Information processing device and information processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11067661-B2
Application number	US-201615772700-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2016
Priority date	Nov 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

An information processing device including an acquisition unit that acquires a sound collection result of a sound from each of one or more sound sources obtained by a sound collection portion of which positional information indicating at least one of a position and a direction is changed and an estimation unit that estimates a direction of each of the one or more sound sources on a basis of a change in a frequency of a sound collected by the sound collection portion in association with a change in the positional information of the sound collection portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An information processing device, comprising:
an acquisition unit configured to acquire a sound collection result of a sound from each of at least one sound source, wherein
the sound is collected by a sound collection portion, and
positional information of the sound collection portion indicates at least one of a position associated with the sound collection portion or a direction associated with the sound collection portion; and

an estimation unit configured to estimate a direction of each of the at least one sound source based on a change in the positional information of the sound collection portion and a ratio of partial differentiation in a time direction of a spectrum of the sound to partial differentiation in a frequency direction of the spectrum of the sound.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the positional information of the sound collection portion is changed in a pattern.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2 , further comprising a driving control unit configured to control an operation of a driving portion that changes the positional information of the sound collection portion in the pattern.

4. The information processing device according to claim 3 , wherein the driving control unit is further configured to control the operation of the driving portion that changes the positional information of the sound collection portion along a substantially circular path.

5. The information processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a sound control unit configured to control an amplitude of the sound based on an estimation result of the direction of each of the at least one sound source.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a plurality of sound collection results from a plurality of sound collection portions, and
the estimation unit is further configured to estimate the direction of each of the at least one sound source based on a change in a frequency of a respective sound collected by each of the plurality of sound collection portions and movement of each of the plurality of sound collection portions.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sound collection portion is supported by a moving object,
the positional information is changed relative to the moving object in a specific pattern, and
the estimation unit is further configured to estimate the direction of each of the at least one sound source based on a change in a frequency of the sound, a change in at least one of a position or a direction of the moving object, and the change in the positional information of the sound collection portion relative to the moving object.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the moving object is a vehicle.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the positional information of the sound collection portion is changed in a specific pattern based on driving operation of a driver.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein
the driver is a rotator, and
based on a rotation operation of the rotator, the positional information of the sound collection portion is changed along a substantially circular path.

11. The information processing device according to claim 10 , wherein the rotator is a rotary wing of a fan installed on one of a ceiling surface or a wall surface.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least one sound source is a moving object that outputs the sound, and
the estimation unit is further configured to estimate a direction of the moving object based on a change in a frequency of the sound.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12 , wherein the estimation unit is further configured to correct an acquired estimation result of a position of the moving object based on an estimation result of the direction of the moving object.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the acquisition unit is further configured to acquire an image captured by an imaging unit, and
the estimation unit is further configured to estimate the direction of each of the at least one sound source based on an analysis result of the acquired image and a change in a frequency of the sound.

15. An information processing method, comprising:
acquiring a sound collection result of a sound from each of at least one sound source, wherein
the sound is collected by a sound collection portion, and
positional information of the sound collection portion indicates at least one of a position associated with the sound collection portion or a direction associated with the sound collection portion; and

estimating, by a processor, a direction of each of the at least one sound source based on a change in the positional information of the sound collection portion and a ratio of partial differentiation in a time direction of a spectrum of the sound to partial differentiation in a frequency direction of the spectrum of the sound.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which when executed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to execute operations, the operations comprising:
acquiring a sound collection result of a sound from each of at least one sound source, wherein
the sound is collected by a sound collection portion, and
positional information of the sound collection portion indicates at least one of a position associated with the sound collection portion or a direction associated with the sound collection portion; and

estimating a direction of each of the at least one sound source based on a change in the positional information of the sound collection portion and a ratio of partial differentiation in a time direction of a spectrum of the sound to partial differentiation in a frequency direction of the spectrum of the sound.

Assignees

• Sony Corp

Inventors

• Takahashi Naoya
• Mitsufuji Yuhki

Classifications

• G01S3/809 Primary

  Rotating or oscillating beam systems using continuous analysis of received signal for determining direction in the plane of rotation or oscillation or for determining deviation from a predetermined direction in such a plane · CPC title

• G10L15/28

  Constructional details of speech recognition systems · CPC title

• H04R2430/20

  Processing of the output signals of the acoustic transducers of an array for obtaining a desired directivity characteristic (H04R2203/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01S3/8083

  determining direction of source · CPC title

• G01S5/18

  using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves · CPC title