IP Library Granted Patent US 11,212,613
Granted Patent B2
US 11,212,613 · App. 17/117,657 · Granted Dec 28, 2021

Signal processing device and signal processing method

Inventors: Hikaru Usami (Osaka, JP); Yoshifumi Hirose (Kyoto, JP); Yusuke Adachi (Osaka, JP)
Assignee: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
H04R3/005H04R1/406H04R2201/401H04R2430/23
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,212,613
App. No.
17/117,657
Granted
Dec 28, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The signal processing device is a signal processing device that collects a target sound output from an object to be a sound source, and includes a communication circuit that inputs image data produced by a camera and an acoustic signal output from a microphone array, and a control circuit that controls a sound collection direction of the acoustic signal in at least any one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the microphone array based on at least any one of the image data and the acoustic signal.

Claims (47)

1. A signal processing device that collects a target sound output from an object to be a sound source, the signal processing device comprising:

an interface device that receives image data produced by a camera and an acoustic signal output from a microphone array; and

a control circuit that controls a sound collection direction of the acoustic signal in at least any one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the microphone array based on at least any one of the image data and the acoustic signal,

wherein the control circuit:

detects a predetermined marker attached to the object from the image data;

estimates a distance from the microphone array to the sound source based on the detected marker; and

corrects the target sound based on distance information indicating the estimated distance.

2. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the marker has a predetermined size, and

the control circuits estimates the distance from the microphone array to the sound source by calculating a distance from the camera to the marker based on the image size of the marker in the image data.

3. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

the marker has attribute information that distinguishes an attribute of the sound source,

wherein the control circuit:

acquires the attribute information from the image data; and

corrects the target sound based on the distance information and the attribute information.

4. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , wherein

wherein the control circuit:

detects a position of the object based on the image data;

estimates a position of the sound source based on the acoustic signal,

determines the sound collection direction based on object position information that indicates the detected position of the object and the sound source position information that indicates the estimated position of the sound source; and

sets a beam form such that the target sound is extracted from the acoustic signal, based on the sound collection direction.

5. The signal processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the control circuit:

calculates a presence probability of the sound source in at least one of the horizontal direction and the vertical direction from the acoustic signal; and

produces sound source position information by varying the presence probability of the sound source based on the distance information.

6. The signal processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the control circuit varies a degree of priority of each of the object position information and the sound source position information at a time of the determination of the sound collection direction, based on the distance information.

7. The signal processing device according to claim 4 ,

wherein the control circuit varies a beam width that comprises the sound collection direction based on the distance information.

8. The signal processing device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one of:

the camera; and

the microphone array.

9. A signal processing device that collects a target sound output from an object to be a sound source, the signal processing device comprising:

an communication circuit that inputs image data produced by a camera and an acoustic signal output from a microphone array, and

a control circuit that controls a sound collection direction of the acoustic signal in at least any one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the microphone array based on at least any one of the image data and the acoustic signal,

wherein the control circuit:

detects a position of the object based on the image data;

estimates a position of the sound source based on the acoustic signal;

detects a predetermined marker attached to the object from the image data;

estimates a distance from the microphone array to the sound source based on the detected marker;

controls the collection of the target sound based on object position information that indicates the detected position of the object, sound source position information that indicates the estimated position of the sound source, and distance information that indicates the estimated distance.

10. A signal processing method of collecting a target sound output from an object to be a sound source by a signal processing device, the signal processing method comprising:

a step of inputting image data produced by a camera and an acoustic signal output from a microphone array;

a step of detecting a predetermined marker attached to the object in the image data to estimate a distance from the microphone array to the sound source based on the detected marker;

a step of determining a sound collection direction of the acoustic signal in at least any one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction relative to the microphone array based on at least any one of the image data and the acoustic signal;

a step of setting a beam form such that the target sound is extracted from the acoustic signal, based on the sound collection direction; and

a step of correcting the target sound based on the estimated distance.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 19, 2021
From: USAMI, HIKARU; HIROSE, YOSHIFUMI; ADACHI, YUSUKE
To: PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 056906/0131 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP JP2018-229368 · Dec 6, 2018 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2019042375 · Oct 29, 2019
Related Publication 20210099796A1 · Apr 1, 2021