IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,388,538
Granted Patent B2
US 12,388,538 · App. 18/360,463 · Granted Aug 12, 2025

Utilization of microphone ultrasonic response

Inventors: Jeremy Parker (Chelmsford, MA); Stephen Bart (West Newton, MA)
Assignee: INVENSENSE, INC.
H04B11/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,388,538
App. No.
18/360,463
Granted
Aug 12, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Utilization of microphone ultrasonic response is described. A system, comprising: a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone device configured to capture signal data representing an ultrasonic signal and an audio-band signal simultaneously, and a processing circuitry configured to adjust a configuration parameter associated with the MEMS microphone device based on the ultrasonic signal.

Claims (24)

1. A system, comprising:

a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) microphone device configured to capture an integrated signal representing an ultrasonic signal and an audio-band signal simultaneously; and

a processing circuitry configured to adjust a configuration parameter associated with the MEMS microphone device based on the ultrasonic signal, wherein the ultrasonic signal is extracted, by the processing circuitry, from the integrated signal based on a determined frequency value of a band filter.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic signal is a first ultrasonic signal, and wherein the MEMS microphone device receives the first ultrasonic signal in response to sending a second ultrasonic signal.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, wherein the ultrasonic signal is a first ultrasonic signal, and wherein a second MEMS microphone device configured to send the first ultrasonic signal and the first MEMS microphone device is configured to receive the first ultrasonic signal.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the configuration parameter is stored in a memory associated with the processing circuitry, and wherein the configuration parameter is determined dynamically.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises the configuration parameter.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to transmit instruction data in an ultrasonic frequency or the audio-band signal.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, and wherein the ultrasonic signal is broadcast by a second MEMS microphone device.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, and wherein the ultrasonic signal is received from a second MEMS microphone device.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic signal is a first ultrasonic signal, and wherein the MEMS microphone device, in response to the first ultrasonic signal, broadcasts a second ultrasonic signal.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, wherein the ultrasonic signal is broadcast by a MEMS transducer device as an ultrasonic ping, and wherein the MEMS transducer device comprises a grouping representative of capacitative micro-machined ultrasonic transducer equipment, piezoelectric micro-machined ultrasonic transducer equipment, or the first MEMS microphone device.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is configured to operate as loudspeaker equipment by radiating the signal at a frequency greater than a resonant frequency of the MEMS microphone device.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises a signal for the processing circuit to determine a distance to an object proximately located to the MEMS microphone device.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, and wherein the ultrasonic signal represents a signal for the first MEMS microphone device to determine a distance from the first MEMS microphone device to a second MEMS microphone device.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the MEMS microphone device is a first MEMS microphone device, and wherein the ultrasonic signal represents a directive for the first MEMS microphone device to listen for an ultrasonic ping radiated by a second MEMS microphone device.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a processing circuit, integrated signal data comprising audio-band signal data and ultrasonic signal data, wherein the audio-band data and the ultrasonic signal data are received simultaneously; and

based on the ultrasonic signal data, adapting, by the processing circuit, a configuration parameter associated with a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) transducer, wherein the ultrasonic signal data is extracted from the integrated signal data based on a threshold value.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the MEMS transducer represents a microphone, further comprising in response to detecting, by the processing circuit, an object within a defined distance to the microphone, switching the microphone from a first state to a second state, wherein the first state represents a active state and the second state represents a inactive state.

17. The method of claim 15 , further comprising, based on the configuration parameter, changing a gain value associated with the MEMS transducer from a first gain value to a second gain value.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the MEMS transducer represents a microphone, further comprising, based on the ultrasonic signal data and a determination that a distance between user identities located proximate to the microphone has exceeded a threshold distance, adjusting, by the processing circuit, an equalization value of the microphone to compensate for a change in the distance.

19. The method of claim 15 , further comprising listening, by the processing circuit, for a group of ultrasonic aggressor signals emitted by ultrasonic aggressor equipment, and based on the group of ultrasonic aggressor signals, determining a collection of ultrasonic frequencies associated with the group of ultrasonic aggressor signals and identifying the collection of ultrasonic frequencies as being occupied.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the ultrasonic signal data comprises a sequence of repeating ultrasonic ping tones.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 7, 2023
From: PARKER, JEREMY; BART, STEPHEN
To: INVENSENSE, INC.
Reel/Frame 064507/0804 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63369687 · Jul 28, 2022
Related Publication 20240048249A1 · Feb 8, 2024
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