Noise reducing method, noise reducing apparatus and telephone set

• US 5,687,285 A
• Filed: 08/14/1996
• Issued: 11/11/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Katayanagi, Keiichi, Nishiguchi, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): MacDonald, Allen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAX, ROBERT L
• Application Number:
  US08/699,683
• Time in Patent Office: 454 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2.35, 395/2.36, 395/2.37, 395/2.42, 381/57, 381/68.4, 381/73.1, 381/94
• US Class Current: 704/226
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0216 characterised by the method used for estimating noise
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0232 Processing in the frequency domain

Abstract

A noise reducing method and device for reducing the noise contained in an input speech signal collects the speech signal with a microphone 11 and converts the speech signal into a digital input signal x(n) with an A/D converter 12. A frame power calculating circuit 13 calculates a mean frame power rms for each frame of the digital input signal x(n). A suppression ratio calculating circuit 14 calculates different values of the noise suppression ratio depending on the magnitude of the mean frame power rms relative to pre-set threshold values. A level discrimination circuit 18 forms a changeover control signal depending on the noise level and transmits the changeover control signal to the suppression ratio calculating circuit 14 for switching control of the threshold value. The suppression ratio value from the suppression value calculating circuit 14 is transmitted via a smoothing circuit 15 to a noise-reducing circuit 16 and multiplied with the input signal x(n) for reducing the noise component of the speech signal. The effect of the noise-reducing operation is changed in response to the noise level and the intensity of the noise-reducing operation is moderated in portions having a low noise level to prevent deterioration in the sound quality.

Claims

1. A method for reducing noise contained in an input speech signal comprising steps of:

detecting a level of a noise component in the input speech signal and forming a control signal based on the detected noise level; and

modifying steps taken in performing a noise reducing operation on the input speech signal for carrying out a modified noise reducing operation based on the control signal,

wherein the noise reducing operation includes carrying out level expansion to produce different effects with a predetermined threshold value of an input speech signal level as a boundary, modifying the threshold value based on the control signal, and diminishing the level expansion effect when the input speech signal level is less than or equal to the threshold value such that the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level above the threshold value is greater than the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level below the threshold value and a graph of an output speech signal level as ordinate data as a function of the input speech signal level as abcissa data shows a greater slope above the threshold value and a relatively lesser slope below the threshold value.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the noise reducing operation includes carrying out the level expansion to give different effects for a plurality of threshold values of the input speech signal level being respective boundaries such that the level expansion of intermediate input speech signal levels is greater than the level expansion of low input speech signal levels and the level expansion of high input speech signal levels is less than the level expansion of intermediate input speech signal levels and a graph of the output speech signal level as ordinate data as a function of the input speech signal level as abcissa data shows a greater slope at the intermediate input speech signal levels and a relatively lesser slope at low input speech signal levels and at high input speech signal levels.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising steps of:

detecting a mean power of the input speech signal for each of a plurality of unit time durations for use as the input speech signal level;

setting a signal suppression ratio based on the detected input speech signal level and the control signal; and

carrying out the noise reducing operation by multiplying the input speech signal with the signal suppression ratio.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising a step of:

smoothing the signal suppression ratio within each of the plurality of unit time durations.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising a step of:

enhancing an effect of smoothing the signal suppression ratio when the detected input speech signal level is lower than a level of the input speech signal during a previous one of the plurality of unit time durations.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of modifying includes a step of:

selecting one of a plurality of processing algorithms based on the control signal.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of processing algorithms include:

a first noise reducing algorithm for calculating a first suppression ratio based on the input speech signal level and multiplying the input speech signal with the calculated first suppression ratio;

a second noise reducing algorithm for calculating a second suppression ratio based on the level of a signal corresponding to the input speech signal whose high-frequency component is enhanced and multiplying the input speech signal with the calculated second suppression ratio; and

a third noise reducing algorithm for performing a noise reducing operation only on a low-frequency component of the input speech signal and adding the noise-reduced low-frequency component to the high-frequency component of the input speech signal.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of:

compression encoding the input speech signal and detecting the level of the noise component in the input speech signal at the noise level detecting step using encoding parameters obtained by the compression encoding step.

9. An apparatus for reducing noise in an input speech signal having a microphone for receiving the input speech signal and noise reducing means for reducing noise contained in the input speech signal received by the microphone, the apparatus comprising:

noise level detection means for detecting a level of a noise component in the input speech signal and outputting a control signal based on the detected noise level;

modifying means for modifying steps performed in a noise reducing operation for the input speech signal based on the control signal;

speech level detection means for detecting a level of the input speech signal, whereby the noise reducing means carries out level expansion to give different effects with a predetermined threshold value of the input speech signal level as a boundary and modifies the threshold value responsive to the control signal; and

means for diminishing the level expansion effect for the input speech signal when the level detected by the speech level detection means is less than or equal to the threshold value such that the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level above the threshold value is greater than the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level below the threshold value and a slope of a curve of an output speech signal level plotted as a function of the input speech signal level is greater above the threshold value and is relatively less below the threshold value.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

level expansion means for performing level expansion to give a different level expansion effect for each of a plurality of threshold values of the input speech signal level such that the level expansion of intermediate input speech signal levels is greater than the level expansion of low input speech signal levels and the level expansion of high input speech signal levels is less than the level expansion of intermediate input speech signal levels and a slope of a curve of the output speech signal level plotted as a function of the input speech signal level is greater at the intermediate input speech signal levels and is less at low input speech signal levels and at high input speech signal levels.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

means for detecting a mean power of the input speech signal for each of a plurality of unit time durations for use as the input speech signal level;

signal suppression ratio setting means for setting a signal suppression ratio based on the detected input speech signal level and the control signal; and

arithmetic-logical means for multiplying the input speech signal with the signal suppression ratio in order to carry out a noise reducing operation.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

smoothing means for receiving the signal suppression ratio and smoothing the received signal suppression ratio within each of the plurality of unit time durations.

13. The apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the smoothing means enhances a smoothing effect when the detected input speech signal level is lower than the input speech signal level during a previous one of the plurality of unit time durations.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

selecting means for selecting a selected algorithm from among a plurality of processing algorithms based on the control signal and outputting the selected algorithm to the modifying means for use in the noise reducing operation.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of processing algorithms include:

a first noise reducing algorithm for calculating a first suppression ratio based on the level of the input speech signal level and multiplying the input speech signal with the calculated first suppression ratio;

a second noise reducing algorithm for calculating a second suppression ratio based on the level of a signal corresponding to the input speech signal whose high-frequency component is enhanced and multiplying the input speech signal with the calculated second suppression ratio; and

a third noise reducing algorithm for performing a noise reducing operation only on the low-frequency component of the input speech signal and adding the noise-reduced low-frequency component to the high-frequency component of the input speech signal.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

speech compression encoding means for compression encoding the input speech signal, the noise level detection means detecting the level of the noise component in the input speech signal using encoding parameters obtained from the speech compression encoding means.

17. A telephone apparatus having a microphone to which a speech signal is input, a noise reducing circuit for reducing noise contained in the speech signal input to the microphone and a transmitter for transmitting signals produced by the noise reducing circuit, the telephone apparatus comprising:

noise level detecting means for detecting a level of the noise component in the input speech signal;

means for generating and outputting a control signal based on the detected noise level;

speech level detection means for detecting a level of the input speech signal, whereby the noise reducing means carries out level expansion to give different effects with a predetermined threshold value of the input speech signal level as a boundary and modifies the threshold value based on the control signal; and

means for diminishing the level expansion effect of the input speech signal when the level detected by the speech level detection means is less than or equal to the threshold value such that the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level above the threshold value is greater than the level expansion effect for an input speech signal level below the threshold value and a slope of a curve of an output speech signal level plotted as a function of the input speech signal level is greater above the threshold value and is less below the threshold value.