Signal separating system

• US 5,835,608 A
• Filed: 07/10/1995
• Issued: 11/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Acoustic Research
• Original Assignee: Applied Acoustic Research
• Inventors: Driscoll, Francis J., Warnaka, Glenn E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mei, Xu
• Application Number:
  US08/500,446
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 381/71, 381/94, 381/73.1, 381/26, 381/92, 381/83, 381/93
• US Class Current: 381/94.7
• 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 21/0272 Voice signal separating
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/126 having multiple inputs, e.g. auxiliary antenna for receiving interfering signal aerials in general H01Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/005 for combining the signals of two or more microphones specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sound separating system for separating signals such as intelligible sound, for example, speech, from unwanted noise, such as random noise, when both the noise and the intelligible speech sound are present in an acoustical field and the intelligible speech sound is provided from a source located within the acoustical field. The system comprises a first and second sensing transducer located within the field which both pick up both the intelligible speech sound and the noise. Each sensing transducer generates a representative output signal. The two sensing transducer are in close proximity to each other and the intelligible sound is correlated at said first and second sensing means relative to the sound'"'"'s source.

Claims

1. A sound separating system for separating intelligible sound from unwanted noise wherein both said noise and said intelligible sound are present in an acoustical field into which said intelligible sound is provided from a source located within said acoustical field, said system comprising,

at least two sensing means positioned within said acoustical field for picking up said intelligible sound together with said unwanted noise and generating an output signal representative thereof, said at least two sensing means each placed where the intelligible signal is coherent and correlated at every sensing means relative to the source and the unwanted noise is not coherent;

signal processing means for separating said intelligible sound from said random noise, and receiving as input a data input signal and a feedback error input signal, the output of one of said sensing means being said data input signal, and for generating an output signal which is computed according to a suitable algorithm, with said output signal from said signal processing means being representative of said intelligible sound separated from said unwanted noise and being split into two identical signals, with the first of said two identical signals being fed to an audio reproducing system;

summing means receiving as input the output signal of a different sensing means, which is converted therein into an intelligible signal, and the second of said two identical output signals from said signal processing means, and for generating an output signal representative of the random noise portion of the output signal from said different sensing means, which output signal is fed to said signal processing means as said feedback error input signal, said feedback error input signal being used by said signal processing means for adjusting said output signal from said signal processing means to better effect the separation of said intelligible sound from said random noise.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said sensing means is comprised of an array of microphones.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said summing means is a summing amplifier.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the suitable algorithm is a modified deterministic algorithm.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least two sensing means comprises a first and second sensing means.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said first and second sensing means are no more than about 4 inches apart from one another.

7. The system of claim 5 wherein said first and second sensing means are voice microphones.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the voice microphones are voice microphones for cellular phones.

9. A sound separating system for separating intelligible sound from unwanted noise wherein both said noise and said intelligible sound are present in an acoustical field into which said intelligible sound is provided from a source located within said acoustical field, said system comprising:

a sensing means positioned within said acoustical field for picking up said intelligible sound together with said unwanted noise and generating an output signal representative thereof, said sensing means being placed where the intelligible signal is coherent and the unwanted noise is not coherent;

signal splitting means for splitting the output signal of said sensing means into at least two identical sensing means signals;

signal processing means for separating said intelligible sound from said random noise, and receiving as input a data input signal and a feedback error input signal, with a first one of said at least two identical sensing means signals derived from said split output signal of said sensing means being said data input signal, and for generating an output signal which is computed according to a suitable algorithm, with said output signal from said signal processing means being representative of said intelligible sound separated from said unwanted noise;

means to split said signal processing means output signal into two signals;

an audio reproducing system into which one of said two signals from said signal processing means output signal is fed;

summing means receiving as input another of said at least two identical sensing means signals derived from said split output signal of said sensing means and the other of said two signals from said signal processing means, and for generating an output signal representative of the unwanted noise portion of the second signal, which output signal is fed to said signal processing means as said feedback error signal input signal, said feedback error input signal being used by said signal processing means for adjusting said signal processing means output signal to better effect the separation of said intelligible sound from said random noise.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the output signal of said sensing means is split into two identical sensing means signals.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said sensing means is a voice microphones.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said sensing means is comprised of an array of microphones.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said summing means is a summing amplifier.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein the suitable algorithm is a modified deterministic algorithm.