A Biologically Inspired Coupled Microphone Array for Sound Source Bearing Estimation

Abstract

The Ormia ochracea, a species of parasitic fly, has a remarkable localization ability despite the tiny interaural distance compared with the incoming wavelength. The mechanical coupling between its ears enhances the differences of the two received signals, the main cues to locate the source. Inspired by the coupling mechanism, we present a miniature coupled two-microphone array for estimating sound source horizontal bearing. The coupled array consists of a standard two-microphone array and a two-input, two-output filter which implements the coupling. The relationship between filter parameters and time delay magnification is investigated to provide theoretical support for array design. With appropriate parameters, the time delay of received signals can be linearly magnified. Based on the linear magnification, we present a method for estimating source direction using the coupled array. The influence of time delay magnification on time delay estimation accuracy is explored through the general cross-correlation (GCC) method. Experiments are conducted to verify the coupled array and demonstrate its advantages on improving the resolution of estimation of time delay and accuracy of bearing estimation compared with the standard array with the same element spacing.