Dynamic beamformer processing for acoustic echo cancellation in systems with high acoustic coupling

Near-end equipment for a near-end audio source communicating with a far-end equipment via an audio communication channel, the near-end equipment comprising:

• a beamformer configured to receive two or more microphone signals generated by two or more local microphones and generate one or more beampattern signals;
• and
• an echo canceller configured to
• (i) receive the one or more beampattern signals from the beamformer and an incoming signal from the far-end equipment that is applied to one or more local loudspeakers,
• (ii) determine an active communication state for the audio communication channel,
• (iii) select a beampattern for the beamformer based on the determined active communication state, and
• (iv) apply echo-cancellation processing to a beampattern signal corresponding to the selected beampattern for the beamformer, to generate an outgoing signal to be transmitted to the far-end equipment,
• wherein:
• active communication states comprise a near-end only talking state, a far-end only talking state, and a double-talk state;
• one or more beampatterns comprise a first beampattern and a second beampattern different from the first beampattern;
• the first beampattern has at least one near-field null corresponding to the one or more local loudspeakers and a far-field pattern that does not contain any nulls;
• the second beampattern optimizes reception of acoustic signals from the near-end audio source;
• when the echo canceller determines that the active communication state is the far-end only talking state or the double-talk state, the echo canceller selects the first beampattern;
• when the echo canceller determines that the active communication state is the near-end only taling state, the echo canceller selects the second beampattern;
• wherein the beamformer is configured to generate a first beampattern signal for a first communication state;
• and
• the echo canceller is configured to
• (i) detect a change from the first communication state to a second communication state different from the first communication state and
• (ii) control the beamformer to be re-configured to generate a second beampattern signal different from the first beampattern signal for the second communication state.