A Two-Step Approach for Narrowband Source Localization in Reverberant Rooms

TL;DR

This paper introduces a two-step method combining dereverberation and sparse source modeling to improve narrowband sound source localization accuracy in reverberant rooms, demonstrated through simulations.

Contribution

It proposes a novel two-step approach using IRLS and OMP that enhances localization accuracy with fewer measurements without prior room knowledge.

Findings

Effective in reverberant environments

Requires fewer measurements for accurate localization

Works without prior room boundary knowledge

Abstract

This paper presents a two-step approach for narrowband source localization within reverberant rooms. The first step involves dereverberation by modeling the homogeneous component of the sound field by an equivalent decomposition of planewaves using Iteratively Reweighted Least Squares (IRLS), while the second step focuses on source localization by modeling the dereverberated component as a sparse representation of point-source distribution using Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP). The proposed method enhances localization accuracy with fewer measurements, particularly in environments with strong reverberation. A numerical simulation in a conference room scenario, using a uniform microphone array affixed to the wall, demonstrates real-world feasibility. Notably, the proposed method and microphone placement effectively localize sound sources within the 2D-horizontal plane without requiring prior knowledge of boundary conditions and room geometry, making it versatile for application in different room types.