Method for estimating mixing parameters and separating multiple sources from signal mixtures

• US 20030233227A1
• Filed: 06/12/2003
• Published: 12/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Corporate Research Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Balan, Radu Victor, Rickard, Scott Thurston Jr.
• Application Number:
  US10/459,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20030233227A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/2134 based on separation criteria, e.g. independent component analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/028 using properties of sound source
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/407 Circuits for combining signals of a plurality of transducers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A method and apparatus for separating multiple sources from a mixed source signal includes receiving a plurality of mixed source signals, estimating mixing parameters of the received mixed source signals using at least one of a differential Degenerate Unmixing Estimation Technique (“DUET”) and a tiled DUET, and separating multiple sources from the mixed source signals in response to the estimated mixing parameters using a Blind Source Separation (“BSS”) technique.

Claims

1. An apparatus for separating multiple sources from a mixed source signal, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transducers for transducing the mixed source signal;

estimation means responsive to the plurality of transducers for estimating mixing parameters of the mixed source signal; and

separation means responsive to the estimation means for separating multiple sources from the mixed source signal.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the plurality of transducers comprises a plurality of microphones.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the estimation means comprises a Degenerate Unmixing Estimation Technique (“

DUET”

).

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the estimation means further comprises a differential DUET.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the estimation means further comprises a tiled DUET.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the separation means comprises a Blind Source Separation (“

BSS”

) technique.

7. A method for separating multiple sources from a mixed source signal, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of mixed source signals;

estimating mixing parameters of the received mixed source signals; and

separating multiple sources from the mixed source signals in response to the estimated mixing parameters.

8. A method as defined in claim 7, further comprising transducing the received plurality of mixed source signals.

9. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein said transducing comprises:

receiving a plurality of acoustic signals; and

transducing the acoustic signals into electronic signals.

10. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein estimating comprises implementing a Degenerate Unmixing Estimation Technique (“

DUET”

).

11. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein estimating further comprises implementing a differential DUET.

12. A method as defined in claim 10 wherein estimating further comprises implementing a tiled DUET.

13. A method as defined in claim 7 wherein separating comprises implementing a Blind Source Separation (“

BSS”

) technique.

14. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform program steps for separating multiple sources from a mixed source signal, the program steps comprising:

receiving a plurality of mixed source signals;

estimating mixing parameters of the received mixed source signals; and

separating multiple sources from the mixed source signals in response to the estimated mixing parameters.

15. A program storage device as defined in claim 14, the program steps further comprising transducing the received plurality of mixed source signals.

16. A program storage device as defined in claim 14 wherein the program step for transducing comprises program sub-steps for:

receiving a plurality of acoustic signals; and

transducing the acoustic signals into electronic signals.

17. A program storage device as defined in claim 14 wherein the program step for estimating comprises program sub-steps for implementing a Degenerate Unmixing Estimation Technique (“

DUET”

).

18. A program storage device as defined in claim 17 wherein the program step for estimating further comprises program sub-steps for implementing a differential DUET.

19. A program storage device as defined in claim 17 wherein the program step for estimating further comprises program sub-steps for implementing a tiled DUET.

20. A program storage device as defined in claim 14 wherein the program step for separating comprises implementing a Blind Source Separation (“

BSS”

) technique.