Method of arbitrating speakerphone operation in a portable communication device for eliminating false arbitration due to echo
AssigneeMotorola, Inc.
InventorsSamuel Han Siong Chia, Ali Behboodian, Pratik Desai
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A speakerphone arbitration method is used to eliminate the effects of echo in imperfect telephone circuits. The method assumes that speech energy received at the speaker phone is an echo, unless the speech energy has characteristics that indicate it is not echo, such as the duration of the speech energy, and the time at which the speech energy is received relative to the time when the user of the speakerphone finishes speaking, or pauses while speaking. The method also may allow arbitration if the speech energy is more energetic than a typical echo, regardless of the duration or time when it is received.
Claims12
A method for arbitrating speakerphone operation in a portable communication device for eliminating false arbitration due to echo, comprising:
- activating a microphone path and muting a speaker path of the portable communication device;
- detecting a microphone path energy value exceeding a microphone energy threshold value on the microphone path;
- detecting the microphone path energy value falling below the microphone energy threshold value after the microphone path energy value exceeded the microphone energy threshold value;
- detecting a speaker path energy value being greater than a speaker energy threshold on the speaker path while the microphone path energy value is lower than the microphone energy threshold, and before an expiration of an echo suppression time period, the echo suppression time period beginning when the microphone path energy value falls below the microphone energy threshold;
- and
- before the expiration of the echo suppression time period:
- if the speaker path energy value remains above the speaker energy threshold longer than a duration of an echo return duration time period, muting the microphone path and activating the speaker path, the echo return duration time period being shorter than the echo suppression time period.
A method for arbitrating speakerphone operation in a portable communication device for eliminating false arbitration due to echo, comprising:
- activating a microphone path and muting a speaker path of the portable communication device;
- detecting a microphone path energy value exceeding a microphone energy threshold value on the microphone path;
- running an echo suppression time period timer in the portable communication device upon detecting the microphone path energy value falling below the microphone energy threshold value, the echo suppression time period timer for timing an echo suppression time period;
- detecting a speaker path energy value being greater than a speaker energy threshold on the speaker path while the microphone path energy value is lower than the microphone energy threshold, and before an expiration of an echo suppression time period, the echo suppression time period beginning when the microphone path energy value falls below the microphone energy threshold;
- and
- before the expiration of the echo suppression time period timer:
- if the speaker path energy value remains above the speaker energy threshold longer than a duration of an echo return duration time period, muting the microphone path and activating the speaker path, the echo return duration time period being shorter than the echo suppression time period.
A method for arbitrating speakerphone operation in a portable communication device for eliminating false arbitration due to echo, comprising:
- activating a microphone path and muting a speaker path of the portable communication device;
- detecting speech on the microphone path;
- detecting an absence of speech on the microphone path after previously detecting speech on the microphone path;
- detecting speech on the speaker path after detecting the absence of speech on the microphone path, and before an expiration of an echo suppression time period, the echo suppression time period beginning when the detecting the absence of speech first occurs;
- and
- before the expiration of the echo suppression time period:
- if the speech is detected on the speaker path longer than a duration of an echo return duration time period, muting the microphone path and activating the speaker path, the echo return duration time period being shorter than the echo suppression time period.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.