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Adaptive directional audio enhancement and selection

  • US 9,813,808 B1
  • Filed: 03/14/2013
  • Issued: 11/07/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A hands-free audio system, comprising:

  • a speaker configured to generate audio based at least in part on a received output audio signal;

    a microphone array comprising a plurality of spatially separated microphones, wherein an individual microphone of the plurality of spatially separated microphones produces a respective individual audio signal, wherein the respective individual audio signal potentially contains a near-end voice component and interference with respect to the near-end voice component, and wherein the interference comprises one or more of (a) an ambient noise component or (b) an acoustic echo component resulting from the audio;

    one or more interference suppressors configured to produce processed audio signals by suppressing the interference in the individual audio signals based, at least in part on, a reference audio signal;

    one or more audio beamformers, an individual beamformer of the one or more audio beamformers being configured to produce a directional audio signal based at least in part on the processed audio signals, wherein the directional audio signal emphasizes sound from a particular direction relative to the microphone array;

    one or more voice activity detectors, wherein a voice activity detector of the one or more voice activity detectors is configured to detect at least one of a presence of the near-end voice component in the directional audio signal or a presence of a far-end voice component in the directional audio signal;

    one or more signal energy measurers, wherein a signal energy measurer of the one or more signal energy measurers is configured to measure a signal energy of the directional audio signal; and

    a signal selector configured to select the directional audio signal based at least in part on (a) the presence of the near-end voice component detected by the voice activity detector in the directional audio signal, (b) the presence of the far-end voice component detected by the voice activity detector in the directional audio signal, and (c) the signal energy measured by the signal energy measurer.

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