave removing unit for removing the reflected wave by differentiating a direct wave directly generated by a sound source and the reflected wave with a time delay from the IcIR obtained by the impulse response obtaining unit. The signal processing method of removing a reflected wave includes measuring an IcTF from signals of a plurality of channels; obtaining an IcIR from the measured IcTF; and removing the reflected wave by differentiating a direct wave directly generated by a sound source and a the reflected wave with a time delay from the obtained IcIR. | 06-02-2011 |
20110188349 | System and Method of Determining an Underwater Location - An underwater device receives underwater signals from a pair of beacon units. Based on these signals, a processing circuit in the device determines a distance and a direction to each beacon unit. The underwater device also measures a depth for the device, and an angle of arrival of one or both of the incoming signals. Based on the distances to the two beacon units, the depth of the device, and the measured angle of arrival, the processing circuit can determine a current underwater location for the device. | 08-04-2011 |
20110242941 | DISTANCE SENSOR FOR VEHICLE WITH ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR - A distance sensor equipped with a mount for mounting the sensor in a mount hole of a bumper of a vehicle. The mount includes a casing with a sensor holder, a bezel, and a resin-made retainer. The bezel is made up of a cylindrical member joined to the sensor holder and a flange having an outer diameter greater than an inner diameter of the mount hole. The retainer includes an annular base joined to the bezel, a plurality of arms, and a plurality of protrusions. The protrusions extend from ends of the arms radially outward of the base and serve to establish a snap-fit on a peripheral edge of the mount hole, thereby nipping a wall of the bumper between the protrusions and the flange tightly to secure the distance sensor to the bumper. | 10-06-2011 |
20120063269 | ROTARY TYPE DISTANCE ESTIMATION APPARATUS AND MOVING BODY INCLUDING THE SAME - Provided is a rotary type distance estimation apparatus. The rotary type distance estimation apparatus includes: a signal transmission unit transmitting a signal for measuring a distance to an obstacle; a signal reception unit receiving the signal reflected by the obstacle; a distance calculation unit calculating the distance to the obstacle by processing the received signal; a rotation unit rotating a direction of the signal transmitted from the signal transmission unit; and a determination unit determining the direction of the signal within a predetermined angle range according to what number of times the received signal matches based on a rotation angle per sampling of the signal. | 03-15-2012 |
20120075957 | ESTIMATION OF LOUDSPEAKER POSITIONS - A system for determining loudspeaker position estimates comprises motion sensors ( | 03-29-2012 |
20120087212 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING INDOOR LOCATION OR POSITION DETERMINATION OF OBJECT DEVICES USING BUILDING INFORMATION AND/OR POWERLINES - An apparatus and method for providing indoor detection, location, position, or track determination of object devices using building information and/or powerlines. An object device may determine the dimensions of the interior of a building and compare it to known information about the dimensions of the building to determine that it's indoors and/or also determine its exact location or position in the building. An object device may also determine dimensions in an enclosure in order to identify if it is in an automobile, aircraft, or any other conveyance. | 04-12-2012 |
20120099401 | SENSOR AND SENSING METHOD - A sensor and sensing method are provided in which a ghost which significantly occurs when only higher frequencies are present can be reduced, and a high directivity which is not obtained when only lower frequencies are present can be obtained. A sensor | 04-26-2012 |
20120127831 | POSITION DETERMINATION OF DEVICES USING STEREO AUDIO - Methods and systems for determining and utilizing spatial correlative information relating to two or more devices to determine device positioning are described. Using audio signals emitted from stereo speakers, for example, associated with a first device and a microphone associated with the second device, the distance and angle between the two devices and as their relative positions can be determined. No other sensors or specialized accessories are needed on either device to calculate the distance and angles. The devices need only be loaded with the appropriate software which, when executed, is able to carry out steps of the present invention. The usefulness of one or both of the devices may be enhanced by knowing the distance and angle data between the devices. For example, one device may be a TV having stereo speakers and the other device may be a handheld device, such as a smartphone, having a microphone. | 05-24-2012 |
20120134236 | Subsea Measurement System And Method Of Determining A Subsea Location-Related Parameter - A subsea measurement system ( | 05-31-2012 |
20120170412 | Systems and methods including audio download and/or noise incident identification features - Systems and methods are disclosed that detect weapon firing/noise incidents in a region and/or include other related features. According to one or more embodiments, an exemplary method may include detecting acoustic signals from the region by one or more sensors, processing the detected acoustic signals to generate a processed signal, storing the detected acoustic signals with each sensor, and processing the processed signal associated with each sensor to determine if a weapon firing incident occurred. Moreover, exemplary methods may include, if unable to determine whether a weapon firing incident occurred, performing further processing of the acoustic signals and/or determining if a weapon firing incident occurred based upon the stored detected acoustic signals. | 07-05-2012 |
20120182834 | WEARABLE SHOOTER LOCALIZATION SYSTEM - A wearable shooter localization system including a microphone array, processor, and output device for determining information about a gunshot. The microphone array may be worn by on the upper arm of the user. A second array, which may operate cooperatively or independently from the first array, may be worn on the other arm. The microphone array is sensitive to the acoustic effects of gunfire and provides a set of electrical signals to the processing unit, which identifies the origin of the fire. The system may include orientation and/or motion detection sensors, which the processor may use to either initially compute a direction to the origin of a projectile in a frame of reference meaningful to a wearer of the system or to subsequently update that direction as the wearer moves. | 07-19-2012 |
20120182835 | Systems and Methods for Acquiring and Characterizing Time Varying Signals of Interest - Methods or systems for identifying seismic or acoustic signals of interest originating with moving motorized vehicles or footstep movement or stationary or moving machinery. A related system for monitoring an area includes a plurality of sensing devices each comprising a frame and a piezo-electric sensor element. A monitoring device is coupled to receive information from each of the sensing devices. One method includes providing a processing chain coupled to receive signal data from a sensor device which receives the signals, including a detection stage, a Joint Time Frequency (JTF) domain stage, and a classification stage. The detection stage identifies presence of signals that emerge from the background. The JTF domain stage estimates the state of the signals of interest over time. The classification stage assesses the previously derived information to form a decision about source identity. In one embodiment, the detector stage performs detections on a single cycle basis. | 07-19-2012 |
20120182836 | COMMUNICATION SYSTEM USING ULTRASONIC WAVES - Disclosed is a technology for performing a communication using an ultrasonic wave in an environment where an electromagnetic shielding is so severe that a wireless communication using an electromagnetic is difficult. In the environment where the electromagnetic shielding is severe, an ultrasonic terminal according to the present invention may transmit the ultrasonic wave using a solid structure as a medium, and an ultrasonic base station may receive the ultrasonic wave using the solid structure as the medium. | 07-19-2012 |
20120236689 | Acoustic transducers for underwater navigation and communication - Methods and transducers for producing acoustical signals having a spiral wavefront with omnidirectional magnitude and a phase that varies with angle and transducers for producing broadband omnidirectional reference signals for underwater navigation and communication. | 09-20-2012 |
20120263019 | PASSIVE PROXIMITY DETECTION - Techniques and devices are disclosed for utilizing passively received audio signals to determine proximity of devices to other objects. In one embodiment, a method of passive proximity detection is provided that includes sensing a first sound wave using a first audio transducer and generating a first signal representative of the first sound wave. A second sound wave is also sensed and a second signal is generated. The method includes comparing characteristics of the first and second signals using a processor to determine if differences between the first and second signals indicate the first audio transducer is proximately located to another object. | 10-18-2012 |
20120275271 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BLIND LOCALIZATION OF CORRELATED SOURCES - A system and a method for a blind direction of arrival estimation is provided for a nonlinear 1-dimensional array of M receivers of J11-01-2012 | |
20120275272 | WEARABLE SHOOTER LOCALIZATION SYSTEM - A wearable shooter localization system including a microphone array, processor, and output device for determining information about a gunshot. The microphone array may be worn by on the upper arm of the user. A second array, which may operate cooperatively or independently from the first array, may be worn on the other arm. The microphone array is sensitive to the acoustic effects of gunfire and provides a set of electrical signals to the processing unit, which identifies the origin of the fire. The system may include orientation and/or motion detection sensors, which the processor may use to either initially compute a direction to the origin of a projectile in a frame of reference meaningful to a wearer of the system or to subsequently update that direction as the wearer moves. | 11-01-2012 |
20120294117 | Location System And Communication System - A location system comprises a plurality of transponders whose locations are detectable by a base system. The base system interrogates ( | 11-22-2012 |
20130077444 | DEVICE AND METHOD TO DETERMINE THE POSITION OF A COMPONENT THAT IS MOVEABLE IN A LINEAR MANNER ALONG AN ASSIGNED AXIS - A device and a method to determine a position of a component that is moveable in a linear manner along an assigned axis are provided. A reference element that extends in a direction of the assigned axis is assigned to the component. The component may be brought into mechanical contact with the reference element. A respective piezo transducer is arranged on the reference element to generate and receive vibrations in a material used for the reference element. | 03-28-2013 |
20130107668 | CONVOY-BASED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOCATING AN ACOUSTIC SOURCE | 05-02-2013 |
20130170319 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR RESOLVING AN AMBIGUITY FROM A DIRECTION OF ARRIVAL ESTIMATE - An apparatus for resolving an ambiguity from a DOA estimate includes a DOA estimate analyzer for analyzing the DOA estimate to obtain a plurality of ambiguous analysis parameters by using a bias information, the bias information representing a relation between a biased and an unbiased DOA estimate, and an ambiguity resolver for resolving the ambiguity in the plurality of ambiguous analysis parameters to obtain a non-ambiguous resolved parameter. | 07-04-2013 |
20130201797 | kF. - The invention disclosed herein relates to methods and means for locating entities, places and/or things. Various embodiments of the methods and means of the invention may be performed by and/or implemented in hardware, in software, by one or more entities, and/or by some combination of hardware, software and/or one or more entities. | 08-08-2013 |
20130250731 | WIND DIRECTION DETECTING SYSTEM AND METHOD USING SAME - A wind direction detecting system of electronic apparatus includes an audio collecting module, a direction detecting module, and an analyzing module. The audio collecting module controls an audio collector to collect audio data at predetermined time intervals. The direction detecting module controls a direction sensor to detect a facing direction of electronic apparatus in relation to terrestrial magnetism each time the audio collector collects audio data. The analyzing module determines the facing direction where a greatest amplitude of the graph of audio data is recorded as the wind direction. | 09-26-2013 |
20130272095 | INTEGRATED AUDIO-VISUAL ACOUSTIC DETECTION - The present invention relates to a method and associated apparatus for the detection and identification of a sound event comprising collecting audio data from an acoustic sensor; processing the collected audio data to determine periodicity of the sound, processing the collected audio data to isolate transient and/or non-linear sounds and processing the collected audio data to identify frequency modulated pulses, in parallel to produce three output data sets; and combining and comparing the output data sets to categorise the sound event as being mechanical, biological or environmental. The method is particularly useful for detecting and analysing sound events in real time or near real-time and, in particular, for sonar applications as well as ground (including seismic) monitoring or for monitoring sound events in air (e.g. noise pollution). | 10-17-2013 |
20130279296 | TRACKING SYSTEM FOR A PIPELINE - A tracking system for use with a pipeline includes a scraper having signal generation capability for generating acoustic signals, a plurality of acoustic pressure sensors positioned at intervals along the path traveled by the scraper, and a plurality of local processors positioned at intervals along the path traveled by the scraper. Each of the local processors is in communication with a respective acoustic pressure sensor. A central processor is in communication with the local processors and determines the location of the scraper using time-stamped acoustic signals received by the pressure sensors and a speed of sound in a fluid within the pipeline. | 10-24-2013 |
20130286785 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INCREASING THE DIRECTION-FINDING ACCURACY OF A RECEIVER ARRANGEMENT - A method for increasing a bearing accuracy of a receiver assembly includes providing a receiver assembly which receives sound waves to determine reception signals. The reception signals determine direction signals of a reception direction. Frequency lines of a frequency of a frequency range comprising an amplitude value are attributed to a reception direction based the direction signals. A directional function is formed for each frequency. Each directional function is transformed into a spectral range to obtain a first spectral function comprising first spectral function arguments. The first spectral function are filled with other spectral function arguments between middle spectral function arguments of the first spectral function arguments to obtain filled first spectral arguments. The other spectral function arguments have a respective value of zero or a range of zero. Each of the filled first spectral functions are transformed back from the spectral range to an interpolated first directional function. | 10-31-2013 |
20130294199 | Method And Device For Estimating The Content Of A Solid Material Container - The invention relates to a method for estimating the contents of particulate solids in a solid container, comprising the steps of: a) providing a percussion device; b) hitting the surface of the container on it outside with said percussion device at predetermined distances along the height of the container; c) recording the sound created by said percussion; d) identifying the sound generated by each recorded percussion at the percussion time within a plurality of percussions; e) applying a analysis algorithm to a digital representation of the sounds identified in d above; and e) determining the heights of the container that is filled with particulate material by locating the height at which the value resulting from the analysis of each percussion changes from a high to lower value, wherein a higher value indicates an empty portion of the container, and a lower value indicates a filled portion of the container. | 11-07-2013 |
20130322213 | Acoustic Absolute Position Encoder and Method - The present invention teaches acoustic absolute position encoders and methods for deploying the same. The encoder has a moving member with a mechanical contacting portion, and a stationary member associated with the moving member. Reed elements are mounted on the stationary member such that they are mechanically engaged by the contacting portion of the moving member as the latter moves linearly or rotates. The reed elements generate sound tones in response to transient contact with the contacting portion. A receiver receives the tones and an acoustic processing circuit determines the absolute position of the moving member based on the sound tones. | 12-05-2013 |
20130322214 | ULTRASOUND-BASED LOCALIZATION OF CLIENT DEVICES IN DISTRIBUTED COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AND RELATED DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS - A plurality of spatially located ultrasound beacons are provided in known locations within a distributed communications system. Each of the ultrasound beacons is configured to emit ultrasound pulses that can be received by client devices in ultrasound communication range of the ultrasound beacons. The client devices are configured to analyze the received ultrasound pulses from the beacons to determine their time-difference of arrival and as a result, their location in the distributed communications systems. Use of ultrasound pulses can provide greater resolution in location determination of client devices since ultrasound waves experience strong attenuation in building walls, ceilings, and floors, thus avoiding detection of ultrasound waves from other ultrasound beacons not located in proximity to the client devices. | 12-05-2013 |
20140043943 | ULTRASONIC LOCATIONING SYSTEM USING REGIONAL ADDRESSING WITH ULTRASONIC TONES - An ultrasonic locationing system includes an emitter operable to emit at least two ultrasonic frequency tones sequentially in one ultrasonic burst. These tones, which may contain multiple frequency components, define a unique regional address. A mobile device with a microphone is operable to receive the ultrasonic burst and have a processor determine the sequential tones. A location of the device can be found from a table of predefined tones assigned to known regional addresses. | 02-13-2014 |
20140050053 | ESTIMATION DEVICE AND ESTIMATION METHOD - A computer-readable recording medium storing an estimation program for causing a computer to execute a process, the process includes: executing sound image localization processing for each of pieces of sound data output by a plurality of sound sources; and specifying, on the basis of a change in orientation of a listener caused in accordance with the sound image localization processing, at least one of the plurality of sound sources related to the listener. | 02-20-2014 |
20140078867 | SOUND DIRECTION ESTIMATION DEVICE, SOUND DIRECTION ESTIMATION METHOD, AND SOUND DIRECTION ESTIMATION PROGRAM - A sound direction estimation device includes a transfer function storage unit configured to store transfer functions of sound sources in correlation with directions of the sound sources, a calculation unit configured to calculate the number of classes to be searched and a search interval for each class based on a desired search range and a desired spatial resolution for searching for the directions of the sound sources, and a sound source localization unit configured to search the search range for every search interval using the transfer function, to estimate the direction of the sound source based on the search result, to update the search range and the search interval based on the estimated direction of the sound source until the number of classes calculated by the calculation unit is reached, and to estimate the direction of the sound source. | 03-20-2014 |
20140112102 | INTENTIONAL ALIASING OF ULTRASOUND TO DOWNCONVERT TO AUDIO TONES - A method and device for aliasing ultrasound to produce audio tones includes a microphone circuit to receive an ultrasonic burst from at least one emitter in an environment. An analog-to-digital converter can convert the ultrasonic burst into a digital waveform. A digital signal processor can: provide an ultrasonic sampling frequency, alias the digital waveform with the ultrasonic sampling frequency to provide an audio signal, and detect the audio signal frequency. An amplitude of multiple audio signals can be used to locate the device within the environment. | 04-24-2014 |
20140112103 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MOTION COMPENSATED TARGET DETECTION USING ACOUSTICAL FOCUSING - An improved method and system for removing time-varying Doppler shifts and the effects of turbulence from data comprising at least one processor operating to estimate the average instantaneous frequency; reduce or remove noise from the state space variables estimates describing the frequency of the target; compensate for the motion of the target to obtain motion compensated data and increase the coherency of the data, and reduce or remove the noise from the state space variables describing the frequency of the target using a filter or smoother. Alternately, the method and system may comprise at least one processor operating to estimate the average instantaneous frequency of the first harmonic of a moving target; the average instantaneous frequency being inputted into an error reduction subroutine; using state space estimates of the frequency, calculating a time warping to remove the effect of the Doppler shift; and focusing the data using a modified PGA. | 04-24-2014 |
20140140177 | USER-INTERFACE TARGET MOTION ANALYSIS METHOD USING TWO-DIMENSIONAL PARAMETER CONTROL AND SPEED ZOOM - Disclosed is a user-interface target motion analysis (TMA) method using two-dimensional parameter control and speed zoom, and the method includes a first step of displaying a user-interface target motion analysis screen capable of selecting an input method; a second step of receiving the input method of a user; a third step of simultaneously calculating a speed and a course by speed zoom or simultaneously calculating a course and an initial range; a fourth step of calculating an initial range or a speed by speed zoom that is not calculated in the third step; and a step of generating a result of the target motion analysis using the parameters inputted through the first to fourth steps. | 05-22-2014 |
20140160893 | MOBILE DEVICE WITH ULTRASOUND RANGING - Mobile devices with ultrasound ranging are disclosed. A mobile device with ultrasound ranging can include a multifunctional component capable of performing multiple functions in the device, where the component can function as an ultrasound transmitter capable of transmitting an ultrasound signal to a proximate device. In some examples, the component can also function as a power button capable of powering the device up and down. In some examples, the component can also function as a home button capable of causing a home page to display on the device. The mobile device can further include an ultrasound receiver capable of receiving an ultrasound signal from the proximate device, where the device can calculate a range of the proximate device based on a time lapse associated with the received ultrasound signal. | 06-12-2014 |
20140269196 | Portable Electronic Device Directed Audio Emitter Arrangement System and Method - A computationally implemented system and method that is designed to, but is not limited to: electronically determining positioning status of one or more portions of one or more humans relative to one or more locations of demodulation of one or more acoustic ultrasonic signals into one or more acoustic audio signals said one or more acoustic ultrasonic signals originating from a portable electronic device; and electronically alerting said one or more humans from said portable electronic device regarding said positioning status of one or more portions of one or more humans relative to one or more locations of demodulation of one or more acoustic ultrasonic signals into one or more acoustic audio signals when said positioning status includes a first characterization. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure. | 09-18-2014 |
20140334264 | Systems and Methods for Tracking a User's Location - Techniques for tracking a current location of a user are described. According to various embodiments, an ambient noise signal proximate to a user device is detected using a microphone. Audio sample information may be accessed, where the audio sample information identifies various audio samples and, for each of the audio samples, a source of the corresponding audio sample. Thereafter, a specific audio sample corresponding to the ambient noise signal may be identified. Moreover, a current location of the user device may be determined, based on the source of the specific audio sample. | 11-13-2014 |
20140334265 | Direction of Arrival (DOA) Estimation Device and Method - A direction of arrival (DOA) estimation device and method are provided, in which the DOA estimation device includes a sensor unit configured to detect a signal and comprising two or more sensors to output sensor signals as a detect signal in response to the detected signal, and a controller configured to calculate statistical distribution data indicative of statistical distribution of each of the sensor signals outputted from the two or more sensors, respectively, retrieve statistical distribution data indicative of statistical distribution of source signal which is non-stationary signal entrained in the signal of the calculated statistical distribution data, and estimate DOA of the source signal based on the retrieved statistical distribution data. | 11-13-2014 |
20140362668 | Indicating Locations - This application describes methods and apparatus for remotely indicating a location of interest in an area, for instance the location of an event in the area. The method comprises positioning an acoustic source at the location of interest, activating the acoustic source to produce a predetermined acoustic output and performing distributed acoustic sensing on at least one optical fibre deployed at least partly in the area. The acoustic source thus acts as an acoustic marker which can be remotely detected by the distributed acoustic sensor. The acoustic signals detected by the distributed acoustic sensor are therefore analysed to detect said predetermined acoustic output and determine the location of the acoustic source. The method is particularly applicable to transport networks already provided with optical fibre along the length of the network and can be used to indicate the location of work parties or emergencies. | 12-11-2014 |
20150063069 | SOUND PROCESSING DEVICE, SOUND PROCESSING METHOD, AND SOUND PROCESSING PROGRAM - A sound processing device includes a sound collection unit configured to record a sound signal, a tilt information acquisition unit configured to acquire tilt information on a tilt of the sound processing device, an azimuth estimation unit configured to estimate azimuths of a sound source in a plane in which the sound collection unit is arranged based on the sound signals which are recorded by the sound collection unit at least at two times; and an elevation angle estimation unit configured to estimate an elevation angle of the sound source with respect to the plane in which the sound collection unit is arranged based on the tilt information acquired by the tilt information acquisition unit and the azimuths estimated by the azimuth estimation unit at least at two times. | 03-05-2015 |
20150078135 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR UNDERWATER LOCATION - An electronic device for locating an underwater target transmitting a signal comprises a housing; a display; at least one transducer for receiving the signal from the underwater target; a processor connected to receive signals from the at least one transducer and to control the display; and a memory storing computer readable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to: determine a bearing to the underwater target based on the signals from the at least one transducer; determine an uncertainty in the determined bearing; and, control the display to display the determined bearing and uncertainty. | 03-19-2015 |
20150117154 | APPARATUS FOR TRANSMITTING POSITIONING SIGNAL AND METHOD FOR INDOOR POSITIONING USING THE SAME - Disclosed are an apparatus for transmitting positioning signals, a method for indoor positioning based on the positioning signals, and an apparatus for performing the same. The method comprises receiving a plurality of acoustic or ultrasonic waves; measuring strengths of the received plurality of acoustic or ultrasonic waves; identifying frequencies of the received plurality of acoustic waves or ultrasonic waves; and performing positioning based on the measured strengths and the identified frequencies of the received plurality of acoustic waves or ultrasonic waves. Accordingly, positioning can be easily performed without additional separate hardware configurations, and positioning accuracy suitable for indoor positioning services can be achieved. | 04-30-2015 |
20150331094 | METHOD AND SYSTEM OF CONTROLLING A DRIVE-THRU OPERATION OF A QUICK-SERVICE RESTAURANT - A method of controlling a drive-thru operation of a quick-service restaurant (QSR) includes detecting using a range finding device, when a vehicle enters a drive-thru proximity zone of the QSR; measuring a plurality of range data of the vehicle entering the drive-thru proximity zone; transmitting simultaneously the plurality of range data to a controller device; calculating at the controller device, a dwell time of the vehicle based on the plurality of range data; determining at the controller device, whether the dwell time of the vehicle exceeds a pre-set dwell time threshold; transmitting the dwell time of the vehicle to a cloud server when a violation occurs; and instructing a central station from the cloud server to send a notification message to the QSR when the dwell time of the vehicle exceeds the pre-set threshold. | 11-19-2015 |
20160033615 | ACOUSTIC PROCESSING DEVICE AND ACOUSTIC PROCESSING METHOD - An acoustic processing device includes: a sound pickup unit configured to record an acoustic signal; a motion detection unit configured to detect the motion of the device; a self-localization unit configured to estimate the position of the device based on the acoustic signal and the motion; and a use determination unit configured to determine whether or not to use the acoustic signal in a sound source localization unit detecting the position of a target sound source to be detected based on the intensity of a reference signal incoming from a reference sound source determined in advance. | 02-04-2016 |
20160103202 | Mobile Robot and Sound Source Position Estimation System - The present invention pertains to a method for estimating a sound source position in a space with high accuracy using a microphone installed on a robot moving in the space. A mobile robot includes a self-position estimation unit configure to estimate the self-position of the mobile robot, a sound source information obtaining unit configured to obtain direction information of an observed sound source, and a sound source position estimation unit configured to estimate the position of the sound source based on the estimated self-position and the direction information of the sound source. | 04-14-2016 |
20160109557 | SENSOR ARRAY MEASUREMENTS USING SELECT SENSOR PAIRS - Apparatus and methods for using a sensor array to determine the position of a target object. An exemplary apparatus includes a sensor array having three or more sensors that each measures a distance to a target object in a coordinate system. The apparatus also includes a controller that identifies a first sensor pair (one or more) aligned along an axis that corresponds with a first coordinate axis, and processes measurements from the first sensor pair(s) to determine a first coordinate for the target object along the first coordinate axis. The controller also identifies a second sensor pair (one or more) aligned along an axis that corresponds with a second coordinate axis, and processes measurements from the second sensor pair(s) to determine a second coordinate for the target object along the second coordinate axis. | 04-21-2016 |
20160183022 | Location Determination According To Auditory Tones | 06-23-2016 |
20160201450 | DOWNHOLE ACOUSTIC RANGING UTILIZING GRADIOMETRIC DATA | 07-14-2016 |