AUDIO PROCESSING DEVICE, AUDIO PROCESSING METHOD, AND RECORDING MEDIUM RECORDING AUDIO PROCESSING PROGRAM

• US 20140079232A1
• Filed: 05/18/2012
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Houshuyama, Osamu
• Application Number:
  US14/115,620
• Publication Number:
  US 20140079232A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/66
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/02 for preventing acoustic reaction , i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/453
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

The present invention provides an audio processing device that appropriately suppresses echo generated in a stereophonic audio output. The audio processing device includes: means for generating a first artificial linear echo signal and a second artificial linear echo signal that are estimated to be generated by first audio and second audio travelling to audio input means; means for suppressing a linear echo signal mixed to an input audio signal based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal: means for estimating a non-linear echo signal based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal; and means for suppressing the non-linear echo signal.

Claims

1. An audio processing device, comprising:

first audio output means for outputting first audio based on a first output audio signal,

second audio output means for outputting second audio based on a second output audio signal,

audio input means for inputting audio and outputting an input audio signal,

first artificial linear echo generation means for generating a first artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the first audio travelling to the audio input means from the first output audio signal and outputting it,

second artificial linear echo generation means for generating a second artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the second audio travelling to the audio input means from the second output audio signal and outputting it,

linear echo suppression means for generating a signal in which a linear echo signal mixed to the input audio signal is suppressed based on the outputs of the first artificial linear echo generation means and the second artificial linear echo generation means and outputting it,

non-linear echo estimation means for estimating a non-linear echo signal based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal, and

non-linear echo suppression means for suppressing the signal outputted by the linear echo suppression means based on the non-linear echo signal estimated by the non-linear echo estimation means.

2. The audio processing device according to claim 1, further comprising addition means for adding the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal.

3. The audio processing device according to claim 2,

wherein an addition result obtained by the addition means is inputted to the linear echo suppression means and the non-linear echo estimation means.

4. The audio processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising flooring means for performing a flooring process to an estimation result obtained by the non-linear echo estimation means.

5. The audio processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

wherein the non-linear echo suppression means suppress the non-linear echo signal based on a flooring result obtained by the flooring means.

6. The audio processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

wherein the non-linear echo estimation means include:

first non-linear echo estimation means for estimating a first non-linear echo signal from the first artificial linear echo signal and

second non-linear echo estimation means for estimating a second non-linear echo signal from the second artificial linear echo signal.

7. An audio processing method comprising:

an audio input step in which first audio and second audio that are outputted by two audio output means based on a first output audio signal and a second output audio signal are inputted by audio input means and an input audio signal is outputted,

a first artificial linear echo generation step in which a first artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the first audio travelling to the audio input means is generated from the first output audio signal and outputted,

a second artificial linear echo generation step in which a second artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the second audio travelling to the audio input means is generated from the second output audio signal and outputted,

a linear echo suppression step in which a signal in which a linear echo signal mixed to the input audio signal is suppressed is generated based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal and outputted,

a non-linear echo estimation step in which a non-linear echo signal is estimated based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal, and

a non-linear echo suppression step in which the signal outputted in the linear echo suppression step is suppressed based on the non-linear echo signal estimated in the non-linear echo estimation step.

8. A non-transitory medium recording an audio processing program causing a computer to perform:

an audio input step in which first audio and second audio that are outputted by two audio output means based on a first output audio signal and a second output audio signal are inputted by audio input means and an input audio signal is outputted,

a first artificial linear echo generation step in which a first artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the first audio travelling to the audio input means is generated from the first output audio signal and outputted,

a second artificial linear echo generation step in which a second artificial linear echo signal estimated to be generated by the second audio travelling to the audio input means is generated from the second output audio signal and outputted,

a linear echo suppression step in which a signal in which a linear echo signal mixed to the input audio signal is suppressed based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal is generated and outputted,

a non-linear echo estimation step in which a non-linear echo signal is estimated based on the first artificial linear echo signal and the second artificial linear echo signal, and

a non-linear echo suppression step in which the signal outputted in the linear echo suppression step is suppressed based on the non-linear echo signal estimated in the non-linear echo estimation step.