Array Microphone Lobe Shaping for Noise Rejection and Coverage
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional microphones with fixed polar patterns struggle to efficiently capture desired audio sources while minimizing unwanted noise, echoes, and other undesirable audio elements in conferencing environments, as their lobe shapes are often suboptimal and fail to cover all audio sources efficiently.
Innovation Solution
An array microphone system with adjustable lobe shapes, allowing independent control over lobe geometry through a processor that selects subsets of microphone elements and applies weights to their audio signals, enabling more precise sound capture.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional microphones with fixed polar patterns are used, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to different environments and audio source distributions is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic lobe shape adjustment by allowing the array microphone to change its pickup pattern geometry in real-time based on environmental conditions and audio source distributions. The processor dynamically modifies the shape parameters of lobes independently of steering vectors, enabling the system to adapt to various conferencing environments, room layouts, and speaker arrangements without requiring physical reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the geometric parameters of lobe shapes through digital signal processing. By adjusting shape parameters independently of steering vectors, the processor can optimize lobe geometry for different scenarios such as dispersed speakers, multiple audio sources, or specific room acoustics, providing high adaptability while maintaining a fixed physical microphone array structure.
2Productivity
If array microphones with default lobe shapes are used, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to efficiently cover dispersed audio sources is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts lobe shapes to match the spatial distribution of audio sources. When speakers are dispersed throughout a room, the processor stretches or reshapes lobes to cover the expanded area. This dynamic adaptation maximizes the productivity of the array microphone by ensuring optimal coverage of all audio sources regardless of their positions, without requiring multiple physical microphones or manual reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The processor modifies lobe shape parameters based on the detected positions and distributions of audio sources. By independently controlling shape parameters separate from steering vectors, the system can efficiently cover dispersed speakers, adjust lobe width and orientation, and optimize pickup patterns for different speaker arrangements, thereby improving audio capture efficiency.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional microphones are used to capture sound from multiple sources, then the device complexity is low, but the ability to reject unwanted noise and echoes is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The array microphone applies different weighting factors to signals from different microphone elements within the array. By optimizing the local contribution of each element to the overall lobe shape, the system enhances sensitivity in desired directions while suppressing noise and echoes from other directions. This local optimization of signal quality improves noise rejection without requiring complex external processing equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts lobe shapes to track and follow desired audio sources while maintaining rejection of unwanted noise and echoes. As speakers move or as noise sources appear, the processor adapts lobe geometry in real-time to preserve speech capture while continuing to suppress interfering sounds, providing adaptive noise rejection that responds to changing environmental conditions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If fixed lobe shapes are used in array microphones, then the ease of operation is high, but the ability to optimize coverage for different room layouts is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The array microphone system performs self-configuration by automatically detecting the room layout, speaker positions, and acoustic characteristics. The processor independently determines optimal lobe shapes based on environmental feedback, eliminating the need for manual setup or expert configuration. This self-service capability allows the system to adapt to different room layouts while maintaining ease of operation, as users simply need to activate the system without technical knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically adjusts lobe shape parameters based on detected environmental conditions and speaker distributions. By independently controlling shape parameters separate from steering vectors, the processor can optimize coverage for various room configurations, whether speakers are clustered, dispersed, or positioned at specific locations, all without requiring manual intervention from users.
Data Source
AI summary
Array microphone systems and methods having adjustable lobe shapes are provided. The lobe shapes of pickup patterns in an array microphone may be adjusted by weighting the audio signals of subsets of the microphone elements that make up the array. The lobe shapes may be adjusted in a direction independent of a steering vector of the lobe. Users may have greater control of lobes which can result in more efficient and optimal coverage of audio sources in environments.