High quality audio conferencing with adaptive beamforming
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorDarwin Rambo
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods that enable high quality audio teleconferencing are disclosed. In one embodiment of the present invention, a signal processor receives signals from a spatially dispersed set of directional microphones, processing the microphone signals and the far-end received audio into a signal for transmission to a far-end party. The processing may comprise the use of one or more algorithms that reduce conference room noise and may selectively increase participant audio levels by processing the microphone signals using beamforming techniques. An embodiment of the present invention may also comprise one or more omni-directional microphones that may be used in cooperation with the directional microphones to adjust for background noise, acoustic echo, and the existence of side conversations.
Claims39
One or more circuits, the one or more circuits comprising:
- processing circuitry operable to communicate with a plurality of conference stations at a first location, the plurality of conference stations comprising a plurality of directional microphones that collectively produces a corresponding plurality of directional microphone signals, the processing circuitry being configured to:
- receive the plurality of directional microphone signals produced at the first location;
- receive, via a communication network from a second location remote from the first location, a first electrical signal representative of sound of a user at the second location;
- process the plurality of directional microphone signals and the first electrical signal to produce a second electrical signal;
- and
- transmit the second electrical signal to the second location.
One or more circuits, the one or more circuits comprising:
- processing circuitry at a first location, the processing circuitry being operable to receive a plurality of directional microphone signals, the processing circuitry being configured to:
- select a first group of directional microphone signals from the plurality of directional microphone signals and select a second group of directional microphone signals from the plurality of directional microphone signals;
- process the first group and the second group using an adaptive beamforming technique, the processing producing a first output signal for the first group and a second output signal for the second group;
- and
- combine the first output signal with the second output signal in response to one or more commands of a user at a second location remote from the first location, wherein the first output signal and the second output signal are combined to produce a combined signal;
- and
- transmit the combined signal to the second location.
At least one processor at a first location, the at least one processor comprising:
- output circuitry operable to output a first electrical signal representative of sound;
- and
- input circuitry operable to receive at least one signal representative of sound from a plurality of directional microphones disposed in a corresponding plurality of conference stations arranged in spaced relation at the first location, the plurality of directional microphones converting sound into a plurality of directional microphone signals;
- and
- wherein the at least one processor modifies at least one directional microphone signal among the plurality of directional microphone signals in response to a second electrical signal, the second electrical signal being representative of sound at a second location remote from the first location and further in response to a command input received from a user at the second location, the at least one directional microphone signal being modified to produce a transmit signal representative of sound for transmission to the second location.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.