Patent ID: 6826284
Filing Date: 2004-11-30
Classification: G01S,H04N,H04R

Abstract:
A method of locating an acoustic source within a physical environment with use of a plurality of microphones placed at different locations within said physical environment, each microphone receiving an acoustic signal resulting from said acoustic source and generating a corresponding microphone output signal in response thereto, the method comprising the steps of:estimating a first impulse response representative of the acoustic signal received by a first one of said microphones and estimating a second impulse response representative of the acoustic signal received by a second one of said microphones; determining a relative time delay of arrival between said acoustic signal received by said first one of said microphones and said acoustic signal received by said second one of said microphones, said determination based on said estimated first impulse response and on said estimated second impulse response; and locating said acoustic source within said physical environment based on said determined relative time delay of arrival, wherein the step of estimating the first and second impulse responses includes filtering said microphone output signal of said first one of said microphones with a first adaptive filter and filtering said microphone output signal of said second one of said microphones with a second adaptive filter; and, said step of estimating the first and second impulse responses further includes adjusting said first adaptive filter to provide an estimate of said second impulse response and adjusting said second adaptive filter to provide an estimate of said first impulse response.