Impulsive sound localization using crest factor of the time-domain beamformer output

빔형성기 출력의 파고율을 이용한 충격음의 방향 추정

This paper presents a beamforming technique for locating impulsive sound source. The conventional frequency-domain beamformer is advantageous for localizing noise sources for a certain frequency band of concern, but the existence of many frequency components in the wide-band spectrum of impulsive noise makes the beamforming image less clear. In contrast to a frequency-domain beamformer, it has been reported that a time-domain beamformer can be better suited for transient signals. Although both frequency- and time-domain beamformers produce the same result for the beamforming power, which is defined as the RMS value of its output, we can use alternative directional estimators such as the peak value and crest factor to enhance the performance of a time-domain beamformer. In this study, the performance of three different directional estimators, the peak, crest factor and RMS output values, are investigated and compared with the incoherent interfering noise embedded in multiple microphone signals. The proposed formula is verified via experiments in an anechoic chamber using a uniformly spaced linear array. The results show that the peak estimation of beamformer output determines the location with better spatial resolution and a lower side lobe level than crest factor and RMS estimation in noise free condition, but it is possible to accurately estimate the direction of the impulsive sound source using crest factor estimation in noisy environment with stationary interfering noise.