USER-CONTROLLED BEAM STEERING IN MICROPHONE ARRAY

• US 20200137487A1
• Filed: 01/02/2020
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Original Assignee: Bose Corporation
• Inventors: Abrams, Darren W., Voigt, William H. A., Norville, Pelham, Rice, William D., Stupak, Noah J., Trotter, John A.
• Application Number:
  US16/732,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20200137487A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/002 Specific input/output arrangements not covered by G06F3/01 - G06F3/16 other optical apparatus G02B27/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02166 Microphone arrays; Beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/028 using properties of sound source
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/32 the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/406 microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/20 Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic H04R2203/12 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

Various aspects include approaches for controlling acoustic beams. In some particular aspects, a system includes: a microphone array; a camera system for detecting a visual characteristic of a user; and a control system coupled with the microphone array and the camera system, the control system programmed to control the microphone array by: receiving a camera signal from the camera system; and focusing the microphone array in response to the camera signal indicating the visual characteristic of the user, prior to receiving an audio input from the user at the microphone array.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a microphone array;

a camera system for detecting a visual characteristic of a user; and

a control system coupled with the microphone array and the camera system, the control system programmed to control the microphone array by;

receiving a camera signal from the camera system; and

focusing the microphone array in response to the camera signal indicating the visual characteristic of the user, prior to receiving an audio input from the user at the microphone array.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system is further configured to compare the visual characteristic of the user detected by the camera system with a stored visual characteristic library, wherein focusing the microphone array is performed in response to the detected visual characteristic matching a visual characteristic in the stored visual characteristic library.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the visual characteristic library comprises a thresholding mechanism for comparing the camera signal with pre-sorted video data or pre-sorted image data to determine whether the detected visual characteristic is linked with a focus direction for the microphone array.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual characteristic comprises at least one of:

a detected presence of the user, a detected location of the user, a detected identity of the user, or a detected gesture by the user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the microphone array is contained within an audio and video conferencing system.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the audio and video conferencing system includes a video display for providing video captured by the camera system at a remote geographic location.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising a directional controller for indicating a desired direction of focus for the microphone array.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the directional controller is at a remote geographic location from the microphone array when sending the command indicating the desired direction of focus, and wherein the directional controller is configured to send a command signal through the audio and video conferencing system to indicate the desired direction of focus for the microphone array at the remote geographic location.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising a directional controller for training a visual characteristic engine to identify the visual characteristic of the user.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control system includes a digital signal processor for modifying the focus direction of the microphone array toward a physical location of the user or away from the physical location of the user as detected by the camera system.

11. An audio and video conferencing system comprising:

a microphone array;

a camera system for detecting a visual characteristic of a user at a first geographic location; and

a control system coupled with the microphone array and the camera system, the control system programmed to control the microphone array by;

receiving a camera signal from the camera system; and

focusing the microphone array toward the user at the first geographic location in response to the camera signal indicting the visual characteristic of the user, prior to receiving an audio input from the user at the microphone array.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system is further configured to compare the visual characteristic of the user detected by the camera system with a stored visual characteristic library, wherein focusing the microphone array is performed in response to the detected visual characteristic matching a visual characteristic in the stored visual characteristic library.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the visual characteristic library comprises a thresholding mechanism for comparing the camera signal with pre-sorted video data or pre-sorted image data to determine whether the detected visual characteristic is linked with a focus direction for the microphone array.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the visual characteristic comprises at least one of:

a detected presence of the user, a detected location of the user at a geographic location, a detected identity of the user, or a detected gesture by the user.

15. The system of claim 11, further comprising a video display and a speaker located at a second, distinct geographic location.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a directional controller for indicating a desired direction of focus for the microphone array.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the directional controller is at the second, distinct geographic location when sending the command indicating the desired direction of focus.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the directional controller is configured to send a command signal through the audio and video conferencing system to indicate a desired direction of focus for the microphone array at the first geographic location.

19. The system of claim 11, further comprising a directional controller for training a visual characteristic engine to identify the visual characteristic of the user.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein the control system includes a digital signal processor for modifying the focus direction of the microphone array toward a physical location of the user or away from the physical location of the user as detected by the camera system.