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Echo control through hidden audio signals

  • US 9,552,827 B2
  • Filed: 06/27/2013
  • Issued: 01/24/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method for determining an estimate of an echo path property of an echo path of an electronic device configured to render a total audio signal using a loudspeaker, thereby yielding a rendered audio signal, and configured to record an echo of the rendered audio signal using a microphone, thereby yielding a recorded audio signal;

  • the electronic device comprising an acoustic echo cancellation unit;

    the method comprising;

    inserting, in an inaudible manner, an auxiliary audio signal into the total audio signal to be rendered by the loudspeaker;

    wherein the auxiliary audio signal comprises a tonal audio signal at a first frequency;

    isolating the echo of the auxiliary audio signal from the recorded audio signal;

    determining the estimate of the echo path property based on the inserted auxiliary audio signal and based on the isolated echo of the auxiliary audio signal, the estimate of the echo path property being suitable for detecting a discontinuity occurring on the echo path;

    using the estimate of the echo path property to determine at least one ofan estimate of a rate of occurrence of discontinuities occurring on the echo path, andan estimate of the extent of discontinuities occurring on the echo path; and

    bypassing the acoustic echo cancellation unit if the estimate of the rate of occurrence of discontinuities exceeds a pre-determined rate threshold or if the estimate of the extent of discontinuities exceeds a pre-determined discontinuity threshold.

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