Sound Processing Device Phase Removal for Ambient Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sound processing apparatuses using two sound collectors face challenges in accurately analyzing ambient sound due to uneven directivity characteristics caused by acoustic influences, leading to attenuations and phase interferences, which affect the accuracy of sound analysis.
Innovation Solution
A sound processing apparatus that converts collected sound signals into level signals from which phase information is removed, synthesizes these signals from two sound collectors, and analyzes ambient sound based on the synthesized level signal to compensate for attenuations and phase interferences, resulting in uniform directivity characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If sound signals are collected from two sound collectors at different points, then the coverage range of ambient sound analysis is improved, but the accuracy of sound analysis deteriorates due to acoustic influences and phase interferences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes phase information from the sound signals collected by two sound collectors. By converting sound signals to level signals that contain only amplitude information without phase information, the system eliminates phase interferences that would otherwise degrade analysis accuracy, while still maintaining the wide coverage benefit of using two collectors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces level signals as an intermediary representation between the raw sound signals from two collectors and the final analysis results. These level signals serve as a mediator that preserves amplitude information needed for analysis while discarding phase information that causes interference, thus resolving the contradiction between coverage and accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If level signals from two sound collectors are synthesized to improve analysis accuracy, then measurement precision is improved, but harmful phase interferences and attenuations are caused due to acoustic influences
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful phase information into a benefit by deliberately removing it. The phase information that would cause interference and attenuation is extracted and discarded, while the amplitude information is preserved and synthesized. This transforms what would be a harmful factor into a beneficial filtering action that improves analysis accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts phase information from the sound signals before synthesis and removes it from the processing chain. By taking out the phase component that causes harmful interferences and attenuations, the system can safely synthesize level signals from two collectors without suffering from these adverse effects.
3Reliability
If directivity characteristics are made uniform across all directions, then analysis reliability is improved, but acoustic influences from head presence cause attenuations that reduce measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes phase information that is responsible for direction-dependent attenuations caused by head acoustics. By working with level signals that contain only amplitude information, the system achieves uniform directivity characteristics across all directions, improving the reliability of sound direction detection without the measurement errors that would result from head-induced phase interferences.
Data Source
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AI summary
A sound processing apparatus (100), which can improve precision of analyses on ambient sounds, carries out analysis on the ambient sounds based upon collected sound signals acquired by two sound collectors (first sound collector 110-1 and second sound collector 110-2), and the sound processing apparatus (100) is provided with a level signal conversion section (first level signal conversion section 130-1, second level signal conversion section 130-2) that converts the collected sound signal into a level signal, from which phase information is removed,, a level signal synthesizing section (140) that generates a synthesized level signal in which the level signals acquired from the collected sound signals of the two sound collectors (first sound collector 110-1 and second sound collector 110-2) are synthesized, and a detecting and identifying section (160) that carries out analysis on the ambient sounds based upon the synthesized level signal.