Apparatus and method for improving speech intelligibility in background noise by amplification and compression

A method for generating a modified audio speech signal from an audio speech input signal, wherein the audio speech input signal comprises a plurality of speech subband signals, wherein the modified audio speech signal comprises a plurality of modified subband signals, wherein the method comprises:

• generating weighting information for each speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals depending on a signal power of said speech subband signal,
• modifying each speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals by applying the weighting information of said speech subband signal on said speech subband signal to acquire a modified subband signal of the plurality of modified subband signals, and
• outputting the modified audio speech signal,
• wherein generating the weighting information for each of the plurality of speech subband signals and modifying each of the speech subband signals are conducted so that a first speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals comprising a first signal power is amplified with a first degree, and so that a second speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals comprising a second signal power is amplified with a second degree, wherein the first signal power is greater than the second signal power, and wherein the first degree is lower than the second degree,
• wherein the method is performed using a hardware apparatus or a computer or a combination of a hardware apparatus and a computer.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program for implementing a method for generating a modified audio speech signal from an audio speech input signal, when being executed on a computer or signal processor, wherein the audio speech input signal comprises a plurality of speech subband signals, wherein the modified audio speech signal comprises a plurality of modified subband signals, wherein the method comprises:

• generating weighting information for each speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals depending on a signal power of said speech subband signal,
• modifying each speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals by applying the weighting information of said speech subband signal on said speech subband signal to acquire a modified subband signal of the plurality of modified subband signals, and
• outputting the modified audio speech signal,
• wherein generating the weighting information for each of the plurality of speech subband signals and modifying each of the speech subband signals are conducted so that a first speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals comprising a first signal power is amplified with a first degree, and so that a second speech subband signal of the plurality of speech subband signals comprising a second signal power is amplified with a second degree, wherein the first signal power is greater than the second signal power, and wherein the first degree is lower than the second degree.