US Patent 6980485 Automatic camera tracking using beamforming

An acoustic tracking system that uses an array of microphones to determine the location of an acoustical source. Several points in space are determined to be potential locations of an acoustical source. Beamforming parameters for the array of microphones are determined at each potential location. The beamforming parameters are applied to the sound received by the microphone array for all of the potential locations and data is gathered for each beam. The most likely location is then determined by comparing the data from each beam. Once the location is determined, a camera is directed toward this source.