Multi-channel echo cancellation method and apparatus

An echo canceller apparatus for performing echo cancellation on multiple communication channels, wherein inputs to the echo canceller apparatus comprise multiple reference signals, and multiple reflected signals, and outputs of the echo canceller apparatus are multiple echo cancelled signals, the echo canceller apparatus comprising:

• a central control unit (CCU) for processing the reference signals and the reflected signals and sending the reference signals to multiple convolution processing units (CPUs), for receiving reflected signal estimates as a result of convolution processes performed by the multiple CPUs, and for producing the echo cancelled signals based on the reflected signal estimates;
• and
• the multiple CPUs coupled to the CCU, each of the multiple CPUs for receiving a reference signal and for performing a convolution and adaptive process based on the reference signal, the reflected signal, an error signal, current filter coefficients, and the control data, and returning a reflected signal estimate as a result to the CCU, wherein each of the multiple CPUs are capable of performing the convolution and adaptive process independently so that echo cancellation for multiple channels can be performed in parallel.

A central control unit (CCU) of an echo canceller for performing timing and control functions which enable the echo canceller simultaneously to process more than one communication channel, the central control unit performing the timing and control functions by executing a repeating sequence of steps which comprise pre-processing a reference signal and a reflected signal obtained from a first channel, causing a convolution processing unit (CPU) to perform a first convolution process for the reference signal, and post-processing a reflected signal estimate received from the CPU as a result of the first convolution process to produce an echo cancelled signal, wherein during operation, the CCU causes a second CPU to perform a second convolutional process for a reference signal obtained from a second channel simultaneously with causing the first convolutional process.