Headset for separation of speech signals in a noisy environment

• US 7,983,907 B2
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Issued: 07/19/2011
• 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.), Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Davis, Tom, Toman, Jeremy, Visser, Erik, Momeyer, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Lerner; Martin
• Application Number:
  US11/572,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,188 Days
• Field of Search: 704/200, 704/226, 704/227, 381/94.1, 381/150, 455/569.1, 455/570, 455/575.1, 455/575.2
• 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;

a radio; and

a processor coupled to the first and the second microphones, and configured to;

receive a first signal from the first microphone, the first signal having a noise component and a speech component;

receive a second signal from the second microphone, the second signal having a noise component and a speech component;

separate the first and second signals into a first and a second channel using a blind-source separation process, wherein one of the channels provides a noise signal comprising substantially only noise components and the other channel provides a combination signal comprising both noise components and speech components;

identify which of the first or second channels has the combination signal;

process the combination signal to generate a speech signal; and

transmit the speech signal,

wherein the speech signal is transmitted to the radio, and wherein the radio operates according to a Bluetooth standard.

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

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. The wireless headset according to claim 5, further including positioning at least one on the microphones to face a different wind direction than the other microphone.

7. 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.

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

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

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

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

12. The wireless headset according to claim 1, wherein the blind-source separation process comprises an independent component analysis process.

13. A wireless headset system comprising:

an ear speaker;

a first microphone generating a first transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a second microphone generating a second transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a processor;

a radio; and

a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and only one of the microphones,

the processor configured to;

receive the first and second transducer signals;

separate the first and second transducer signals into a first and a second channel using a blind-source separation process, wherein one of the channels provides a noise signal comprising substantially only noise components and the other channel provides a combination signal comprising both noise components and speech components;

identify which of the first or second channels has the combination signal;

process the combination signal to generate a speech signal; and

transmit the speech signal.

14. The wireless headset system according to claim 13, wherein the ear speaker and the first microphone are in the same housing, and the second microphone is in another housing.

15. The wireless headset system according to claim 13, further comprising a member for positioning the ear speaker, and a separate housing for holding the first microphone.

16. A wireless headset system comprising:

an ear speaker;

a first microphone generating a first transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a second microphone generating a second transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a processor;

a radio; and

a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and neither of the microphones,

the processor configured to;

receive the first and second transducer signals;

separate the first and second transducer signals into a first and a second channel using a blind-source separation process, wherein one of the channels provides a noise signal comprising substantially only noise components and the other channel provides a combination signal comprising both noise components and speech components;

identify which of the first or second channels has the combination signal;

process the combination signal to generate a speech signal; and

transmit the speech signal.

17. A wireless headset system comprising:

an ear speaker;

a first microphone generating a first transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a second microphone generating a second transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a processor; and

a radio;

the processor configured to;

receive the first and second transducer signals;

separate the first and second transducer signals into a first and a second channel using a blind-source separation process, wherein one of the channels provides a noise signal comprising substantially only noise components and the other channel provides a combination signal comprising both noise components and speech components;

identify which of the first or second channels has the combination signal;

process the combination signal to generate a speech signal; and

transmit the speech signal,

wherein the processor, the first microphone and the second microphone are in the same housing.

18. The wireless headset system according to claim 17, further comprising a housing, the housing holding the ear speaker and both microphones.

19. The wireless headset system according to claim 17, wherein the radio, the processor, the first microphone and the second microphone are in the same housing.

20. A wireless headset system comprising:

an ear speaker;

a first microphone generating a first transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a second microphone generating a second transducer signal having a noise component and a speech component;

a processor;

a radio;

and a member for positioning the ear speaker and a second ear speaker, the member generally forming a stereo headset,

the processor configured to;

receive the first and second transducer signals;

separate the first and second transducer signals into a first and a second channel using a blind-source separation process, wherein one of the channels provides a noise signal comprising substantially only noise components and the other channel provides a combination signal comprising both noise components and speech components;

identify which of the first or second channels has the combination signal;

process the combination signal to generate a speech signal; and

transmit the speech signal.