Method of indicating presence of transient noise in a call and apparatus thereof

• US 8,818,799 B2
• Filed: 07/08/2011
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Enbom, Niklas, Hagen, Roar, Skoglund, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): SMITH, CREIGHTON H
• Application Number:
  US13/179,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20120014514A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 704/226, 379/32.01
• US Class Current: 704/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/12 Counting circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/18 with means for reducing interference or noise; with means for reducing effects due to line faults with means for protecting lines
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/561 by multiplexing

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for indicating presence of a transient noise in a call are provided. The method comprises the steps of determining activity at an endpoint of the call by monitoring presence of a signal input from the endpoint into the call and monitoring presence of a potential source of transient noise at the endpoint. Further, based on the activity determination and the monitoring of the presence of a potential source of transient noise, a signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in the call is sent. The present invention is advantageous in that it enables improvement of the quality of the call.

Claims

1. A method of indicating presence of transient noise in a call, said method comprising the steps of:

determining activity at an endpoint of said call by monitoring presence of a signal input from said endpoint into said call;

monitoring presence of a source of transient noise at said endpoint;

buffering, for a period of time, determinations associated with the step of determining activity at said endpoint or determinations associated with the step of monitoring presence of a source of transient noise at said endpoint;

determining that a transient noise is present in the call based on a source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint and an inactive to active transition being detected in said activity;

updating a state value based on the determination that a transient noise is present in the call, wherein the updating includes adding a first predetermined value to a state value in response to the source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint within said buffering period of time and the inactive to active transition being detected in said activity within said buffering period of time; and

sending a signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call, wherein the signal includes information about said state value.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call includes a degree of confidence indicating a probability of transient noise being present in said call.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein updating the state value includes:

subtracting a second predetermined value from a state value in response to the source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint within said buffering period of time and the inactive to active transition being detected in said activity outside of said buffering period of time;

subtracting a third predetermined value from a state value in response to the inactive to active transition being detected in said activity within said buffering period of time and the source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint outside of said buffering period of time; and

subtracting a fourth predetermined value from a state value in response to the source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint outside of said buffering period of time and the inactive to active transition being detected in said activity outside of said buffering period of time.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of determining activity at said endpoint is performed on the basis of a time interval, said time interval being shorter than the buffering period of time.

5. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring presence of a source of transient noise at said endpoint includes analyzing the input signal from said endpoint.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the step of monitoring presence of a source of transient noise at said endpoint includes receiving information indicating that a potential source of transient noise has been activated at said endpoint.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein said receiving information is performed on the basis of a time interval, said time interval being shorter than said buffering period of time.

8. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein said signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call is a warning signal indicating presence of a disturbing transient noise in said call if the degree of confidence indicates a high probability of transient noise being present in said call.

9. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein said signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call is a warning signal indicating presence of a disturbing transient noise if said state value exceeds a threshold.

10. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

reducing the input signal from said endpoint,

wherein said signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call includes information that the input signal is reduced.

11. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

muting a microphone associated with said endpoint,

wherein said signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call includes information that the microphone is muted.

12. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a segment of input signal comprising a disturbing transient noise; and

replacing the identified segment with a silent segment or a comfort noise segment.

13. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a segment of input signal comprising a disturbing transient noise; and

replacing the identified segment with a segment generated based on long term statistics of the input signal.

14. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a segment of input signal comprising a disturbing transient noise; and

replacing the identified segment with a segment generated by interpolation of features of adjacent segments of the input signal.

15. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a segment of input signal comprising a disturbing transient noise; and

processing the identified segment through noise reduction or noise suppression.

16. An apparatus for indicating presence of transient noise in a call, said apparatus comprising:

a processor;

an activity monitoring unit for determining activity at an endpoint of said call by monitoring presence of a signal input from said endpoint into said call;

a detecting unit for monitoring presence of a source of transient noise at said endpoint, and determining that a transient noise is present in the call based on a source of transient noise being detected at said endpoint by the detecting unit and an inactive to active transition being detected in said activity by the activity monitoring unit;

a timer configured to synchronize the operations of the activity monitoring unit and the detecting unit such that determinations of the activity monitoring unit and the detecting unit are made within a predetermined time window; and

a transmitting unit for sending a signal representative of the presence of a transient noise in said call,

wherein said processor is configured to update a state value based on the detecting unit determining that a transient noise is present in the call, the processor updating the state value by adding a first predetermined value to the state value if the source of transient noise is detected at said endpoint by the detecting unit within said time window and the inactive to active transition is detected in said activity by the activity monitoring unit within said time window, and

wherein the signal sent by the transmitting unit includes information about said state value.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the detecting unit detects a source of transient noise at said endpoint based on an analysis of an input signal detected by the activity monitoring unit or based on information received by the detecting unit indicating that a potential source of transient noise has been activated at the endpoint.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to:

subtract a second predetermined value from the state value if the source of transient noise is detected at said endpoint by the detecting unit within said time window and the inactive to active transition is detected in said activity by the activity monitoring unit outside of said time window;

subtract a third predetermined value from the state value if the inactive to active transition is detected in said activity by the activity monitoring unit within said time window and the source of transient noise is detected at said endpoint by the detecting unit outside of said time window; and

subtract a fourth predetermined value from the state value if the source of transient noise is detected at said endpoint by the detecting unit outside of said time window and the inactive to active transition is detected in said activity by the activity monitoring unit outside of said time window.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the signal sent by the transmitting unit includes a degree of confidence indicating a probability of transient noise being present in the call.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a buffer for storing, during said predetermined time window, the determinations made by the activity monitoring unit and the detecting unit.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the signal sent by the transmitting unit is a warning signal indicating presence of a disturbing transient noise in the call if said state value exceeds a threshold.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to reduce the input signal from said endpoint, and wherein the signal sent by the transmitting unit includes information indicating that the input signal is reduced.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to mute a microphone associated with said endpoint, and wherein the signal sent by the transmitting unit includes information indicating that the microphone is muted.

24. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to:

identify a segment of input signal comprising a disturbing transient noise; and

replace the identified segment with a silent segment or a comfort noise segment.