Reverberation-Robust One-Bit TDOA Based Moving Source Localization for Automatic Camera Steering

Abstract

We address the problem of moving acoustic source localization and automatic camera steering using one-bit measurement of the time-difference of arrival (TDOA) between two microphones in a given array. Given that the camera has a finite field of view (FoV), an algorithm with a coarse estimate of the source location would suffice for the purpose. We use a microphone array and develop an algorithm to obtain a coarse estimate of the source using only one-bit information of the TDOA, the sign of it, to be precise. One advantage of the one-bit approach is that the computational complexity is lower, which aids in real-time adaptation and localization of the moving source. We carried out experiments in a reverberant enclosure with a 60 dB reverberation time of 600 ms (RT60 = 600 ms). We analyzed the performance of the proposed approach using a circular microphone array. We report comparisons with a point source localization based automatic camera steering algorithm proposed in the literature. The proposed algorithm turned out to be more accurate in terms of always having the moving speaker within the field of view.