An active multimodal sensing platform for remote voice detection

To improve the performance and the efficiency of Laser Doppler Vibrometers (LDVs) for long-range hearing, we design an active multimodal sensing platform that integrates a Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) camera, a mirror and a Pan-Tilt-Unit (PTU) to the LDV. With the assistance of the vision and active control components, the LDV can automatically select the best reflective surfaces, point the laser beam to the selected surfaces, and quickly focus the laser beam. For accomplishing these functions, distance measurement and sensor calibration methods are proposed using the triangulation between the PTZ camera and the mirrored LDV laser beam. Based on both the measured distances and the return signal levels of the LDV, a fast and automatic LDV focusing algorithm is designed. Furthermore, strategies of surface selection and laser pointing are designed for the platform to automatically point the laser beam to the designated surfaces. Experimental results are shown to validate the performance improvement of the LDV in remote automatic voice detection by using the active multimodal sensing platform.