Mobile device and method and computer-readable medium controlling same for using with sound localization

• US 8,731,715 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ko, Won Jun, Kim, Yong Jae, Han, Woo Sup, Park, Ki Cheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, ABBY YEE
• Application Number:
  US12/954,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20110125504A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-264, 704/270, 704/275, 704E11001-E11007, 709227-229, 901/1, 381/56
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 13/003 by means of an audio-responsive input audible safety signals B25J19/061
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

A mobile device moves by calculating a distance between a sound source and the mobile device using a sound source direction estimation technique. The mobile device moves by a reference distance in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source when call sound of the sound source is generated, outputs voice to instruct to the sound source to generate recall sound, checks a directional angle of the mobile device when recall sound is generated by the sound source, calculates the distance between the sound source and the mobile device according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device, and moves to the vicinity of the sound source.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile device, the method comprising:

in response to a sound source generating a call sound, moving, by a computer, the mobile device by a reference distance in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source;

outputting, by the computer, a voice to instruct the sound source to generate a recall sound when the mobile device has moved the reference distance;

checking, by the computer, a directional angle of the mobile device;

calculating a distance between the mobile device and the sound source according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device; and

moving the mobile device toward the sound source.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving of the mobile device by the reference distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source, when the sound source generates the call sound includes:

checking an angle between a front direction of the mobile device and the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source according to the calling sound; and

rotating the mobile device according to an angle between the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source and the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source and moving the mobile device by the reference distance.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving of the mobile device by the reference distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source includes moving the mobile device by the reference distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source on a right side thereof.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the moving of the mobile device by the reference distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source includes moving the mobile device by the reference distance in the direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source on a left side thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the mobile device and the sound source is calculated by the following equation according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device:

R=L/cos(180−

θ

)

where, R denotes the distance between the mobile device and the sound source, L denotes the reference distance, and 0 denotes the directional angle of the mobile device relative to the sound source.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when the distance between the mobile device and the sound source is calculated according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device, the mobile device moves toward the sound source using information about the direction of the sound source and the distance as traveling information.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the call sound of the sound source is sound having a predetermined pattern stored in the mobile device in advance.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the reference distance changes according to an environment of the mobile device, and

when the reference distance changes, the distance between the mobile device and the sound source is calculated according to the changed reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device eliminates noise when receiving the call sound and the recall sound from the sound source to provide the call sound without noise and the recall sound without noise.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device extracts a signal component having a level above a predetermined level from the call sound without noise and the recall sound without noise uses the signal component to determine whether the call sound and the recall sound are a predetermined sound.

11. A mobile device, comprising:

a direction estimator to estimate a directional angle of the mobile device relative to a sound source making a call sound;

a traveling direction determination unit to determine a traveling direction using the estimated directional angle;

a driving unit to move the mobile device by a reference distance in the traveling direction;

a voice output unit to output a voice to instruct the sound source to generate a recall sound when the mobile device has moved the reference distance; and

a sound source position calculator to calculate a distance between the sound source and the mobile device according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device when the directional angle of the mobile device relative to the sound source is estimated according to the recall sound,

wherein the traveling direction determination unit determines the traveling direction as a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source when the call sound is made.

12. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the direction estimator estimates the directional angle of the mobile device relative to the sound source based on one of the call sound and the recall sound by the sound source.

13. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the directional angle of the mobile device relative to the sound source is an angle between a front direction of the mobile device and a direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source.

14. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the traveling direction determination unit determines the direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source as the traveling direction when the recall sound is generated.

15. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the driving unit drives the mobile device toward the sound source when the distance between the sound source and the mobile device is calculated.

16. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the voice output unit outputs voice to instruct the sound source to generate the recall sound when the mobile device moves by the reference distance.

17. The mobile device according to claim 11, wherein the sound source position calculator calculates the distance between the sound source and the mobile device by the following equation according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device estimated by the recall sound:

R=L/cos(180−

θ

)

where R denotes the distance between the mobile device and the sound source, L denotes the reference distance, and 0 denotes the directional angle of the mobile device relative to the sound source.

18. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement a method of controlling a mobile device, comprising:

in response to a sound source generating a call sound, moving the mobile device by a reference distance in a direction perpendicular to a direction in which the mobile device faces the sound source;

outputting a voice to instruct the sound source to generate the recall sound when the mobile device has moved the reference distance;

checking a directional angle of the mobile device;

calculating a distance between the mobile device and the sound source according to the reference distance and the directional angle of the mobile device; and

moving the mobile device toward the sound source.