Abstract: A microphone device according to the present disclosure includes: two or more microphone elements for picking up sounds which are disposed in spatially different locations; a baffle that has a surface on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed, and interferes with, among the sounds, a passage of a sound other than a direct sound that travels from a frontal direction in which the two or more microphone elements face and directly reaches the two or more microphone elements; and a directionality synthesizer that produces a directionality synthesized signal by performing directionality synthesis on output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements.

Abstract: A speech input method that includes: detecting whether a user's face is in proximity to a speech input device including at least one microphone; and performing correction processing on an audio signal obtained through sound collection by the at least one microphone when it is detected that the user's face is in proximity to the speech input device.

Abstract: A microphone device according to the present disclosure includes: two or more microphone elements for picking up sounds which are disposed in spatially different locations; a baffle that has a surface on which the two or more microphone elements are disposed, and interferes with, among the sounds, a passage of a sound other than a direct sound that travels from a frontal direction in which the two or more microphone elements face and directly reaches the two or more microphone elements; and a directionality synthesizer that produces a directionality synthesized signal by performing directionality synthesis on output signals outputted by the two or more microphone elements.

Abstract: An unmanned air vehicle is provided. The unmanned air vehicle includes one or more generators, each of which generates a force that drives the unmanned air vehicle to fly and also generates an airflow. Each of one or more first microphones is located in an external region that is not included in any of one or more first airflow regions. Each of the one or more first airflow regions corresponds to the airflow generated by one of the one or more generators. Each of one or more second microphones is located in the external region between at least one of the one or more generators and the one or more first microphones. A processor performs processing on one or more first signals output from the one or more first microphones and one or more second signals output from the one or more second microphones.

Abstract: A speech input method that includes: detecting whether a user's face is in proximity to a speech input device including at least one microphone; and performing correction processing on an audio signal obtained through sound collection by the at least one microphone when it is detected that the user's face is in proximity to the speech input device.

Abstract: A signal processing method includes: multiplying at least one of M signals output from M microphones by a gain so as to equalize sound pressure levels of the M signals, the M signals representing sounds that arrive at the M microphones from a sound source located within a predetermined distance from the M microphones, M being an integer equal to or greater than two; delaying at least one of the M signals so as to resolve time discrepancies between the M signals, the time discrepancies being caused by differences in arrival time between sounds that arrive at the M microphones from the sound source; and applying a filter so as to suppress a signal which is included in the M signals obtained through the multiplying and the delaying and which represents a sound output from the sound source located within the predetermined distance.

Abstract: A sound collecting apparatus is provided. The sound collecting apparatus includes a plurality of microphones that collects external sounds and sounds from noise sources in the sound collecting apparatus. Each microphone outputs a microphone signal. The microphone signal is divided, on a one-to-one basis for each microphone, into signals in mutually different frequency bands. A signal level is calculated, on a one-to-one basis for each divided microphone signal, for each of the mutually different frequency bands. Correlation values are calculated between the microphones for each group of identical frequency bands according to the signal level calculated for each of the mutually different frequency bands of each divided microphone signal. It is decided whether at least one of the microphones is sound-insulated, according to the correlation values.

Abstract: A signal processing method includes: multiplying at least one of M signals output from M microphones by a gain so as to equalize sound pressure levels of the M signals, the M signals representing sounds that arrive at the M microphones from a sound source located within a predetermined distance from the M microphones, M being an integer equal to or greater than two; delaying at least one of the M signals so as to resolve time discrepancies between the M signals, the time discrepancies being caused by differences in arrival time between sounds that arrive at the M microphones from the sound source; and applying a filter so as to suppress a signal which is included in the M signals obtained through the multiplying and the delaying and which represents a sound output from the sound source located within the predetermined distance.

Abstract: A sound source direction estimation device includes: a phase difference calculator which calculates, from an acoustic signal obtained by a microphone array, a first phase difference of a pair of microphone units; a similarity calculator which calculates similarities between the calculated first phase difference and second phase differences precalculated for directions and stored in a phase difference database; a peak searcher which searches for a direction for which a highest similarity is calculated by the similarity calculator, and estimates the direction searched out to be a sound source direction; a feature quantity calculator which uses the calculated similarities, the estimated sound source direction, and an acoustic feature quantity obtained from the obtained acoustic signal, to calculate a feature quantity obtained by correcting the acoustic feature quantity; and a speech/non-speech determiner which determines whether the obtained acoustic signal indicates speech, using the feature quantity calculated

Abstract: A sound source direction estimation device includes: a phase difference calculator which calculates, from an acoustic signal obtained by a microphone array, a first phase difference of a pair of microphone units; a similarity calculator which calculates similarities between the calculated first phase difference and second phase differences precalculated for directions and stored in a phase difference database; a peak searcher which searches for a direction for which a highest similarity is calculated by the similarity calculator, and estimates the direction searched out to be a sound source direction; a feature quantity calculator which uses the calculated similarities, the estimated sound source direction, and an acoustic feature quantity obtained from the obtained acoustic signal, to calculate a feature quantity obtained by correcting the acoustic feature quantity; and a speech/non-speech determiner which determines whether the obtained acoustic signal indicates speech, using the feature quantity calculated

Abstract: A sound collecting apparatus capable of effectively suppressing sounds other than a target sound is provided. The sound collecting apparatus includes a plurality of microphones. A total number of effective microphone pairs in which a distance between two microphones is smaller than a distance D is larger than a total number of the plurality of microphones. The distance D is represented by D=c/2f, where the frequency of the target sound acquired from each of the plurality of microphones is f and sound velocity is c. When an angle formed by a straight line connecting two microphones configuring an effective microphone pair and a predetermined straight line is ?, the angles ? of all effective microphone pairs acquired from the plurality of microphones are different from each other.

Abstract: A sound source probing apparatus, including storage and processing circuitry, is provided that probes a direction of a sound source. The processing circuitry performs operations including determining a first correlation matrix that is a correlation matrix of acoustic signals acquired as observation signals by a microphone array including two or more microphones disposed apart from each other. The operations also include determining, by learning, weights such that a linear sum of a plurality of second correlation matrices multiplied by the respective weights is equal to the first correlation matrix where the plurality of second correlation matrices are correlation matrices, which are determined for respective directions determined based on an array arrangement of the microphone array and which are stored in advance in the storage.

Abstract: An unmanned air vehicle is provided. The unmanned air vehicle includes one or more generators, each of which generates a force that drives the unmanned air vehicle to fly and also generates an airflow. Each of one or more first microphones is located in an external region that is not included in any of one or more first airflow regions. Each of the one or more first airflow regions corresponds to the airflow generated by one of the one or more generators. Each of one or more second microphones is located in the external region between at least one of the one or more generators and the one or more first microphones. A processor performs processing on one or more first signals output from the one or more first microphones and one or more second signals output from the one or more second microphones.

Abstract: A noise extracting device includes first and second microphones that are provided at spatially different positions and pick up sounds, a first noise signal extractor that extracts a first noise signal included in a first signal obtained by subjecting output signals of the first and second microphones to directionality combining, a second noise signal extractor that obtains a second noise signal included in a second signal different from the first signal in a condition of the directionality combining, and a noise signal separator that separates the first and second noise signals into individual noise signals indicating noises generated in the respective first and second microphones.

Abstract: A sound collecting apparatus capable of effectively suppressing sounds other than a target sound is provided. The sound collecting apparatus includes a plurality of microphones. A total number of effective microphone pairs in which a distance between two microphones is smaller than a distance D is larger than a total number of the plurality of microphones. The distance D is represented by D=c/2f, where the frequency of the target sound acquired from each of the plurality of microphones is f and sound velocity is c. When an angle formed by a straight line connecting two microphones configuring an effective microphone pair and a predetermined straight line is ?, the angles ? of all effective microphone pairs acquired from the plurality of microphones are different from each other.

Abstract: A sound source probing apparatus, including storage and processing circuitry, is provided that probes a direction of a sound source. The processing circuitry performs operations including determining a first correlation matrix that is a correlation matrix of acoustic signals acquired as observation signals by a microphone array including two or more microphones disposed apart from each other. The operations also include determining, by learning, weights such that a linear sum of a plurality of second correlation matrices multiplied by the respective weights is equal to the first correlation matrix where the plurality of second correlation matrices are correlation matrices, which are determined for respective directions determined based on an array arrangement of the microphone array and which are stored in advance in the storage.

Abstract: A noise extracting device includes first and second microphones that are provided at spatially different positions and pick up sounds, a first noise signal extractor that extracts a first noise signal included in a first signal obtained by subjecting output signals of the first and second microphones to directionality combining, a second noise signal extractor that obtains a second noise signal included in a second signal different from the first signal in a condition of the directionality combining, and a noise signal separator that separates the first and second noise signals into individual noise signals indicating noises generated in the respective first and second microphones.

Abstract: A sound collecting apparatus is provided. The sound collecting apparatus includes a plurality of microphones that collects external sounds and sounds from noise sources in the sound collecting apparatus. Each microphone outputs a microphone signal. The microphone signal is divided, on a one-to-one basis for each microphone, into signals in mutually different frequency bands. A signal level is calculated, on a one-to-one basis for each divided microphone signal, for each of the mutually different frequency bands. Correlation values are calculated between the microphones for each group of identical frequency bands according to the signal level calculated for each of the mutually different frequency bands of each divided microphone signal. It is decided whether at least one of the microphones is sound-insulated, according to the correlation values.

Abstract: A sound source localization apparatus is provided which can more surely detect a sound source located in a detection target region. The sound source localization apparatus includes a plurality of microphones and a baffle. The baffle has a first surface and a second surface. The second surface is a surface opposite to the first surface. The plurality of microphones are two-dimensionally arrayed and fixed in the first surface. The baffle allows the plurality of microphones to pick up direct sound arriving at the first surface and prevents the plurality of microphones from picking up direct sound arriving at the second surface.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a first microphone disposed near a first seat in a car cabin, the first seat configured to seat a first occupant, a second microphone disposed near a second seat in the car cabin, the second seat configured to seat a second occupant, a processor, and a memory storing a computer program. The computer program, when executed, causes the processor to execute operations including: estimating a first mixed speech using a second signal acquired by the second microphone, the first mixed speech including a first speech that has been uttered by the second occupant and has entered the first microphone, and removing the first mixed speech from a first signal acquired by the first microphone.