Apparatus and method for beamforming to obtain voice and noise signals
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a first voice activity detector, the first voice activity detector configured to generate, based on a voice signal, a first voice control signal to indicate whether a voice is detected in the voice signal;
a first noise estimator, the first noise estimator configured to generate, based on a noise level of the voice signal, a first noise control signal to indicate whether to apply noise suppression for the voice signal;
a second voice activity detector, the second voice activity detector configured to generate, based on a noise signal, a second voice control signal to indicate whether another voice is detected in the noise signal;
a second noise estimator, the second noise estimator configured to generate, based on another noise level of the noise signal, a second noise control signal to indicate whether to apply noise suppression for the noise signal; and
a beamformer controller coupled to the first voice activity detector, the first noise estimator, the second voice activity detector, and the second noise estimator, the beamformer controller configured to;
adjust, based on the first voice control signal and the first noise control signal, a voice beamform pattern effective to cause the voice to be substantially present in the voice signal;
adjust, based on the second voice control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise beamform pattern effective to cause noise to be substantially present in the noise signal; and
generate, based on the first noise control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise suppression control signal to control noise suppression for the voice signal and the noise signal.
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Accused Products
Abstract
One method of operation includes beamforming a plurality of microphone outputs to obtain a plurality of virtual microphone audio channels. Each virtual microphone audio channel corresponds to a beamform. The virtual microphone audio channels include at least one voice channel and at least one noise channel. The method includes performing voice activity detection on the at least one voice channel and adjusting a corresponding voice beamform until voice activity detection indicates that voice is present on the at least one voice channel. Another method beamforms the plurality of microphone outputs to obtain a plurality of virtual microphone audio channels, where each virtual microphone audio channel corresponds to a beamform, and with at least one voice channel and at least one noise channel. The method performs voice recognition on the at least one voice channel and adjusts the corresponding voice beamform to improve a voice recognition confidence metric.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a first voice activity detector, the first voice activity detector configured to generate, based on a voice signal, a first voice control signal to indicate whether a voice is detected in the voice signal; a first noise estimator, the first noise estimator configured to generate, based on a noise level of the voice signal, a first noise control signal to indicate whether to apply noise suppression for the voice signal; a second voice activity detector, the second voice activity detector configured to generate, based on a noise signal, a second voice control signal to indicate whether another voice is detected in the noise signal; a second noise estimator, the second noise estimator configured to generate, based on another noise level of the noise signal, a second noise control signal to indicate whether to apply noise suppression for the noise signal; and a beamformer controller coupled to the first voice activity detector, the first noise estimator, the second voice activity detector, and the second noise estimator, the beamformer controller configured to; adjust, based on the first voice control signal and the first noise control signal, a voice beamform pattern effective to cause the voice to be substantially present in the voice signal; adjust, based on the second voice control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise beamform pattern effective to cause noise to be substantially present in the noise signal; and generate, based on the first noise control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise suppression control signal to control noise suppression for the voice signal and the noise signal. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method comprising:
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generating at least two voice control signals that respectively indicate whether a voice is present in a voice signal and another voice is present in a noise signal; generating at least two noise control signals that indicate whether to apply noise suppression based on a noise level of the voice signal and another noise level of the noise signal, respectively; adjusting, based on the at least two voice control signals and the at least two noise control signals, a voice beamform pattern effective to cause the voice to be substantially present in the voice signal and a noise beamform pattern effective to cause noise to be substantially present in the noise signal; and generating, based on the at least two noise control signals, a noise suppression control signal to activate noise suppression for the voice signal and the noise signal. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A beamformer controller coupled to a first voice activity detector of a voice channel, a first noise estimator of the voice channel, a second voice activity detector of a noise channel, a second noise estimator of the noise channel, a noise suppressor, a voice recognition engine, a voice beamformer, and a noise beamformer, the beamformer controller configured to:
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receive, from the first voice activity detector, a first voice control signal that indicates whether a voice is detected in a voice signal; receive, from the first noise estimator, a first noise control signal that indicates a noise level of the voice signal; receive, from the second voice activity detector, a second voice control signal that indicates whether another voice is detected in a noise signal; receive, from the second noise estimator, a second noise control signal that indicates another noise level of the noise signal; adjust, based on the first voice control signal and the first noise control signal, a voice beamform pattern for the voice signal via the voice beamformer; adjust, based on the second voice control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise beamform pattern for the noise signal via the noise beamformer; generate, based on the first noise control signal and the second noise control signal, a noise suppression control signal to control whether the noise suppressor is to perform noise suppression using the voice signal and the noise signal; and generate a voice recognition control signal based on the first voice control signal and the second voice control signal to control whether the voice recognition engine is to perform voice recognition for the voice signal and the noise signal. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification