Patent · US Active

System and method for steering the directional response of a microphone to a moving acoustic source

US7817805B1 · kind B1 · utility

60Cited by
18References
15Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateJan 12, 2005
Grant dateOct 19, 2010
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 27, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04S7/304
  • WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A system and method are provided for automatically tracking the movements of an acoustic source relative to two or more microphones possibly mounted in a portable device. The microphones are mounted so that they may be separated from an acoustic source that can be more than three inches from the portable device. By automatically tracking the location of a portable device, a directional response of unidirectional microphones in a far field setting can be steered so that the radial axis of the directional response aligns with the path in which the acoustic wave travels from the source to the microphones. By tracking the source and steering the directional response of the microphones, the system can thereby properly delay and filter electrical signals added to the outputs from corresponding microphones to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the ensuing signal.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.