Patent ID: 8189806

Claim:
A sound collection apparatus, comprising: at least one target sound collection means for collecting a sound including a target sound generated from a target sound source, so as to output a collected-sound signal; a plurality of non-target sound collection means, provided at positions different from each other, forming dead zones of sensitivity in a direction of the target sound source, respectively, and forming an overlap region in which the dead zones overlap each other, so as to collect a sound outside the dead zones and output a collected-sound signal; a sensitivity suppression means for generating a sensitivity suppression signal for suppressing a sound collection sensitivity in an overlap region in which a plurality of the dead zones overlap each other, as compared to a region surrounding the overlap region, by subjecting, to a predetermined signal processing, the collected-sound signal outputted by each of the plurality of non-target sound collection means; and an extraction means for removing, from the collected-sound signal outputted by the at least one target sound collection means, the sensitivity suppression signal generated by the sensitivity suppression means, so as to extract a signal of a sound generated in the overlap region in which the plurality of the dead zones overlap each other.