WEARABLE DIRECTIONAL MICROPHONE ARRAY APPARATUS AND SYSTEM

摘要

A wearable, shoulder-mounted microphone array apparatus and system used as a bi-directional audio and assisted listening device system. The present invention advances hearing aids and assisted listening devices to allow construction of a highly directional audio array that is wearable, natural sounding, and convenient to direct, as well as to provide directional cues to users who have partial or total loss of hearing in one or both ears. The advantages of the invention include simultaneously providing high gain, high directivity, high side lobe attenuation, and consistent beam width; providing significant beam forming at lower frequencies where substantial noises are present, particularly in noisy, reverberant environments; and allowing construction of a cost effective body-worn or body-carried directional audio device.

主权项

1. An apparatus comprising:
a wearable garment having a left shoulder portion and a right shoulder portion; a first plurality of sensors disposed on the left shoulder portion of the wearable garment, the first plurality of sensors comprising an array; a second plurality of sensors disposed on the right shoulder portion of the wearable garment, the second plurality of sensors comprising an array; and, an audio processing module, the audio processing module being operable to combine a first stage beamformed audio input from the first plurality of sensors and a first stage beamformed audio input from the second plurality of sensors to render a digital audio output.