SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AERIAL VEHICLE POSITION AND VELOCITY VIA SOUND

• US 20170219686A1
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Published: 08/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Inventors: XIE, Jiebin, ZHAO, Cong
• Granted Patent: US 10,473,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/14 using ultrasonic, sonic, or infrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/03 Airborne
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/28 by co-ordinating position lines of different shape, e.g. hyperbolic, circular, elliptical or radial
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response

Abstract

A system for determining a signal source position and velocity, and methods for manufacturing and using same are provided. An exemplary method includes determining a signal source position and velocity by performing a direction analysis on a plurality of audio signals and performing an intensity analysis on the audio signals. Another exemplary method includes determining that a signal source is on a collision course with a moving platform and providing an instruction for altering the course of the moving platform to avoid a collision with the signal source. An exemplary system includes an acoustic sensing system, having a primary microphone array, a secondary microphone, and a processing device for determining a signal source position and velocity by performing a direction analysis on a plurality of audio signals and performing an intensity analysis on the audio signals.

Claims

1. A method of determining a position and a velocity of a signal source, comprising:

performing a direction analysis on a plurality of audio signals associated with the signal source;

performing a frequency analysis on the plurality of audio signals; and

estimating the position and the velocity of the signal source.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining first ones of the audio signals from a primary microphone array;

obtaining a second one of the noise audio signals from a secondary microphone;

generating a set of processed audio signals by subtracting the second one of the noise audio signals from each of the first ones of the audio signals.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

conducting a frequency estimation on the set of processed audio signals.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining a signal direction of the signal source based on the set of processed audio signals.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the set of processed audio signals are a first set of processed audio signals, the method further comprising:

generating a second set of processed audio signals based on the subtracting.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

conducting a frequency estimation on the second set of processed audio signals.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the signal direction is a first signal direction,

the method further comprising:

determining a second signal direction of the signal source based on the second set of processed audio signals.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

determining whether the signal source is approaching or moving away from a detection position by performing a Doppler analysis of the first and second sets of processed audio signals.

9. A method of determining a position and a velocity of a signal source, comprising:

conducting a frequency estimation on a first set of audio signals;

determining a first signal direction of the signal source based on the first set of audio signals;

conducting a frequency estimation on a second set of audio signals;

determining a second signal direction of the signal source based on the second set of audio signals;

determining whether the signal source is approaching or moving away from a detection position by performing a Doppler analysis of the first and second set of audio signals; and

determining the position and the velocity of the signal source based on the Doppler analysis, a direction analysis and an intensity analysis.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

predicting a future position and a future velocity of the signal source based on the Doppler analysis, the direction analysis and the intensity analysis.

11. An acoustic sensing system, comprising:

a housing;

a primary microphone array positioned on the housing and comprising a plurality of microphones;

a secondary microphone positioned on the housing and being operably connected to the primary microphone array; and

a processing device configured to determine a position and a velocity of a signal source based on a direction analysis and an intensity analysis of a plurality of audio signals received via the primary microphone array and the secondary microphone.

12. The acoustic sensing system of claim 11, wherein the primary microphone array and secondary microphone are positioned on parallel, but different, planes on the housing.

13. The acoustic sensing system of claim 11, wherein the primary microphone array points in a first direction and the secondary microphone points in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

14. The acoustic sensing system of claim 13, wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

15. The acoustic sensing system of claim 13, wherein the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

16. The acoustic sensing system of any one of claim 11, wherein microphones of the primary microphone array are positioned on a substrate in a matrix configuration having rows and columns.

17. The acoustic sensing system of claim 11, wherein the processing device is further configured to subtract one of the plurality of audio signals that is obtained by the secondary microphone from each of ones of the plurality of audio signals that are obtained by the primary microphone array to generate a set of processed audio signals.

18. The acoustic sensing system of any claim 17, wherein the processing device is further configured to conduct a frequency estimation on the set of processed audio signals.

19. The acoustic sensing system of claim 18, wherein the processing device is further configured to determine a signal direction of the signal source based on the set of processed audio signals.

20. The acoustic sensing system of claim 11, wherein the processing device is further configured to predict a future position and a future velocity of the based on a Doppler analysis, the direction analysis and the intensity analysis of the plurality of audio signals.