US 11,172,289 B2 · Acoustic system for detecting and locating low intensity and low frequency sound sources and related locating method

Abstract

An acoustic system and method detect and locate low intensity and low frequency sound sources in an investigation area. An acoustic system is effective in identifying survivors trapped under rubble following a catastrophic event. The acoustic system focuses on the low frequency components of the human voice and includes acoustic sensors for detecting acoustic signals generated by the sound sources and for generating data representative of the acoustic signals. A wireless transmitter transmits the data representative of the detected acoustic signals to an electronic receiver block that receives and analyzes the data. A processor executes calibration of the acoustic sensors of the suite to temporally align each signal received from the acoustic sensors, and executes a digital beamforming to combine the data representative of the detected acoustic signals and to create an acoustic image of the investigation area to locate the low intensity and low frequency sound sources.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An acoustic system (100) for detecting and locating low intensity and low frequency sound sources in an investigation area (IN), comprising:

a suite (1) of acoustic sensors (2) to detect acoustic signals generated by said sound sources and to generate data representative of said acoustic signals;
an electronic receiver block (20) configured to receive and analyze the data representative of the detected acoustic signals;
wireless communication means (15) for transmitting said data representative of the acoustic signals detected by the acoustic sensors (2) to the electronic receiver block (20);
a processing unit (30) operatively associated with the electronic receiver block (20), said processing unit (30) being configured to execute in sequence:
an operation of calibrating the acoustic sensors (2) of the suite (1) to temporally align the acoustic signals received from the acoustic sensors (2),
an operation of digital beamforming to combine the data representative of the acoustic signals detected by the acoustic sensors (2) and to create an acoustic image of the investigation area to locate said low intensity and low frequency sound sources,
characterized in that the suite (1) of acoustic sensors comprises more than one group (4) of acoustic sensors (2), each group (4) of sensors including a plurality of acoustic sensors (2) linearly arranged along a common support (6).

4 more elements

A method for detecting and locating low intensity and low frequency sound sources in an investigation area (IN) by using an acoustic system (100) which comprises:

a suite (1) of acoustic sensors (2), said suite (1) comprising more than one group (4) of acoustic sensors (2), each group (4) of sensors including a plurality of acoustic sensors (2) linearly arranged along a common support (6),
an electronic receiver block (20),
wireless communication means (15),
a processing unit (30) operatively associated with the electronic receiver block (20),
the method comprising the steps of:
executing, by the processing unit (30), an operation of calibrating the acoustic sensors (2) of the suite (1) to temporally align each acoustic signal received from the acoustic sensors (2);
detecting, by the acoustic sensors (2), acoustic signals generated by said sound sources and for generating data representative of said acoustic signals;
transmitting, by the wireless communication means (15), said data representative of the acoustic signals detected by the acoustic sensors (2), to the electronic receiver block (20);
receiving and analyzing, by the electronic receiver block (20), the data representative of the detected acoustic signals;
executing, by the processing unit (30), a digital beamforming to combine the data representative of the acoustic signals detected by the acoustic sensors (2) and to create an acoustic image of the investigation area to locate said low intensity and low frequency sound sources.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Acoustic system for detecting and locating low intensity and low frequency sound sources and related locating method

Life of this patent

Acoustic system for detecting and locating low intensity and low frequency sound sources and related locating method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15