Recently, the importance of sound source localization technology for locating victims during disasters has been increasing. In particular, active search methods, which involve rescuers emitting sound while searching, have gained attention. However, conventional localization techniques often suffer from significant accuracy loss in complex reflective environments. This study proposes a new localization method that combines monopole and dipole sound sources. The method employs a simplified reflection model, formulating the separation of direct and reflected waves as a moment problem on the unit circle. This enables the accurate extraction of direct wave components and the determination of source direction using two pairs of dipole sources. Field experiments at a disaster training site showed that the method demonstrated high localization accuracy even under reflection-rich conditions that resemble real disaster sites. Specifically, the proposed method achieved a mean absolute error of 5.04° in azimuth estimation within an area of approximately 10 m2, which is used to search for victims or fighter buried in rubble. This research contributes to the advancement of reliable sound source localization techniques for disaster rescue scenarios.
Takada et al. (Wed,) studied this question.