JP4543408B2 - Sound source direction detection and transmission device - Google Patents

Description

In particular, the present invention is a sound source that is applied to assisting actions such as alerting and avoiding danger by detecting the direction of a sound source in a normal living behavior environment carried by a person who is deaf The present invention relates to a direction detection transmission device.

A conventional sound source direction detection device cannot be worn and carried by a person with hearing impairment (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
According to the conventional sound source direction detection device, it has a function to accurately detect the direction of the sound source. However, the conventional sound source direction detection device is used for automatic surveillance cameras, devices with fixed service robots, and diver navigators. There is a problem in using it to know the direction of the sound source at the same time as the sound is generated while a person who is hard of hearing carries easily and performs normal living behavior.

In addition, devices such as hearing aids only amplify the volume, cannot detect the direction of the sound source, and even hearing-impaired people who cannot use even hearing aids are further alerted by sound or perceived danger. It Is difficult.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-83982

The above conventional techniques have the following problems.
1. A hearing aid can determine the presence and content of sound, but cannot determine the direction of the sound source.
2. Even if a sound source direction detection device is used, it is difficult to use it when a person carries it with him / her and performs a normal living behavior by detecting the direction of the sound source using a device such as a fixed automatic surveillance camera.

In the conventional example above, it provides a means for people who are hard of hearing to carry with them to know the direction of the sound source during normal living activities.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a sound source direction detection and transmission device according to the present invention has the following characteristic configuration.
(1) A sound detection transmission block consisting of four microphones and a vibration motor is assembled in a belt and wrapped around the torso to install the sound detection transmission block on the front, back, left and right of the body. It is simplified by dividing 360 degrees into four blocks, and it is collected in any of the four directions of front, rear, left and right that are practically easy to detect without detecting the precise direction, and finally the direction of sound generation is Let them know and help them check the situation visually.

(2) The apparatus as described in (1) above, an amplifier circuit for amplifying a microphone signal, a comparator capable of switching and setting sound pressure level judgment, a microprocessor, a motor drive circuit for driving a vibration motor, all A controller composed of a battery serving as a power source.

(3) The device according to (1), wherein the vibration motor of the sound detection transmission block that first detects the sound is driven to transmit the direction of the sound source to the belt wearer through a bodily sensation.

(4) In the apparatus according to (1) above, the sound detection range of one sound detection transmission block is within a range of a line orthogonal to a line connecting the sound detection transmission blocks on both adjacent sides. If the sound is detected before the other sound detection transmission block, it is determined that there is a sound source within the range angle, and if two adjacent sound detection blocks are detected simultaneously, one of the sound detection blocks Become priority.

(5) The apparatus according to (1), wherein the order of sound detection is determined by a microprocessor, one vibration motor to be driven is determined based on the determination result, and the vibration motor is stopped after driving for a predetermined time. .

(6) The apparatus according to (1), wherein the microprocessor temporarily stops the sound detection operation while driving the vibration motor after the sound detection order is determined, and restarts the sound detection operation after stopping the vibration motor. .

In the present invention, since the rising signal of the sound is used, the vibration motor is driven after the sound detection determination, and the continuation of the sound is determined immediately after being stopped, and the sound source direction detection is resumed after the sound falls below the detection level. To do.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sound source direction detection / transmission device that can be used for knowing the detection direction of a sound source through vibration sensation by wearing the sound source direction detection / transmission device and assisting in visually judging the situation. .

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sound source direction detection and transmission device according to the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a layout diagram of sound detection and transmission blocks in the same embodiment, and FIG. It is an arrangement plan of a detection transmission block.

When the belt 3 incorporating four sound detection transmission blocks 10, 11, 12, and 13 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the body, the belt 3 is disposed on the front, rear, left and right on the horizontal plane of the body as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the outputs of the microphones 20, 21, 22, and 23 in these sound detection transmission blocks 10 to 13 are amplified by four amplifiers 30, 31, 32, and 33, and then the sound pressure comparator 40. , 41, 42, 43, and input to the microprocessor 71.

The microprocessor 71 drives and vibrates one of the vibration mooks 60, 61, 62, 63 via the motor drive circuits 50, 51, 52, 53.

The detection order is determined by the difference in distance from the sound source to each of the microphones 20 to 23, and the change in the signal that is amplified by the amplifiers 30 to 33 and exceeds the sound pressure set by the setting device 70 is input to the microprocessor 71. Determine the detected signal.

When a sound source is located in a direction orthogonal to a line connecting two adjacent sound detection transmission blocks, a change in two signals is detected at the same time, but the sound detection blocks located before and after are given priority.

The microprocessor pauses the next sound source direction detection immediately after detecting the sound source direction, and resumes the next sound source direction detection in the absence of sound detection input after the vibration motor stops.

The power source serving as the power of the present invention is a battery, and is excellent in portability.

Since the direction in which the sound detection transmission block 10 closest to the sound source direction shown in the example of FIG. 3 is the sound source direction is the microprocessor 71, the position of the sound detection transmission block 10 that first detected the signal change is the direction of the sound source. Determination is made, only the handling motor 60 of the detected block is driven, and the direction of the sound source is transmitted to the wearer by the vibration experience.

Configuration block diagram of a sound source direction detection and transmission device showing an embodiment of the present invention Arrangement diagram of sound detection transmission block of sound source direction detection transmission apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows the example of a detection of the sound source arrival direction at the time of mounting | wearing the body of the sound source direction detection transmission apparatus which shows embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Controller 2 Cable 3 Belt 10, 11, 12, 13 Sound detection transmission block 20, 21, 22, 23 Microphone 30, 31, 32, 33 Amplifier 40, 41, 42, 43 Sound pressure comparator 50, 51, 52 , 53 Motor drive circuit 60, 61, 62, 63 Vibration motor 70 Sound pressure level setter 71 Microprocessor

Claims (3)

Consists of a belt incorporating four sound detection transmission blocks consisting of a microphone and vibration motor, and a controller that controls the input and output of each sound detection transmission block. By attaching a belt incorporating a sound detection transmission block to the body, Each sound detection transmission block is placed on the same horizontal plane of the wearer's body in front, back, left, and right to detect sound based on the difference in distance from the transient or intermittent sound source to each sound detection transmission block. A portable sound source direction detection and transmission device that performs ordering determination, vibrates a sound detection transmission block that is first detected, informs the direction by a bodily sensation, and finally confirms the state of the sound source direction by visual observation. The sound source direction detection and transmission device according to claim 1, wherein all the detection is stopped and the vibration sound of the motor is ignored while the vibration motor is being driven for a certain time after the sound is detected. 2. The sound source direction detection and transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising a sound pressure level switch for ignoring ambient low level noise.

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