Apparatus and method for deriving a directional information and computer program product

System comprising:

• an apparatus for deriving directional information estimates from a plurality of microphone signals or from a plurality of components of a microphone signal, wherein different effective microphone look directions are associated with the microphone signals or the components, the apparatus comprising:
• a combiner configured to:
• acquire, for each time-frequency tile of a plurality of time-frequency tiles, a first magnitude value from a first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• acquire, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a second magnitude value from a second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• provide a first direction information item describing an effective first microphone look direction associated with the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the first direction information item being a first vector pointing in the first effective microphone look direction,
• provide a second direction information item describing an effective second microphone look direction associated with the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the second direction information item being a second vector pointing in the second effective microphone look direction, wherein the first and second vectors are independent from the plurality of time frequency tiles, and
• linearly combine, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, the first vector weighted depending on the first magnitude value of the time-frequency tile and the second vector weighted depending on the second magnitude value of the time-frequency tile to derive, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a result vector as the directional information estimate for each time-frequency tile;
• a first directional microphone comprising the first effective microphone look direction for deriving the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals, the first microphone signal being associated with the first effective microphone look direction;
• and
• a second directional microphone comprising the second effective microphone look direction for deriving the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals, the second microphone signal being associated with the second effective microphone look direction;
• and
• wherein the effective first microphone look direction is different from the effective second microphone look direction.

System comprising:

• an apparatus for deriving a directional information estimate from a plurality of microphone signals or from a plurality of components of a microphone signal, wherein different effective microphone look directions are associated with the microphone signals or the components, the apparatus comprising:
• a combiner configured to:
• acquire, for each time-frequency tile of a plurality of time-frequency tiles, a first magnitude value from a first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• acquire, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a second magnitude value from a second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• provide a first direction information item describing an effective first microphone look direction associated with the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the first direction information item being a first vector pointing in the first effective microphone look direction,
• provide a second direction information item describing an effective second microphone look direction associated with the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the second direction information item being a second vector pointing in the second effective microphone look direction, wherein the first and second vectors are independent from the plurality of time frequency tiles, and
• linearly combine, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, the first vector weighted depending on the first magnitude value of the time-frequency tile and the second vector weighted depending on the second magnitude value of the time-frequency tile to derive, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a result vector as the directional information estimate for each time-frequency tile;
• a first omnidirectional microphone that derives the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals;
• a second omnidirectional microphone that derives the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals;
• and
• a shadowing object placed between the first omnidirectional microphone and the second omnidirectional microphone for shaping effective response patterns of the first omnidirectional microphone and of the second omnidirectional microphone, such that a shaped effective response pattern of the first omnidirectional microphone comprises the first effective microphone look direction and a shaped effective response pattern of the second omnidirectional microphone comprises the second effective microphone look direction, the second effective microphone look direction being different from the first effective microphone look direction.

Method for deriving directional information estimates from a plurality of microphone signals or from a plurality of components of a microphone signal, wherein different effective microphone look directions are associated with the microphone signals or the components, the method comprising:

• acquiring, for each time-frequency tile of a plurality of time-frequency tiles, a first magnitude value from a first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal;
• acquiring, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a second magnitude value from a second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• providing a first direction information item describing an effective first microphone look direction associated with the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the first direction information item being a first vector pointing in the first effective microphone look direction,
• providing a second direction information item describing an effective second microphone look direction associated with the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the second direction information item being a second vector pointing in the second effective microphone look direction, wherein the first and second vectors are independent from the plurality of time frequency tiles, and
• linearly combining, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, the first vector weighted depending on the first magnitude value of the time-frequency tile and the second vector weighted depending on the second magnitude value of the time-frequency tile to derive, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a result vector as the directional information estimate for each time-frequency tile;
• wherein the effective first microphone look direction is different from the effective second microphone look direction.

A non-transitory computer readable medium including a computer program comprising a program code for, when running on a computer, performing the method for deriving directional information estimates from a plurality of microphone signals or from a plurality of components of a microphone signal, wherein different effective microphone look directions are associated with the microphone signals or the components, the method comprising:

• acquiring, for each time-frequency tile of a plurality of time-frequency tiles, a first magnitude value from a first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal;
• acquiring, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a second magnitude value from a second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or from a second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal,
• providing a first direction information item describing an effective first microphone look direction associated with the first microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the first component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the first direction information item being a first vector pointing in the first effective microphone look direction,
• providing a second direction information item describing an effective second microphone look direction associated with the second microphone signal of the plurality of microphone signals or with the second component of the plurality of components of the microphone signal, the second direction information item being a second vector pointing in the second effective microphone look direction, wherein the first and second vectors are independent from the plurality of time frequency tiles, and
• linearly combining, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, the first vector weighted depending on the first magnitude value of the time-frequency tile and the second vector weighted depending on the second magnitude value of the time-frequency tile to derive, for each time-frequency tile of the plurality of time-frequency tiles, a result vector as the directional information estimate for each time time-frequency tile;
• wherein the effective first microphone look direction is different from the effective second microphone look direction.