Four-Microphone Array for Directional Reception
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional microphone arrays require a large number of microphones to achieve directional reception in multiple directions, which is impractical due to space and hardware constraints, especially in applications like vehicles where limited physical space and communication channels are available.
Innovation Solution
The use of four-microphone arrays arranged in specific configurations, such as forming the vertices of a triangle or concave shape, allows for directional reception in various directions by combining microphones into end-fire arrays, enabling flexible and efficient directional sound detection with fewer microphones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of microphones are used to achieve directional reception in multiple directions, then directional reception capability is improved, but hardware complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the microphone array into multiple pairs of microphones (e.g., first pair, second pair, third pair, fourth pair) that can be independently configured. Each pair can form an end-fire array for specific directional reception, allowing the system to achieve multi-directional capability through segmented, modular units rather than requiring a large monolithic array.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional planar or linear microphone arrangements to a three-dimensional spatial configuration where microphones are positioned at vertices of geometric shapes (triangle, concave shape). This dimensional approach enables directional reception in multiple directions using fewer microphones by utilizing spatial geometry rather than simply increasing the number of elements in a single plane.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a large number of microphones are arranged in specific configurations, then directional reception in multiple directions is achieved, but physical space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs nested geometric configurations where microphones are positioned at vertices that form both triangular and concave shapes. The same four microphones can be arranged to create nested geometric patterns, maximizing directional reception capability within a compact footprint by utilizing multiple geometric interpretations of the same spatial arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The four-microphone array is designed to serve multiple functions: it can form end-fire arrays for different directions, create triangular configurations for omnidirectional processing, and arrange in concave shapes for specific directional patterns. This multi-functional design allows a single compact array to replace what would traditionally require multiple separate microphone arrays.
3Device complexity
If four-microphone arrays are arranged in specific configurations, then hardware overhead is reduced, but directional reception flexibility must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic signal processing that can adaptively adjust the weighting and phase of signals from each microphone based on the desired reception direction. This dynamic processing allows the fixed four-microphone hardware to achieve flexible directional reception by electronically reconfiguring the array response through real-time signal manipulation rather than physical reconfiguration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters such as phase shifts, amplitude weights, and time delays applied to each microphone's signal to achieve different directional patterns. By varying these parameters, the same four-microphone array can be optimized for different directions and scenarios, maintaining flexibility without requiring additional hardware.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are microphone arrays for directional reception, along with related system, devices, and techniques. For example, a four-microphone array for directional signal reception may include first, second, and third microphones arranged such that projections of the first, second, and third microphones in a plane provide corners of a triangle in the plane. In some embodiments, a fourth microphone may be arranged such that a projection of the fourth microphone in the plane is disposed in an interior of the triangle. In other embodiments, the fourth microphone may be arranged such that the projection of the fourth microphone in the plane is disposed outside the interior of the triangle, and a distance between the first microphone and the second microphone is different from a distance between the first microphone and the third microphone.