Sound reproducing device and sound reproduction method for echo cancelling and noise reduction

• US 8,265,297 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shiraishi, Goro
• Primary Examiner(s): HA, NATHAN W
• Application Number:
  US12/053,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,632 Days
• Field of Search: 381/92, 381/94, 381 941- 947, 381/71.8
• US Class Current: 381/94.7
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/385 Transceivers carried on the body, e.g. in helmets
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/3866 carried on the head
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/02 for preventing acoustic reaction , i.e. acoustic oscillatory feedback specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/453

Abstract

A sound reproducing device is provided including a communication unit that transmits/receives signals; at least one sound output unit that outputs sound based upon a signal having been received, a sound pickup unit that picks up sound and generates audio data, an echo canceller unit that stores any echo signal contained in the signal having been received at the communication unit and generates a dummy echo signal by using the stored echo signal, and a noise reducing unit that generates a cancel signal to be used to cancel noise by using the audio data if the sound picked up at the sound pickup unit contains noise originating from a noise source and outputs a composite signal generated by combining the output signal from the echo canceller unit and the cancel signal.

Claims

1. A sound reproducing device, comprising:

a communication unit that transmits/receives signals;

at least one sound output unit that outputs sound based upon a signal having been received at said communication unit;

a sound pickup unit that picks up sound containing noise and generates audio data;

an echo canceller unit that stores an echo signal contained in the signal received at said communication unit and generates a dummy echo signal to be used to prevent said echo signal from returning to a transmission side of said communication unit by attenuating said echo signal based upon said echo signal having been stored; and

a noise reducing unit that generates a cancel signal to be used to cancel noise based upon said audio data of the sound having been picked up at said sound pickup unit and outputs a composite signal generated by combining said dummy echo signal and said cancel signal.

2. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a talk detection unit that detects a talk start, wherein;

if a talk start is detected by said talk detection unit, said noise reducing unit generates said cancel signal based upon said audio data over a predetermined band.

3. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first equalizer that executes equalization processing on the signal received at said communication unit over a predetermined frequency band, wherein;

said echo canceller unit generates a dummy echo signal based upon the received signal having undergone said equalization processing.

4. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second equalizer that cuts off a low frequency band in said dummy echo signal, wherein;

said communication unit transmits a dummy echo signal obtained by cutting off the low frequency band.

5. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that encloses said sound output unit, wherein;

said sound pickup unit is installed within said housing.

6. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing that encloses said sound output unit, wherein;

said sound pickup unit is installed outside said housing.

7. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a bone-conducted sound pickup unit that picks up bone-conducted sound conducted through bone conduction, wherein;

said communication unit transmits a composite signal generated by combining the bone-conducted sound and said dummy echo signal.

8. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, equipped with:

a single sound output unit.

9. A sound reproducing device according to claim 1, wherein said communication unit is a wireless communication unit including an antenna for transmitting and receiving signals.