Beam-forming device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9503809-B2
Application number	US-201214411980-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2012
Priority date	Aug 6, 2012
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A beam-forming device includes a first target sound blocker 103 and a second target sound blocker 104 that remove a target signal having a correlation mutually from a first sound signal x 1 and a second sound signal x 2 which are converted by first and second microphones 101 and 102 , a phase synchronizer 105 that synchronizes the phases of the first sound signal x 1 and the second sound signal x 2 and synthesizes these sound signals by using information acquired when the first target sound blocker 103 removes the target signal, and a noise learner 106 that learns a noise component included in an output signal of the phase synchronizer 105 from signals from which the target signal is removed by the first target sound blocker 103 and the second target sound blocker 104.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A beam-forming device that performs an arithmetic process on an inputted sound signal to form a directional characteristic, said beam-forming device comprising:
a first target sound blocker and a second target sound blocker that remove a target signal having a correlation mutually from a first sound signal and a second sound signal into which sounds collected by different microphones are converted respectively;
a phase synchronizer that synchronizes phases of said first sound signal and said second sound signal and synthesizes these sound signals by using information acquired when said first target sound blocker removes said target signal; and
a noise learner that learns a noise component included in an output signal of said phase synchronizer from signals from which said target signal is removed by said first target sound blocker and said second target sound blocker.

2. The beam-forming device according to claim 1 , wherein said first target sound blocker and said second target sound blocker learn filter coefficients when removing said target signal from said first sound signal and said second sound signal, and said phase synchronizer convolves the filter coefficient which said first target sound blocker has learned with said second sound signal and adds the second sound signal with which said filter coefficient is convolved to said first sound signal to synchronize the phases.

3. The beam-forming device according to claim 1 , wherein said first target sound blocker and said second target sound blocker are comprised of adaptive filters that estimate noise components included in said second sound signal and said first sound signal, and said phase synchronizer includes an adjuster that adjusts a gain of a sound removed signal which is calculated on a basis of the noise component estimated by said first target sound blocker, and subtracts the sound removed signal whose gain is adjusted by said adjuster from said first sound signal.

4. A beam-forming device that performs an arithmetic process on an inputted sound signal to form a directional characteristic, said beam-forming device comprising:
a target sound blocking pair collective unit that is comprised of N−1 target sound blocking pairs that remove a target signal having a correlation mutually from a representative sound signal and a plurality of other sound signals into which sounds collected by N (N≧3) microphones are converted respectively;
a phase synchronizer that synchronizes phases of said representative sound signal and said plurality of other sound signals and synthesizes said sound signals by using information acquired when said N−1 target sound blocking pairs remove said target signal; and
a noise learner that learns a noise component included in an output signal of said phase synchronizer from signals from which said target signal is removed by said N−1 target sound blocking pairs, wherein
each of said N−1 target sound blocking pairs includes a first input target sound blocker that removes said target signal from said representative sound signal, and a second input target sound blocker that removes said target signal from either one of said plurality of other sound signals.

5. The beam-forming device according to claim 4 , wherein said phase synchronizer convolves a filter coefficient which each of the first input target sound blockers of said N−1 target sound blocking pairs has learned when removing said target signal from said representative sound signal with said plurality of other sound signals, and adds the sound signals with which said filter coefficient is convolved to said representative sound signal to synchronize the phases.

6. The beam-forming device according to claim 2 , wherein said beam-forming device includes a sound interval detector that detects a sound interval included in said first sound signal and said second sound signal, and said first target sound blocker and said second target sound blocker learn said filter coefficients when a sound interval is detected by said sound interval detector.

7. The beam-forming device according to claim 3 , wherein said beam-forming device includes a sound interval detector that detects a sound interval included in said first sound signal and said second sound signal, and said first target sound blocker and said second target sound blocker estimate the noise component by using said adaptive filters when a sound interval is detected by said sound interval detector.

8. The beam-forming device according to claim 5 , wherein said beam-forming device includes a sound interval detector that detects a sound interval included in said representative sound signal and said plurality of other sound signals, and said N−1 target sound blocking pairs learn said filter coefficient when a sound interval is detected by said sound interval detector.

Assignees

• Mikami Takashi
• Awano Tomoharu
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Mikami Takashi
• Awano Tomoharu

Classifications

• H04R2201/403

  Linear arrays of transducers · CPC title

• H04R1/40 Primary

  by combining a number of identical transducers {(specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/405)} · CPC title

• H04R2499/13

  Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles · CPC title

• H04R3/005 Primary

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title