Speech processing of reflected sound
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A device comprising:
- a front surface;
a rear surface;
spacers that create a space filled with air for sound waves to pass over the rear surface when the device is physically coupled to a wall via the spacers;
an array of microphones arranged to generate audio data representing the sound waves as the sound waves pass over the rear surface, the array of microphones comprising a first microphone and a second microphone;
a processor; and
a memory including instructions operable to be executed by the processor to determine an effective direction of a source of the sound waves relative to the front surface of the device by configuring the processor to;
determine a first product by multiplying a first electrical signal from the first microphone by a first spatial filter transform associated with a first direction;
determine a second product by multiplying a second electrical signal from the second microphone by a second spatial filter transform associated with the first direction;
determine a first magnitude of a first sum of at least the first product and the second product;
determine a third product by multiplying the first electrical signal by a third spatial filter transform associated with a second direction;
determine a fourth product by multiplying the second electrical signal by a fourth spatial filter transform associated with the second direction;
determine a second magnitude of a second sum of at least the third product and the fourth product;
determine that the second magnitude is greater than the first magnitude; and
select the second direction as the effective direction.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Sound is banked laterally over an array of microphones arranged on a rear surface of a device. Sound enters a duct behind the device from different directions via inlets along the sides of the device. The duct directs the sound waves across the microphone array. An effective direction from which the banked sounds originated is determined, relative to a front of the device. Based on the determined effective direction, the device applies spatial filtering to isolate the received sound waves, selectively increasing a signal-to-noise ratio of sound from the selected source and at least partially occluding sounds from other sources.
168 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A device comprising:
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a front surface; a rear surface; spacers that create a space filled with air for sound waves to pass over the rear surface when the device is physically coupled to a wall via the spacers; an array of microphones arranged to generate audio data representing the sound waves as the sound waves pass over the rear surface, the array of microphones comprising a first microphone and a second microphone; a processor; and a memory including instructions operable to be executed by the processor to determine an effective direction of a source of the sound waves relative to the front surface of the device by configuring the processor to; determine a first product by multiplying a first electrical signal from the first microphone by a first spatial filter transform associated with a first direction; determine a second product by multiplying a second electrical signal from the second microphone by a second spatial filter transform associated with the first direction; determine a first magnitude of a first sum of at least the first product and the second product; determine a third product by multiplying the first electrical signal by a third spatial filter transform associated with a second direction; determine a fourth product by multiplying the second electrical signal by a fourth spatial filter transform associated with the second direction; determine a second magnitude of a second sum of at least the third product and the fourth product; determine that the second magnitude is greater than the first magnitude; and select the second direction as the effective direction. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method, comprising:
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detecting a first soundwave at a first microphone of a microphone array arranged on a rear surface of a device, the first soundwave propagating in a first direction substantially parallel to the rear surface; detecting a second soundwave at the first microphone, the second soundwave propagating in a second direction substantially parallel to the rear surface; determining first data representing the first soundwave and second soundwave as detected by the first microphone; detecting the first soundwave at a second microphone of the microphone array; detecting the second soundwave at the second microphone; determining second data representing the first soundwave and the second soundwave as detected at the second microphone; and determining, using the first data and the second data, an effective direction of a source of the first soundwave and the second soundwave, the effective direction relative to a front surface of the device, opposite the rear surface. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A device comprising:
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a front surface; a rear surface forming an air-filled space with an adjacent acoustic barrier; a plurality of structures separating the front surface from the rear surface by a fixed distance, the plurality of structures defining at least one inlet; and an array of microphones arranged on the rear surface to face the acoustic barrier, wherein sound entering the air-filled space through the at least one inlet propagates substantially parallel to the rear surface to cross the array of microphones. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A device comprising:
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a front surface; a rear surface forming an air-filled space with an adjacent acoustic barrier, the air-filled space opening along at least one edge of the rear surface; an array of microphones arranged on the rear surface to face the acoustic barrier, wherein sound entering the air-filled space propagates substantially parallel to the rear surface to cross the array of microphones; a processor; and a memory including instructions operable to be executed by the processor, the instructions configuring the processor to; determine an effective direction of a source of the sound relative to the front surface of the device based on data generated by the array of microphones in response to the sound propagating in the air-filled space. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification