Vehicle Sound Detection Using Multi-Channel Microphone Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drivers with impaired hearing or those in vehicles with sound insulation may not be able to detect important sounds from adjacent vehicles, posing a safety risk, especially when multiple vehicles are nearby, as they cannot accurately determine the source or significance of sounds like warning horns or sirens.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that use multi-channel microphones and sound tracking technology to detect and analyze sounds, determining the probability of other vehicles' presence and location through peak and nadir points, and generating detection signals to inform drivers acoustically or visually about adjacent vehicles, thereby enhancing driving safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If sound insulation technology is applied to vehicles, then comfort and noise reduction are improved, but the driver's ability to hear external sounds is deteriorated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces sound tracking technology as an intermediary system that captures external sounds through microphones, processes them to determine direction and characteristics, and presents them to the driver through audio or visual interfaces. This mediator bridges the gap between sound insulation and driver awareness, allowing noise reduction while maintaining safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the natural mechanical hearing system with an electronic sound detection and processing system. Instead of relying on the driver's ears to penetrate sound insulation, electronic microphones and signal processing algorithms detect, analyze, and reproduce external sounds, substituting biological hearing with technological detection.
2Reliability
If sound tracking technology is implemented, then driver awareness of adjacent vehicles is improved, but system complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates sound tracking functionality into existing driver assistance systems, allowing the same hardware platform to serve multiple functions including sound detection, direction determination, and integration with visual display systems. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity compared to dedicated separate systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The sound tracking system automatically processes raw audio signals through algorithms that identify peak and nadir points to determine sound direction, eliminating the need for manual calibration or complex configuration. The system self-adjusts and processes data autonomously, reducing operational complexity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple detection regions are created for sound analysis, then accuracy in identifying vehicle locations is improved, but processing time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the spatial environment into multiple detection regions (front, rear, left, right) and processes sound data independently for each region by identifying peak and nadir points. This segmentation allows parallel processing of different spatial zones, improving location accuracy while managing processing time through distributed analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial processing by focusing computational resources on detecting significant sound events in each region rather than continuously analyzing all possible angles. By identifying only peak and nadir points that exceed certain thresholds, the system achieves sufficient precision without exhaustive processing of every possible sound direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for providing sound tracking information includes detecting a sound occurred adjacent to a subject vehicle to generate a sound tracking result based at least on a sound data regarding detected sound; determining an angle of point having the maximum probability among at least one of peak points in the sound tracking result as a first vehicle angle; determining whether an angle of candidate point is a second vehicle angle, wherein the candidate point has the maximum probability among peak points included in a detection range except for the first vehicle angle; and generating at least one detection signal corresponding to the first and the second vehicle angles, when the angle of candidate point is the second vehicle angle, wherein the sound tracking result includes a probability of whether there is at least one another vehicle at each of angles in each of frames continued according to time.