Millimeter Wave Radar Voice Control Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Voice-controlled electronic systems face challenges in accurately detecting vocal commands in noisy and varied environments, such as crowded rooms, due to difficulties in distinguishing user commands from background noise and spatial configurations.
Innovation Solution
A system combining a millimeter wave radar sensor to detect the location and direction of a person and a microphone system that generates audio beams based on the detected direction, enhancing the detection and reception of vocal commands by steering sensitivity towards the user.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If voice-controlled systems use traditional omnidirectional microphone reception, then they can receive voice commands from any direction, but they cannot effectively distinguish user commands from background noise in noisy environments
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by creating direction-dependent audio reception characteristics. Instead of uniform omnidirectional reception, the microphone system generates audio beams with enhanced sensitivity in specific directions where users are detected by the radar system, while maintaining reduced sensitivity in other directions. This spatially varying reception quality enables the system to preferentially capture voice commands from detected users while suppressing background noise from other directions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces radar detection as an intermediary mechanism to identify user locations before configuring audio beam directions. The radar system detects user positions independently of audio signals, and this spatial information serves as a mediator to guide the microphone system's beamforming. This two-stage approach (radar detection followed by directional audio reception) effectively separates user identification from voice command reception, improving signal-to-noise ratio.
2Measurement precision
If the system uses directional audio beams to reduce noise, then signal-to-noise ratio improves, but the system loses the ability to receive commands from undetected directions
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements dynamic adaptability by continuously tracking user positions via radar and adjusting audio beam directions in real-time. As users move within the environment, the radar system updates their locations, and the microphone system dynamically reconfigures its beamforming patterns to maintain optimal reception toward current user positions. This dynamic adjustment ensures the system adapts to changing spatial configurations while maintaining high signal-to-noise ratio.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves multi-functionality by combining radar detection capabilities with audio beamforming in a single integrated system. The radar system serves dual purposes: it detects user positions for beam direction control and can potentially detect user presence even when not issuing commands. The microphone system maintains the ability to receive commands from any direction by rapidly adapting its beam patterns based on radar input, thus preserving omnidirectional capability while achieving directional noise suppression.
3Measurement precision
If the system integrates radar and microphone systems, then voice command detection accuracy improves in noisy environments, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges the radar and microphone systems into an integrated architecture where both subsystems share common processing resources and control logic. The radar system provides spatial information that directly controls the microphone beamforming, creating a unified sensor system rather than separate independent subsystems. This merging reduces overall system complexity by eliminating redundant processing stages and enabling coordinated operation of multiple sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by using the radar system to detect and track user positions before the microphone system attempts to capture voice commands. This pre-positioning information allows the audio beamforming to be pre-configured for optimal reception, reducing the computational complexity during actual voice command processing. The radar system prepares the spatial context in advance, simplifying the subsequent audio processing tasks.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively improves the accuracy of voice command detection by focusing audio sensitivity on the user, reducing background noise interference and enhancing signal-to-noise ratio, even in challenging environments.
Implementation Method 1
a millimeter wave radar sensor system configured to detect a location of a body of a person, where the detected location of the body of the person defines a direction of the person relative to the apparatus
Implementation Method 2
a microphone system configured to generate at least one audio beam as a function at least of the direction
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with an embodiment, an apparatus includes a millimeter wave radar sensor system configured to detect a location of a body of a person, where the detected location of the body of the person defines a direction of the person relative to the apparatus; and a microphone system configured to generate at least one audio beam as a function at least of the direction.