Granted Patent B2

US 12,568,341 · App. 18/153,257 · Granted Mar 3, 2026

Inventors: Brian Kappus (Campbell, CA); Benjamin John Oliver Long (Bristol, GB)

Assignee: SIM IP HXR LLC

H04R29/006G01N29/262G01N2291/106

Abstract

Claims (27)

1 . An ultrasonic phased array comprising:

a plurality of transducers with known relative positions and orientations;

at least one complex activation coefficient representing a magnitude and phase of a driving signal to at least one of the plurality of transducers;

a plurality of virtual microphone locations;

a processor output comprising:

1) a computer for computing a transducer complex field from at least one of the plurality of transducers at the plurality of virtual microphone locations;

2) a multiplier for multiplying the transducer complex field by an activation coefficient to return a field estimate at the plurality of virtual microphone locations;

3) an incorporator for incorporating the field estimate into a weighted average; and

4) a mover for moving the plurality of virtual microphone locations at a distance composed of a fixed minimum length and a random length;

wherein if the weighted average exceeds a pressure goal, output is attenuated.

2 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein output is attenuated using a standard proportion-integration-differential controller.

3 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the field estimate is calculated using a squared magnitude.

4 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the field estimate is calculated using a magnitude.

5 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the field estimate is acted upon by a function before incorporating function output into a weighted average.

6 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of versions of the transducer complex field are stored in the processor so that at least two of a plurality of versions of the transducer complex field are used with the least one complex activation coefficient to simultaneously estimate the plurality of virtual microphone locations.

7 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of virtual microphone locations captures its own weighted average.

8 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 7 , wherein at least one of the weighted average is calculated using a different function from others of the weighted averages.

9 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 7 , wherein at least one of the plurality of virtual microphone locations is changed when at least one weighted average exceeds a goal.

10 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the transducer complex field comprises a previously calculated version of the transducer complex field.

11 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 10 , wherein the previously calculated version of the transducer complex field to be used is chosen based upon output of a weighted average from at least one virtual microphone.

12 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the weighted average comprises an average of prior field estimates.

13 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the weighted average comprises a pressure goal divided by a highest virtual microphone pressure.

14 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the activation coefficient is changed using a proportional-differential controller.

15 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 14 , wherein the proportion-differential controller adjusts the at least one complex activation coefficient value based on a squared pressure output value returned by at least one of a virtual microphone and the weighted average.

16 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 14 , wherein coefficients of the proportion-differential controller are adjusted to a controlled rate that limits unwanted audio.

17 . The ultrasonic phased array as in claim 14 , wherein the proportion-differential controller uses the greater of: 1) a regulation virtual microphone squared pressure output; or 2) a seek virtual microphone squared pressure output.

18 . The ultrasound phased array as in claim 1 , wherein the random length is not less than the fixed minimum length.

Assignments (4)

Continuity (3)

References Cited (400)