Spatial sound steering system
US6185152A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 23, 1998 |
| Grant date | Feb 6, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 23, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N7/142
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus and method for determining directionality of acoustic signals arriving from an acoustic source is disclosed. A plurality of reflectors for modifying the acoustic signals and a transducer located proximate to the reflectors is used. A notch detector detects and identifies spectral notches in the modified acoustic signals. A device then determines the direction of the acoustic source. In one embodiment, a microphone system capable of detecting three-dimensional sound is provided. The microphone system comprises an elliptical-shaped microphone enhancer having at least two reflectors located different distances apart from a microphone located in the center of the ellipse. The reflectors have asymmetric ridges which cause interference patterns in the signals received by the microphone, conceptually analogous to the patterns generated by the pinnae of the human ear.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.