Background noise reduction system

• US 7,930,175 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nuance Communications, Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Roessler, Martin, Haindl, Klaus Alois, Haulick, Tim
• Primary Examiner(s): AZAD, ABUL K
• Application Number:
  US11/767,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20080027722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,394 Days
• Field of Search: 704216-218, 704/226, 381/71.1, 381/71.2
• US Class Current: 704/226
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

A noise reduction system includes a microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal. A first digitizer converts an output of the microphone into a discrete output signal. An acoustic sensor detects structure-borne noise, and a second digitizer converts an output of the acoustic sensor into a discrete acoustic noise reference signal. A noise compensation circuit processes the discrete output signal based on the discrete acoustic noise reference signal.

Claims

1. A method for reducing background noise in an audio signal, comprising:

converting sound into an analog signal;

digitizing the analog signal to obtain a discrete output signal;

detecting structure-borne noise by an acoustic emission sensor to obtain an acoustic noise reference signal;

digitizing the acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a discrete acoustic noise reference signal; and

detecting noise to obtain a reference noise signal;

digitizing the reference noise signal to obtain a discrete reference noise signal;

calculating a correlation between the discrete output signal and the discrete acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a first correlation value;

calculating a correlation between the discrete output signal and the discrete reference noise signal to obtain a second correlation value;

adaptively filtering the discrete acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a noise estimate signal, if the first correlation value is greater than the second correlation value;

adaptively filtering the discrete reference noise signal to obtain the noise estimate signal, if the first correlation value is not greater than the second correlation value; and

subtracting the noise estimate signal from the discrete output signal to obtain a noise compensated digital audio signal.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the sound into a plurality of analog signals.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of acoustic emission sensors.

4. The method according to claim 1, where the adaptive filtering comprises filtering by a linear finite impulse response filter.

5. The method according to claim 1, where the adaptive filtering comprises filtering by a recursive infinite impulse response filter.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

calculating a square of a magnitude of coherence between the discrete acoustic noise reference signal and the discrete output signal to obtain the first correlation value; and

calculating a square of a magnitude of coherence between the discrete reference noise signal and the discrete output signal to obtain the second correlation value.

7. The method according to claim 1, where adaptively filtering the acoustic noise reference signal further comprises:

calculating a plurality of filter coefficients using a process selected from the group consisting of a normalized least mean square process, recursive least mean square process, or proportional least mean square process.

8. The method according to claim 1, where the discrete output signal is received from a microphone array having at least one directional microphone.

9. The method according to claim 1, where the noise compensated digital audio signal is filtered by a noise suppression filter.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having processor executable instructions to reduce background noise in an audio signal, by performing the acts of:

detecting an acoustic signal by converting sound into digital data;

detecting structure-borne noise by an acoustic emission sensor to obtain an acoustic noise reference signal;

digitizing the acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a discrete acoustic noise reference signal; and

detecting noise by a reference microphone to obtain a reference noise signal;

digitizing the reference noise signal to obtain a discrete reference noise signal;

calculating a correlation between the digital data and the discrete acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a first correlation value;

calculating a correlation between the digital data and the discrete reference noise signal to obtain a second correlation value; and

adaptively filtering the discrete acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a noise estimate signal, if the first correlation value is greater than the second correlation value;

adaptively filtering the discrete reference noise signal to obtain the noise estimate signal if the first correlation value is not greater than the second correlation value; and

subtracting the noise estimate signal from the digital data to obtain a noise compensated digital audio signal.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, further comprising:

processor executable instructions that cause a processor to perform the acts of;

adaptively filtering the discrete acoustic noise reference signal to obtain an noise estimate signal and;

subtracting the noise estimate signal from the digital data.

12. A noise reduction system comprising:

a microphone configured to detect an acoustic signal;

a first digitizer configured to convert an output of the microphone and provide a digitized microphone output signal;

an acoustic sensor configured to detect structure-borne noise;

a second digitizer configured to convert an output of the acoustic sensor and provide a digitized acoustic noise reference signal; and

a reference microphone configured to detect noise;

a digitizer configured to digitize an output of the reference microphone and provide a digitized reference microphone noise signal;

a first correlation circuit configured to calculate a correlation between the digitized microphone output signal and the digitized acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a first correlation value;

a second correlation circuit configured to calculate a correlation between the digitized microphone output signal and the digitized reference microphone noise signal to obtain a second correlation value;

a signal processor configured to adaptively filter the digitized acoustic noise reference signal to obtain a noise estimate signal, if the first correlation value is greater than the second correlation value;

the signal processor configured to adaptively filter the digitized reference microphone noise signal to obtain the noise estimate signal, if the first correlation value is not greater than the second correlation value; and

a subtraction circuit configured to subtract the noise estimate signal from the digitized microphone output signal to produce a noise compensated digital audio signal.

13. The system of claim 12, where the microphone comprises a plurality of microphones.

14. The system according to claim 13, where the plurality of microphones includes at least one directional microphone.

15. The system of claim 12, where the acoustic sensor comprises a plurality of acoustic emission sensors.

16. The system according claim 15, where the plurality of acoustic emission sensors is external to the microphone.

17. The system according to claim 12, where the signal processor is configured to calculate a square of a magnitude of coherence between the digitized acoustic noise reference signal and the digitized microphone output signal to obtain the first correlation value, and calculate a square of a magnitude of coherence between the digitized reference microphone noise signal and the digitized microphone output signal to obtain the second correlation value.

18. The system according to claim 12, where the signal processor adaptively filters using an adaptive filter that includes a plurality of filter coefficients, the filter coefficients calculated using a process selected from the group consisting of a normalized least mean square process, recursive least mean square process, the proportional least mean square process.

19. The system according to claim 12, where the acoustic emission sensor is located in a portion of the microphone.

20. The system according to claim 12, further comprising a noise suppression filter configured to filter the noise compensated digital audio signal.