Acoustic vector sensor based multi-sources localization in reverberant environment using acoustic polarization state analysis

Estimating the direction of arrival (DOA) under real-world conditions poses a significant challenge, as reverberations can lead to erroneous information. We note that the direct-path component and the reverberant components of sound exhibit distinct polarization states within the acoustic particle velocity field. Based on this observation, we propose and experimentally verify a method for localizing multiple sources in reverberant environments using a single acoustic vector sensor (AVS). The measurement of polarization states via AVS enables the identification of time-frequency bins primarily influenced by the direct-path component within the time-frequency domain, which are subsequently utilized for DOA estimation. Our study offers a novel perspective on sound field detection and may catalyze future applications including de-reverberation and the determination of environmental geometric parameters.