Unmanned aircraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11919640-B2
Application number	US-202117546285-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 9, 2021
Priority date	Jul 8, 2019
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

An unmanned aircraft includes: a microphone including a plurality of elements; and a processor that processes signals output from target elements included in the plurality of elements. In the unmanned aircraft, the processor performs a detection process of detecting a target sound signal of a target sound from the signals output from the target elements included in the plurality of elements, and changes the target elements that output the signals to be processed by the processor to select at least one target element that outputs a signal to be processed by the processor from among the plurality of elements, in accordance with a result of the detection process.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An unmanned aircraft, comprising:
a microphone including a plurality of elements; and
a processor that processes signals output from target elements included in the plurality of elements,
wherein the processor:
performs a detection process of detecting a target sound signal of a target sound from the signals output from the target elements included in the plurality of elements; and
changes the target elements that output the signals to be processed by the processor to select at least one target element that outputs a signal to be processed by the processor from among the plurality of elements, in accordance with a result of the detection process.

2. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor increases a current number of the target elements that output the signals to be processed by the processor, when the target sound signal is detected by the detection process from the signals output from the plurality of elements.

3. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor increases a current number of the target elements in changing the target elements, and
before the changing of the target elements, the target elements include a first element located in a specific direction from the microphone.

4. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 3 ,
wherein the specific direction is a direction in which a sound source of the target sound is predicted to be located.

5. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 3 ,
wherein before the changing of the target elements, the target elements further include a second element located closer to a source of noise generated by the unmanned aircraft than the first element.

6. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 5 ,
wherein before the changing of the target elements, the target elements further include a third element located between the first element and the second element.

7. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein in changing the target elements, the processor further changes the target elements to select the at least one target element that outputs the signal to be processed by the processor from among the plurality of elements, in accordance with an amount of remaining battery of a battery included in the unmanned aircraft.

8. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 7 ,
wherein the processor further:
obtains a flight route of the unmanned aircraft; and
estimates the amount of remaining battery in a position on the flight route at which the unmanned aircraft is scheduled to arrive.

9. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 8 ,
wherein the processor:
estimates a quality of the target sound signal that is detected from the signal output from the at least one target element that has been selected in the changing of the target elements; and
changes the flight route when the quality is lower than a threshold.

10. The unmanned aircraft according to claim 1 ,
wherein the processor:
estimates a quality of the target sound signal that is detected from the signal output from the at least one target element that has been selected in changing the target elements; and
increases a current number of the target elements to increase the quality to a level greater than or equal to the threshold, when the quality is lower than the threshold.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• John Stephen William
• Konishi Kazunobu
• Asai Katsuhiko
• Kuhara Shunsuke

Classifications

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · 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

• H04R2410/01

  Noise reduction using microphones having different directional characteristics · CPC title

• H04R2201/401

  2D or 3D arrays of transducers · CPC title

• G10L25/51

  for comparison or discrimination · CPC title