U.S. patent application number 15/388275 was filed with the patent office on 2017-12-21 for microphone board for far field automatic speech recognition.
The applicant listed for this patent is Robert Azarewicz, Adam Kupryjanow, Lukasz Kurylo, Przemyslaw Maziewski. Invention is credited to Robert Azarewicz, Adam Kupryjanow, Lukasz Kurylo, Przemyslaw Maziewski.
Application Number | 20170366897 15/388275 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60659998 |
Filed Date | 2017-12-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170366897 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Azarewicz; Robert ; et
al. |
December 21, 2017 |
MICROPHONE BOARD FOR FAR FIELD AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION
Abstract
System and techniques for a microphone board for far field
automatic speech recognition are described herein. The microphone
board may include a first plurality of microphones disposed along a
circumference of a circle on a surface and a second plurality of
microphones disposed along a line on the surface. First connections
to the first plurality of microphones may be grouped together and
second connections to the second plurality of microphones are
grouped together. The first connections and the second connections
may be provided to an external entity of the surface via a
connector.
Inventors: |
Azarewicz; Robert; (Gdansk,
PL) ; Kupryjanow; Adam; (Gdansk, PL) ; Kurylo;
Lukasz; (Gdansk, PL) ; Maziewski; Przemyslaw;
(Gdansk, PL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Azarewicz; Robert
Kupryjanow; Adam
Kurylo; Lukasz
Maziewski; Przemyslaw |
Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdansk
Gdansk |
|
PL
PL
PL
PL |
|
|
Family ID: |
60659998 |
Appl. No.: |
15/388275 |
Filed: |
December 22, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62350507 |
Jun 15, 2016 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G10L 2021/02082
20130101; H04R 2201/401 20130101; G10L 2021/02166 20130101; G10L
15/22 20130101; G10L 21/0232 20130101; G10L 21/0364 20130101; G10L
25/51 20130101; H04R 1/2876 20130101; G10L 15/30 20130101; H04R
31/006 20130101; H04R 2201/403 20130101; G10L 21/0216 20130101;
H04R 3/005 20130101; H04R 2420/07 20130101; G10L 21/034 20130101;
G10L 25/21 20130101; H04R 1/406 20130101; G10L 15/20 20130101; H04R
1/04 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04R 1/40 20060101
H04R001/40; H04R 31/00 20060101 H04R031/00 |
Claims
1. A device for creating a far-field microphone array, the device
comprising: a first plurality of microphones along a circumference
of a circle on a surface of the device; a second plurality of
microphones along a line on the surface; a first set of connections
to the first plurality of microphones; a second set of connections
to the second plurality of microphones; and a connector to provide
the first connections and the second connections to an external
entity of the surface.
2. The device of claim 1, wherein the line intersects the
circle.
3. The device of claim 2, wherein the line terminates on the
circle.
4. The device of claim 3, wherein the line has a length equal to a
diameter of the circle.
5. The device of claim 3, wherein at least one microphone is in the
first plurality of microphones and is in the second plurality of
microphones.
6. The device of claim 1, wherein the line is wholly within the
circle.
7. The device of claim 1, wherein the total of the first plurality
of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is eight,
wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even number of
microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones has more
than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
8. The device of claim 1, comprising: a cover affixed to the
surface with a first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and a
housing affixed to the surface with a second fastener and a second
vibration dampener.
9. At least one machine readable medium including instructions for
creating a far-field microphone array, the instructions, when
executed by a machine, causing the machine to perform operations
comprising: disposing a first plurality of microphones along a
circumference of a circle on a surface; disposing a second
plurality of microphones along a line on the surface; grouping
first connections to the first plurality of microphones together;
grouping second connections to the second plurality of microphones
together; and providing the first connections and the second
connections to an external entity of the surface via a
connector.
10. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the line intersects the circle.
11. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein
the line terminates on the circle.
12. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein
the line has a length equal to a diameter of the circle.
13. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 11, wherein
at least one microphone is in the first plurality of microphones
and is in the second plurality of microphones.
14. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the line is wholly within the circle.
15. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the total of the first plurality of microphones and the second
plurality of microphones is eight, wherein the first plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones, wherein the first
plurality of microphones has more than two microphones, and wherein
the second plurality of microphones has an even number of
microphones.
16. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 9, wherein
the operations comprise: affixing a cover to the surface with a
first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and affixing the
surface to a housing with a second fastener and a second vibration
dampener.
17. A method for creating a far-field microphone array, the method
comprising: disposing a first plurality of microphones along a
circumference of a circle on a surface; disposing a second
plurality of microphones along a line on the surface; grouping
first connections to the first plurality of microphones together;
grouping second connections to the second plurality of microphones
together; and providing the first connections and the second
connections to an external entity of the surface via a
connector.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the line intersects the
circle.
19. The method of claim 18, wherein the line terminates on the
circle.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the line has a length equal to
a diameter of the circle.
21. The method of claim 19, wherein at least one microphone is in
the first plurality of microphones and is in the second plurality
of microphones.
22. The method of claim 17, wherein the line is wholly within the
circle.
23. The method of claim 17, wherein the total of the first
plurality of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is
eight, wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even
number of microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones
has more than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
24. The method of claim 17, comprising: affixing a cover to the
surface with a first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and
affixing the surface to a housing with a second fastener and a
second vibration dampener.
Description
CLAIM OF PRIORITY
[0001] This patent application claims the benefit of priority,
under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119, to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.
62/350,507, titled "FAR FIELD AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION" and
filed on Jun. 15, 2016, the entirety of which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments described herein generally relate to automatic
speech recognition (ASR) and more specifically to a microphone
board for far field ASR.
BACKGROUND
[0003] ASR involves a machine-based collection of techniques to
understand human languages. ASR is interdisciplinary, often
involving microphone, analog to digital conversion, frequency
processing, database, and artificial intelligence technologies to
convert the spoken word into textual or machine readable
representations of not only what said (e.g., a transcript) but also
what was meant (e.g., semantic understanding) by a human speaker.
Far field ASR involves techniques to decrease a word error rate
(WER) in utterances made a greater distance to a microphone, or
microphone array, than traditionally accounted for in ASR
processing pipelines. Such distance often decreases the signal to
noise (SNR) ration and thus increases WER in traditional ASR
systems. As used herein, far field ASR involves distances more than
half meter from the microphone.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale,
like numerals may describe similar components in different views.
Like numerals having different letter suffixes may represent
different instances of similar components. The drawings illustrate
generally, by way of example, but not by way of limitation, various
embodiments discussed in the present document.
[0005] FIG. 1 is an example of a smart home gateway housing,
according to an embodiment.
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a microphone printed
circuit board, according to an embodiment.
[0007] FIG. 3 is a top view of an example of a microphone board
housing, according to an embodiment.
[0008] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an example of a
microphone board housing, according to an embodiment.
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates an example configuration to isolate a
microphone board, according to an embodiment.
[0010] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of mounting a microphone board
to a housing, according to an embodiment.
[0011] FIG. 7 is an example of a method for making a microphone
board for far field automatic speech recognition, according to an
embodiment.
[0012] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a
machine upon which one or more embodiments may be implemented.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Embodiments and examples herein general described a number
of systems, devices, and techniques for enhancing far field ASR via
a microphone board. It is understood, however, that the systems,
devices, and techniques are examples illustrating the underlying
concepts.
[0014] A factor that may contribute to far field ASR performance
includes the number of microphones, their characteristics and
configuration, as well as microphone mounting techniques. Here we
describe a microphone array that was demonstrated to improve far
field ASR performance. In an example, both circular and linear
microphone arrays are combined. Such a combination of arrays allows
the simultaneous use of beam-forming techniques designed for
linearly arranged microphones and beam-forming techniques designed
for circularly arranged microphones. For the linear arrangement,
one may use a phased-based beam-forming (PBF) technique, such as
that discussed in US20150078571. For the circularly arranged
microphones, one may use, for example, the Minimum Variance
Distortionless Response (MVDR) beam-forming technique. In an
example, the microphones may be mounted (e.g., to the housing) to
reduce (e.g., minimize) leakage between microphones as well as
microphone-loudspeaker or microphone-enclosure coupling. By
combining microphone arrays and addressing acoustical leakage, the
described microphone apparatus improves audio capabilities to
enhance far field ASR.
[0015] FIG. 1 is an example of a smart home gateway housing 105,
according to an embodiment. As illustrated, the circles atop the
housing are lumens 110 behind which are housed microphones (as
illustrated there are eight microphones). The dashed lines
illustrate microphones in a linear arrangement 115 as well as in a
circular arrangement 120.
[0016] The smart home gateway 105 includes a first plurality of
microphones along a circumference of a circle 120 on a surface.
This microphone arrangement may be referred to as a circular array
or circular microphone array. As illustrated here, the surface is
the top of the smart home gateway 105, however, another surface,
such as the side of a wall mounted device may also be used. In an
example, the number of microphones in the first plurality of
microphones is an even number. In an example, the first plurality
of microphones includes six microphones.
[0017] In an example, the microphones used may be bottom ported
silicon digital transducers. For example, a Knowles digital MEMS
with PDM output may be used. However, other manufactures (e.g.
Akustica, Cirrus, STMicro) with other interfaces (e.g. I2S) or
porting (e.g. top) may be used as well.
[0018] The smart home gateway 105 may also include a second
plurality of microphones along a line 115 on the surface. This
arrangement may be referred to as a linear array or linear
microphone array. In an example, the number of microphones in the
second plurality of microphones is an even number. In an example,
the second plurality of microphones includes four microphones. In
an example, the total of the first plurality of microphones and the
second plurality of microphones is eight.
[0019] In an example, the line 115 intersects the circle 120. In an
example, the line 115 terminates on the circle 120. In an example,
the line 115 has a length equal to a diameter of the circle 120, as
illustrated here. The relationship between the line 115 and the
circle 120 provides a known relationship between these microphone
array geometries that may be exploited for different ASR processing
purposes. By intersecting the line 115 with the circle 120, the
microphones may be compactly placed on the surface while still
gaining the benefit of the multiple microphone array geometries. In
an example, at least one microphone is in the first plurality of
microphones and is in the second plurality of microphones. In an
example, the line is wholly within the circle. The inclusion of one
or more microphones in both (or more) microphone arrays efficiently
uses the available space while still permitting multiple array
geometries for far field ASR processing, such as beamforming, noise
mitigation, etc.
[0020] The smart home gateway 105 also includes a first set of
connections to the first plurality of microphones and a second set
of connections to the second plurality of microphones. These sets
of connections are at least a logical link between the microphones
and other processing elements. A non-logical link, such as an
individual wire leading to each microphone in the first plurality
of microphones may also be used. However, the microphones may be
connected via a bus, or other interlink, and encode individual
signals with a microphone identification (ID) or the like to form a
logical set of connections. These connections permit downstream
processors to identify the source microphone of a signal in order
to perform processing, such as phase based beamforming. In an
example, the connection is labeled, or otherwise identifiable, by
its microphone's position in an array (e.g., whether the array is
linear, an index in the array or other positioning within the
array).
[0021] The smart home gateway 105 also includes a connector to
provide the first set connections and the second set of connections
to an external entity. As used here, an external entity is any
component that uses data derived from the microphone signals,
including unaltered audio signals directly from the microphones,
via the connector. Thus, the microphone arrays may be installed on
a number of devices and interoperate with devices produced, for
example, by other manufacturers without modification.
[0022] In an example, the smart home gateway 105 may include a
cover affixed to the surface with a first fastener and a first
vibration dampener and the surface is itself affixed to the housing
of the device via a second fastener and a second vibration
dampener. As illustrated, the smart gateway 105 in FIG. 1
illustrates the combination of the cover and the housing to the
surface. In an example, the vibration dampener has rubber-like
properties (e.g., a viscoelastic material). Generally, such
rubber-like properties are found in elastomers, such as saturated
rubbers (e.g., polyisoprene, polybutadiene, chloroprene, butyl
rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, nitrile rubber, etc.), saturated
rubbers (e.g., ethylene propylene rubber, epichlorohydrin rubber,
polyacrylic rubber, silicone rubber, fluorosilicone rubber,
fluoroelastomers, perfluoroelastomers, polyether block amides,
chlorosulfonated polyethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate, etc.), among
others.
[0023] In an example, the first fastener and the second fastener
are the same. In this example, a single element, such as a bolt,
secures the cover to the surface and to the housing. This is not to
be confused with the first and second fastener being of the same
type (which they may be even if they are separate fasteners). In an
example, at least one of the first fastener or the second fastener
is a screw, a clip, bolt, pin, or tie. In the example arrangement
of a single fastener, a gap, or space, may exist between
microphones between the cover and the housing. That is, sound
entering a lumen 110 for a first microphone may also pass through
this space to a second microphone. Such cross lumen 110 sound
transmission may impair a variety of far field ASR processing
operations. Thus, in an example, the first vibration dampener seals
space between the surface and a microphone when secured by the
first fastener. This arrangement reduces acoustical leakage between
microphones and lumens 110.
[0024] The combination linear and circular microphone arrays and
mounting the microphones to inhibit leakage improve far field ASR
performance over current microphone arrays. For example, the
devices that use only a circular microphone array does not allow
use of beam-forming techniques for linearly arranged microphones.
Such beamforming helps to reduce noise, improve voice quality, and
thus improve ASR performance. Further, reducing acoustical leakage
and coupling (e.g., between the housing and different microphones)
improves signal quality for beam-forming techniques and acoustical
echo cancellation.
[0025] FIGS. 2-6 provide some additional detail of the components
discussed above. FIG. 2 illustrates a corresponding printed circuit
board (PCB) 205 to the housing 105 of FIG. 1. Here, the PCB 205 is
the surface discussed above. Further, the microphone 210 is a part
of a circular array, microphone 215 is a part of a linear array,
and microphone 220 is a part of both the circular and linear
arrays.
[0026] FIG. 3 illustrates an example design for a cover 305 (top
view) as mentioned in FIG. 1, according to an embodiment. The
darkly shaded small circles 310 represent the inlet holes (e.g.,
lumens) for the microphones. Other holes (e.g., small lightly
shaded circles 320 on the left or the large shade circles 315 in
the middle) may be added for esthetic purposes but should not
create additional microphones inlets in order to control the
microphone response to sound. Inter-microphone leakage may be
reduced if the housing, surface 205, or cover 305 ensures that only
one inlet hole (e.g., lumen) leads to a selected microphone. Thus,
in an example, no other direct or indirect paths to the selected
microphone are allowed. Further, sound may be transmitted through
certain materials, such as the mounting between the housing and the
surface. FIGS. 4-6 illustrate some example solutions to address
these issues.
[0027] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of an example of a
microphone board housing, according to an embodiment. In FIG. 4,
the microphone PCB 415 is isolated from the external housing 405
(here illustrated as being both the housing the cover as discussed
above) using an acoustical isolation layer 410. In an example, the
acoustical isolation layer 410 is a rubber (or rubber-like)
material from one to two millimeters (mm) in thickness. This
arrangement helps ensure that the lumen through which sound arrives
at the microphone is controlled and consistent.
[0028] Leakage from an internal loudspeaker (assuming the device
uses one) to the microphones may be reduced via additional
isolation. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of just such an
arrangement. In an example, the additional isolation may include
ten to fifteen millimeter GMS-012 air foam layer 520 on the bottom
of the microphone PCB 515 and above the housing 525. In an example,
there is also an acoustical isolation layer 510 between the PCB 515
and the cover 505. The acoustical isolation layer 510 will include
a channel between a microphone and its corresponding lumen 530.
[0029] Isolating a mounting fastener, such as screws, may be used
to further reduce leakage. An example of such a mounting with
screws is depicted in the example of FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the screws
610 interface the microphone board 620 (with microphone 605) to the
housing 630 and is buffered by the elastomer material in layer one
615 and layer two 625. Such an interface reduces vibrations
transfer from the screw 610 itself to the microphone board 620. In
an example, the protective material (layers one 615 and two 625)
and the microphone board 620 are arranged such that, when
tightened, the screw heads are not touching the microphone PCB 620
due to the elastomer. In this example, illustrated in FIG. 6, the
PCB 620 is shaped to allow the rubber-like material 615 to fill-in
the space between the screw head and the PCB 620.
[0030] Using either the combination linear and circular microphone
arrays or the isolating mounting improves microphone and microphone
array performance, thus leading to good quality microphone signals.
These signals may be further processed, as described above, with
the far field pre-processing pipeline. When both the microphone
board and the pre-processing pipeline are combined, large
improvements to far field ASR performance may be achieved. From the
evidence, it is clear that these systems and techniques lower WERs,
leading to improved ASR performance.
[0031] FIG. 7 is an example of a method 700 for making a microphone
board for far field automatic speech recognition, according to an
embodiment. The operations of the method 700 are performed on
electronic hardware, such as that described above or below (e.g.,
circuits).
[0032] At operation 705, a first plurality of microphones is
disposed along a circumference of a circle on a surface. In an
example, the first plurality of microphones includes six
microphones.
[0033] At operation 710, a second plurality of microphones is
disposed along a line on the surface. In an example, the second
plurality of microphones includes four microphones. In an example
the total of the first plurality of microphones and the second
plurality of microphones is eight. In an example the first
plurality of microphones has an even number of microphones. In an
example the first plurality of microphones has more than two
microphones. In an example the second plurality of microphones has
an even number of microphones.
[0034] In an example the line intersects the circle. In an example
the line terminates on the circle. In an example the line has a
length equal to a diameter of the circle. In an example, at least
one microphone is in the first plurality of microphones and is in
the second plurality of microphones. In an example the line is
wholly within the circle.
[0035] At operation 715, first connections to the first plurality
of microphones are grouped together.
[0036] At operation 720, second connections to the second plurality
of microphones are grouped together.
[0037] At operation 725, the first connections and the second
connections are provided to an external entity via a connector.
[0038] The operations of the method 700 may be optionally extended
to include affixing a cover to the surface with a first fastener
and a first vibration dampener; and affixing the surface to a
housing with a second fastener and a second vibration dampener. In
an example the vibration dampener is an elastomer. In an example
the first fastener and the second fastener are the same. In an
example the first fastener and the second fastener are a screw. In
an example the first vibration dampener seals space between the
surface and a microphone when secured by the first fastener.
[0039] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of an example machine 800
upon which any one or more of the techniques (e.g., methodologies)
discussed herein may perform. In alternative embodiments, the
machine 800 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected
(e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the
machine 800 may operate in the capacity of a server machine, a
client machine, or both in server-client network environments. In
an example, the machine 800 may act as a peer machine in
peer-to-peer (P2P) (or other distributed) network environment. The
machine 800 may be a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top
box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile telephone,
a web appliance, or any machine capable of executing instructions
(sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that
machine. Further, while only a single machine is illustrated, the
term "machine" shall also be taken to include any collection of
machines that individually or jointly execute a set (or multiple
sets) of instructions to perform any one or more of the
methodologies discussed herein, such as cloud computing, software
as a service (SaaS), other computer cluster configurations.
[0040] Examples, as described herein, may include, or may operate
by, logic or a number of components, or mechanisms. Circuitry is a
collection of circuits implemented in tangible entities that
include hardware (e.g., simple circuits, gates, logic, etc.).
Circuitry membership may be flexible over time and underlying
hardware variability. Circuitries include members that may, alone
or in combination, perform specified operations when operating. In
an example, hardware of the circuitry may be immutably designed to
carry out a specific operation (e.g., hardwired). In an example,
the hardware of the circuitry may include variably connected
physical components (e.g., execution units, transistors, simple
circuits, etc.) including a computer readable medium physically
modified (e.g., magnetically, electrically, moveable placement of
invariant massed particles, etc.) to encode instructions of the
specific operation. In connecting the physical components, the
underlying electrical properties of a hardware constituent are
changed, for example, from an insulator to a conductor or vice
versa. The instructions enable embedded hardware (e.g., the
execution units or a loading mechanism) to create members of the
circuitry in hardware via the variable connections to carry out
portions of the specific operation when in operation. Accordingly,
the computer readable medium is communicatively coupled to the
other components of the circuitry when the device is operating. In
an example, any of the physical components may be used in more than
one member of more than one circuitry. For example, under
operation, execution units may be used in a first circuit of a
first circuitry at one point in time and reused by a second circuit
in the first circuitry, or by a third circuit in a second circuitry
at a different time.
[0041] Machine (e.g., computer system) 800 may include a hardware
processor 802 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics
processing unit (GPU), a hardware processor core, or any
combination thereof), a main memory 804 and a static memory 806,
some or all of which may communicate with each other via an
interlink (e.g., bus) 808. The machine 800 may further include a
display unit 810, an alphanumeric input device 812 (e.g., a
keyboard), and a user interface (UI) navigation device 814 (e.g., a
mouse). In an example, the display unit 810, input device 812 and
UI navigation device 814 may be a touch screen display. The machine
800 may additionally include a storage device (e.g., drive unit)
816, a signal generation device 818 (e.g., a speaker), a network
interface device 820, and one or more sensors 821, such as a global
positioning system (GPS) sensor, compass, accelerometer, or other
sensor. The machine 800 may include an output controller 828, such
as a serial (e.g., universal serial bus (USB), parallel, or other
wired or wireless (e.g., infrared (IR), near field communication
(NFC), etc.) connection to communicate or control one or more
peripheral devices (e.g., a printer, card reader, etc.).
[0042] The storage device 816 may include a machine readable medium
822 on which is stored one or more sets of data structures or
instructions 824 (e.g., software) embodying or utilized by any one
or more of the techniques or functions described herein. The
instructions 824 may also reside, completely or at least partially,
within the main memory 804, within static memory 806, or within the
hardware processor 802 during execution thereof by the machine 800.
In an example, one or any combination of the hardware processor
802, the main memory 804, the static memory 806, or the storage
device 816 may constitute machine readable media.
[0043] While the machine readable medium 822 is illustrated as a
single medium, the term "machine readable medium" may include a
single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed
database, and/or associated caches and servers) configured to store
the one or more instructions 824.
[0044] The term "machine readable medium" may include any medium
that is capable of storing, encoding, or carrying instructions for
execution by the machine 800 and that cause the machine 800 to
perform any one or more of the techniques of the present
disclosure, or that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying
data structures used by or associated with such instructions.
Non-limiting machine readable medium examples may include
solid-state memories, and optical and magnetic media. In an
example, a massed machine readable medium comprises a machine
readable medium with a plurality of particles having invariant
(e.g., rest) mass. Accordingly, massed machine-readable media are
not transitory propagating signals. Specific examples of massed
machine readable media may include: non-volatile memory, such as
semiconductor memory devices (e.g., Electrically Programmable
Read-Only Memory (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable
Read-Only Memory (EEPROM)) and flash memory devices, magnetic
disks, such as internal hard disks and removable disks;
magneto-optical disks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks.
[0045] The instructions 824 may further be transmitted or received
over a communications network 826 using a transmission medium via
the network interface device 820 utilizing any one of a number of
transfer protocols (e.g., frame relay, internet protocol (IP),
transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP),
hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), etc.). Example communication
networks may include a local area network (LAN), a wide area
network (WAN), a packet data network (e.g., the Internet), mobile
telephone networks (e.g., cellular networks), Plain Old Telephone
(POTS) networks, and wireless data networks (e.g., Institute of
Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 family of
standards known as Wi-Fi.RTM., IEEE 802.16 family of standards
known as WiMax.RTM.), IEEE 802.15.4 family of standards,
peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, among others. In an example, the
network interface device 820 may include one or more physical jacks
(e.g., Ethernet, coaxial, or phone jacks) or one or more antennas
to connect to the communications network 826. In an example, the
network interface device 820 may include a plurality of antennas to
wirelessly communicate using at least one of single-input
multiple-output (SIMO), multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), or
multiple-input single-output (MISO) techniques. The term
"transmission medium" shall be taken to include any intangible
medium that is capable of storing, encoding or carrying
instructions for execution by the machine 800, and includes digital
or analog communications signals or other intangible medium to
facilitate communication of such software.
Additional Notes & Examples
[0046] Example 1 is a device for creating a far-field microphone
array, the device comprising: a first plurality of microphones
along a circumference of a circle on a surface of the device; a
second plurality of microphones along a line on the surface; a
first set of connections to the first plurality of microphones; a
second set of connections to the second plurality of microphones;
and a connector to provide the first connections and the second
connections to an external entity of the surface.
[0047] In Example 2, the subject matter of Example 1 optionally
includes wherein the line intersects the circle.
[0048] In Example 3, the subject matter of Example 2 optionally
includes wherein the line terminates on the circle.
[0049] In Example 4, the subject matter of Example 3 optionally
includes wherein the line has a length equal to a diameter of the
circle.
[0050] In Example 5, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 3-4 optionally include wherein at least one microphone is
in the first plurality of microphones and is in the second
plurality of microphones.
[0051] In Example 6, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 1-5 optionally include wherein the line is wholly within
the circle.
[0052] In Example 7, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 1-6 optionally include wherein the first plurality of
microphones includes six microphones.
[0053] In Example 8, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 1-7 optionally include wherein the second plurality of
microphones includes four microphones.
[0054] In Example 9, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 1-8 optionally include wherein the total of the first
plurality of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is
eight, wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even
number of microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones
has more than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
[0055] In Example 10, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 1-9 optionally include a cover affixed to the surface with
a first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and a housing
affixed to the surface with a second fastener and a second
vibration dampener.
[0056] In Example 11, the subject matter of Example 10 optionally
includes wherein the vibration dampener has rubber-like
properties.
[0057] In Example 12, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 10-11 optionally include wherein the first fastener and
the second fastener are the same and are a screw.
[0058] In Example 13, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 10-12 optionally include wherein the first vibration
dampener seals space between the surface and a microphone when
secured by the first fastener.
[0059] Example 14 is at least one machine readable medium including
instructions for creating a far-field microphone array, the
instructions, when executed by a machine, causing the machine to
perform operations comprising: disposing a first plurality of
microphones along a circumference of a circle on a surface;
disposing a second plurality of microphones along a line on the
surface; grouping first connections to the first plurality of
microphones together; grouping second connections to the second
plurality of microphones together, and providing the first
connections and the second connections to an external entity of the
surface via a connector.
[0060] In Example 15, the subject matter of Example 14 optionally
includes wherein the line intersects the circle.
[0061] In Example 16, the subject matter of Example 15 optionally
includes wherein the line terminates on the circle.
[0062] In Example 17, the subject matter of Example 16 optionally
includes wherein the line has a length equal to a diameter of the
circle.
[0063] In Example 18, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 16-17 optionally include wherein at least one microphone
is in the first plurality of microphones and is in the second
plurality of microphones.
[0064] In Example 19, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 14-18 optionally include wherein the line is wholly within
the circle.
[0065] In Example 20, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 14-19 optionally include wherein the first plurality of
microphones includes six microphones.
[0066] In Example 21, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 14-20 optionally include wherein the second plurality of
microphones includes four microphones.
[0067] In Example 22, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 14-21 optionally include wherein the total of the first
plurality of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is
eight, wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even
number of microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones
has more than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
[0068] In Example 23, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 14-22 optionally include wherein the operations comprise:
affixing a cover to the surface with a first fastener and a first
vibration dampener; and affixing the surface to a housing with a
second fastener and a second vibration dampener.
[0069] In Example 24, the subject matter of Example 23 optionally
includes wherein the vibration dampener has rubber-like
properties.
[0070] In Example 25, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 23-24 optionally include wherein the first fastener and
the second fastener are the same and are a screw.
[0071] In Example 26, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 23-25 optionally include wherein the first vibration
dampener seals space between the surface and a microphone when
secured by the first fastener.
[0072] Example 27 is a method for creating a far-field microphone
array, the method comprising: disposing a first plurality of
microphones along a circumference of a circle on a surface;
disposing a second plurality of microphones along a line on the
surface; grouping first connections to the first plurality of
microphones together; grouping second connections to the second
plurality of microphones together; and providing the first
connections and the second connections to an external entity of the
surface via a connector.
[0073] In Example 28, the subject matter of Example 27 optionally
includes wherein the line intersects the circle.
[0074] In Example 29, the subject matter of Example 28 optionally
includes wherein the line terminates on the circle.
[0075] In Example 30, the subject matter of Example 29 optionally
includes wherein the line has a length equal to a diameter of the
circle.
[0076] In Example 31, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 29-30 optionally include wherein at least one microphone
is in the first plurality of microphones and is in the second
plurality of microphones.
[0077] In Example 32, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 27-31 optionally include wherein the line is wholly within
the circle.
[0078] In Example 33, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 27-32 optionally include wherein the first plurality of
microphones includes six microphones.
[0079] In Example 34, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 27-33 optionally include wherein the second plurality of
microphones includes four microphones.
[0080] In Example 35, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 27-34 optionally include wherein the total of the first
plurality of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is
eight, wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even
number of microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones
has more than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
[0081] In Example 36, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 27-35 optionally include affixing a cover to the surface
with a first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and affixing
the surface to a housing with a second fastener and a second
vibration dampener.
[0082] In Example 37, the subject matter of Example 36 optionally
includes wherein the vibration dampener with rubber-like
properties.
[0083] In Example 38, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 36-37 optionally include wherein the first fastener and
the second fastener are the same and are a screw.
[0084] In Example 39, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 36-38 optionally include wherein the first vibration
dampener seals space between the surface and a microphone when
secured by the first fastener.
[0085] Example 40 is a system including means to perform any of
methods 27-39.
[0086] Example 41 is at least one machine readable medium including
instructions that, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to
perform any of methods 27-39.
[0087] Example 42 is a system for creating a far-field microphone
array, the system comprising: means for disposing a first plurality
of microphones along a circumference of a circle on a surface;
means for disposing a second plurality of microphones along a line
on the surface; means for grouping first connections to the first
plurality of microphones together; means for grouping second
connections to the second plurality of microphones together; and
means for providing the first connections and the second
connections to an external entity of the surface via a
connector.
[0088] In Example 43, the subject matter of Example 42 optionally
includes wherein the line intersects the circle.
[0089] In Example 44, the subject matter of Example 43 optionally
includes wherein the line terminates on the circle.
[0090] In Example 45, the subject matter of Example 44 optionally
includes wherein the line has a length equal to a diameter of the
circle.
[0091] In Example 46, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 44-45 optionally include wherein at least one microphone
is in the first plurality of microphones and is in the second
plurality of microphones.
[0092] In Example 47, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 42-46 optionally include wherein the line is wholly within
the circle.
[0093] In Example 48, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 42-47 optionally include wherein the first plurality of
microphones includes six microphones.
[0094] In Example 49, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 42-48 optionally include wherein the second plurality of
microphones includes four microphones.
[0095] In Example 50, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 42-49 optionally include wherein the total of the first
plurality of microphones and the second plurality of microphones is
eight, wherein the first plurality of microphones has an even
number of microphones, wherein the first plurality of microphones
has more than two microphones, and wherein the second plurality of
microphones has an even number of microphones.
[0096] In Example 51, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 42-50 optionally include means for affixing a cover to the
surface with a first fastener and a first vibration dampener; and
means for affixing the surface to a housing with a second fastener
and a second vibration dampener.
[0097] In Example 52, the subject matter of Example 51 optionally
includes wherein the vibration dampener with rubber-like
properties.
[0098] In Example 53, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 51-52 optionally include wherein the first fastener and
the second fastener are the same and are a screw.
[0099] In Example 54, the subject matter of any one or more of
Examples 51-53 optionally include wherein the first vibration
dampener seals space between the surface and a microphone when
secured by the first fastener.
[0100] The above detailed description includes references to the
accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed
description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific
embodiments that may be practiced. These embodiments are also
referred to herein as "examples." Such examples may include
elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the
present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those
elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present
inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or
permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more
aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or
one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or
one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.
[0101] All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to
in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their
entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the
event of inconsistent usages between this document and those
documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the
incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to
that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the
usage in this document controls.
[0102] In this document, the terms "a" or "an" are used, as is
common in patent documents, to include one or more than one,
independent of any other instances or usages of"at least one" or
"one or more." In this document, the term "or" is used to refer to
a nonexclusive or, such that "A or B" includes "A but not B," "B
but not A," and "A and B," unless otherwise indicated. In the
appended claims, the terms "including" and "in which" are used as
the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms "comprising"
and "wherein." Also, in the following claims, the terms "including"
and "comprising" are open-ended, that is, a system, device,
article, or process that includes elements in addition to those
listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within
the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the
terms "first," "second," and "third," etc. are used merely as
labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on
their objects.
[0103] The above description is intended to be illustrative, and
not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one
or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each
other. Other embodiments may be used, such as by one of ordinary
skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract
is to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the
technical disclosure and is submitted with the understanding that
it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of
the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various
features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This
should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed
feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter
may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed
embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into
the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a
separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments should be
determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the
full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
* * * * *