US 11,778,370 B2
Microphone array onboard aircraft to determine crew/passenger location and to steer a transducer beam pattern to that location
Tongan Wang, Savannah, GA (US); Scott Bohanan, Savannah, GA (US); Jim Jordan, Savannah, GA (US); and Matthew Wallace, Savannah, GA (US)
Assigned to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
Filed by Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Savannah, GA (US)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/247,314.
Prior Publication US 2022/0182756 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. H04R 1/40 (2006.01); B64D 11/00 (2006.01); G10L 21/0216 (2013.01); H04R 3/00 (2006.01)
CPC H04R 1/406 (2013.01) [B64D 11/0015 (2013.01); H04R 1/403 (2013.01); G10L 2021/02166 (2013.01); H04R 3/005 (2013.01); H04R 2201/401 (2013.01); H04R 2499/13 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of controllably directing audio content to or from an aircraft occupant comprising:
receiving sounds within the aircraft using a microphone array of at least two transducers;
processing the received sounds to extract a human utterance;
performing direction of arrival analysis of the extracted human utterance to determine an utterance originating direction;
using the utterance originating direction to electronically steer a transducer array towards the utterance originating direction;
using the transducer array to direct audio content to or from the aircraft occupant from whom the extracted human utterance originated.