Audio communication device and method using fixed echo cancellation filter coefficients

• US 9,185,233 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Deutschland GmbH (Intel Corporation)
• Inventors: Saplakoglu, Gurhan
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): GANMAVO, KUASSI A
• Application Number:
  US12/786,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20110293104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,995 Days
• Field of Search: 381/66, 381/83, 381/93, 381 941- 943, 381/94.7, 381/71.14, 381/86, 381/96, 37940601-40614
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 9/082 using echo cancellers echo cancellers per se H04B3/23

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses, systems, and software are disclosed for providing a phone or other audio communication device with a fixed-path acoustic echo cancellation feature that compensates for a fixed-path acoustic coupling caused by transmission of sound from one or more speakers to one or more microphones through, for instance, the phone body itself.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a downlink;

and

an echo cancellation module configured to filter a first signal on the downlink using a dynamic set of filter coefficients and one static set of filter coefficients selected from a static first set of filter coefficients and a static second set of filter coefficients to generate a second signal, and to generate a third signal based on a difference between the second signal and a fourth signal that is based on sound received by a first microphone,

wherein the echo cancellation module is configured to use the static first set of filter coefficients for a first mode of operation and the static second set of filter coefficients for a second, different mode of operation and wherein the one static set of filter coefficients for the first mode of operation improves a single talk echo performance by about 5 to 10 dB compared to filtering the first signal using only the dynamic set of filter coefficients.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein values of the static first set of filter coefficients do not depend upon values of a second set of filter coefficients.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further configured to generate a sixth signal based on a difference between a fifth signal and the third signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the apparatus is further configured to wirelessly transmit a signal based on the sixth signal to a communication network.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a read-only memory storing the first set of filter coefficients.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electrically-erasable programmable memory (EEPROM) storing the first set of filter coefficients.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the echo cancellation module comprises a processor.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second microphone, wherein a fourth signal is further based on sound received by the second microphone.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second speaker coupled to the downlink.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first mode of operation is a handset mode and the second mode of operation is a handsfree mode.

11. A method, comprising:

filtering a first signal on a downlink of an audio communication device using a dynamic set of filter coefficients and a static first set of filter coefficients to generate a second signal;

generating a third signal based on a difference between the second signal and a fourth signal that is based on sound received by a first microphone of the audio communication device; and

wherein filtering the first signal includes selecting the static first set of filter coefficients from a first static first set of filter coefficients for a first mode of operation and a second, different static first set of filter coefficients for a second, different mode of operation, wherein selecting the static first set of filter coefficients for the first mode of operation improves a single talk echo performance by about 5 to 10 dB compared to filtering the first signal using only the dynamic set of filter coefficients,

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating sound from a speaker of the audio communication device based on the first signal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein values of the first set of filter coefficients do not depend upon values of a second set of filter coefficients.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising generating a sixth signal based on a difference between a fifth signal and the third signal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising wirelessly transmitting a seventh signal based on the sixth signal to a communication network.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the first set of filter coefficients in a read-only memory of the audio communication device.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing the first set of filter coefficients in an electrically-erasable programmable memory (EEPROM) of the audio communication device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the fourth signal is further based on sound received by a second microphone of the audio communication device.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a first speaker coupled to a downlink;

a first microphone; and

an echo cancellation module configured to filter a first signal on the downlink using a static first set of filter coefficients to generate a second signal, and to generate a third signal based on a difference between the second signal and a fourth signal that is based on sound received by the first microphone,

wherein the echo cancellation module is further configured to filter the first signal using a dynamic second set of filter coefficients that change over time to generate a fifth signal, and

wherein addition of the static first set of filter coefficients in the echo cancellation module is configured to improve a single talk echo performance by 5 to 10 dB compared to filtering the first signal using only the dynamic set of filter coefficients,

20. A method, comprising:

filtering a first signal on a downlink of an audio communication device using a static first set of filter coefficients to generate a second signal; and

generating a third signal based on a difference between the second signal and a fourth signal that is based on sound received by a first microphone of the audio communication device,

filtering the first signal using a dynamic set of filter coefficients that change over time to generate a fifth signal,

wherein addition of the static first set of filter coefficients in the filtering is configured to improve a single talk echo performance by 5 to 10 dB compared to filtering the first signal using only the dynamic set of filter coefficients.