Apparatus and method for collecting sound over a wide area without loss

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for collecting unspecified and various sounds generated in fields such as crime prevention and surveillance over a wide area without loss using a microphone, and provides means for an apparatus and method for collecting sound using a single microphone and an apparatus and method for collecting sound using multiple microphones.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for collecting, without loss, all sounds that occur in a wide area, such as in the fields of crime prevention and surveillance, which are unspecified, unpredictable and uncontrollable, and have diverse characteristics, using a microphone. [Background technology]

[0002] In the field of crime prevention and surveillance, when detecting sounds, it is difficult to define and adjust the sounds, and it is difficult to predict and control the generation of the sounds, and the sound volume ranges from very small to very large. In addition, the difference in the volume of the sounds from the same sound source becomes large, and such sounds may occur instantaneously, resulting in a mixture of multiple sounds. In addition, since the situation of the surveillance area must be judged using sounds that have characteristics such as being unable to limit the point of sound generation, it is necessary to collect all sounds generated in a wide area without momentary loss.

[0003] Korean Patent 10-1384781 discloses an optical fiber sensor as a means for collecting sound with a microphone in the fields of crime prevention and surveillance, overcoming the spatial collection limit of the microphone and expanding the surveillance area, but the optical fiber sensor can sense negative pressure but cannot collect sound. Therefore, the means for collecting sound in Korean Patent 10-1384781 discloses a means using an optical fiber sensor, not a microphone, and therefore cannot provide a means for collecting all sounds generated in a wide surveillance area without momentary loss.

[0004] In addition, Korean Patent 10-1519430 is a device that selects a sound generated in a preset direction from among sounds collected by a microphone, removes feedback from the selected sound, amplifies the selected sound, and immediately outputs the selected sound to a speaker, but the means for selecting a sound in Korean Patent 10-1519430 selects a specific sound generated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot collect all sounds generated in a wide area without loss. In addition, the means for amplifying a sound in Korean Patent 10-1519340 does not disclose a means for amplifying the collected sound with multiple amplification factors, classifying the amplified sounds and storing them in a memory, a means for selecting one of the sounds amplified with multiple amplification factors, or a means for determining whether the amplified sound has deviated from the collection range, and therefore cannot provide a means for collecting all sounds generated in a wide area without momentary loss.

[0005] In addition, Korean Utility Model Publication No. 20-2010-0003992 is an apparatus for amplifying a sound collected by a microphone installed around a specific sound source set in a memory and judging whether the amplified sound is a target sound when compared with the sound level set in the memory, but the means for collecting sound in Patent Publication No. 20-2010-0003992 places a microphone around a specific sound source to collect a specific sound, so it is unable to collect all sounds occurring in a wide area without loss. In addition, the means for amplifying sound in Patent Publication No. 20-2010-0003992 does not disclose a means for amplifying collected sounds with multiple amplification factors, classifying the amplified sounds and storing them in a memory, a means for selecting one of the sounds amplified with multiple amplification factors, or a means for judging whether the amplified sound has deviated from the collection range, so it is unable to provide a means for collecting sounds occurring in a wide area without momentary loss.

[0006] In addition, Korean Patent 10-1547729 and U.S. Patent 5,696,356 were derived for the purpose of collecting sound, but since they are mechanical devices for collecting sound over a wide area, they are fundamentally different means from the present invention, which is an electronic device, and do not include signal processing means by an electronic device.

[0007] Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for collecting all sounds generated in a wide area using a microphone without momentary loss in fields such as security and surveillance. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for collecting, without loss, all sounds that occur in a wide area, such as in the fields of crime prevention and surveillance, that are unspecified, unpredictable and uncontrollable, and have diverse characteristics, using a microphone. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] a selection unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the amplification stage by a type of amplified sound and stores the amplified sounds in a memory unit, determines the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmits information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including the information in a control signal; a memory unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the selection unit by a type of amplified sound and stores the amplified sounds; and a control unit that searches the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal transmitted from the selection unit, and controls the amplified sound; a step of amplifying the sound by a plurality of amplification factors and transmitting each of the generated amplified sounds to a selection unit; a step of the selection unit distinguishing each of the amplified sounds by type and storing them in a memory unit, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmitting information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including it in a control signal; and a step of the control unit searching the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal and controlling it. In this method, a sound collected by a single microphone is amplified into each of the amplified sounds by a plurality of amplification factors, and then the amplified sounds are distinguished and stored by type, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information about the selected amplified sound, thereby achieving lossless collection of sounds over a wide area.

[0010] Also, a device including a plurality of microphones that transmit sounds collected in the vicinity to a plurality of amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of amplification stages that amplify the sounds transmitted from each of the microphones in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of amplification factors and transmit each amplified sound, which is a plurality of sounds, to a plurality of selection units in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of selection units that classify the amplified sounds transmitted from each of the amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence by amplified sound and store them in a memory unit, determine the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmit each piece of information for the plurality of amplified sounds selected by the number of the microphones to a control unit by including them in a plurality of control signals in one-to-one correspondence; one memory unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from each of the selection units by amplified sound and stores them; and one control unit that searches the memory unit for each of the amplified sounds that correspond one-to-one to the information included in each of the control signals transmitted from each of the selection units, and controls the amplified sounds. a step of transmitting the generated amplified sounds to a plurality of selection units corresponding to one another; a step of each of the selection units classifying each of the amplified sounds by type and storing them in a memory unit, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmitting the information of each of the selected amplified sounds to a control unit by including it in a control signal corresponding to one one; and a step of the control unit searching for and controlling each of the amplified sounds corresponding to the information contained in each of the control signals from the memory unit. In this method, the control unit amplifies each of the sounds collected by a plurality of microphones into a plurality of amplified sounds by a plurality of amplification factors, and then distinguishes and stores all the amplified sounds by type, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, and controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information on each of the selected amplified sounds, thereby achieving lossless collection of sounds over a wide area.

[0011] In addition, the present invention includes a plurality of microphones that transmit sounds collected in the vicinity in one-to-one correspondence to an amplification stage and a fixed amplification unit, an amplification stage that transmits a plurality of amplified sounds obtained by amplifying the sounds transmitted from some of the microphones at a plurality of amplification factors to a selection unit, a selection unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the amplification stage by type and stores them in a memory unit, determines the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmits information about the selected amplified sounds to a control unit by including it in a control signal, and a selection unit that transmits amplified sounds obtained by amplifying the sounds transmitted from other microphones at a fixed amplification factor to a selection unit. a fixed amplifier unit that transmits the amplified sound transmitted from the fixed amplifier unit to an ADC unit, an ADC unit that stores the amplified sound transmitted from the fixed amplifier unit in a memory unit using an ADC control signal, one memory unit that classifies and stores the amplified sound transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sound transmitted from the ADC unit by amplified sound, and one control unit that searches the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sound corresponding to the ADC unit, and controls the amplified sound. a step of transmitting the sound collected by the microphone to a fixed amplifier; a step of the amplifier amplifying the sound at a plurality of gains, transmitting each amplified sound generated by the amplifier to a selection unit, and the fixed amplifier transmitting one amplified sound amplified at a fixed gain to an ADC; a step of the selection unit classifying each amplified sound by type and storing it in one memory unit, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, transmitting information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including it in a control signal, and the ADC storing the transmitted amplified sound in the memory unit using an ADC control signal; The method includes a step of searching for the amplified sound from a memory unit corresponding to the information included in the control signal, and searching and controlling the amplified sound stored by the ADC unit, and amplifying the sound collected by some of the microphones into a plurality of amplified sounds at a plurality of amplification factors, storing the amplified sounds separately, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information of the selected amplified sound, while amplifying the sound collected by the other microphones into one amplified sound at a fixed amplification factor, and controlling the stored amplified sound, thereby achieving lossless collection of sound over a wide area. Effect of the Invention

[0012] Using only a microphone, all sounds occurring in a wider area, which are unspecific, unpredictable, uncontrollable and have diverse characteristics, can be collected without any loss. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for collecting sound using a single microphone as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an apparatus for collecting sound using multiple microphones as an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another configuration of a device for collecting sound using multiple microphones as an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 2 is a flow chart of FIG. 1 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] 3 is a flow chart of FIG. 2 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 4 is a flow chart of FIG. 3 which is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 4A to 4C are diagrams showing waveforms of amplified sounds amplified at multiple amplification factors according to the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a diagram showing amplified sounds amplified at a plurality of amplification factors according to the present invention, divided by time intervals; FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] a selection unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the amplification stage by a type of amplified sound and stores the amplified sounds in a memory unit, determines the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmits information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including the information in a control signal; a memory unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the selection unit by a type of amplified sound and stores the amplified sounds; and a control unit that searches the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal transmitted from the selection unit, and controls the amplified sound; a step of amplifying the sound by a plurality of amplification factors and transmitting each of the generated amplified sounds to a selection unit; a step of the selection unit distinguishing each of the amplified sounds by type and storing them in a memory unit, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmitting information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including it in a control signal; and a step of the control unit searching the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal and controlling it. In this method, a sound collected by a single microphone is amplified into each of the amplified sounds by a plurality of amplification factors, and then the amplified sounds are distinguished and stored by type, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information about the selected amplified sound, thereby achieving lossless collection of sounds over a wide area.

[0015] Also, a device including a plurality of microphones that transmit sounds collected in the vicinity to a plurality of amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of amplification stages that amplify the sounds transmitted from each of the microphones in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of amplification factors and transmit each amplified sound, which is a plurality of sounds, to a plurality of selection units in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of selection units that classify the amplified sounds transmitted from each of the amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence by amplified sound and store them in a memory unit, determine the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmit each piece of information for the plurality of amplified sounds selected by the number of the microphones to a control unit by including them in a plurality of control signals in one-to-one correspondence; one memory unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from each of the selection units by amplified sound and stores them; and one control unit that searches the memory unit for each of the amplified sounds that correspond one-to-one to the information included in each of the control signals transmitted from each of the selection units, and controls the amplified sounds. a step of transmitting the generated amplified sounds to a plurality of selection units corresponding to one another; a step of each of the selection units classifying each of the amplified sounds by type and storing them in a memory unit, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmitting the information of each of the selected amplified sounds to a control unit by including it in a control signal corresponding to one one; and a step of the control unit searching for and controlling each of the amplified sounds corresponding to the information contained in each of the control signals from the memory unit. In this method, the control unit amplifies each of the sounds collected by a plurality of microphones into a plurality of amplified sounds by a plurality of amplification factors, and then distinguishes and stores all the amplified sounds by type, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, and controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information on each of the selected amplified sounds, thereby achieving lossless collection of sounds over a wide area.

[0016] In addition, the present invention includes a plurality of microphones that transmit sounds collected in the vicinity in one-to-one correspondence to an amplification stage and a fixed amplification unit, an amplification stage that transmits a plurality of amplified sounds obtained by amplifying the sounds transmitted from some of the microphones at a plurality of amplification factors to a selection unit, a selection unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the amplification stage by type and stores them in a memory unit, determines the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds, and transmits information about the selected amplified sounds to a control unit by including it in a control signal, and a selection unit that transmits amplified sounds obtained by amplifying the sounds transmitted from other microphones at a fixed amplification factor to a selection unit. a fixed amplifier unit that transmits the amplified sound transmitted from the fixed amplifier unit to an ADC unit, an ADC unit that stores the amplified sound transmitted from the fixed amplifier unit in a memory unit using an ADC control signal, one memory unit that classifies and stores the amplified sound transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sound transmitted from the ADC unit by amplified sound, and one control unit that searches the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sound corresponding to the ADC unit, and controls the amplified sound. a step of transmitting the sound collected by the microphone to a fixed amplifier; a step of the amplifier amplifying the sound at a plurality of gains, transmitting each amplified sound generated by the amplifier to a selection unit, and the fixed amplifier transmitting one amplified sound amplified at a fixed gain to an ADC; a step of the selection unit classifying each amplified sound by type and storing it in one memory unit, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, transmitting information about the selected amplified sound to a control unit by including it in a control signal, and the ADC storing the transmitted amplified sound in the memory unit using an ADC control signal; The method includes a step of searching for the amplified sound from a memory unit corresponding to the information included in the control signal, and searching and controlling the amplified sound stored by the ADC unit, and amplifying the sound collected by some of the microphones into a plurality of amplified sounds at a plurality of amplification factors, storing the amplified sounds separately, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound, controlling the amplified sound corresponding to the information of the selected amplified sound, while amplifying the sound collected by the other microphones into one amplified sound at a fixed amplification factor, and controlling the stored amplified sound, thereby achieving lossless collection of sound over a wide area.

[0017] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted in a limited manner to their ordinary or dictionary meaning, but should be interpreted in a manner consistent with the technical aspects of the present invention.

[0018] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of ​​the present invention, and therefore there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for collecting all sounds generated in a wide range without loss using a single microphone as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a flow chart of FIG.

[0020] In Figures 1 and 4, the microphone 110 collects all sounds generated in a wide area and transmits the collected sounds to the amplification stage 120 (S701). The amplification stage 120 amplifies the collected sounds at multiple amplification factors and transmits the generated multiple amplified sounds to the selection unit 130 (S702). The selection unit 130 communicates with the control unit via a control signal, classifies the multiple amplified sounds into the memory unit 140 and stores them, and transmits the information of the selected amplified sounds to the control unit 150 together with the control signal (S703). The control unit 150 searches the memory unit 140 for the amplified sound corresponding to the control signal and controls it (S704). Thus, an apparatus and method for collecting all sounds generated in a wide area without loss are provided.

[0021] A microphone is a device that collects sound from its surroundings and converts the collected sound into an electrical signal.

[0022] The collected sounds are generated in situations such as crime prevention and alert, and such sounds have unspecified and highly diverse characteristics, and their characteristics cannot be specified or adjusted, and their generation cannot be controlled or regulated. In addition, since instantaneous sounds are also very important, all sounds must be collected without loss over as wide a range as possible.

[0023] The amplification stage is composed of a plurality of amplifiers with different amplification factors, and amplifies the collected sound transmitted from the microphone by the amplification factor of each of the amplifiers, and transmits the generated amplified sounds to the selection unit. Such an amplification stage may include a buffer unit to transmit the collected sound to the plurality of amplifiers in the amplification stage, may include a low pass filter (LPF) unit or a band pass filter (BPF) unit to amplify only a specific frequency band, and may include not amplifying or attenuating the amplification factor.

[0024] The multiple amplified sounds are a bundle of multiple amplified sounds generated by amplifying the collected sound with the respective gains of multiple amplifiers having different gains.

[0025] The selection unit communicates with the control unit through a control signal, and distinguishes the plurality of amplified sounds by type and stores them in the memory unit, and determines the amplitude of the plurality of amplified sounds to select the amplified sounds. At this time, the amplified sounds may be stored so that their time can be confirmed, or the ID and time information of the selected amplified sound may be included in the control signal and transmitted to the control unit. The selection unit may include an LPF unit, a BPF unit, and an ADC (Analog to Digital Conversion) unit to continuously determine the plurality of amplified sounds, and newly select the amplified sound or store it in a digital form.

[0026] The control signal is a signal used when storing multiple amplified sounds in the memory unit through communication between the control unit and the selection unit, and includes the ID and time information of the selected amplified sound. The time information is information regarding the time of the amplified sound, and allows the storage position and time information of the amplified sound to be confirmed when storing multiple amplified sounds in the memory unit. Therefore, the control signal is used when controlling the sound without loss even if a new amplified sound is selected.

[0027] The memory unit stores the plurality of amplified sounds by classifying them according to the amplified sounds through communication with the selection unit and the control unit, and at this time, time information can also be stored.

[0028] The control unit controls the selection unit by transmitting a control signal, and searches the memory unit for an amplified sound corresponding to the control signal including information (such as ID and time information) on the amplified sound selected by the selection unit, and controls the amplified sound.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an apparatus for collecting all sounds generated in a wide area without loss by using a plurality of microphones as an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a flow chart of FIG.

[0030] 2 and 5, the multiple microphones 210, 250 transmit each collected sound, which is all sound generated in a wide area, to each amplification stage 220, 260 (S801), each amplification stage 220, 260 amplifies each collected sound by multiple amplification factors and transmits the generated multiple amplified sounds to each selection unit 230, 270 (S802), each selection unit 230, 270 classifies and stores the multiple amplified sounds by amplified sound in the memory unit 240 using each control signal, determines the amplitude of the multiple amplified sounds, and transmits information of each selected amplified sound to the control unit 280 including it in each control signal (S803), and the control unit 280 searches for and controls each amplified sound corresponding to each control signal from the memory unit 240 (S804). The concept of FIG. 2 can also be applied to cases where there are three or more microphones.

[0031] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example of an embodiment of the present invention, in which sounds from some of a plurality of microphones are collected via a path having multiple amplifiers, and sounds from other microphones are collected via a path having a single amplifier, thereby collecting all sounds generated over a wide area without loss. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of FIG. 3.

[0032] 3 and 6, sound is collected by microphone 1 610 and microphone 2 650. Microphone 1 610 transmits collected sound 1 to amplifier stage 1 620 (SC01). Amplifier stage 1 620 amplifies collected sound 1 with a plurality of amplification factors and transmits the generated amplified sounds 1 to selection unit 1 630 (SC02). Selection unit 1 630 classifies the amplified sounds 1 by type of amplified sound using control signal 1 and stores them in memory unit 640, while determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds 1. Then, control unit 680 transmits control signal 1 including information on the selected amplified sound 1 (SC03). Control unit searches for and controls the amplified sound corresponding to control signal 1 from the memory unit (SC06). At the same time, microphone 2 650 transmits the collected sound 2 to the fixed amplifier unit 660 (SC01), the fixed amplifier unit 660 amplifies the collected sound 2 at a fixed amplification factor and transmits the generated amplified sound 2 to the ADC unit 670 (SC04), the ADC unit 670 stores the amplified sound 2 in the memory unit 640 using the ADC control signal (SC05), and the control unit 680 searches for and controls the amplified sound 1 corresponding to the control signal 1 and the amplified sound 2 corresponding to the ADC control signal from the memory unit 640 (SC06).

[0033] The fixed amplifier 660 amplifies the collected sound at a fixed amplification factor using a single amplifier, but may not amplify or may attenuate the amplification factor.

[0034] The ADC section 670 converts the analog amplified sound into a digital form and stores it in the memory section, but does not perform the operation of determining the amplitude in the selection section of the present invention.

[0035] The ADC control signal is a signal that the control unit uses to control ADC unit 670 to convert analog sound into digital sound and store it in memory.

[0036] The same concept as in FIG. 3 can be applied to a case where there are three or more microphones.

[0037] 7 is a conceptual diagram showing the waveform and collection range of an amplified sound according to an embodiment of the present invention. Sound A, sound B, and sound C are amplified sounds in which the same collected sound is amplified at different amplification rates by the amplification stage. Sound A 1320 is a waveform when there is no amplification, and is an example in which there is no part that deviates from the collection range 1340, but the discrimination ability of the sound is reduced. Sound B 1310 is a waveform when the amplification rate is appropriate, and is an example in which there is discrimination ability of the sound and no part that deviates from the collection range. Sound C 1300 is a waveform when the amplification rate is large, and is an example in which there is a part 1330 that deviates from the collection range, but the discrimination ability of the sound is high.

[0038] The sound from the sound sources A, B, and C may not be able to specify its volume, may have a very wide range of volume due to various sound sources, may have a large difference in pitch of the same sound source, may appear and disappear instantaneously, or may be mixed with other sounds. Therefore, if the amplification factor is set to one, if the sound source is loud, it may go beyond the collection range and cause sound loss, and if the sound source is quiet, it may be impossible to collect the sound. However, a method for solving such problems while increasing the sound discrimination ability can be achieved by amplifying the sounds at different amplification factors at the same time, and collecting, storing, and controlling the amplified sounds.

[0039] 8 is a conceptual diagram for solving a loss that deviates from the collection range due to a large difference in pitch of sounds from the same sound source according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which collected sounds collected from the same sound source are amplified by an amplifier stage to amplified sound D 1400 that is highly amplified and amplified sound E 1410 that is moderately amplified, and stored in a memory unit for each amplified sound. In addition, when the selection unit communicates with the control unit through a control signal including information on the amplified sound D selected in section 1, the control unit searches for and controls the amplified sound D from the memory unit, and when the selection unit communicates with the control unit through a control signal including information on the amplified sound E newly selected in section 2, the control unit searches for and controls the amplified sound E from the memory unit, and when the selection unit communicates with the control unit through a control signal including information on the amplified sound D selected again in section 3 ...4, the control unit stores the amplified sound D in the memory unit. D Search for and control, and collect and control sound without loss.

[0040] In the present invention, when a section must be divided and selected, time information is used to connect the sound without loss. At this time, if a rule is established by associating the time information with the address of the memory unit, the control unit can control the sound without loss. An example of this is shown in Table 1 below.

[0041] [Table 1]

[0042] Table 1 is a conceptual diagram of a method for storing sounds while associating addresses of a memory unit with time information according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the frequency band of the sound is set to 20KHz, the sampling frequency is set to 40KHz, and the quantization level is set to 16 bits, the amount of data generated per second is 80,000 bytes, and the amount of data generated for 5 minutes is 24,000,000 bytes. In consideration of this, the addresses of sound D 1400 are assigned from "ADDR=1" to "ADDR=24M" in the memory unit, and the addresses of sound E 1410 are assigned from "ADDR=24M+1" to "ADDR=48M". Therefore, at time t=1, sound D is stored in "ADDR=1" and sound E is stored in "ADDR=24M+1" at the same time, and the addresses are sequentially increased as time passes, and the difference (offset) between the addresses of sound D and sound E is maintained constant and stored at the same time. Such a mechanism can also be applied to an apparatus and method for collecting sounds using multiple microphones.

[0043] In Fig. 8 and Table 1, t = n is the time when the amplified sound D starts to deviate from the collection range, and t = (n + m) is the last time when the amplified sound D deviates from the collection range. When the selection unit transmits a control signal including the information and time information t = n of the newly selected amplified sound E to the control unit at t = n, the control unit starts to search for and control the sound corresponding to "ADDR = (24M + n)" of the amplified sound E from t = n, and when the selection unit transmits a control signal including the information and time information t = n + m + 1 of the amplified sound D selected again at t = n + m + 1 to the control unit, the control unit searches for and controls the sound corresponding to "ADDR = (n + m + 1)" of the amplified sound D from t = n + m + 1.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 8, if the amplitude of the amplified sound selected by the selection unit deviates from the collection range at any point, another amplified sound is immediately selected, and the newly selected amplified sound is searched for in the memory unit, so that control can be performed from the initial point rather than from the point of deviation.

[0045] In the above-described manner, the amplified sound D is controlled in section 1, the amplified sound E is controlled in section 2, and the amplified sound D is controlled in section 3, thereby collecting and controlling the sound without loss. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for collecting unspecified and diverse sounds generated in fields such as crime prevention and surveillance over a wide area without loss using a microphone, and provides a means for an apparatus and method for collecting sound with a single microphone and an apparatus and method for collecting sound with multiple microphones.

Claims

1. A plurality of microphones that transmit surrounding collected sounds to a plurality of amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of amplification stages for amplifying the sounds transmitted from the microphones in one-to-one correspondence with a plurality of amplification factors, respectively, and transmitting the amplified sounds, which are the plurality of generated sounds, to a plurality of selection sections in one-to-one correspondence; a plurality of selection units which classify the amplified sounds transmitted from the respective amplification stages in a one-to-one correspondence into a plurality of amplified sounds, store the amplified sounds in a memory unit, and determine the amplitudes of the respective amplified sounds in association with time information, and transmit the information on the amplified sounds selected by determining that the amplitudes are within a collection range for the number of the microphones to a control unit by including the information on the amplified sounds in a plurality of one-to-one corresponding control signals; a memory unit that classifies and stores the amplified sounds transmitted from the selection units according to the amplified sounds; and a control unit that searches the memory unit for each amplified sound corresponding one-to-one to each of the information included in the control signal transmitted from each selection unit for each time period, and controls the sound to be collected within a collection range without loss; A sound collection device that amplifies each sound collected by multiple microphones into multiple amplified sounds at multiple amplification factors, then distinguishes and stores all amplified sounds by type, while determining the amplitude of each amplified sound in association with time information, and distinguishes and controls the amplified sounds corresponding to the information for each amplified sound selected by determining that the amplitude is within the collection range, by time intervals, thereby collecting sounds without loss over a wide area and improving sound discrimination ability.

2. a) transmitting the sounds collected by the multiple microphones to multiple amplification stages in one-to-one correspondence; b) amplifying the sounds transmitted one-to-one by each of the amplifier stages at a plurality of gains, and transmitting the amplified sounds to a plurality of selection sections corresponding to the respective amplified sounds one-to-one; c) each of the selection units classifying each of the amplified sounds into a single memory unit, determining the amplitude of each of the amplified sounds in association with time information, and transmitting information of each of the amplified sounds selected based on the determination that the amplitude is within a collection range to a single control signal in a one-to-one correspondence therewith; and d) the control unit searches the memory unit for each of the amplified sounds corresponding to the information included in each of the control signals for each time period, and controls the sound to be collected within a collection range without loss; A sound collection method characterized by collecting sounds without loss over a wide range and improving sound discrimination ability by amplifying each sound collected by multiple microphones into multiple amplified sounds at multiple amplification factors, storing all amplified sounds separately for each amplified sound, determining the amplitude of each amplified sound while associating it with time information, and distinguishing and controlling the amplified sounds corresponding to the information for each amplified sound selected by determining that the amplitude is within the collection range, by time intervals.

3. A plurality of microphones that transmit sounds collected in the surroundings to the amplification stage and the fixed amplifier in one-to-one correspondence; an amplifier stage for transmitting a plurality of amplified sounds, which are sounds obtained by amplifying the sounds transmitted from some of the microphones at a plurality of amplification factors, to a selection section; a selection unit that classifies the amplified sounds transmitted from the amplification stage into individual amplified sounds, stores the classified amplified sounds in a memory unit, determines the amplitude of each amplified sound in association with time information, and transmits information about the amplified sounds selected by determining that the amplitude is within a collection range to a control signal, the selection unit including the information about the amplified sounds in the control signal; a fixed amplifier unit that amplifies the sounds transmitted from the remaining microphones at a fixed amplification factor and transmits the amplified sounds to an ADC unit; an ADC unit that stores the amplified sound transmitted from the fixed amplifier unit in a memory unit using an ADC control signal; A memory unit that classifies and stores the amplified sounds transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sounds transmitted from the ADC unit according to the amplified sounds; and A control unit that searches the memory unit for the amplified sound corresponding to the information included in the control signal transmitted from the selection unit and the amplified sound corresponding to the ADC unit for each time period, and controls the amplified sound to be collected within a collection range without loss; A sound collection device that amplifies sounds collected by some of a plurality of microphones into a plurality of amplified sounds at a plurality of amplification factors, distinguishes and stores the amplified sounds, and determines the amplitude of each amplified sound while associating it with time information. The amplified sound corresponding to the information for the amplified sound selected by determining that the amplitude is within the collection range is controlled for each time period, while amplifying sounds collected by other microphones into one amplified sound at a fixed amplification factor, and distinguishes and controls the stored amplified sounds by time interval, thereby collecting sounds without loss over a wide area and improving sound discrimination ability.

4. a) transmitting sounds collected by some of the microphones to an amplifier stage and transmitting sounds collected by other microphones to a fixed amplifier; b) the amplification stage amplifies the sound with a plurality of amplification factors, transmits each amplified sound generated to a selection unit, and transmits one amplified sound amplified with a fixed amplification factor by the fixed amplification unit to an ADC unit; c) the selection unit distinguishes the amplified sounds by type and stores them in one memory unit, determines the amplitude of each amplified sound in association with time information, and transmits information about the selected amplified sound in a control signal based on the determination that the amplitude is within a collection range to the control unit, and the ADC unit stores the transmitted amplified sound in the memory unit using an ADC control signal; and d) the control unit searches the amplified sound for each time period from the memory unit in response to the information included in the control signal, and the ADC unit searches the stored amplified sound for each time period to collect the sound within a collection range without loss; A sound collection method characterized in that sound collected by some of a plurality of microphones is amplified into a plurality of amplified sounds at a plurality of amplification factors, the amplified sounds are distinguished and stored, and the amplitude of each amplified sound is determined while associating it with time information, and the amplified sound corresponding to the amplified sound information selected by determining that the amplitude is within the collection range is controlled for each time period, while the sound collected by the other microphones is amplified into one amplified sound at a fixed amplification factor, and the stored amplified sounds are distinguished and controlled by time intervals, thereby collecting sound over a wide area without loss and improving sound discrimination ability.

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