Sub-band exponential smoothing noise canceling system

• US 6,377,637 B1
• Filed: 07/12/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Andrea Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Andrea Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Berdugo, Baruch
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Stephen
• Assistant Examiner(s): JIANG, LENNY R
• Application Number:
  US09/614,875
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 375/285, 375/296, 375/346, 375/349, 381/94.1, 381/71.1, 379/406.01, 379/406.06, 379/406.08, 379/406.12, 379/406.13, 379/406.14
• US Class Current: 375/346
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/0208 Subband vocoders
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2021/02168 the estimation exclusively taking place during speech pauses
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/0208 Noise filtering

Abstract

A noise canceling method and apparatus for canceling noise by time domain processing sub-bands of a digital input signal. The input signal is divided into a number of frequency-limited time-domain sub-bands. Each sub-band is then individually processed to cancel noise present in the signal. The noise processing includes exponential averaging of the input, noise estimation, and subtraction processing. The noise subtraction process is simplified by generating a filter coefficient that is exponentially smoothed, hard limited, and multiplied with the input signal to generate the noise processed output for each sub-band. The noise processed bands are then recombined into a digital output signal. Implementation may be effected in software or hardware and applied to various noise canceling and signal processing applications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for canceling noise by time domain processing sub-bands of a digital input signal, comprising:

input means for inputting a digital input signal which includes a noise signal;

band splitting means for dividing said digital input signal into a plurality of frequency-limited time-domain signal sub-bands by using single side band modulation and a DFT filter bank;

a plurality of noise processing means each for processing a corresponding one of said plurality of signal sub-bands such that said noise signal included in said digital input signal is cancelled;

wherein each noise processing means is further comprised of exponential averaging means, noise estimating means, and subtraction processing means; and

recombining means for recombining the noise processed plurality of signal sub-bands into a digital output signal.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said exponential averaging means computes a rolling average input value on the basis of a weighted average of the previous value of said rolling average input value and a current input value.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said noise estimation means generates a band noise value by performing an exponential smoothing based on a weighted average of the previous value of said band noise value and a current input value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein if the current input value is greater than a predetermined multiple of a current minimum value the current input value is not considered to be noise and said noise estimator is not updated.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said subtraction processing means generates a filter coefficient H on the basis of a rolling average input value and a band noise value, and multiplies a current input value by said filter coefficient to generate a noise canceled value.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said subtraction processing means further performs a minimum filter coefficient threshold function.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein if the current input value is less than a predetermined noise threshold value said subtraction processing means further performs an exponential smoothing of said filter coefficient.

8. A method for canceling noise by time domain processing sub-bands of a digital input signal, comprising the steps of:

inputting a digital input signal which includes a noise signal;

dividing said digital input signal into a plurality of sub-bands by using single side band modulation and a DFT filter bank;

noise processing a corresponding one of said plurality of sub-bands such that said noise signal included in said digital input signal is canceled;

said noise processing step further comprising the steps of exponential averaging, noise estimating, and subtraction processing; and

recombining the noise processed plurality of sub-bands into a digital output signal using a recombining means.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein said exponential averaging step computes a rolling average input value on the basis of a weighted average of the previous value of said rolling average input value and a current input value.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein said noise estimating step generates a band noise value by performing an exponential smoothing based on a weighted average of the previous value of said band noise value and a current input value.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein if the current input value is greater than a predetermined multiple of a current minimum value the current input value is not considered to be noise and said noise estimator is not updated.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein said subtraction processing step generates a filter coefficient H on the basis of a rolling average input value and a band noise value, and multiplies a current input value by said filter coefficient to generate a noise canceled value.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said subtraction processing step further performs a minimum filter coefficient threshold function.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein if the current input value is less than a predetermined noise threshold value said subtraction processing step further performs an exponential smoothing of said filter coefficient.