Speech decoder capable of decoding background noise signal with high quality

A speech decoder for decoding a coded speech signal into a decoded speech signal and for reproducing a speech signal using the decoded speech signal, comprising:

• a spectral parameter calculating circuit, responsive to the decoded speech signal, for calculating spectral parameters based on the decoded speech signal;
• an excitation signal calculating circuit for calculating an excitation signal and for obtaining a level of the excitation signal, on the basis of the decoded speech signal and the spectral parameters;
• a pitch-prediction circuit calculating a pitch period from one of the decoded speech signal and the excitation signal, where the pitch-prediction circuit carries out a pitch prediction by using the pitch period to produce a pitch prediction signal, and where the pitch-prediction circuit calculates a residual signal by subtracting the pitch prediction signal from the excitation signal;
• a gain-calculating circuit for calculating a gain of at least one of the pitch prediction signal and the residual signal both output from the pitch-prediction circuit;
• a smoothing circuit responsive to the spectral parameters and the gain, for smoothing at least one of the spectral parameters and the gain, so as to output the spectral parameters and the excitation signal where at least one is subjected to smoothing;
• and
• a synthesis filter circuit having a synthesis filter constructed with the spectrum parameters output from the smoothing circuit, the synthesis filter circuit produces a new excitation signal as a proper excitation signal on the basis of the gain, the pitch prediction signal and the residual signal, and thereby the synthesis filter synthesizes the proper excitation signal using the synthesis filter, so as to reproduce the speech signal.

A method of reproducing a speech signal, comprising:

• decoding a coded speech signal output from a speech coder, so as to produce a decoded speech signal;
• calculating spectral parameters based on the decoded speech signal;
• calculating an excitation signal and obtaining a level of the excitation signal, based on the decoded speech signal and the spectral parameters;
• smoothing at least one of the spectral parameters and the level of the excitation signal, so as to output the spectral parameters and the excitation signal where at least one is subjected to the smoothing;
• and
• synthesizing the excitation signal using the synthesis filter constructed with the spectrum parameters from said smoothing, so as to reproduce the speech signal;
• wherein
• the calculating of the spectral parameters, the calculating of the excitation signal, the smoothing, and the synthesizing are carried out only when predetermined conditions are met, while the decoded speech signal is handled as the speech signal when the predetermined conditions are not met.

A method of reproducing a speech signal, comprising:

• first step of decoding a coded speech signal output from a speech coder, so as to produce a decoded speech signal;
• second step of calculating spectral parameters based on the decoded speech signal;
• third step of calculating an excitation signal and obtaining a level of the excitation signal, on the basis of the decoded speech signal and the spectral parameters;
• fourth step of calculating a pitch period from either the decoded speech signal or the excitation signal, carrying out a pitch prediction by the use of pitch period to produce a pitch prediction signal, and subtracting the pitch prediction signal from the excitation signal to calculate a residual signal;
• fifth step of calculating a gain of at lease one of the pitch prediction signal and the residual signal;
• sixth step of smoothing in time at least one of the spectral parameters and the gain, so as to output the spectral parameters and the excitation signal where at least one is subjected to the smoothing;
• and
• seventh step of newly producing an excitation signal as a proper excitation signal on the basis of the gain, the pitch prediction signal and the residual signal, and then, synthesizing the proper excitation signal by the use of the synthesis filter constructed with the spectrum parameters, so that the speech signal is reproduced.