US 2016/0240210 A1Published application

Speech Enhancement to Improve Speech Intelligibility and Automatic Speech Recognition

OwnerXia Louinventor

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Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for enhancing speech signal intelligibility and for bettering performance of automatic speech recognition processes, for a speech signal in a noisy environment. Some typical application environments include a media device such as a smart TV. An acoustically coupled loudspeaker signal and signals from one or more microphones can be employed to enhance a near end user speech signal. Some processing can be application-specific, such as specific to applications wherein cleaned speech is employed for human voice communication and/or specific to applications employing Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) processing. A formant emphasis filter and a spectrum band reconstruction process can be employed to enhance speech quality and/or to improve ASR recognition rate performance. A speech signal can be characterized and the characterization can be employed to improve ASR performance. Some systems and methods apply to devices having a foreground microphone and a background microphone.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

an adaptive estimation filter configured to
receive a processed microphone signal,
receive a processed media reference signal,
provide an estimated early reflections signal responsive to the processed microphone signal and the processed media reference signal, and,
provide an estimated speech signal responsive to the processed microphone signal and the estimated early reflections signal;
a noise transformation function communicatively coupled with the adaptive estimation filter and configured to
provide a speech probability measure responsive to the processed microphone signal, the processed media reference signal, the estimated early reflections signal, and the estimated speech signal, and,
provide a noise estimation responsive to the estimated early reflections signal and the estimated speech signal;
a noise reduction function communicatively coupled with the noise transformation function and configured to provide a first cleaned speech signal responsive to the speech probability measure, the noise estimation, and the estimated speech signal;
a formant emphasis filter communicatively coupled with the noise reduction function and configured to provide an emphasized speech spectrum responsive to the speech probability measure and the first cleaned speech signal;
an automatic speech recognizer communicatively coupled with the formant emphasis filter and configured to provide recognized words responsive to the speech probability measure and the emphasized speech spectrum;
and,
a media device communicatively coupled with the automatic speech recognizer and configured to
provide a media reference signal, and,
control media device functions responsive to the recognized words;
wherein the processed media reference signal is responsive to the media reference signal.

13 more elements

A method comprising the steps of:

adaptive estimation filtering a processed microphone signal and a processed media reference signal, thereby providing an estimated early reflections signal and an estimated speech signal;
providing a speech probability measure responsive to the processed microphone signal, the processed media reference signal, the estimated early reflections signal, and the estimated speech signal;
estimating noise responsive to the estimated early reflections signal and the estimated speech signal, thereby providing a noise estimation;
providing a first cleaned speech signal responsive to the speech probability measure, the noise estimation, and the estimated speech signal;
formant emphasis filtering the first cleaned speech signal responsive to the speech probability measure, thereby providing an emphasized speech spectrum;
recognizing words responsive to the speech probability measure and the emphasized speech spectrum, thereby providing recognized words;
providing a media device having media device functions;
the media device providing a media reference signal;
and,
controlling media device functions responsive to the recognized words;
wherein the processed media reference signal is responsive to the media reference signal.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/047,584Filed 18 Feb 2016
Priority: 22 Jul 2012
Published: 18 Aug 2016
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G10L 25/15
Characterised by the type of extracted parameters: the extracted parameters being formant information
G10L 21/0232
Characterised by the method used for estimating noise: processing in the frequency domain
G10L 21/0388
Using band spreading techniques: details of processing therefor
G10L 15/20
Speech recognition: speech recognition techniques specially adapted for robustness in adverse environments, e.g. in noise, of stress induced speech

Family

Application61/674,361Us provisional application · filed 22 Jul 2012
Application13/947,079Continuation in part · filed 21 Jul 2013
Application15/047,584Continuation in part
US 2014/0025374 A1Published application
US 2016/0240210 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.