Directional acoustic sensor and method of detecting distance from sound source using the directional acoustic sensor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11262234-B2
Application number	US-201916574916-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2019
Priority date	May 20, 2019
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

A directional acoustic sensor may include a plurality of resonators arranged in different directions; and a processor configured to calculate a time difference between a first signal that is received by the plurality of resonators directly from a sound source (e.g., a speaker) and a second signal that is received by the plurality of resonators from the sound source after being reflected on a wall surface around the sound source, and determine a distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor based on the time difference.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A directional acoustic sensor comprising:
a plurality of resonators arranged in different directions; and
a processor configured to determine a time difference between a first signal that is received by the plurality of resonators directly from a sound source and a second signal that is received by the plurality of resonators from the sound source after being reflected on a wall surface around the sound source, and determine a distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor based on the time difference, and a distance between the sound source and the wall surface.

2. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resonators comprise a first resonator configured to receive the first signal and a second resonator configured to receive the second signal.

3. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor based on an equation below,

d
1

=

2
·

d
2
2

Δ
⁢

⁢

t
·
v

-

Δ
⁢

⁢

t
·
v

2

,

and
wherein d 1 denotes the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor, d 2 denotes the distance between the sound source and the wall surface, Δt denotes the time difference between the first signal and the second signal, and v denotes a speed of sound.

4. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the distance between the sound source and the wall surface based on a time taken for a sound generated by the directional acoustic sensor to be reflected from the wall surface and return to the directional acoustic sensor.

5. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to determine the time difference between the first signal and the second signal based on a difference between a time taken for the first signal to reach the first resonator and a time taken for the second signal to reach the second resonator.

6. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of resonators comprise a plurality of substrates, each of the plurality of substrates having a cavity penetrating therethrough, and
at least one cantilever beam is provided on each of the plurality of substrates.

7. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 6 , wherein the plurality of substrates are arranged in different directions.

8. The directional acoustic sensor of claim 6 , wherein the at least one cantilever beam comprises a plurality of cantilever beams arranged in parallel with one another or a plurality of cantilever beams arranged radially.

9. A method of detecting a distance between a sound source and a directional acoustic sensor using the directional acoustic sensor comprising a plurality of resonators arranged in different directions, the method comprising:
determining a time difference between a first signal that is received by the plurality of resonators directly from the sound source and a second signal that is received by the plurality of resonators from the sound source after being reflected on a wall surface around the sound source, and
determining the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor based on the time difference, and a distance between the sound source and the wall surface.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of resonators comprise a first resonator configured to receive the first signal and a second resonator configured to receive the second signal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the determining the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor comprises determining the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor using an equation below,

d
1

=

2
·

d
2
2

Δ
⁢

⁢

t
·
v

-

Δ
⁢

⁢

t
·
v

2

,

and
wherein d 1 denotes the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor, d 2 denotes the distance between the sound source and the wall surface, Δt denotes the time difference between the first signal and the second signal, and v denotes a speed of sound.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor further comprises:
determining the distance between the sound source and the wall surface by measuring a time taken for a sound generated by the directional acoustic sensor to be reflected from the wall surface and return to the directional acoustic sensor.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the determining the distance between the sound source and the directional acoustic sensor further comprises:
determining the time difference between the first signal and the second signal by measuring a difference between a time taken for the first signal to reach the first resonator and a time taken for the second signal to reach the second resonator.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein the plurality of resonators comprise a plurality of substrates each having a cavity penetrating therethrough, and
at least one cantilever beam is provided on each of the plurality of substrates.

15. The method of claim 14 , wher

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kang Sungchan
• Kang Hyunwook
• Yoon Yongseop
• Jang Jaehyung

Classifications

• G01H7/00 Primary

  Measuring reverberation time {; room acoustic measurements} · CPC title

• G01H15/00

  Measuring mechanical or acoustic impedance · CPC title

• G01S3/801

  Details {(G01S3/82, G01S3/84, G01S3/86 take precedence)} · CPC title

• H04R1/32

  for obtaining desired directional characteristic only {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/40)} · CPC title

• H04S7/301

  Automatic calibration of stereophonic sound system, e.g. with test microphone · CPC title