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Three-dimensional position calibration of audio sensors and actuators on a distributed computing platform

  • US RE44,737 E1
  • Filed: 04/25/2008
  • Issued: 01/28/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2003
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:

  • an actuator of a first computing device generating an acoustic signal, wherein a time-varying delay occurs between when the first computing device issues a command to generate the acoustic signal and when the actuator generates the acoustic signal, the time-varying delay at least due to time-varying processor load of the first computing device;

    transmitting, with the first computing device, a timestamp indicating when the first computing device issued the command to generate the acoustic signal;

    a sensor of a second computing device receiving the acoustic signal;

    generating an estimate of a time for the acoustic signal to travel from the actuator of the first computing device to the sensor of the second computing device based on the timestamp indicating when the first computing device issued the command to generate the acoustic signal, wherein the sensor of the second computing device and actuator of the first computing device are unsynchronized;

    a third computing device computing, based on the time estimate of the time for the acoustic signal to travel from the actuator of the first computing device to the sensor of the second computing device, a physical location of at least one of a set including the sensor of the second computing device and the actuator of the first computing device, wherein computing the physical location of at least one of the set including the sensor of the second computing device and the actuator of the first computing device includes jointly estimating, using a nonlinear least squares (NLS) computation, (i) the physical location of the at least one of the set including the sensor of the second computing device and the actuator of the first computing device and (ii) the time-varying delay between when the first computing device issues the command to generate the acoustic signal and when the actuator generates the acoustic signal;

    a sensor of a fourth computing device receiving the acoustic signal; and

    generating a second an estimate of a time for the acoustic signal to travel from the actuator of the first computing device to the sensor of the fourth computing device based on the timestamp indicating when the first computing device issued the command to generate the acoustic signal, wherein the actuator of the first computing device and the sensor of the fourth computing device are unsynchronized; and

    the third computing device computing, based on the second estimate of the time for the acoustic signal to travel from the actuator of the first computing device to the sensor of the fourth computing device, a physical location of at least one of a set including the sensor of the fourth computing device and the actuator of the first computing device, wherein computing the physical location of at least one of the set including the sensor of the fourth computing device and the actuator of the first computing device includes jointly estimating, using the NLS computation, (i) the physical location of the at least one of the set including the sensor of the fourth computing device and the actuator of the first computing device and (ii) the time-varying delay between when the first computing device issues the command to generate the acoustic signal and when the actuator generates the acoustic signal.

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