18497933. Self-Calibrating Microphone and Loudspeaker Arrays For Wearable Audio Devices simplified abstract (Apple Inc.)

Self-Calibrating Microphone and Loudspeaker Arrays For Wearable Audio Devices

Organization Name

Apple Inc.

Inventor(s)

Jonathan D. Sheaffer of San Jose CA (US)

Daniel K. Boothe of San Francisco CA (US)

Martin E. Johnson of Los Gatos CA (US)

Neal D. Evans of Sunnyvale CA (US)

Nikolas T. Vitt of Redwood City CA (US)

Christopher T. Eubank of Mountain View CA (US)

Peter V. Jupin of Copenhagen (DK)

Symeon Delikaris Manias of Los Angeles CA (US)

Shai Messingher Lang of Palo Alto CA (US)

Self-Calibrating Microphone and Loudspeaker Arrays For Wearable Audio Devices - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 18497933 titled 'Self-Calibrating Microphone and Loudspeaker Arrays For Wearable Audio Devices

Simplified Explanation

The abstract describes a method for self-calibrating a sound pickup process using a microphone array in a wearable device with a loudspeaker, where the microphone array is physically arranged with respect to the loudspeaker.

• The method obtains transfer functions for each microphone in the array, representing their response to sound from different positions in an acoustic space.
• It checks if the physical arrangement of the microphone array with respect to the loudspeaker has changed.
• It adjusts the transfer function for at least one microphone if a change in the physical arrangement is detected.

Potential Applications:

• Wearable devices with improved sound pickup capabilities.
• Smart devices with self-calibrating audio systems.

Problems Solved:

• Ensures accurate sound pickup despite changes in the physical arrangement of the microphone array.
• Eliminates the need for manual calibration, improving user experience.

Benefits:

• Consistent sound quality in varying environments.
• Enhanced user experience with automatic calibration.
• Improved performance of wearable devices with audio capabilities.

Original Abstract Submitted

A method for self-calibrating a sound pickup process that uses a microphone array in a wearable device that also includes a loudspeaker, where the microphone array being in a physical arrangement with respect to the loudspeaker. The method obtains, for each of several microphones of the microphone array, one or more transfer functions that each represent a response of the microphone to sound from a position in an acoustic space. The method determines whether a physical arrangement of the microphone array with respect to the loudspeaker has changed and adjusts the transfer function, for at least one of the microphones of the several microphones, in response to determining that the current physical arrangement of the microphone array with respect to the loudspeaker has changed.