Headset for Separation of Speech Signals in a Noisy Environment

• US 20080201138A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc., Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: SoftMax Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Visser, Erik, Momeyer, Brian, Davis, Tom, Toman, Jeremy
• Granted Patent: US 7,983,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/227
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02161 Number of inputs available containing the signal or the noise to be suppressed
• 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: G10L 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/25 Array processing for suppression of unwanted side-lobes in directivity characteristics, e.g. a blocking matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

A headset is constructed to generate an acoustically distinct speech signal in a noisy acoustic environment. The headset positions a pair of spaced-apart microphones near a user'"'"'s mouth. The microphones each receive the user s speech, and also receive acoustic environmental noise. The microphone signals, which have both a noise and information component, are received into a separation process. The separation process generates a speech signal that has a substantial reduced noise component. The speech signal is then processed for transmission. In one example, the transmission process includes sending the speech signal to a local control module using a Bluetooth radio.

Claims

1. A headset, comprising:

a housing;

an ear speaker;

a first microphone connected to the housing;

a second microphone connected to the housing; and

a processor coupled to the first and the second microphones, and operating the steps of;

receiving a first speech plus noise signal from the first microphone;

receiving a second speech plus noise signal from the second microphone;

providing the first and second speech plus noise signals as inputs to a signal separation process;

generating a speech signal; and

transmitting the speech signal.

2. The headset according to claim 1, further including a radio, and wherein the speech signal is transmitted to the radio.

3. The wireless headset according to claim 2, wherein the radio operates according to a Bluetooth standard.

4. The headset according to claim 1, further including remote control module, and wherein the speech signal is transmitted to the remote control module.

5. The headset according to claim 1, further including a side tone circuit, and wherein the speech signal is in part transmitted to the side tone circuit and played on the ear speaker.

6. The wireless headset according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second housing

a second ear speaker in the second housing; and

wherein the first microphone is in the first housing and the second microphone is in the second housing.

7. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the ear speaker, first microphone, and the second microphone are in the housing.

8. The wireless headset according to claim 7, further including positioning at least one on the microphones to face a different wind direction than the other microphone.

9. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone is constructed to be positioned at least three inches from a user'"'"'s mouth.

10. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone and the second microphone are constructed as MEMS microphones.

11. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone and the second microphone are selected from a set of MEMS microphones.

12. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the first microphone and the second microphone are positioned so that the import port of the first microphone is orthogonal to the input port of the second microphone.

13. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein one of the microphones is spaced apart from the housing.

14. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the signal separation process is a blind source separation process.

15. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the signal separation process is an independent component analysis process.

16. A wireless headset, comprising:

a housing;

a radio;

an ear speaker;

a first microphone connected to the housing;

a second microphone connected to the housing; and

a processor operating the steps of;

receiving a first signal from the first microphone;

receiving a second signal from the second microphone;

detecting a voice activity;

generating a control signal responsive to detecting the voice activity;

generating a speech signal using a signal separation process; and

transmitting the speech signal to the radio.

17. The wireless handset according to claim 16, having one and only one housing, and wherein the radio, ear speaker, first microphone, second microphone, and processor are in the housing.

18. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the first microphone is in the housing and the second microphone is in a second housing.

19. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the first and second housings are connected together to form a stereo headset.

20. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the first microphone is spaced apart from the housing and the second microphone is spaced apart from a second housing.

21. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the first microphone is spaced apart from the housing and connected to the housing with a wire.

22. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the process further operates the step of deactivating the signal separation process responsive to the control signal.

23. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the process further operates the step of adjusting volume of the speech signal responsive to the control signal.

24. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the process further operates the step of adjusting a noise reduction process responsive to the control signal.

25. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the process further operates the step of activating a learning process responsive to the control signal.

26. The wireless handset according to claim 16 wherein the process further operates the step of estimating a noise level responsive to the control signal.

27. The wireless handset according to claim 16, further including the processor step of generating a noise-dominant signal, and wherein the detecting step includes receiving the speech signal and the noise-dominant signal.

28. The wireless handset according to claim 16, wherein the detecting step includes receiving the first signal and the second signal.

29. The wireless headset according to claim 16, wherein the radio operates according to a Bluetooth standard.

30. The wireless headset according to claim 16, wherein the signal separation process is a blind source separation process.

31. The wireless headset according to claim 16, wherein the signal separation process is an independent component analysis process.

32. A Bluetooth headset, comprising:

a housing constructed to position an ear speaker to project sound into a wearer'"'"'s ear;

at least two microphones on the housing, each microphone generating a respective transducer signal;

a processor arranged to receive the transducer signals, and operating a separation process to generate a speech signal.

33. A wireless headset system comprising:

an ear speaker;

a first microphone generating a first transducer signal;

a second microphone generating a second transducer signal;

a processor;

a radio;

the processor operating the steps of;

receiving the first and second transducer signals;

providing the first and second transducer signals as inputs to a signal separation process;

generating a speech signal; and

transmitting the speech signal.

34. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, further comprising a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and both microphones.

35. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, further comprising a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and only one of the microphones.

36. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, further comprising a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and neither of the microphones.

37. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, wherein the processor, the first microphone and the second microphone are in the same housing.

38. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, wherein the radio, the processor, the first microphone and the second microphone are in the same housing.

39. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, wherein the ear speaker and the first microphone are in the same housing, and the second microphone is in another housing.

40. The wireless headset system according to claim 33 further comprising a member for positioning the ear speaker and a second ear speaker, the member generally forming a stereo headset.

41. The wireless headset system according to claim 33, further comprising a member for positioning the ear speaker, and a separate housing for holding the first microphone.

42. A headset, comprising:

a housing;

an ear speaker;

a first microphone connected to the housing and having a spatially defined volume where speech is expected to be generated;

a second microphone connected to the housing having a spatially defined volume where noise is expected to be generated; and

a processor coupled to the first and the second microphones, and operating the steps of;

receiving a first signal from the first microphone;

receiving a second signal from the second microphone;

providing the first and second speech plus noise signals as inputs to a Generalized Sidelobe Canceller;

generating a speech signal; and

transmitting the speech signal.