System and method for method for improving speech intelligibility of voice calls using common speech codecs

• US 8,645,142 B2
• Filed: 03/27/2012
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Teutsch, Heinz, Lynch, John Cornelius
• Primary Examiner(s): Chawan, Vijay B
• Application Number:
  US13/430,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20130262128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 679 Days
• Field of Search: 704/226, 704/223, 704/219, 704/205, 704/208, 704/233, 704/203, 704/222, 704/225, 704/206, 704/220, 704/209, 704/230, 704/262, 704/207, 381/94.3, 381/320, 381/317, 381/94.2, 381/92, 381/94.1, 381/106, 375/243, 370/269
• US Class Current: 704/262
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0364 for improving intelligibility

Abstract

System and method to improve intelligibility of coded speech, the method including: receiving an encoded speech signal from a network; extracting an encoded media data stream and one or more control data packets from the encoded speech signal; decoding the encoded media data stream to produce a decoded speech signal; boosting an upper spectral portion of the decoded speech signal to produce a boosted speech signal; and outputting the boosted speech signal. In another embodiment, the method may include: receiving an uncoded speech signal; processing the uncoded speech signal, wherein the processing comprises generating an unencoded data stream from the uncoded speech signal; boosting an upper spectral portion of the unencoded data stream to produce a boosted speech signal; encoding the boosted speech signal to produce an encoded speech signal; and outputting the boosted speech signal.

Claims

1. A method to improve intelligibility of coded speech, comprising:

receiving an encoded speech signal from a network;

extracting an encoded media data stream and one or more control data packets from the encoded speech signal;

decoding the encoded media data stream to produce a decoded speech signal;

boosting an upper spectral portion of the decoded speech signal to produce a boosted speech signal, wherein an amount and spectral shape of the boost is determined by;

a number of type of transcodings performed end-to-end;

whether pre-emphasis had been applied at a remote endpoint; and

parameters related to an acoustic environment; and

outputting the boosted speech signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises high-pass filtering the decoded speech signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises amplifying an upper spectral portion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more control data packets comprises information about an originating telecommunications terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises boosting based upon an information about an acoustic environment of the originating telecommunications terminal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises boosting based upon an aggregated response of codecs that the encoded speech signal had passed through.

7. A method to improve intelligibility of coded speech, comprising:

receiving an uncoded speech signal;

processing the uncoded speech signal, wherein the processing comprises generating an unencoded data stream from the uncoded speech signal;

boosting an upper spectral portion of the decoded speech signal to produce a boosted speech signal, wherein an amount and spectral shape of the boost is determined by;

whether post-emphasis will be applied at a remote endpoint; and

parameters related to an acoustic environment;

encoding the boosted speech signal to produce an encoded speech signal; and

outputting the boosted speech signal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises high-pass filtering the decoded speech signal.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises amplifying an upper spectral portion.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises producing one or more control data packets.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more control data packets comprises information about an originating telecommunications terminal.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of boosting an upper spectral portion comprises boosting based upon an information about an acoustic environment of the originating telecommunications terminal.

13. A system to improve intelligibility of coded speech, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive an encoded speech signal from a network;

an extraction module configured to extract an encoded media data stream and one or more control data packets from the encoded speech signal;

a decoder configured to decode the encoded media data stream to produce a decoded speech signal;

a frequency-selective booster configured to boost an upper spectral portion of the decoded speech signal to produce a boosted speech signal, wherein an amount and spectral shape of the boost is determined by;

a number of type of transcodings performed end-to-end;

whether pre-emphasis had been applied on a remote endpoint; and

parameters related to a far-end acoustic environment; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the boosted speech signal.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the frequency-selective booster comprises a high-pass filter.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the frequency-selective booster comprises an amplifier configured to amplify an upper spectral portion.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more control data packets comprises information about an originating telecommunications terminal.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the frequency-selective booster is configured to boost an upper spectral portion based upon an information about an acoustic environment of the originating telecommunications terminal.