Echo suppression
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorPer Ahgren
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Method, user device and computer program product for suppressing echo. An audio signal is outputted from a speaker. A microphone receives an audio signal which includes echo resulting from said outputted audio signal. An echo path of the echo is modelled using a plurality of models. A first of the models is a FIR based model and a second of the models is different to the first model. The first model is used to determine a first model estimate of the echo power of a first component of the echo. The second model is used to determine a second model estimate of the echo power of a second component of the echo. The first and second model estimates of the echo power are combined. The combined estimate of the echo power is used to apply echo suppression to the received audio signal, thereby suppressing the echo.
Claims20
A method of suppressing echo, the method comprising:
- outputting an audio signal;
- receiving an audio signal, wherein the received audio signal includes echo resulting from said outputted audio signal;
- modelling an echo path of the echo in the received audio signal using a plurality of models, wherein a first of the models is a Finite Impulse Response based model, and wherein a second of the models is different to the first model;
- using the first model to determine a first model estimate of the echo power of at least a first component of the echo in the received audio signal;
- using the second model to determine a second model estimate of the echo power of at least a second component of the echo in the received audio signal;
- combining the first and second model estimates of the echo power to determine a combined estimate of the echo power of the echo in the received audio signal;
- and
- using the combined estimate of the echo power to apply echo suppression to the received audio signal, thereby suppressing the echo in the received audio signal.
A device configured to implement echo suppression, the device comprising:
- audio output apparatus configured to output an audio signal;
- audio input apparatus configured to receive an audio signal, wherein the received audio signal includes an echo resulting from said outputted audio signal;
- a modelling module configured to model an echo path of the echo in the received audio signal using a plurality of models, wherein the first model is a Finite Impulse Response based model and the second model is different to the first model, wherein the modelling module is configured to use the first model to determine a first model estimate of the echo power of at least a first component of the echo in the received audio signal, and to use the second model to determine a second model estimate of the echo power of at least a second component of the echo in the received audio signal, and wherein the modelling module comprises a combining module configured to combine the first and second model estimates of the echo power to determine a combined estimate of the echo power of the echo in the received audio signal;
- and
- an echo suppression module configured to use the combined estimate of the echo power to apply echo suppression to the received audio signal, thereby suppressing the echo in the received audio signal.
A computer program product configured to suppress echo in a received audio signal, the computer program product being embodied on a computer-readable storage medium and configured so as when executed on a processor to perform the operations of:
- outputting an audio signal;
- receiving an audio signal, wherein the received audio signal includes echo resulting from said outputted audio signal;
- modelling an echo path of the echo in the received audio signal using a plurality of models, wherein a first of the models is a Finite Impulse Response based model, and wherein a second of the models is different to the first model;
- using the first model to determine a first model estimate of the echo power of at least a first component of the echo in the received audio signal;
- using the second model to determine a second model estimate of the echo power of at least a second component of the echo in the received audio signal;
- combining the first and second model estimates of the echo power to determine a combined estimate of the echo power of the echo in the received audio signal;
- and
- using the combined estimate of the echo power to apply echo suppression to the received audio signal, thereby suppressing the echo in the received audio signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.