Speech enhancement using a portable electronic device

• US 10,453,470 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2014
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Faubel, Friedrich, Wolff, Tobias, Haulick, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, David L
• Application Number:
  US15/534,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20180268838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,776 Days
• Field of Search: 381 712, 381 716, 381 92
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02087 the noise being separate speech, e.g. cocktail party
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02165 Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2410/05 Noise reduction with a separate noise microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2499/11 Transducers incorporated or for use in hand-held devices, e.g. mobile phones, PDA's, camera's

Abstract

A system and method for speech enhancement of a portable electronic device. Embodiments may include receiving an audio signal at a portable electronic device having a first microphone and a second microphone. Embodiments may also include receiving an input from a proximity detector associated with the portable electronic device and controlling a processing component associated with at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving an audio signal at a portable electronic device having a first microphone and a second microphone;

receiving an input from a proximity detector associated with the portable electronic device; and

controlling a processing component, including at least one speech detector, associated with at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector, wherein controlling includes switching between use of the at least one speech detector and a second speech detector based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling further includes deactivating the at least one speech detector.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one speech detector and the second speech detector includes a coherent to diffuse ratio (“

CDR”

).

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the at least one speech detector and the second speech detector includes a signal power ratio (“

SPR”

).

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling further includes controlling one or more adaptive filters configured to process all inputs associated with the first microphone and the second microphone.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or more adaptive filters are configured to cancel a speech signal in at least one of the microphone input signals to obtain a noise reference signal.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the one or more adaptive filters are configured to cancel a noise reference signal from at least one microphone input signal.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling further includes controlling one or more additional microphones associated with the portable electronic device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first microphone is located at the bottom of the portable electronic device and the second microphone is located at the top of the portable electronic device.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein controlling occurs during run-time.

11. A system comprising:

a portable electronic device having one or more processors, a first microphone, and a second microphone wherein the portable electronic device is configured to receive an audio signal and to receive an input from a proximity detector associated with the portable electronic device, the one or more processors further configured to control a processing component, including at least one speech detector, associated with at least one of the first microphone and the second microphone based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector, wherein controlling includes switching between use of the at least one speech detector and a second speech detector based upon, at least in part, the input from the proximity detector.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein controlling further includes deactivating at least one speech detector.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the at least one speech detector and the second speech detector includes a coherent to diffuse ratio (“

CDR”

).

14. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the at least one speech detector and the second speech detector includes a signal power ratio (“

SPR”

).

15. The system of claim 11, wherein controlling further includes controlling one or more adaptive filters configured to process all inputs associated with the first microphone and the second microphone.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more adaptive filters are configured to cancel a speech signal in at least one of the microphone input signals to obtain a noise reference signal.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more adaptive filters are configured to cancel a noise reference signal from at least one microphone input signal.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein controlling further includes controlling one or more additional microphones associated with the portable electronic device.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the first microphone is located at the bottom of the portable electronic device and the second microphone is located at the top of the portable electronic device.

20. The system of claim 11, wherein controlling occurs during run-time.