196 results about "Acoustic processing" patented technology

An engine nacelle inlet lip includes both acoustic treatment and electric heating for ice protection. The inlet lip has a composite outer skin and a composite inner skin, with the composite outer skin having at least one integrated heater element embedded in the composite material. An acoustic cellular core positioned between the outer and inner skin acts to attenuate fan noise from the engine. Covering the outer skin and overlying the acoustic core is a perforated erosion shield having a first set of openings that pass entirely thorough its thickness. The composite outer skin includes a second set of openings such that sound waves can pass from an inner barrel portion of the inlet lip through the erosion shield, outer skin, and heater element to the underlying acoustic cellular core.

A hearing aid and a method of enhancing sound. In one embodiment, the hearing aid includes: (1) a direction sensor configured to produce data for determining a direction in which attention of a user is directed, (2) microphones to provide output signals indicative of sound received at the user from a plurality of directions, (3) a speaker for converting an electrical signal into enhanced sound and (4) an acoustic processor configured to be coupled to the direction sensor, the microphones, and the speaker, the acoustic processor being configured to superpose the output signals based on the determined direction to yield an enhanced signal based on the received sound, the enhanced signal having a higher content of sound received from the direction than sound received at the user.

A method and apparatus for adapting acoustic processing in a communication device, and capturing at least one acoustic signal using acoustic hardware of the communication device, characterizing an acoustic environment external to the communication device using the at least one captured acoustic signal, adapting acoustic processing within the communication device based on the characterized acoustic environment.

A cooled acoustic liner useful in a fluid handling duct includes a resonator chamber 52 with a neck 56, a face sheet 86, and a coolant plenum 80 residing between the face sheet and the chamber. Coolant bypasses the resonator chamber, rather than flowing through it, resulting in better acoustic admittance than in liners in which coolant flows through the resonator chamber and neck. In one embodiment, the liner also includes a graze shield 88. Openings 40, 38 penetrate both the face sheet and the shield to establish a relatively low face sheet porosity and a relatively high shield porosity. The shielded embodiment of the invention helps prevent a loss of acoustic admittance due to fluid grazing past the liner. Another embodiment that is not necessarily cooled, includes the resonator chamber, low porosity face sheet and high porosity shield, but no coolant plenum for bypassing coolant around the resonator chamber. An associated method of retrofitting an acoustic treatment into a fluid handling module includes installing openings in the module and mounting a resonator box 44 on the module so that the inlets to the resonator necks register with the installed openings.

A system and method for classifying a voice signal to one of a set of predefined categories, based upon a statistical analysis of features extracted from the voice signal. The system includes an acoustic processor and a classifier. The acoustic processor extracts features that are characteristic of the voice signal and generates feature vectors using the extracted spectral features. The classifier uses the feature vectors to compute the probability that the voice signal belongs to each of the predefined categories and classifies the voice signal to a predefined category that is associated with the highest probability.

A method and system for acoustic treatment performance testing in a free-field acoustic environment is provided. A sound source directs a gated acoustic pulse at an acoustic treatment. Acoustic pressures of the gated acoustic pulse and reflected energy from the acoustic treatment are measured from a location approximately in-line with the source and the acoustic treatment. This measurement location is at least one-half the wavelength of the frequency of interest away from the source and is at least a distance equal to (t*c / 2) away from the acoustic treatment where t is equal to the duration of the gated acoustic pulse and c is equal to the speed of sound in the free-field acoustic environment. The acoustic pressures of the gated acoustic pulse and reflected energy are compared as an indication of performance of the acoustic treatment at a frequency of interest.

An acoustic treatment apparatus obtains a first output signal by performing filtering for forming a directivity in a first direction for received sound signals of sound receivers, obtains a second output signal by performing filtering for forming a directivity in a second direction different from the first direction for received sound signals of sound receivers, obtains a strength ratio between a strength of the first output signal and a strength of the second output signal, and estimates a sound source direction on the basis of the strength ratio.

Herein disclosed is a sound signal processing apparatus (10), comprising: a speaker unit (12) for converting a first sound signal to a first sound; sound signal producing means (13) for producing a second sound signal constituted by at least two different components including an echo component indicative of the sound outputted by the speaker unit (12), and a voice component indicative of one's voice having a least one leading end; echo component suppressing means (14) for suppressing the echo component of the second sound signal on the basis of the first and second sound signals to output, as a third sound signal, the suppressed second sound signal; sound signal storing means (15) for storing the third sound signal outputted by the echo component suppressing means (14); voice detecting means (16) for detecting the leading end of the speaker's voice on the basis of the third sound signal outputted by the echo component suppressing means (14); and controlling means (17) for controlling the sound signal storing means (15) to have the sound signal storing means (15) output, as a fourth sound signal, said third sound signal stored in the time period when said voice is detected on the basis of said third sound signal outputted by said echo component suppressing means, the controlling means (17) being operative to specify two different clock times on the basis of a predetermined time difference, the clock times including a first clock time at which the leading end of the voice is detected by the voice detecting means (16), and a second clock time prior to the first clock time, the controlling means (17) being operative to have the sound signal storing means (15) start to output the third sound signal stored after the second clock time.

Combination light diffusion with either sound diffusion or absorption is provided in a single lighting fixture, to provide uniform luminosity and sound control. The traditional flat light diffuser is replaced with a translucent acoustical element which either diffuses sound or absorbs the sound. The sound diffuser topology includes random surfaces, geometrical shapes, number theoretic diffusers or optimized rectilinear or curvilinear surfaces. The translucent sound absorber includes microperforated or microslit panels, as well as translucent fabrics and microperforated, translucent wood veneers.

Method and apparatus for controlling acoustic treatment of a sample including a liquid. A processing volume in which the sample is acoustically treated may be controlled, e.g., by positioning a suitable element so as to reduce and / or eliminate a headspace at a sample / gas interface. An interaction between the acoustic energy and the sample may be controlled, e.g., by using an energy director positioned at least partially in the sample that helps to reduce splashing or other sample ejection that would otherwise occur.

A disclosed method includes the steps of generating at least one ultrasonic standing wave (6′) between at least one set of mutually-opposed ultrasonic transducers (20A, 20B), dispensing metal-containing particles (22, 24, 26) into a node (14) located within the ultrasonic standing wave such that the particles are trapped in the node, positioning a surface of a substrate (160) proximate to the node, melting the particles with an energy beam to form a melt pool (170) in contact with the surface, and allowing the melt pool to cool and solidify into a metal deposit (176) bound to the surface. Apparatuses for carrying out such methods are also disclosed.

Methods and systems for acoustically treating material using a continuous process in which material may be caused to flow in a continuous or intermittent fashion into / out of an acoustic treatment chamber where the material is exposed to focused acoustic energy. The methods and systems may be arranged to permit continuous processing for extended periods while an acoustic energy source operates at a relatively high power output. Treatment chambers may include features such as an acoustic window and / or a chamber wall which may comprise an acoustically reflective material or a gas / wall interface that serves to reflect acoustic energy to form one or more secondary focal zones. Treatment system configurations relating to arrangements of a treatment chamber relative to an acoustic source and coupling medium, material flow paths, and others are provided.

In a terminal, acoustic information input by an acoustic input unit is analyzed by an acoustic processor to acquire multi-dimensional feature quantity parameters. In an initial setup process, a speech communication information generator on the terminal generates a processing condition (clustering result table) for compression-encoding on the basis of the multi-dimensional feature quantity parameters, and stores the condition in speech communication information holding units of the terminal and a server. In a speech recognition process, the terminal encodes acoustic information using the processing condition, and sends encoded data to the server. The server decodes the encoded data using the processing condition, and executes speech recognition. In this way, appropriate encoding can be achieved in accordance with a change in acoustic feature, and the recognition rate and compression ratio upon encoding can be prevented from lowering due to a change in environmental noise.

A voice interactive system includes an acoustic processing part 11 for performing acoustic signal processing with respect to an input voice signal, a voice recognizing part 12 for recognizing the contents of a voice contained in the voice signal after being subjected to the acoustic signal processing, a voice interacting part 13 for transmitting information to a user by using a voice output or a combination of a voice output and another information transmission unit based on the contents of the voice, and a barge-in control part 14 having a barge-in function of suspending the transmission of information based on an input of the acoustic processing part 11, an output thereof, or an input signal from an external input, in the course of transmission of information, wherein the barge-in control part 14 detects at least one feature value from the input signal from the input or the output of the acoustic processing part 11 or the external input, and determines the effectiveness of the barge-in function based on the at least one feature value.

An acoustic, noise-attenuating panel for an aircraft engine nacelle inlet. The panel includes at least three layers: (a) a perforated film; (b) a sound attenuating core; and (c) a structural layer. The structural layer has through-holes adapted for receiving fasteners that are configured to engage structure of an engine nacelle. The structural layer is fabricated, at least at its ends, of a material sufficiently strong so that when fasteners are engaged in the through-holes in the layer's ends, the fasteners retain the acoustic panel in a nacelle inlet under conditions of use. Alternatively, or in addition, the structural layer ends may be reinforced at the through-holes with reinforcing strips.

In the voice synthesizer, which obtains a voice by emphasizing a specific part of a sentence, an emphasis degree deciding unit extracts a word or a collocation to be emphasized from among respective words or respective collocations on the basis of an extracting reference with respect to the each word or the each collocation included in a sentence and deciding an emphasis degree of the extracted word or the extracted collocation. An acoustic processing unit synthesizes a voice having an emphasis degree that is decided by the emphasis degree deciding unit provided to the word to be emphasized or the collocation to be emphasized. Whereby the emphasized part of the word or the collocation can be obtained automatically on the basis of the extracting reference such as a frequency of appearance and a level of importance of the word or the collocation, further, improves an operation-ability.

Methods and systems for method for acoustic treatment of tissue to disperse vacuoles within the tissue. Some of the present methods and systems comprise: directing pulsed acoustic waves from the acoustic wave generator into the tissue containing the vacuoles. Some of the present methods include indentifying the location of tissue containing vacuoles, and / or coupling (e.g., acoustically) an acoustic wave generator to the tissue containing the vacuoles.

A system and method for classifying a voice signal to one of a set of predefined categories, based upon a statistical analysis of features extracted from the voice signal. The system includes an acoustic processor and a classifier. The acoustic processor extracts features that are characteristic of the voice signal and generates feature vectors using the extracted spectral features. The classifier uses the feature vectors to compute the probability that the voice signal belongs to each of the predefined categories and classifies the voice signal to a predefined category that is associated with the highest probability.

Methods and systems for treating material with focused acoustic energy and / or ultraviolet radiation are described. Sample material may be provided to a single batch vessel or may flow in a continuous or intermittent fashion into / out of a processing chamber within which the material is exposed to focused acoustic energy and / or ultraviolet radiation. Exposure to focused acoustics in a flow through environment may enhance the effects of the radiation on the sample material. Further, in flow-through or single batch arrangements, sample material may be retained exterior to or within a processing chamber by one or more retaining members (e.g., filter, valve, etc.) until a characteristic of the sample material reaches one or more particular criteria (e.g., physical, chemical, biological). Once the criteria of the sample material is attained (e.g., via further treatment), the material is then permitted to flow past the retaining member(s) and through the inlet or outlet of the chamber. Further, focused acoustic processing may be used to treat articles, such as the retaining member(s), rather than only sample material located within an internal processing volume of the chamber.

The invention provides a maritime remote real-time data transmission system and a data transmission method. The system comprises a terminal control platform, a base station and a hydroacoustic buoy, wherein the terminal control platform comprises a computer and operation software and establishes connection with a lower-level node through a USB data bus; the base station comprises a GPS information receiving device, a radio spread spectrum communication platform and a USB data communication interface and establishes connection with the upper-layer node and a lower-level node respectively through the USB data bus and the radio communication mode, and the lower-level node is a relay point or the hydroacoustic buoy; and the hydroacoustic buoy comprises a GPS information receiving device, a radio spread spectrum communication platform and an acoustic treatment and data storage platform and establishes connection with the upper-level node in the radio communication mode. The invention mainly solves the problem of difficult maritime remote real-time communication and has the characteristics of strong anti-noise capability, strong anti-jamming capability, large communication capacity and the like by using the communication technology of combining spread spectrum communication and time division multiple access for data transmission.

The embodiment of the invention discloses a method of processing telepresence conference user signals, which comprises: getting the signing in information of telepresence conference place and recognizing the free subscriber area according to the signing in information of users; making sure the signals from the free subscriber area are invalid signals and the signals from the other subscriber areas are valid signals. The invention also provides device and system thereof. According to the invention, in telepresence applied occasions, attending situation of users in each subscriber area can be recognized according to the simple and convenient signing in device arranged on the terminal side. And according to the information, in the processes of video switching, screen composing and acoustic processing, the invalid video and audio code stream can be effectively and automatically wiped off so as to improve the performance, efficiency and usability of conference system.

A simply configured speech synthesis device and the like for producing a natural synthetic speech at high speed. When data representing a message template is supplied, a voice unit editor (5) searches a voice unit database (7) for voice unit data on a voice unit whose sound matches a voice unit in the message template. Further, the voice unit editor (5) predicts the cadence of the message template and selects, one at a time, a best match of each voice unit in the message template from the voice unit data that has been retrieved, according to the cadence prediction result. For a voice unit for which no match can be selected, an acoustic processor (41) is instructed to supply waveform data representing the waveform of each unit voice. The voice unit data that is selected and the waveform data that is supplied by the acoustic processor (41) are combined to generate data representing a synthetic speech.

The invention relates to a method for the sound processing of a stereophonic signal inside a motor vehicle. In a first implementation (“driver” mode) the stereophonic sound source is centered in the middle of the dashboard for the ‘driver’ listen position. For this purpose, delays (t1-t4) are introduced into the frequency bands of the channels transmitted by the speakers, such that the driver appears to be at the center of a circle on which the car speakers are positioned. In a second implementation (“all passengers” mode), the phases of the signals of the two front channels are equalized, such that the sound source appears to be centered on the driver and the front passenger of the vehicle.

Methods and systems for acoustically treating material using a continuous process in which material may be caused to flow in a continuous or intermittent fashion into / out of an acoustic treatment chamber where the material is exposed to focused acoustic energy. The methods and systems may be arranged to permit continuous processing for extended periods while an acoustic energy source operates at a relatively high power output. Treatment chambers may include features such as an acoustic window, a heat exchanger, inlet / outlet flow arrangements, an inspection window, insert elements that define a treatment volume size or shape, etc. Treatment system configurations relating to arrangements of a treatment chamber relative to an acoustic source and coupling medium, material flow paths, and others are provided.

Sound delivery system (10) stimulates the two hemispheres of the brain separately by delivering different vibro-acoustic vibrations to the left and right sides of a person's body. Split resonator (30) includes left resonator member (32L) with attached left transducer (23) and right resonator member (32R) with attached right transducer (24). Left and right resonator members are spaced apart to prevent vibrations being transmitted between resonator members.

Herein disclosed is a sound signal processing apparatus ( 10 ), comprising: a speaker unit ( 12 ) for converting a first sound signal to a first sound; sound signal producing means ( 13 ) for producing a second sound signal constituted by at least two different components including an echo component indicative of the sound outputted by the speaker unit ( 12 ), and a voice component indicative of one's voice having a least one leading end; echo component suppressing means ( 14 ) for suppressing the echo component of the second sound signal on the basis of the first and second sound signals to output, as a third sound signal, the suppressed second sound signal; sound signal storing means ( 15 ) for storing the third sound signal outputted by the echo component suppressing means ( 14 ); voice detecting means ( 16 ) for detecting the leading end of the speaker's voice on the basis of the third sound signal outputted by the echo component suppressing means ( 14 ); and controlling means ( 17 ) for controlling the sound signal storing means ( 15 ) to have the sound signal storing means ( 15 ) output, as a fourth sound signal, said third sound signal stored in the time period when said voice is detected on the basis of said third sound signal outputted by said echo component suppressing means, the controlling means ( 17 ) being operative to specify two different clock times on the basis of a predetermined time difference, the clock times including a first clock time at which the leading end of the voice is detected by the voice detecting means ( 16 ), and a second clock time prior to the first clock time, the controlling means ( 17 ) being operative to have the sound signal storing means ( 15 ) start to output the third sound signal stored after the second clock time.

An aircraft nacelle includes an air intake that makes it possible to channel the air in a pipe in the direction of a pipe of a power plant that is arranged in the extension of the pipe, whereby the pipe of the air intake includes at least one panel that integrates an acoustic treatment with an acoustically resistive porous layer that is in contact with the aerodynamic stream that enters into the nacelle, at least one alveolar structure, and a reflective or impermeable layer that forms the rear surface of the panel, a flange that ensures the connection between the air intake and the power plant including at least one wing that is connected to the air intake by a number of connecting elements, characterized in that some of the connecting elements have axes that are secant with the edge of the panel that delimits the pipe of the air intake.

An acoustic treatment panel including a cellular structure core sandwiched between a solid skin and a perforated skin, and a plurality of domes made of porous fabric and extending from at least one of the skins into the insides of the cells of the cellular structure towards the other skin so as to define at least two resonant cavities inside each cell of the cellular structure.

A system for cleaning an object may include an acoustic device configured to deliver acoustic waves to the object, a cleaning medium dispenser configured to deliver a cleaning medium to a surface of the object, a rinsing medium dispenser configured to deliver a rinsing medium to the surface, a vacuum configured to deliver a vacuum airflow proximate the surface, wherein the acoustic waves generate acoustic vibrations in the object to dislodge debris from the surface, acoustically treat the cleaning medium and the rinsing medium, and atomize the cleaning medium, the debris collected by the cleaning medium and the rinsing medium.