Direction Estimation of Sound Sources Using Microphone Arrays and Signal Strength
Mahdi Ali Pour, Zahra Habibzadeh
TL;DR
This work tackles directional sound-tracking with minimal hardware by proposing an intensity-based method using three microphones arranged at $0^{\circ}$, $120^{\circ}$, and $240^{\circ}$. By thresholding the received signal, collecting $N$ samples, converting the averaged powers to polar vectors, and summing to obtain a resultant $(X,Y)$, the method computes the direction via $ResultAngle = \atan2(Y,X)$ and uses $ResultMag$ for amplitude-related decisions, enabling servo-driven tracking. The approach achieves localization errors below $<6^{\circ}$ with about $98\%$ precision on a budget-friendly Arduino platform, demonstrating practicality for smart homes, robotics, and security contexts. This lightweight baseline provides a feasible alternative to computationally heavy SSL techniques and opens avenues for rapid deployment in low-resource environments, with future work aiming to improve sampling rate, scalability, and robustness in noisy conditions.
Abstract
Sound-tracking refers to the process of determining the direction from which a sound originates, making it a fundamental component of sound source localization. This capability is essential in a variety of applications, including security systems, acoustic monitoring, and speaker tracking, where accurately identifying the direction of a sound source enables real-time responses, efficient resource allocation, and improved situational awareness. While sound-tracking is closely related to localization, it specifically focuses on identifying the direction of the sound source rather than estimating its exact position in space. Despite its utility, sound-tracking systems face several challenges, such as maintaining directional accuracy and precision, along with the need for sophisticated hardware configurations and complex signal processing algorithms. This paper presents a sound-tracking method using three electret microphones. We estimate the direction of a sound source using a lightweight method that analyzes signals from three strategically placed microphones. By comparing the average power of the received signals, the system infers the most probable direction of the sound. The results indicate that the power level from each microphone effectively determines the sound source direction. Our system employs a straightforward and cost-effective hardware design, ensuring simplicity and affordability in implementation. It achieves a localization error of less than 6 degrees and a precision of 98%. Additionally, its effortless integration with various systems makes it versatile and adaptable. Consequently, this technique presents a robust and reliable solution for sound-tracking and localization, with potential applications spanning diverse domains such as security systems, smart homes, and acoustic monitoring.