Apparatus and method for spatially selective sound acquisition by acoustic triangulation

US9143856B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignees

• Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft zur förderung der angewandten Forschung e.V. · DE
• FRIEDRICH-ALEXANDER-UNIVERSITÄT ERLANGEN-NÜRNBERG · DE

Inventors

• Juergen Herre · Erlangen, DE
• Fabian Kuech · Erlangen, DE
• Markus Kallinger · Erlangen, DE
• Giovanni Del Galdo · Martinroda, DE
• Bernhard Grill · Lautenbächle, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: May 29, 2013
• Grant date: Sep 22, 2015
• Expiry date: Oct 22, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04R2430/25
• WIPO field: Audio-visual technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus for capturing audio information from a target location includes first and second beamformers arranged in a recording environment and having first and second recording characteristics, respectively, and a signal generator. The first and second beamformers are configured for recording first and second beamformer audio signals, respectively, when they are directed towards the target location with respect to the first and second recording characteristics. The first and second beamformers are arranged such that first and second virtual straight lines, defined to pass through the first and second beamformers, respectively, and the target location, are not mutually parallel. The signal generator is configured to generate an audio output signal based on the first and second beamformer audio signals so that the audio output signal reflects relatively more audio information from the target location compared to the audio information from the target location in the first and second beamformer audio signals.