A data-processing method for determining at least one spatial coordinate of a sound source emitting a sound signal, in a three-dimensional space, includes the following steps: obtaining at least one first signal and one second signal from the sound signal, collected according to separate directivities by a first sensor and a second sensor; deducing from the first and second signals an expression of at least one first spatial coordinate of the sound source, the expression comprising an uncertainty; determining additional information relating to the first spatial coordinate of the sound source, from a comparison between the respective features of the signals collected by the first and second sensors; and determining the first spatial coordinate of the sound source on the basis of the expression and the additional information.

A hearing device includes a) a multitude of input transducers providing a corresponding multitude of electric input signals; and b) a processor for providing a processed signal in dependence of the electric input signals. The processor includes b1) a beamformer for providing a spatially filtered signal in dependence of electric input signals and beamformer filter coefficients determined in dependence of a fixed steering vector including as elements respective acoustic transfer functions from a target signal source, to each of said multitude of input transducers; and b2) a target adaptation module connected to the input transducers and to at least one beamformer, the target adaptation module being configured to provide compensation signals to compensate the electric input signals so that they match the fixed steering vector.

Systems and methods for improving performance of a directional audio capture system are provided. An example method includes correlating phase plots of at least two audio inputs, with the audio inputs being captured by at least two microphones. The method can further include generating, based on the correlation, estimates of salience at different directional angles to localize a direction of a source of sound. The method can allow providing cues to the directional audio capture system based on the estimates. The cues include attenuation levels. A rate of change of the levels of attenuation is controlled by attack and release time constants to avoid sound artifacts. The method also includes determining a mode based on an absence or presence of one or more peaks in the estimates of salience. The method also provides for configuring the directional audio capture system based on the determined mode.

An audio system is proposed, dynamically playing optimized audio signals based on user position. A sensor circuits dynamically senses a target space to generate field context information. First speaker and second speaker are arranged for audio playback. A host device recognizes a user from the field context information, determines the user position corresponding to the target space, and adaptively assigns the user position as a target listening spot. A sensor circuit contains a camera capturing an ambient image out of the target space. A control circuit utilizes a user interface circuit to perform a configuration procedure which determines location, size and acoustic attribute information of an ambient object, and the control circuit accordingly performs a channel-based compensation operation on the target listening spot to generate optimized first channel audio signal and second channel audio signal.

An audio system is proposed, dynamically playing optimized audio signals based on user position. A sensor circuits dynamically senses a target space to generate field context information. First speaker and second speaker are arranged for audio playback. A host device recognizes a user from the field context information, determines the user position corresponding to the target space, and adaptively assigns the user position as a target listening spot. A sensor circuit contains a camera capturing an ambient image out of the target space. A recognizer circuit analyzes the ambient image to obtain from the target space, the location, size, and acoustic attribute information of an ambient object, allowing the control circuit to accordingly perform a channel-based compensation operation on the target listening spot to generate optimized first channel audio signal and second channel audio signal.

A hearing aid comprises a resulting beam former (Y) for providing a resulting beamformed signal Y.sub.BF based on first and second electric input signals IN.sub.1 and IN.sub.2, first and second sets of complex frequency dependent weighting parameters W.sub.11(k), W.sub.12(k) and W.sub.21(k), W.sub.22(k), and a resulting complex, frequency dependent adaptation parameter β(k)•β(k) may be determined as <C.sub.2*•C.sub.1>/<(|C2|.sup.2>+c), where * denotes the complex conjugation and • denotes the statistical expectation operator, and c is a constant, and wherein said adaptive beam former filtering unit (BFU) comprises a smoothing unit for implementing said statistical expectation operator by smoothing the complex expression C.sub.2*•C.sub.1 and the real expression |C.sub.2>.sup.2 over time. Alternatively, β(k) may be determined from the following expression

[00001]$\beta =\frac{w_{C.Math..Math.1}^H.Math.C_v.Math.w_{C.Math..Math.2}}{w_{C.Math..Math.2}^H.Math.C_v.Math.w_{C.Math..Math.2}},$

where w.sub.C1 and w.sub.C2 are the beamformer weights representing the first (C.sub.1) and the second (C.sub.2) beamformers, respectively, C.sub.v is a noise covariance matrix, and H denotes Hermitian transposition. Corresponding methods of operating a hearing aid, and a hearing aid utilizing smoothing β(k) based on adaptive covariance smoothing are disclosed.

Offset cartridge microphones are provided that include multiple unidirectional microphone cartridges mounted in an offset geometry. Various desired polar patterns and/or desired steering angles can be formed by processing the audio signals from the multiple cartridges, including a toroidal polar pattern. The offset geometry of the cartridges may include mounting the cartridges so that they are immediately adjacent to one another and so that their center axes are offset from one another. The microphones may have a more consistent on-axis frequency response and may more uniformly form desired polar patterns and/or desired steering angles by reducing the interference and reflections within and between the cartridges.

A loudspeaker configured to provide asymmetrical beam coverage. A first group of drivers to outputs a first beam pattern. A second group of drivers, which is different from the first group of drivers, is configured to output a second beam pattern. A transmission line is adapted to output signals to the first driver group and the second driver group to provide an asymmetrical beam pattern. The first driver group outputs a beam pattern different than the second driver group. This can improve acoustic coverage, e.g., sound pressure levels, in the acoustic environment. In an example, the transmission line is separated into two distinct parts that feeds the first driver group and the second driver group respectively.

A production work flow optimized multichannel virtual reality microphone that has its own rendering software allowing for the recording, rendering, and playing back of immersive, head-trackable positional audio for 360 video, gaming, and virtual reality applications. The multichannel microphone used to record multiple binaural sound perspectives, has eight microphones coupled to a rotatable disc frictionally mounted on the outside of a truncated spherical shell, an internal, detachable clamp for attaching the shell to a vertical pole stand, and easily accessible microphone output connections configured as four stereo microphone pairs, spaced closely to an average set of human ears. The microphone output connections are located on an internal support member. These are accessible through upper and lower lids and a door. Four small baffles simulating the pinna of the human ear reside on the disc, separating the paired microphones.

Passive device for broadband acoustic acquisition (3) that can communicate with a digital processing unit (4), the device including a plurality of microphone sensors (7) that can generate an electric signal (8) that is representative of an acoustic pressure (9) received, electronics for processing and digitizing (12) electric signals being able to adapt the electric signals and transform them into digital signals (13) of acoustic pressure, transfer electronics (14) being able to communicate with a digital processing unit (4) and to make possible the transfer of the digital signals of acoustic pressure to the digital processing unit. The microphone sensors and the transfer electronics are mounted on a multifunctional rigid support element (17) that incorporates the processing and digitizing electronics.