Method and apparatus for canceling noise from mixed sound

• US 8,693,704 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2008
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Kyu-hong, Oh, Kwang-cheol, Jeong, Jae-hoon, Jeong, So-young
• Primary Examiner(s): SAYADIAN, HRAYR
• Application Number:
  US12/078,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20090129610A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,198 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 381/94.7
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/178 by electro-acoustically regenerating the original acoustic waves in anti-phase
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/108 Communication systems, e.g. where useful sound is kept and noise is cancelled
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 2210/1081 Earphones, e.g. for telephones, ear protectors or headsets

Abstract

A method, medium, and apparatus canceling noise from a mixed sound. The method includes receiving sound source signals including a target sound and noise, extracting at least one feature vector indicating an attribute difference between the sound source signals from the sound source signals, calculating a suppression coefficient considering ratios of noise to the sound source signals based on the at least one extracted feature vector, and canceling the sound source signals corresponding to noise by controlling an intensity of an output signal generated from the sound source signals according to the calculated suppression coefficient. Accordingly, a clear target sound source signal can be obtained.

Claims

1. A noise canceling method comprising:

receiving sound source signals, each of the sound source signals including a target sound, the target sound having essentially no arrival time difference between the received sound source signals, and noise;

extracting, from the sound source signals, at least one feature vector indicating an attribute difference between the sound source signals;

calculating a suppression coefficient considering a ratio of the noise to a respective sound source signal, based on the at least one extracted feature vector; and

canceling at least one sound source signal, among the received sound source signals, including the noise by controlling an intensity of an output signal generated from the sound source signals, the controlling being according to the calculated suppression coefficient.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one feature vector is at least one of an amplitude ratio and a phase difference between the sound source signals.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the amplitude or phase difference between the sound source signals is the smaller, a suppression grade indicated by the suppression coefficient is a smaller value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the calculating of the suppression coefficient comprises:

comparing the feature vector and a predetermined threshold value; and

determining the suppression coefficient by determining based on a result of the comparing whether either a target sound source signal or a noise signal contained in the sound source signals is dominant over the other.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the canceling of the at least one sound source signal comprises:

generating an output signal from the sound source signals according to a predetermined rule; and

multiplying the generated output signal by the calculated suppression coefficient.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the predetermined rule comprises one of selecting a sound source signal, of the sound source signals, having less acoustic energy relative to other sound source signals, of the sound source signals, or calculating a mean value of the sound source signals as the output signal.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a section of the received sound source signals in which the target sound does not exist from among the sound source signals by using a predetermined voice detection method, and

the canceling of the at least one sound source signal comprises canceling a sound source signal corresponding to the section according to a result of the detecting.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising canceling an acoustic echo generated when the output signal is input through acoustic sensors, by using a predetermined acoustic echo cancellation method.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable code to control at least one processing element operatively programmed to perform the method of claim 1.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the respective sound source signal is close to the target sound or the noise, based on a result of comparing the extracted at least one feature vector with a predetermined threshold value.

10. A noise canceling apparatus comprising:

a plurality of acoustic sensors receiving sound source signals, each of the sound source signals including a target sound, having essentially no arrival time difference between the received sound source signals, and noise;

a feature vector extractor extracting, from the sound source signals, at least one feature vector indicating an attribute difference between the sound source signals;

a suppression coefficient calculator calculating a suppression coefficient considering a ratio of the noise to a respective sound source signal, based on the at least one extracted feature vector; and

a noise signal canceller canceling at least one sound source signal, among the received sound source signals, including the noise by controlling an intensity of an output signal generated from the sound source signals, the controlling being according to the calculated suppression coefficient.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one feature vector is at least one of an amplitude ratio and a phase difference between the sound source signals, and

a signal of which at least one of the amplitude or phase is similar or the same from among the sound source signals is estimated as a sound source signal corresponding to the target sound.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, when the amplitude or phase difference between the sound source signals is the smaller, a suppression grade indicated by the suppression coefficient is a smaller value.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the suppression coefficient calculator comprises:

a comparator comparing the at least one feature vector and a predetermined threshold value; and

a determiner determining the suppression coefficient by determining based on a result of the comparing whether either a target sound source signal or a noise signal contained in the sound source signals is dominant over the other.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the noise signal canceller comprises:

an output signal generator generating an output signal from the sound source signals according to a predetermined rule; and

a multiplier multiplying the generated output signal by the calculated suppression coefficient.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the predetermined rule comprises one of selecting a sound source signal, of the sound source signals, having less acoustic energy relative to other sound source signals, of the sound source signals, or calculating a mean value of the sound source signals as the output signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a detector detecting a section of the received sound source signals in which the target sound does not exist from among the sound source signals by using a predetermined voice detection method, and

the noise signal canceller cancels a sound source signal corresponding to the section according to a result of the detecting.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising an acoustic echo canceller canceling an acoustic echo generated when the output signal is input through the acoustic sensors, by using a predetermined acoustic echo cancellation method.

18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein positions of the acoustic sensors are symmetric to each other based on a target sound source, distances from the acoustic sensors to the target sound source are the same, and an object causing acoustic interference is located between the acoustic sensors.