SOUND DETERMINATION DEVICE, SOUND DETECTION DEVICE, AND SOUND DETERMINATION METHOD

• US 20100030562A1
• Filed: 08/25/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Piece Future Pte., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakatoh, Yoshihisa, Yoshizawa, Shinichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,352,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2025/783 based on threshold decision
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2025/937 Signal energy in various frequency bands
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

A sound determination device (100) includes: an FFT unit (2402) which receives a mixed sound including a to-be-extracted sound and a noise, and obtains a frequency signal of the mixed sound for each of a plurality of times included in a predetermined duration; and a to-be-extracted sound determination unit (101 (j)) which determines, when the number of the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration is equal to or larger than a first threshold value and a phase distance between the frequency signals out of the frequency signals at the plurality of times is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value, each of the frequency signals with the phase distance as a frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound. The phase distance is a distance between phases of the frequency signals when a phase of a frequency signal at a time t is ψ(t) (radian) and the phase is represented by ψ′(t)=mod 2π(ψ(t)−2πft) (where f is an analysis-target frequency).

Claims

1. A sound determination device, comprising:

a frequency analysis unit configured to receive a mixed sound including a to-be-extracted sound and a noise, and to obtain a frequency signal of the mixed sound for each of a plurality of times included in a predetermined duration; and

a to-be-extracted sound determination unit configured to determine, when the number of the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration is equal to or larger than a first threshold value and a phase distance between the frequency signals out of the frequency signals at the plurality of times is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value, each of the frequency signals with the phase distance as a frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound,

wherein the phase distance is a distance between phases of the frequency signals when a phase of a frequency signal at a time t is ψ

(t) (radian) and the phase is represented by ψ

′

(t)=mod 2π

(ψ

(t)−

2π

ft) (where f is an analysis-target frequency).

2. The sound determination device according to claim 1,

wherein said to-be-extracted sound determination unit is configured:

to create a plurality of groups of frequency signals, each of the groups including the frequency signals in a number that is equal to or larger than the first threshold value and the phase distance between the frequency signals in each of the groups being equal to or smaller than the second threshold value; and

to determine, when the phase distance between the groups of the frequency signals is equal to or larger than a third threshold value, the groups of the frequency signals as groups of frequency signals of to-be-extracted sounds of different kinds.

3. The sound determination device according to claim 1, wherein said to-be-extracted sound determination unit is configured to select the frequency signals at times at intervals of 1/f (where f is the analysis-target frequency) from the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration, and to calculate the phase distance using the selected frequency signals at the times.

4. The sound determination device according to claim 1, further comprising

a phase modification unit configured to modify the phase ψ

(t) (radian) of the frequency signal at the time t to ψ

′

(t)=mod 2π

(ψ

(t)−

2π

t) (where f is the analysis-target frequency),

wherein said to-be-extracted sound determination unit is configured to calculate the phase distance using the modified phase ψ

′

(t) of the frequency signal.

5. The sound determination device according to claim 1,

wherein said to-be-extracted sound determination unit is configured to obtain an approximate straight line of the phases of the frequency signals at the plurality of times in a space represented by the times and the phases using the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration, and to calculate the phase distances between the approximate straight line and the frequency signals at the plurality of times respectively.

6. A sound detection device, comprising:

said sound determination device described in claim 1; and

a sound detection unit configured to create a to-be-extracted sound detection flag and to provide an output of the to-be-extracted sound detection flag when the frequency signal included in the frequency signals of the mixed sound is determined as the frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound by said sound determination device.

7. The sound detection device according to claim 6,

wherein said frequency analysis unit is configured to receive a plurality of mixed sounds collected by microphones respectively, and to obtain the frequency signal for each of the mixed sounds,

said to-be-extracted sound determination unit is configured to determine the to-be-extracted sound for each of the mixed sounds, and

said sound detection unit is configured to create the to-be-extracted sound detection flag and to provide the output of the to-be-extracted sound detection flag when the frequency signal included in the frequency signals of at least one of the mixed sounds is determined as the frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound.

8. A sound extraction device, comprising:

said sound determination device described in claim 1; and

a sound extraction unit configured to provide, when the frequency signal included in the frequency signals of the mixed sound is determined as the frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound by said sound determination device, an output of the frequency signal determined as the frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound.

9. A sound determination method, comprising:

receiving a mixed sound including a to-be-extracted sound and a noise and obtaining a frequency signal of the mixed sound for each of a plurality of times included in a predetermined duration; and

determining, when the number of the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration is equal to or larger than a first threshold value and a phase distance between the frequency signals out of the frequency signals at the plurality of times is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value, each of the frequency signals with the phase distance as a frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound,

wherein the phase distance is a distance between phases of the frequency signals when a phase of a frequency signal at a time t is ψ

(t) (radian) and the phase is represented by ψ

′

(t)=mod 2π

(ψ

(t)−

2π

ft) (where f is an analysis-target frequency).

10. A sound determination program causing a computer to execute:

receiving a mixed sound including a to-be-extracted sound and a noise and obtaining a frequency signal of the mixed sound for each of a plurality of times included in a predetermined duration; and

determining, when the number of the frequency signals at the plurality of times included in the predetermined duration is equal to or larger than a first threshold value and a phase distance between the frequency signals out of the frequency signals at the plurality of times is equal to or smaller than a second threshold value, each of the frequency signals with the phase distance as a frequency signal of the to-be-extracted sound,

wherein the phase distance is a distance between phases of the frequency signals when a phase of a frequency signal at a time t is ψ

(t) (radian) and the phase is represented by ψ

′

(t)=mod 2π

(ψ

(t)−

2π

ft) (where f is an analysis-target frequency).