Adaptive weiner filtering using a dynamic suppression factor

A method of filtering a stream of sampled acoustic signals, comprising the steps of:

• (a) partitioning a stream of sampled acoustic signals into a sequence of frames;
• (b) Fourier transforming said frames to yield a sequence of transformed frames;
• (c) applying a generalized Wiener filter with a noise suppression factor to said transformed frames to yield a sequence of filtered transformed frames, wherein said noise suppression factor of said filter for a transformed frame depends upon estimates of the signal-to-noise ratio of said transformed frame;
• and
• (d) inverse Fourier transforming said sequence of filtered transformed frames to yield a sequence of filtered frames.

A speech system comprising:

• a. a speech acquiring module;
• b. a noise suppressing module couple to said acquiring module;
• c. an analyzing module coupled to said suppressing module;
• d. a transmitting/storing module coupled to said analyzing module;
• e. a synthesizing module coupled to said transmitting/storing module;
• f. a playingback module coupled to said synthesizing module;
• g. wherein said noise suppressing module includes an attenuating filter with a noise suppressing factor depending upon E.sub.N divide by E.sub.Y where E.sub.N is an estimate of noise energy of a frame of speech and E.sub.Y is an estimate of signal energy of said frame.