Technical Field
The present description relates to beamforming based on a plurality of microphones arranged in an array or arrays with respect to a reference point, including acquiring microphone signals issued by said plurality of microphones, which may be preferably applied to sound source localization.
Description of the Related Art
It is very well known to use arrays of microphones to perform sound, or acoustic, source localization, i.e., locating a sound source given measurements of the sound field, which in particular are obtained by such microphones.
It is also known to use signal processing modules such as DSP (Digital Signal Processing) modules to process the signals from each of the individual microphone array elements to create one or more Virtual Microphones (VMIC).
Virtual Microphones (VMIC) are therefore a combination of filtered versions of the signals sensed by an array of microphones arranged in a particular spatial geometry.
Virtual Microphones may be obtained in a recursive fashion using combinations of other Virtual Microphones organized in virtual arrays. Therefore, in general, a Virtual Microphone is characterized by a hierarchical virtual structure with a number L greater equal than one of layers: the first layer combines physical microphone signals generating an array of Virtual Microphones and any higher layer combines Virtual Microphone signals forming further arrays of Virtual Microphones.
For what concerns the Virtual Microphone position, considering an array of virtual or physical microphones, the array is geometrically described with respect to a fixed reference point in the physical space: the Virtual Microphone resulting from the combination of microphone signals of this array is virtually positioned in the same fixed reference point of the array.
For what regards a general polar pattern function, a Virtual Microphone is characterized by an omnidirectional or directive polar pattern or directivity pattern.
An N-th order frequency-independent microphone directivity pattern Γ(θ) is defined as:
Γ(θ)=a0+a1 cos(θ)+a2 cos2(θ)+ . . . +aN cosN(θ)
θ being the polar angle, 0<θ≦2π, and a0, . . . , aN coefficients of the pattern.
It is convenient to set such coefficients as follows:
a0=1−a1−a2− . . . −aN
so that it is obtained a directivity pattern:
In the following a Virtual Microphone characterized by a polar pattern of the N-th order will be referred to as an N-th order Virtual Microphone.
Directive Virtual Microphones are known. Known DSP techniques allow building directive Virtual Microphones of any order starting from arrays of (physical) omnidirectional microphones. Two broad classes of such DSP techniques are known as:
filter and sum techniques;
Differential Microphone Array techniques.
Differential Microphone Arrays (DMAs) are built by subtracting from each other the delayed microphone signals of the array.
The delays can be tuned in order to obtain a Virtual Microphone with the desired polar pattern shape, according to well known design principles.
The two broadest classes of DMAs with uniform geometries are:
Also Linear DMAs with non-uniform geometries have been discussed.
In a First Order Differential ULA, shown schematically in
The delay module 12 and subtraction node 13 identify a Virtual microphone 15 structure, having as input the pair of microphone signals (m−d/2, m+d/2) and as output a first order Virtual Microphone is obtained generating a virtual Microphone signal V(t), in particular here the resulting first order Virtual Microphone signal V1(t) is expressed as:
V1(t)=m+d/2(t−τ)−m−d/2(t)
A filter 14, Hc(ω), is provided at the output of the virtual microphone structure 15 to operate on the Virtual Microphone signal V1(t), which is a correction filter (i.e., low pass filter), applied to the Virtual Microphone V1(t) signal in order to compensate for the frequency dependent effect of the signal subtraction.
The distance d between the microphones of the array 11 must be small enough with respect to the wavelength of the signal so that it can be considered negligible.
The shape of the polar pattern will be almost constant over a broad range of frequencies.
The polar pattern coefficient a1 is related to the delay τ by the formula:
where cs is the speed of sound.
In
Setting the polar pattern coefficients a1=η1+η2−2η1η2 and a2=η1η2 it is obtained for the delays:
and
In
With reference to
It is here underlined the fact that, indicating with N the number of Virtual Microphones obtained by M physical microphones, the maximum polar pattern order obtainable with an UCA is Nmax=M/2, which means that with M=2 or M=3 microphones it can be derived up to a first order Virtual Microphone; with M=4 or M=5 microphones it can be derived up to a second order Virtual Microphone; with M=6 or M=7 microphones it can be derived up to a thirst order Virtual Microphone; and so on. The higher the number M of microphones, the more robust is the DMA array. It is possible doing steering in all the M directions identified by the angle ψm.
Virtual Microphone polar patterns have always a symmetric shape with respect to the z axis. If it is desired only one main lobe in the directivity pattern, for ULA arrays it must aim at 0 degrees or at 180 degrees only.
Also polar patterns of Virtual Microphones obtained using differential UCA arrays are symmetric with respect to an axis, since a symmetry constraint is always applied in the derivation.
The symmetry axis may be any of the M straight lines joining the center of the array and the M microphones. In general it is not possible to design the Virtual Microphone polar pattern with the main lobe aiming at a direction different from angle ψm at which each of the M microphones is set, with 1≦m≦M. As explained in the above mentioned publication by Benesty et al., applying super-directive beamforming to UCA and getting rid of the symmetry constraint it is possible to design Virtual Microphones aiming at arbitrary directions, but the shape of the resulting polar pattern strongly depends on the main lobe direction. All these considerations apply in relation to a two-dimensional array.
Although arbitrary order Differential Microphone Array (DMA) based systems with Virtual Microphones steerable in arbitrary directions would be highly desirable for localization purposes, however using known DMAs, doing steering in arbitrary directions with arbitrary order Virtual Microphones characterized by polar patterns with shapes comparable to each other is not possible, so continuous steering is infeasible. Doing steering with identical polar patterns of any order is possible only for a discrete set of directions:
Various embodiments refer to beamforming apparatuses and likewise to a computer program product that can be loaded into the memory of at least one computer (e.g., a terminal in a network) and comprises portions of software code suitable for carrying out the steps of the method when the program is run on at least one computer. As used herein, the aforesaid computer program product is understood as being equivalent to a computer-readable medium containing instructions for control of the computer system so as to co-ordinate execution of the method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Reference to “at least one computer” is meant to highlight the possibility of embodiments of the present disclosure being implemented in a modular and/or distributed form.
In various embodiments a beamforming method employs a plurality of microphones arranged in arrays with respect to a reference point, including,
acquiring microphone signals issued by said plurality of microphones and
combining said microphone signals to obtain Virtual Microphones, combining said microphone signals to obtain at least a pair of directional Virtual Microphone having respective signals determining respective patterns of radiation with a same origin corresponding to said reference point of the array and rotated at different pattern direction angles, defining a separation angle between them so that at least a circular sector is defined between said different pattern direction angles, said separation angle between the at least a pair of Virtual Microphones being lower than π/2, and
obtaining a signal of a sum Virtual Microphone, to which is associated a respective sum radiation pattern, associating a respective weight to the signals of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones, obtaining respective weighted signals and summing said weighted signals, computing said respective weights as a function of a determined pattern direction angle, of the pattern of radiation of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones and of the separation angle so that a main lobe of said sum radiation pattern is steered within said circular sector to point in the direction of said determined pattern direction angle.
In various embodiments, the method further includes arranging said array as a Differential Microphone Array, in particular a Uniform Linear Array or a Uniform Circular Array.
In various embodiments, the method described further includes steering in said circular sector the pattern direction angle of said sum radiation pattern to obtain a sound source location estimate, and
obtaining said sound source location estimate selecting the direction on which the power of the signal of said sum Virtual Microphone is maximized.
In various embodiments, the method further includes after combining said microphone signals to obtain Virtual Microphones, ranking the power of the signals of said Virtual Microphones, selecting a main circular sector defined by two adjacent virtual microphones on the basis of said ranking results, performing a continuous steering of the direction angles of said sum Virtual Microphone in said selected main circular sector to find said sound source location estimate.
In various embodiments, the method further includes that said ranking includes obtaining a ranking list as a function of power of the virtual microphones starting from a virtual microphone which maximizes the power, said selecting a main circular sector includes selecting said virtual microphone which maximizes the power and, among the virtual microphones adjacent to said microphone, selecting the virtual microphone associated with the maximum power, defining the main circular sector as the sector comprised between the said virtual microphone which maximizes the power and said adjacent microphone.
In various embodiments, the method further includes that the power is the Teager energy of the signal of the Virtual Microphone measured over a given time-frame of a given number of samples.
In various embodiments a beamforming apparatus comprises a plurality of directional microphones arranged as an array, comprising at least a module configured to: acquire microphone signals issued by said plurality of microphones; combine said microphone signals to obtain Virtual Microphones, said module being further configured to providing said plurality of microphones as an array of microphones, combining said microphone signals to obtain at least a pair of directional Virtual Microphones having respective patterns of radiation with a same origin corresponding to said reference point of the array and rotated at different pattern direction angles so that at least a circular sector is defined between said different pattern direction angles; to obtain a sum signal of a sum Virtual Microphone, to which is associated a respective sum radiation pattern, associating a respective weight to the signals of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones, obtaining respective weighted signals and summing said weighted signals, computing said respective weights as a function of a determined pattern direction angle, of the pattern of radiation of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones and of the separation angle so that a main lobe of said sum radiation pattern is steered within said circular sector to point in the direction of said determined pattern direction angle.
In variant embodiments the described beamforming apparatus is included in a source localization apparatus and is configured to steer in said circular sector the pattern direction angle of said sum radiation pattern to obtain a sound source location estimate, obtaining said sound source location estimate choosing the direction on which the power of the signal of said sum Virtual Microphone is maximized.
The solution will now be described purely by way of a non-limiting example with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:
The ensuing description illustrates various specific details aimed at an in-depth understanding of the described embodiments. The embodiments may be implemented without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, etc. In other cases, known structures, materials, or operations are not illustrated or described in detail so that various aspects of the embodiments will not be obscured.
Reference to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” in the framework of the present description is meant to indicate that a particular configuration, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is comprised in at least one embodiment. Likewise, phrases such as “in an embodiment” or “in one embodiment”, that may be present in various points of the present description, do not necessarily refer to the one and the same embodiment. Furthermore, particular conformations, structures, or characteristics can be combined appropriately in one or more embodiments.
The references used herein are intended merely for convenience and hence do not define the sphere of protection or the scope of the embodiments.
The method to perform beamforming basing on a plurality of microphones herein described provides acquiring microphone signals from an array of microphones, preferably omni-directional microphones, signals issued by said plurality of microphones and combining said microphone signals to obtain Virtual Microphones, specifically to obtain at least a pair of directional Virtual Microphones having respective patterns of radiation with a same origin corresponding to said reference point of the array and rotated at different pattern direction angles so that at least a circular sector, preferably a circular sector of less than 90 degrees, is defined between said different pattern direction angles. Then it is provided to associate a different weight to said respective patterns of radiation, obtaining a sum radiation pattern, which main lobe is orientated according a given pattern direction angle depending from such weights, such sum radiation pattern being associated to a respective sum Virtual Microphone summing one to the other the radiation patterns of the weighted pair, modifying said weights associated to the patterns of radiations to steer in said circular sector the pattern direction angle of said sum radiation pattern to reach a desired direction angle.
Further a variant of such beamforming method to perform source localization is here described. Such beamforming method includes steering in such circular sector the pattern direction angle of said sum radiation pattern to obtain a sound source location estimate and obtaining said location estimate choosing the direction on which the power of the signals of said plurality of virtual microphones is maximized.
This corresponds to steer a Virtual Microphone beam in each direction in a continuous fashion, using non uniform weight concentric arrays of microphones beamforming on pairs of said microphone signals to obtain a plurality of virtual microphones having the same position in space, with different angles of rotation and non-uniform amplitude gains.
The method here described reduces the problem of performing continuous steering from 0 to 2π (or the needed range of angles) to performing continuous steering in a discrete number of circular sectors. Therefore, it is provided building pairs of adjacent directive virtual microphones defining circular sectors and combining each pair in order to do continuous steering in each corresponding circular sector.
In
In
With the geometry of the array 31 it is possible to build six directive first order Virtual Microphones using DMA-ULA theory; six directive (first, second or) third order Virtual Microphones using DMA-UCA theory; defining circular sectors CS with an aperture angle, which corresponds to the separation angle between physical microphones, ρ=π/3.
In
With the geometry of array 31′ it is possible to build eight directive (first or) second order Virtual Microphones using DMA-ULA theory; eight directive first, second or third order Virtual Microphones using DMA-UCA theory; defining circular sectors of an aperture angle ρ=π/4.
In
With the geometry of array 31″ it is possible to build eight directive (first or) second order Virtual Microphones using DMA-ULA theory; eight directive first, second or third order Virtual Microphones using DMA-UCA theory; defining circular sectors CS of an aperture angle ρ=π/4.
In
Therefore it is possible to provide a variety of geometries of microphone arrays like the ones shown in
Now, a method for beamforming based on a plurality of microphones arranged as an array with respect to a reference point, the array being for instance either one of those described with reference to
In
It is assumed here that Virtual Microphones V1 and V2 are identical and their polar patterns ΓV
In order to perform continuous steering in the defined circular sector of a Virtual Microphone polar pattern, it is obtained a weighted sum of the polar patterns of the pair of Virtual Microphones V1 and V2. The weighted sum of the polar patterns ΓV
ΓSUM(θ)=α1ΓV
where α1 is the weight (or gain) multiplying the first polar pattern ΓV
Equivalently using the Pattern Multiplication rule:
ΓSUM(θ)=ΓV
As a consequence it is also possible to write:
ΓSUM(θ)=α1ΓV
Then, after obtaining the weighted sum of the polar patterns, still to perform steering in arbitrary directions in a circular sector it is considered the main lobe of the weighted sum pattern ΓSUM(θ) to the generic predetermined desired direction θd, with 0≦θd≦ρ.
It is set a linear constraint α1=βα2, with β a constraint parameter, and it is expressed also the desired direction θd in terms of the same constraint parameter β:
θd=ρ/(β+1),
This means for instance that if the constraint parameter β is equal to 1 the desired direction θd is ρ/2.
Therefore, given the desired direction θd, the constraint parameter β is fixed at the value:
β=(ρ−θd)/θd
Consequently, it is possible to adjust the gains for matching the desired direction θd according to the following formula:
ΓSUM(θd)=α2(βΓV
Then it is normalized the polar pattern imposing ΓSUM=1:
1=α2(βΓV
obtaining that the value of the weight α2 is:
Then:
α1=βα2 (2)
In
It can be seen from
As mentioned, polar patterns as similar as possible are need for localization purposes, in order to compare the energy picked by the resulting Virtual Microphones aiming at different desired directions θd.
The similarity property strongly depends on the separation angle ρ, which must be small enough to guarantee the desired level of similarity. Preferably the separation angle ρ between the Virtual Microphones V1 and V2 used to obtain the sum pattern ΓSUM(θ) is lower than π/2.
In
The first index Isum is simply the area of Γsum (θ) normalized with respect to the omnidirectional polar pattern:
High area-similarity between Γsum(θ) and ΓV
The shape-similarity index function Θ(θ) is the difference between Γsum(θ) and a directive polar pattern with the same shape of ΓV
Θ(θ)=Γsum(θ)−ΓV
Θ(θ) is a function returning a similarity estimate for each angle θ and its range is −1≦Θ(θ)≦1. Lower in modulus are the values returned by Θ(θ) higher will be the similarity. The index IΘ is the normalized area of the function Θ(θ):
High area-similarity between Γsum(θ) and ΓV
In
Limiting the separation angle gives also advantages in terms of speed of computations in applications, such as the source localization described in the following. With suitable angle of separation ρ, the shape-similarity is so high that, for application purposes, it is possible to assume also sum pattern ΓSUM(θ) being symmetric with respect to its central axis as α1ΓV
In
As already mentioned, each array geometry is described with respect to a fixed point in the space, called “reference point” O of the array. The resulting directional Virtual Microphone will be positioned in the reference point 0. The origin of the resulting polar pattern of the Virtual Microphone is the reference point itself. For instance, in the case of ULA and UCA the reference point is the midpoint of the array.
In
In
In
Thus, the above operations are applicable to arbitrary order Virtual Microphones, considering the example of arbitrary order cardioids. The general formula describing an N-th order cardioid polar pattern ΓCN(θ), known in the literature, is the following:
ΓCN(θ)=(0.5+0.5 cos θ)N:
The corresponding polar pattern coefficients ai are:
First Order Case: a1=0.5;
Second Order Case: a1=0.5 a2=0.25;
Third Order Case: a1=0.375 a2=0.375 a3=0.125.
Thus, the beamforming procedure described so far, an embodiment 100 of which is indicated in the flow diagram shown in
In a step 130, given the desired direction θd, the separation angle ρ, and the polar pattern of radiation of the Virtual Microphones, which as seen above can be represented by the polar pattern ΓV
αi=βα2 (2)
where
β=(ρ−θd)/θd
This are the weights required to point the weighted sum ΓSUM(θ) of the polar patterns of the pair of Virtual Microphones V1 and V2 in the desired direction d, given a determined separation angle ρ.
Thus, the step 130 provides computing the weights α1, α2 as a function of a determined pattern direction angle θd, of the patterns of radiation, ΓV=ΓV
In step 140 a sum signal VSUM=α1V1+α2V2 is obtained, which is the signal observed by a virtual microphone pointing in the desired direction d and which radiation pattern is ΓSUM(θ)=α1ΓV
In other word the step 140 provides obtaining a sum signal VSUM of a sum Virtual Microphone to which is associated a sum radiation pattern FSUM(θ), associating a respective weight α1, α2 to signals of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones V1, V2, obtaining respective weighted signals of radiation α1V1, α2V2 and summing said weighted signals α1ΓV
VSUM=α1V1+α2V2
It must be noted that there are alternative ways of calculating the weights to obtain a desired direction θd, in particular of setting a system of equation defining conditions which solved defines a constraint for the weights. For instance a constraint can impose that the sum diagram has a maximum in the desired direction θd, then a second constraint imposes that that sum pattern diagram has unitary value in the desired direction θd.
Now it is described the use of such method of beamforming for performing a source localization.
In general, such method of beamforming for performing a source localization uses the steering, through the operation 140 of modifying the weights, in the circular sectors of the pattern direction angle of said sum radiation pattern to obtain a sound source location estimate, obtaining said location estimate choosing the direction on which the power of the signals of said plurality of virtual microphones is maximized.
More in detail, such estimating a source location includes choosing among directions q a direction in which the power of the signals, in particular the average Teager Energy ET of the current signal frame is maximized:
where considering a time-frame of a number P of samples, the Teager Energy ET is:
where Vq is the output of the Virtual Microphone focused at the q direction and n is the index of the sample. Teager Energy ET is higher for harmonic signals, so it is preferable as choice of the power measured during the steering for detecting speech signals.
A possible array geometry for doing steering employing first order Virtual Microphones in a ULA is depicted in
With reference to
In a step 120 Virtual Microphones, in particular six Virtual Microphones V1 . . . V6 are obtained, combining the signals X1 . . . X6 using the linear DMA theory, as described with reference to
Thus a plurality of Virtual Microphones V1 . . . V6 is obtained.
It must be noted that since the described method starts from an array of microphones and builds at least a pair of Virtual Microphones by taking microphones of the whole array, this can also be regarded as taking the Virtual Microphones from one sub-array (es. ULA V2, from signals X2 and X5 in
Then in a step 210 is performed an Energy Ranking of the Virtual Microphones, i.e., it is calculated the average Teager Energy of each directive Virtual Microphone signal ET[Vi(n)] from each Virtual Microphone. Then the six energy measures ET[Vi(n)] are sorted, building a ranking list, from the highest to the lowest energy, of ranked Virtual Microphones. The signal Vi(n) maximizing the Teager energy ET[Vi(n)] is indicated in step 220 as signal of the first Virtual Microphones Vk, i.e., the first element of the ranking list. In this example it is assumed that the first Virtual Microphone Vk is V1. In addition to select the signal Vk of the Virtual Microphone Vk to which corresponds the maximum Energy, the step 220 also supplies a first marked angle θmax corresponding to the direction of such signal or Virtual Microphone.
Then in a step 230 it is performed a Main Circular Sector Selection considering only the signals of the Virtual Microphones adjacent to the marked first Virtual Microphone Vk, in the example V2 and V6, and selecting the adjacent Virtual Microphone which has the greater energy between the adjacent Virtual Microphones, i.e., it is in an upper position in the energy ranking list, and indicating the corresponding Virtual Microphone as second marked Virtual Microphone V{circumflex over (k)}; in the example of
In a sub-procedure 240 it is then performed a continuous steering in the Main Circular Sector selected at step 230 to perform source localization, applying the steering steps of the beamforming method described previously, using the first and second marked Virtual Microphone, Vk and V{circumflex over (k)}, as the pair of Virtual Microphones input to step 140.
Assuming the main lobe directions of the radiation patterns ΓVd and which radiation pattern is ΓSUM(θ)=α1ΓVk(θ)+α1ΓV{circumflex over (k)}(θ), associating a respective weight α1, α2 to signals of said pair of directional Virtual Microphones Vk and V{circumflex over (k)}, obtaining respective weighted signals α1Vk, α2V{circumflex over (k)} and summing said weighted signals α1Vk, α2V{circumflex over (k)}, obtaining the signal of the sum Virtual Microphone VSUM as
VSUM=α1Vk+α2V{circumflex over (k)}.
In the sub-procedure 240 it is also provided the step of computing 130 said weights α1, αz as a function of a determined or desired pattern direction angle θd, which however in this case is a maximum search angle θbis direction, i.e., the new direction along which the maximum is searched, calculated by a maximum energy finding procedure 245, and of the separation angle ρ so that a main lobe of said sum radiation pattern ΓSUM(θ) is steered within the circular sector, in this case the Main Circular Sector MS, to point in the direction of said desired angle θd, i.e., maximum search angle θbis.
Thus, as shown in
Then in a step 260 is evaluated if the Teager Energy ET of the sum signal VSUM is the maximum energy in the Main Sector MS. As better detailed in the following this evaluation step 260 is preferably part of an iterative procedure, and in this case the resolution of the iterative procedure is controlled by a resolution parameter RES supplied to the step 260 for the evaluation.
In the affirmative the location estimate, i.e., the maximizing direction θdmax which corresponds to the desired direction, is found. The maximizing direction θdmax is the source location estimate in radians. Also the evaluation step 260 supplies the corresponding signal Vmax of the sum radiation pattern ΓSUM(θ) pointed in the maximizing direction θdmax.
In the negative a new maximum search angle direction θbis is selected in a step 270 and in the step 130 the weights α1 α2 supplied to step 140 to steer the sum pattern ΓSUM(θ) are computed on the basis of such new maximum search angle θbis. Such weights are for instance the solution of [α1 α2]=Γ[θbis; ρ; Γ(θ)], as indicated in the pseudocode examples that follows.
In the example of
Therefore, the localization procedure 200 is a variant of the beamforming procedure 100, which adds a ranking procedure (steps 210-230), after steps 110-120 forming pairs of Virtual Microphones from the microphones signal, to identify a pair of Virtual Microphones defining a Main Sector MS, which has the maximum probability of including the maximizing direction θdmax. This main sector MS corresponds to the Circular Sector CS of the beamforming procedure 100, thus it is supplied to the beamforming steps 130-140, which determine a sum radiation pattern steerable within said Circular Sector CS, i.e., Main Sector NS. These steps 130-140 are performed under the control of a maximum energy finding procedure 245 including the steps 250-270.
The pseudo-code of such procedure is presented in the following, assuming the main lobe directions of the radiation patterns ΓVk(θ) and ΓV{circumflex over (k)}(θ) of the first and second marked Virtual Microphone, Vk and V{circumflex over (k)} to be respectively 0 and ρ, as found by procedure 220 and 230.
Vmax=Vk;
ETmax=ET[Vk];
θmax=θ;/*as evaluated by step 220*/
θp=ρ;/*as evaluated by step 230*/
θdmax=θmax;
For j=1; j<RES; j++
If (ET[Vsum]>ETmax)
else
endIf
endFor
θdmax=θmax
Vmax in the pseudocode is in general the output signal, which varies in time, of the beamformer driven by the localization procedure. ETmax is a variable indicating the maximum value taken by the Teager energy ET. θbis, the maximum search angle, is the new desired direction at a given iteration step j of the procedure 240, i.e., of the maximum energy finding procedure 245 which then reiterates steps 130 and 140.
Such steps 250-270, i.e., the maximum energy finding procedure 245, to find the maximizing direction θdmax, are preferably performed by an iterative procedure, which in particular, provides, starting from the first marked Virtual Microphone Vk, defining as first boundary of the Main Circular Sector MS, which direction is assumed as initial maximizing direction θdmax and the corresponding Teager energy the maximum energy ETmax, selecting a new steering direction θbis, preferably pointing at half the separation angle ρ of the Main Circular Sector MS, between the direction of the first marked Virtual Microphone V{circumflex over (k)} and the direction of the second marked V{circumflex over (k)}Virtual Microphone, which defines the second boundary direction θp, i.e., bisecting the Main Circular Sector MS in two equal subsectors, or in any case dividing the Main Circular Sector MS in two sub-sectors Then the weighted sum Virtual Microphone VSUM is obtained from the two marked Virtual Microphones pointing in that direction, i.e., it is performed the steering in the Main circular Sector MS according the beamforming method described above. Then the energy of the weighted Virtual Microphone VSUM in that direction is evaluated, and if greater than the maximum energy ETmax, the corresponding direction is selected as new maximizing direction θmax. A new circular sector, which is a subsector of the main sector, defined between the new maximizing direction θmax and the previous maximizing direction, which becomes the second boundary direction θp, is selected and the procedure including steering the sum pattern in a direction inside the subsector, in particular in the middle of the subsector, and evaluating the energy is repeated. If the energy of the weighted Virtual Microphone VSUM is minor than the maximum energy ETmax, the remaining circular subsector of the two subsector obtained by setting the maximum search angle or steering direction angle θbis, is chosen to repeat the procedure, i.e., the sector having as second boundary direction θp equal to the current steering direction θbis, while the value of θmax is maintained. The procedure is repeated for a given number of times.
As mentioned with reference to
In the pseudocode described it is referred to a function F[θbis; ρ; Γ(θ)] as a function which takes as input the desired direction θd of the resulting sum Virtual Microphone VSUM, the polar pattern Γ(0) which is the polar of one of the two Virtual Microphones of the pair, for instance the pattern FVk(θ) of the first marked Virtual Microphone Vk, and the separation angle ρ between the two marked Virtual Microphones Vk and V{circumflex over (k)} and returns the appropriate weights α1, α2 according to the constraint (1), i.e., α2=1/(βΓV1(θd)+ΓV
The third step of steering in the Main Circular Sector and the search of the direction maximizing the Teager Energy can of course be performed also using different maximum search algorithms. A remarkable property of the presented source-localization method is that in principle any steering resolution can be chosen.
Therefore, the described solution allows to build arbitrary-order-DMA-based parametric sound source localization systems which allow doing steering in a continuous fashion in all directions.
The described beamforming solution allows to build polar patterns of any order which are similar to each other, aiming at arbitrary directions, this being in particular highly desirable for localization purposes. The direction of the resulting beam can be easily adjusted simply changing the constrained weights of the polar pattern addends: only one tuning parameter is necessary.
The described solution for what regards localization systems has the following desirable features: beamforming and source localization are applicable simultaneously; the localization accuracy is theoretically arbitrarily selectable; localization resolution is tunable in a parametric fashion.
Also the described solution avoids high computational complexity limits due to performing the maximum search scanning all the directions. The DMA-based beamformer which can be steered in a continuous fashion substantially resolves the problems of computational complexity since the beams are characterized by a 2D shape: in fact during an iterative localization procedure, the system may be tuned in order to find the desired trade-off between accuracy and resource consumption. This means that the first iterations give already a right estimate of the direction of arrival, although characterized by low resolution.
Of course, without prejudice to the principle of the embodiments, the details of construction and the embodiments may vary widely with respect to what has been described and illustrated herein purely by way of example, without thereby departing from the scope of the present embodiments, as defined the ensuing claims.
Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly suitable, but not limited to, systems based on Differential Microphone Array (DMA) techniques. Such techniques are applicable to arrays where the distances between microphones are negligible with respect to the wavelength of the sound waves of interest. Due to their small dimensions MEMS microphones are particularly suitable for these applications.
The various embodiments described above can be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the disclosure.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102016000065331 | Jun 2016 | IT | national |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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20140270248 | Ivanov | Sep 2014 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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2010116153 | Oct 2010 | WO |
2011010292 | Jan 2011 | WO |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20170374454 A1 | Dec 2017 | US |