Rain detection using exterior microphones
AssigneeZoox, Inc.
InventorsDavid Donald Logan, Nehemia Girma Terefe, Xuan Zhong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method includes receiving an audio signal from a microphone and processing the audio signal to identify a signal component that is associated with a resonance of at least part of a microphone unit disposed on a vehicle. The microphone unit includes the microphone and a protective element arranged to shield the microphone from environmental material. The method includes determining, based at least in part on the identified signal components, a characteristic indicative of the protective element having shielded the microphone from environmental material.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a microphone unit for mounting on a vehicle, the microphone unit comprising a housing, a microphone, and a protective mesh arranged to shield the microphone from environmental material, wherein the housing and the protective mesh delimit a cavity of the microphone unit;
- one or more processors;
- and
- one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
- receiving an audio signal from the microphone;
- processing the audio signal to identify a signal component that is associated with a resonance of the cavity of the microphone unit, the identified signal component having a frequency depending on an extent to which perforations of the protective mesh are plugged by water;
- and
- determining, based at least in part on the frequency of the identified signal component, a characteristic quantifying rainfall in a vicinity of the vehicle.
A method comprising:
- receiving an audio signal from a microphone;
- processing the audio signal to identify a signal component that is associated with a resonance of at least part of a microphone unit disposed on a vehicle, the microphone unit comprising the microphone and a protective element arranged to shield the microphone from environmental material;
- and
- determining, based at least in part on the identified signal components, a characteristic indicative of the protective element having shielded the microphone from environmental material.
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions executable by one or more processors, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:
- receiving an audio signal from a microphone;
- processing the audio signal to identify a signal component that is associated with a resonance of at least part of a microphone unit disposed on a vehicle, the microphone unit comprising the microphone and a protective element arranged to shield the microphone from environmental material;
- and
- determining, based at least in part on the identified signal component, a characteristic indicative of the protective element having shielded the microphone from environmental material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.