Sound event detection and localization system

• US 20040005064A1
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Published: 01/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Griesinger, David H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,567,676 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/17
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 3/8083 determining direction of source
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 1/001 Acoustic presence detection

Abstract

The beginning detection, accommodation and frequency bias properties of the human hearing mechanism have been modeled to create systems that can detect directional transients (“sound events”) in a sound field and separately localize them. These models break down a sound field into sound events and non-sound events and separately localize the sound events and non-sound events. Sound events are generally identified according to the frequency bias and beginning detection properties. Once detected, sound events are generally localized according to differential steering angles (steering angles to which the steady-state signals have been accommodated) or ordinary steering angles and which reflect the direction of a sound event indicated in its rise-time. When no sound events are detected, non-sound events are localized according to a steering angle that does not reflect rapid motion.

Claims

1. A method for detecting and localizing sound events in a sound field, where the sound field is generated in one or more input channel pairs, comprising:

producing an accommodation signal for each input channel in each input channel pair by modeling an accommodation property of a human hearing mechanism;

detecting the sound events in each channel pair be modeling a beginning detection property of the human hearing mechanism;

determining the initial differential steering angle for each input channel pair as a function of the accommodation signals.

2. A computer readable storage medium, comprising:

data encoding a sound field; and

a computer code implementing a sound event detection and localization method for detecting and localizing sound events in the sound field.

3. A device for detecting and localizing sound events in a sound field, comprising:

an interface unit for receiving the sound field; and

a detection unit, where the detector device includes,

a processor, where the processor is coupled to the interface unit and receives the sound field; and

a memory, where the memory is coupled to the processor and stores a sound event detection and localization method;

where upon a request from the processor, the memory communicates the sound event detection and localization method to the processor;

where the processor uses the sound event detection and localization method to detect sound events in the sound field to detect sound events in the sound field and produce at least one true differential steering angle whenever sound events are detected, and communicates the at least one true differential steering angle to the interface unit.

4. A sound event detector and localizer for a sound field generated in one or more input channel pairs, comprising:

a sound event detector for each input channel pair, where the sound event detector receives the sound field and produces a trigger signal that indicates an occurrence of one or more sound events; and

a sound event localization circuit for each input channel pair that produces a differential steering angle in response to the trigger signal from any channel pair indicating the occurrence of one or more sound events.