Patent ID: 6157403
Filing Date: 2000-12-05
Classification: G01S,G10L,H04R

Abstract:
An apparatus for collecting voices, comprising:image input means for inputting an image obtained by photographing a plurality of persons;person position detection means for processing image information supplied from said image input means to obtain the positions of a plurality of persons;person position selection means for selecting the position of at least one person which is a subject to be processed from the positions of the plural persons detected by said person position detection means;voice input means for individually inputting voices through a plurality of channels;filter constraint setting means for making one of person positions to be an object position among at least person positions selected by said person position selection means, and setting constraint for raising a sensitivity with respect to a voice from the object position as compared with other sensitivities with respect to voices from person positions which have not been selected;input signal generating means for generating an input signal which can be observed on the assumption that a sound source signal, which has been arbitrarily generated, is disposed at a person position except for the object position;filter determining means for determining a filter for lowering the sensitivity with respect to voices from person positions except for the object portion under the constraint set by said filter constraint setting means and in accordance with the input signal generated by said input signal generating means; andvoice extracting means for subjecting the voice input by said voice input means to a filter process by using a filter coefficient obtained by said filter determining means so as to extract the voice.