ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO), a global provider of audio and visual communication solutions, announced today that it has been awarded a new patent relating to Beamforming Microphone Arrays with Acoustic Echo Cancellation.
The patent, titled “Band-Limited Beamforming Microphone Array with Acoustic Echo Cancellation”, describes, among other things, a microphone array with one set of microphones used for beamforming, and one or more additional microphones that are not used for beamforming, but instead are used to augment the audio performance of the microphone array.
The patent claims also recite that this beamforming microphone array includes acoustic echo cancellation. For the best audio quality, beamforming techniques place size requirements on a microphone array. For example, to perform beamforming at the lower end of the human range of hearing, the farthest spacing between microphones in the array needs to be relatively large.
To create a smaller array that still provides excellent low-end audio performance, the beamforming microphone array may need to be supplemented with non-beamforming microphones. The integration of acoustic echo cancellation in the array enables a beamformer implementing this technology to be a compact and convenient integrated solution for conferencing applications.
U.S. Patent No. 11,240,598, which issued on February 1, 2022, demonstrates ClearOne’s investment, strength, and reach in this important technology area. The company’s valuable patent portfolio covers multiple new technologies in the fields of audio and video processing, audio and video streaming, and innovative communication technologies.
