US 7,013,272 B2 · Amplitude masking of spectra for speech recognition method and apparatus

Abstract

In a speech recognition platform, a masking unit 17 can be utilized to mask noisy content within an audio sample. By masking such noise in a dynamic but predictable manner, valid content can be preserved while largely overcoming the random and detrimental presence of noise. In one embodiment, speech recognition features are extracted pursuant to a hierarchical process that localizes, at least to some extent, some of the resultant features from other resultant features. As a result, noisy or otherwise unreliable information corresponding to the audio sample will not be leveraged unduly across the entire feature set. In another embodiment, an average energy value for processed samples is calculated with individual energy values that are downwardly weighted when such individual energy values are likely representative of noise.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

providing information having varying amplitude in a spectral domain to be speech-recognized;
adding masking information to the provided information as a function, at least in part, of the amplitude of the provided information to provide modified information;
extracting at least some speech recognition features from the modified information by processing the modified information to obtain localized speech recognition coefficients wherein at least some of the localized speech recognition coefficients are determined independent of other of the speech recognition coefficients.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Amplitude masking of spectra for speech recognition method and apparatus

Life of this patent

Amplitude masking of spectra for speech recognition method and apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20