IP Library Granted Patent US 7,680,287
Granted Patent B2
US 7,680,287 · App. 10/662,294 · Granted Mar 16, 2010

Directional setting apparatus, directional setting system, directional setting method and directional setting program

Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,680,287
App. No.
10/662,294
Granted
Mar 16, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A directional setting apparatus according to the present invention, comprising: a voice recognition unit which detects a certain voice included in a sound signal outputted from a microphone array having a plurality of microphones and a directional determination period indicating a detection period of said certain voice; a voice direction detector which detects occurrence direction of said certain voice in said directional determination period; and a directional controller which controls directivity of a prescribed apparatus based on the sound signals outputted from said plurality of microphones in said directional determination period.

Claims (15)

1. A directional selling apparatus, comprising:

a microphone array having a plurality of microphones, each microphone importing an input sound;

a voice recognition unit configured to detect a certain keyword included in a sound signal based on the input sound and set a directional determination period based on an occurrence time of a sound signal corresponding to the certain keyword;

a directivity detector configured to detect a direction of the input sound in the directional determination period and output the detected result; and

a directivity setting unit configured to set a directivity of a prescribed apparatus based on the detected result of the directivity detector,

wherein the voice recognition unit recognizes a keyword different from the certain keyword for releasing the directivity set by the directivity selling unit and outputs a directivity release signal; and

the directivity setting unit releases the directivity of the prescribed apparatus when the directivity release signal is supplied from the voice recognition unit.

2. The directional setting apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the directivity setting unit stores the detected result of the directivity detector when the detected result is given before the directivity release signal is inputted, and sets the directivity of the prescribed apparatus based on the detected result of the directivity detector store after the directivity release signal is inputted.

3. A directional setting apparatus, comprising:

a microphone array having a plurality of microphones, each microphone importing an input sound;

a voice recognition unit configured to detect a certain keyword included in a sound signal based on the input sound and set a directional determination period based on an occurrence time of a sound signal corresponding to the certain keyword;

a directivity detector configured to detect a direction of the input sound in the directional determination period and output the detected result; and

a directivity setting unit configured to set a directivity of a prescribed apparatus based on the detected result of the directivity detector,

wherein the directivity detector repeats the detection of the input sound multiple times, supplies the voice recognition unit with the output of the microphone array having the directivity set by the directivity setting unit based on a first detection result of the direction of the input sound, and conducts the subsequent detection of the direction of the input sound by using a sound other than the certain keyword.

4. The directional setting apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the directivity setting unit sets a direction of image pick-up in a camera.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 16, 2003
From: AMADA, TADASHI; YAMAMOTO, TAKUMI
To: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
Reel/Frame 014518/0614 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2002-270318 · Sep 17, 2002 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20040066941A1 · Apr 8, 2004