AUDIO SOURCE TRACKING ARRANGEMENT

• US 20080174665A1
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tandberg Telecom AS (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Marton, Trygve Frederik, Nielsen, Johan Ludvig, ENSTAD, Gisle
• Granted Patent: US 8,126,183 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/211.12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/142 Constructional details of the terminal equipment, e.g. arrangements of the camera and the display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/02 Casings; Cabinets ; Supports therefor; Mountings therein H04R1/28 takes precedence ; attachments for microphones H04R1/08; mounting of transducers in earpieces H04R1/1075
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/34 by using a single transducer with sound reflecting, diffracting, directing or guiding means specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/402

Abstract

An audio source tracking arrangement, integrated in or connected to a video conference system, for determining a position of a source creating a sound, including: at least an audio signal processing module configured to determine the position of the source creating the sound based on a plurality of audio signals originating from the source respectively captured by a plurality of microphones; and one or more microphone housings, respectively encapsulating at least one of the plurality of microphones, the one or more microphone housings including a cavity in which at least one of the plurality of microphones is localized, an aperture on a surface of the microphone housing, and a channel extending from the cavity to the aperture, wherein the channel and the cavity are dimensioned to form an acoustical amplifier with a frequency response having one or more high frequency peaks in a frequency band of the sound.

Claims

1. An audio source tracking arrangement, integrated in or connected to a video conference system, for determining a position of a source creating a sound, comprising:

at least an audio signal processing module configured to determine the position of the source creating the sound based on a plurality of audio signals originating from the source respectively captured by a plurality of microphones; and

one or more microphone housings, respectively encapsulating at least one of said plurality of microphones, said one or more microphone housings including a cavity in which at least one of said plurality of microphones is localized, an aperture on a surface of the microphone housing, and a channel extending from the cavity to the aperture, wherein

said channel and said cavity are dimensioned to form an acoustical amplifier with a frequency response having one or more high frequency peaks in a frequency band of the sound.

2. The sound source tracking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of microphones are MEMS microphones.

3. The sound source tracking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of microphones and the one or more microphone housings are integrated in a camera cover.

4. The sound source tracking arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the position defines a reference point relative to which a camera or a processor adjusts a captured or viewed image.

5. The sound source tracking arrangement according to claim 2, wherein said plurality of microphones and the one or more microphone housings are integrated in a camera cover.

6. The sound source tracking arrangement according to claim 2, wherein the position defines a reference point relative to which a camera or a processor adjusts a captured or viewed image.