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US 2014/0233757 A1Published application
Noisy Environment Communication Enhancement System
AssigneeNuance Communications, Inc.
InventorsTim Haulick, Gerhard Uwe Schmidt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A communication system enhances communications in a noisy environment. Multiple input arrays convert a voiced or unvoiced signal into an analog signal. A converter receives the analog signal and generates digital signals. A digital signal processor determines temporal and spatial information from the digital signals. The processed signals are then converted to audible sound.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- receiving input signals from at least two microphone arrays each comprising at least two microphones to generate microphone signals;
- supplying the microphone signals to a beamformer comprising a wanted signal beamformer and a blocking beamformer,
- in the wanted signal beamformer, combining the microphone signals with a computer processor such that signals from a wanted direction corresponding to a first one of the microphone arrays and a given speaker are transmitted substantially without attenuation and signal components of directions other than the wanted direction are substantially attenuated;
- and
- in the blocking beamformer, substantially suppressing at least one of the microphone signals from the wanted signal direction, and transmitting with minimum distortion at least one of the microphone signals from directions other than the wanted direction.
2 more elements
A system, comprising:
- a beamformer to receive input signals from at least two microphone arrays each comprising at least two microphones to generate microphone signals,
- wherein the beamformer comprises:
- a wanted signal beamformer to combine the microphone signals such that signals from a wanted direction corresponding to a first one of the microphone arrays and a given speaker are transmitted substantially without attenuation and signal components of directions other than the wanted direction are substantially attenuated;
- and
- a blocking beamformer to substantially suppress at least one of the microphone signals from the wanted signal direction, and to transmit with minimum distortion at least one of the microphone signals from directions other than the wanted direction.
2 more elements
An article, comprising:
- a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored instructions that enable a machine to:
- receive input signals from at least two microphone arrays each comprising at least two microphones to generate microphone signals;
- supplying the microphone signals to a wanted signal beamformer and a blocking beamformer,
- in the wanted signal beamformer, combining the microphone signals such that signals from a wanted direction corresponding to a first one of the microphone arrays and a given speaker are transmitted substantially without attenuation and signal components of directions other than the wanted direction are substantially attenuated;
- and
- in the blocking beamformer, substantially suppressing at least one of the microphone signals from the wanted signal direction, and transmitting with minimum distortion at least one of the microphone signals from directions other than the wanted direction.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.