Camera-Guided Beamforming for Speaker-Focused Sound Collection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sound collection systems struggle to easily maintain a sound collection beam focused on a specific person, such as an important speaker, during dynamic beam adjustments.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus that utilize a camera and microphone array to recognize speakers and specific objects, setting dynamic and semi-fixed sound collection beams to maintain focus on the speaker and optional suppression of other voices using beamforming techniques.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a dynamic beam is used to track the speaker, then the sound collection can adapt to speaker movement, but it becomes difficult to maintain focus on a specific important speaker

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeam tracking capabilityVSAvoidsetting to keep beam pointed at specific person

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs a dynamic beam that can change its direction based on detected speakers, while also supporting a fixed mode for important speakers. The beam direction is dynamically adjusted based on speaker positions detected by the image processing unit, allowing the system to adapt to speaker movements while maintaining the ability to fixate on important speakers when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Productivity

If multiple sound collection beams are set for different speakers, then all speakers can be captured, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumber of speakers capturedVSAvoidbeam management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sound collection function is segmented into different beam types: dynamic beams for general speaker tracking and fixed beams for important speakers. This segmentation allows the system to manage multiple beams by categorizing them into distinct functional groups, simplifying the overall beam management while capturing multiple speakers effectively.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different beam characteristics are applied to different spatial regions and speaker types. Fixed beams with specific directional characteristics are assigned to important speakers, while dynamic beams cover other areas. This local differentiation optimizes sound collection for each speaker type without requiring complex uniform management of all beams.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12581232B2Sound collection control method and sound collection apparatus

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 YAMAHA CORP

AI summary

A sound collection control method recognizes a speaker from an image, detects a position of the recognized speaker, sets a first collection beam based on the position of the recognized speaker, recognizes a specific object other than the recognized speaker from an image, detects a position of the recognized specific object, and sets a second collection beam based on the detected position of the recognized specific object.