Method and apparatus for multi-channel audio processing using single-channel components

• US 8,233,632 B1
• Filed: 09/26/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Skoglund, Jan, MacDonald, Andrew John, Volcker, Björn
• Primary Examiner(s): FAULK, DEVONA E
• Application Number:
  US13/244,816
• Time in Patent Office: 309 Days
• Field of Search: 381/66, 381 711- 7114, 381/94.1, 381/80, 381/1, 381 17- 19, 37940601-40616
• US Class Current: 381/71.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/008 Multichannel audio signal coding or decoding using interchannel correlation to reduce redundancy, e.g. joint-stereo, intensity-coding or matrixing
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02082 the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/08 Two-way loud-speaking telephone systems with means for conditioning the signal, e.g. for suppressing echoes for one or both directions of traffic

Abstract

Processing multi-channel audio streams using one or more arrangements of single-channel components. Components that only process the near-end, or capture stream, such as noise suppression (NS) components, are limited in how they can be suitably arranged for processing multi-channel streams. However, components that process the near-end stream using one or more inputs from the far-end, or render stream, such as acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and automatic gain control (AGC) components, are arranged in one or more of the ways suitable for use with multiple channels.

Claims

1. A method for processing multi-channel audio streams comprising:

receiving at a first single-channel audio component located at a near-end channel of an audio signal transmission path, signal-processing input from a first far-end channel of the signal transmission path, the first single-channel audio component being one of a group of first single-channel audio components each located at a different near-end channel of the signal transmission path and each receiving the signal-processing input from the first far-end channel;

processing an audio signal at the first single-channel audio component using the signal-processing input from the first far-end channel; and

sending the processed audio signal from the first single-channel audio component to a second single-channel audio component located at the near-end channel, the second single-channel audio component being one of a group of second single-channel audio components each located at a different near-end channel of the signal transmission path and each receiving signal-processing input from a second far-end channel of the signal transmission path, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components includes each of the first components of the near-end channels and the group of second single-channel audio components includes each of the second components of the near-end channels.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the signal-processing input from the second far-end channel to further process the audio signal at the second single-channel audio component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components and the group of second single-channel audio components is each a group of echo control components.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components and the group of second single-channel audio components is each a group of automatic gain control components.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

combining the signal-processing input from the first far-end channel and the second far-end channel; and

sending the combined signal-processing input to the group of first single-channel audio components.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the combined signal-processing input is an average of the signal-processing input from the first far-end channel and the signal-processing input from second far-end channel.

7. A system for processing multi-channel audio streams comprising:

a group of first single-channel audio components each located at a different near-end channel of an audio signal transmission path; and

a group of second single-channel audio components each located at a different near-end channel of the signal transmission path,

each of the first single-channel audio components configured to;

receive, at a near-end channel, signal-processing input from a first far-end channel of the signal transmission path,

process an audio signal using the signal-processing input from the first far-end channel, and

send the processed audio signal to a second single-channel audio component located at the near-end channel, the second single-channel audio component configured to receive signal-processing input from a second far-end channel of the signal transmission path, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components includes each of the first components of the near-end channels and the group of second single-channel audio components includes each of the second components of the near-end channels.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the first single-channel audio components is further configured to receive a combination of signal-processing inputs from the first far-end channel and the second far-end channel.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the combination of signal-processing inputs is an average of the signal-processing inputs from the first far-end channel and the second far-end channel.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components and the group of second single-channel audio components is each a group of echo control components.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the group of first single-channel audio components and the group of second single-channel audio components is each a group of automatic gain control components.