# US 12,015,901 B2 · Information processing device, and calculation method

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- Number: US 12,015,901 B2
- Document ID: US12015901B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/830,931
- Filed: 2022-06-02
- Published: 2022-09-15
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2019-12-20
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Applicants: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
- Inventors: Tomoharu Awano; Masaru Kimura
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015901B2

## CPC

- H04R 3/005: {for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407)}
- G10L 21/0208: Noise filtering
- H04R 1/406: {microphones}
- H04R 3/04: for correcting frequency response
- H04R 29/005: {Microphone arrays}
- G10L 2021/02166: {Microphone arrays; Beamforming}
- H04R 2201/403: Linear arrays of transducers
- H04R 2430/03: Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing
- H04R 2430/23: Direction finding using a sum-delay beam-former
- H04R 2430/25: Array processing for suppression of unwanted side-lobes in directivity characteristics, e.g. a blocking matrix
- H04R 2499/13: Acoustic transducers and sound field adaptation in vehicles
- H04R: LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; ELECTRIC HEARING AIDS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS (producing sounds with frequency not determined by supply frequency G10K)
- G10L: SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING

## Abstract

An information processing device includes a sound signal acquisition unit that acquires sound signals outputted from a mic array, an analysis unit that analyzes frequencies of the sound signals, an information acquisition unit that acquires predetermined information indicating a steering vector in a first direction as a direction from the mic array to a target sound source, and a calculation unit that calculates a filter for formation in a second direction as a direction different from the first direction based on the frequencies and the information indicating the steering vector in the first direction and calculates a steering vector in the second direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the second direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processing device comprising:
a sound signal acquiring circuitry to acquire sound signals outputted from a plurality of microphones;
an analyzing circuitry to analyze frequencies of the sound signals;
an information acquiring circuitry to acquire predetermined information indicating a steering vector in a first direction as a direction from the plurality of microphones to a target sound source; and
a first calculating circuitry to calculate a filter for formation in a second direction as a direction different from the first direction based on the frequencies and the information indicating the steering vector in the first direction and calculate a steering vector in the second direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the second direction.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising a second calculating circuitry, wherein
the information acquiring circuitry acquires predetermined information indicating the steering vector in the second direction, and
the second calculating circuitry calculates a filter for formation in the first direction based on the frequencies and the information indicating the steering vector in the second direction and calculates the steering vector in the first direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the first direction.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein
the second calculating circuitry includes a beamforming processing circuitry, and
the beamforming processing circuitry executes a process of forming a beam in the second direction based on the calculated steering vector in the second direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein
the first calculating circuitry includes a beamforming processing circuitry, and
the beamforming processing circuitry executes a process of forming a beam in the first direction based on the calculated steering vector in the first direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein
the sound signal acquiring circuitry acquires sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones after the calculation of the steering vector in the first direction, and
the first calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the second direction by using frequencies of the sound signals acquired after the calculation of the steering vector in the first direction and the calculated steering vector in the first direction and calculates the steering vector in the second direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the second direction.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein
the sound signal acquiring circuitry acquires sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones after the calculation of the steering vector in the second direction, and
the second calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the first direction by using frequencies of the sound signals acquired after the calculation of the steering vector in the second direction and the calculated steering vector in the second direction and calculates the steering vector in the first direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the first direction.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein
each time sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones are acquired, the second calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the first direction by using frequencies of the acquired sound signals, the information indicating the steering vector in the second direction, and a cross-correlation matrix, and
the cross-correlation matrix is an average of a matrix representing frequency components of the acquired sound signals and the cross-correlation matrix used in the calculation of the filter at the previous time.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The information processing device according to claim 7, further comprising a speech judging circuitry to judge whether or not there occurred speech in the first direction or the second direction based on an image obtained by photographing a user or sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones,
wherein the second calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the first direction when there occurred speech in the first direction.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein
each time sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones are acquired, the first calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the second direction by using frequencies of the acquired sound signals, the information indicating the steering vector in the first direction, and a cross-correlation matrix, and
the cross-correlation matrix is an average of a matrix representing frequency components of the acquired sound signals and the cross-correlation matrix used in the calculation of the filter at the previous time.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The information processing device according to claim 9, further comprising a speech judging circuitry to judge whether or not there occurred speech in the first direction or the second direction based on an image obtained by photographing a user or sound signals outputted from the plurality of microphones,
wherein the first calculating circuitry calculates the filter for the formation in the second direction when there occurred speech in the second direction.

### Claim 11

A calculation method performed by an information processing device, the calculation method comprising:
acquiring sound signals outputted from a plurality of microphones;
analyzing frequencies of the sound signals;
acquiring predetermined information indicating a steering vector in a first direction as a direction from the plurality of microphones to a target sound source;
calculating a filter for formation in a second direction as a direction different from the first direction based on the frequencies and the information indicating the steering vector in the first direction; and
calculating a steering vector in the second direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the second direction.

### Claim 12

An information processing device comprising:
a processor to execute a program; and
a memory to store the program which, when executed by the processor, performs processes of,
acquiring sound signals outputted from a plurality of microphones;
analyzing frequencies of the sound signals;
acquiring predetermined information indicating a steering vector in a first direction as a direction from the plurality of microphones to a target sound source;
calculating a filter for formation in a second direction as a direction different from the first direction based on the frequencies and the information indicating the steering vector in the first direction; and
calculating a steering vector in the second direction by using an expression indicating a relationship between the calculated filter and the steering vector in the second direction.