Audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression

• US 9,349,383 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: 2236008 Ontario Inc. (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Hetherington, Phillip Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tsang, Fan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US13/752,983
• Publication Number:
  US 20140211965A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/03 Synergistic effects of band splitting and sub-band processing

Abstract

A system and method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression may detect the audio bandwidth of an audio signal responsive to one or more audio indicators. The audio indicators may include the audio sampling rate and characteristics of an associated compression format. Noise suppression gains may be calculated responsive to the audio signal. Noise suppression gains may mitigate undesirable noise in the reproduced output signal. The noise suppression gains may be modified responsive to the detected audio bandwidth. Less noise reduction may be desirable when more audio bandwidth is available. The modified noise suppression gains may be applied to the audio signal.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression comprising:

detecting the audio bandwidth of an audio signal received from a microphone responsive to one or more audio indicators through an audio bandwidth detector processor;

calculating noise suppression gains responsive to the audio signal through a noise suppression gain calculator processor;

modifying the noise suppression gains responsive to the detected audio bandwidth through a noise suppression modifier processor; and

applying the modified noise suppression gains to the audio signal through a noise suppression gain applier processor;

where the audio indicators comprise one or more of a compression format associated with the audio signal and a data rate associated with the compression format.

2. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 1, where the audio indicators comprise one or more of an audio sample rate associated with the audio signal, a compression format associated with the audio signal and a data rate associated with the compression format.

3. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 2, where the compression format comprise one or more of Adaptive Multi-Rate, Enhanced Variable Rate Codec B and Motion Pictures Expert Group Advanced Audio Coding.

4. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 1, where modifying the noise suppression gains responsive to the detected audio bandwidth comprises limiting the magnitude of the noise suppression gains.

5. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 4, where limiting the magnitude of the noise suppression gains comprises increasing a magnitude limit of the noise suppression gains with increased detected audio bandwidth.

6. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 5, where the magnitude limit of the noise suppression gains comprises:

10 to 12 dB for detected audio bandwidth up to and including 4 kHz;

6 to 8 dB for detected audio bandwidth from 4 kHz up to and including 8 kHz; and

0 to 6 dB for detected audio bandwidth over 8 kHz.

7. The method for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting changes in the audio bandwidth of an audio signal responsive to one or more audio indicators;

where modifying the noise suppression gains responsive to the detected audio bandwidth includes the changed detected audio bandwidth.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating a set of sub-bands for the audio signal using a subband filter or a Fast Fourier Transform.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising generating a set of sub-bands for the audio signal according to a critical, octave, mel, or bark band spacing technique.

10. A system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression comprising:

an audio bandwidth detector to detect the audio bandwidth of an audio signal responsive to one or more audio indicators;

a noise suppression gain calculator to calculate noise suppression gains responsive to the audio signal;

a noise suppression gain modifier to modify the noise suppression gains responsive to the detected audio bandwidth; and

a noise suppression gain applier to apply the modified noise suppression gains to the audio signal

where the audio indicators comprise one or more of a compression format associated with the audio signal and a data rate associated with the compression format.

11. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 10, where the audio indicators comprise one or more of an audio sample rate associated with the audio signal, a compression format associated with the audio signal and a data rate associated with the compression format.

12. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 11, where the compression format comprise one or more of Adaptive Multi-Rate, Enhanced Variable Rate Codec B and Motion Pictures Expert Group Advanced Audio Coding.

13. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 10, where the noise suppression gain modifier to modify the noise suppression gains responsive to the detected audio bandwidth comprises limiting the magnitude of the noise suppression gains.

14. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 13, where limiting the magnitude of the noise suppression gains comprises increasing a magnitude limit of the noise suppression gains with increased detected audio bandwidth.

15. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 14, where the magnitude limit of the noise suppression gains comprises:

10 to 12 dB for detected audio bandwidth up to and including 4 kHz;

6 to 8 dB for detected audio bandwidth from 4 kHz up to and including 8 kHz; and

0 to 6 dB for detected audio bandwidth over 8 kHz.

16. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 10, further comprising:

where the audio bandwidth detector detects changes in the audio bandwidth of an audio signal responsive to one or more audio indicators; and

where the noise suppression gain modifier modifies the noise suppression gains responsive to the changed detected audio bandwidth.

17. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 10, further comprising generating a set of sub-bands for the audio signal using a subband filter or a Fast Fourier Transform.

18. The system for audio bandwidth dependent noise suppression of claim 10, further comprising generating a set of sub-bands for the audio signal according to a critical, octave, mel, or bark band spacing technique.

19. A computer implemented method of noise suppression comprising:

detecting an audible bandwidth range of an audio signal received from a microphone responsive to one or more audio indicators identifying the audible bandwidth range through an audio bandwidth detector circuit;

calculating noise suppression gains responsive to the audio signal through a noise suppression gain calculator circuit;

modifying the noise suppression gains so that the noise suppression gains depend on the size of the detected audible bandwidth range through a noise suppression modifier circuit; and

applying the modified noise suppression gains to the audio signal through a noise suppression gain applier circuit;

where the audio indicators comprise one or more of a compression format associated with the audio signal and a data rate associated with the compression format.

20. The method of claim 19 where at least one of the one or more audio indicators comprise an identifier of an audio sample rate.

21. The method of claim 19 where at least one of the one or more audio indicators comprise an identifier of a compression format.