Utilizing Time-of-Flight LIDARs for Spatial Audio Processing

Methods for sensing acoustic displacement of a surface using optical means have included high speed video imagery, laser Doppler vibrometry, and sound-induced optical intensity. Methods for measuring sound from different points in space with a microphone array allow us to localize a source and focus audio recovery at specific points in space. When we combine these two concepts, we could theoretically have an array of optical sensors on a single device to perform single device spatial audio processing. Rotating LIDARs have become prevalent for use in rapid volumetric mapping and have the potential for acoustic recovery, allowing for simultaneous visual and acoustic mapping with one device. An ideal rotating LIDAR has the potential to simultaneously sense acoustic energy at numerous locations throughout an acoustic scene and may enable localization through processing the synthetically-induced array across the environment. We show the parameters that a rotating LIDAR would require for acoustic source localization. We also localize an acoustic source using a high precision light distance sensor.