Audio processing devices and audio processing methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10249322-B2
Application number	US-201415024085-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2014
Priority date	Oct 25, 2013
Publication date	Apr 2, 2019
Grant date	Apr 2, 2019

Abstract

An audio processing device is described comprising an energy distribution determiner configured to determine an energy distribution of a sound and an acoustical environment determiner configured to determine based on the energy distribution whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An audio processing device comprising:
an energy distribution determiner configured to determine an energy distribution of a sound and further configured to determine signal subband centroid values of the sound;
an acoustical environment determiner configured to compare the signal subband centroid values of the sound to a pre-determined static threshold and determine that the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment when the subband signal centroid values are below the pre-determined static threshold; and
a noise reduction circuit configured to reduce the sound caused by the acoustical environment in response to the comparison of the signal subband centroid values being below the pre-determined static threshold.

2. The audio processing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a spectrum determiner configured to determine a spectrum of the sound.

3. The audio processing device of claim 2 ,
wherein the spectrum determiner is configured to perform a Fourier transform of the sound.

4. The audio processing device of claim 1 ,
wherein the energy distribution determiner is further configured to determine a spectral energy distribution of the sound; and
wherein the acoustical environment determiner is configured to determine based on the spectral energy distribution whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

5. The audio processing device of claim 1 ,
wherein the energy distribution determiner is configured to determine a weighted sum of frequencies present in the sound; and
wherein the acoustical environment determiner configured to determine based on the weighted sum whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

6. The audio processing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cepstrum determiner configured to determine a cepstrum transform of the sound.

7. The audio processing device of claim 6 ,
wherein the acoustical environment determiner is configured to determine based on the cepstrum transform whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

8. The audio processing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an energy ratio determiner configured to determine a ratio of energy between two frequency bands.

9. The audio processing device of claim 8 ,
wherein the acoustical environment determiner is further configured to determine based on the energy ratio whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

10. The audio processing device of claim 1 ,
wherein the acoustical environment determiner is further configured to classify the sound into one of the following classes:
a sound mainly caused by the acoustical environment is present;
a sound mainly caused by a further acoustical environment is present; or
a sound caused by a combination of the acoustical environment and the further acoustical environment is present.

11. The audio processing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a noise estimation circuit configured to estimate the noise in the audio signal.

12. The audio processing device of claim 11 ,
wherein the noise estimation circuit is configured to estimate the noise in the audio signal based on a power spectral density.

13. The audio processing device of claim 11 ,
wherein the noise estimation circuit is further configured to approximate a noise periodogram with a polynomial.

14. The audio processing device of claim 11 ,
wherein the noise reduction circuit is configured to reduce noise in the audio signal based on the sound and based on the estimated noise.

15. The audio processing device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a sound input circuit configured to receive data representing the sound.

16. An audio processing method comprising:
determining an energy distribution of a sound;
determining signal subband centroid values of the sound;
comparing the signal subband centroid values of the sound to a pre-determined static threshold;
determining that the sound includes a sound caused by a pre-determined acoustical environment when the subband signal centroid values are below the pre-determined static threshold; and
reducing, via a noise reduction circuit, the sound caused by the acoustical environment in response to the comparison of the signal subband centroid values being below the pre-determined static threshold.

17. The audio processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a spectrum of the sound.

18. The audio processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a spectral energy distribution of the sound; and
determining based on the spectral energy distribution whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

19. The audio processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a weighted sum of frequencies present in the sound; and
determining based on the weighted sum whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

20. The audio processing method of claim 16 , further comprising:
determining a ratio of energy between two frequency bands.

21. The audio processing method of claim 20 , further comprising:
determining based on the energy ratio whether the sound includes a sound caused by the acoustical environment.

22. The audio processing method of claim 21 , further comprising:
determining a spectrum of the sound.

23. A non-transitory computer readable medium including program instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform:
determining an energy distribution of a sound;
determining signal subband centroid values of the sound;
comparing the signal subband centroid values of the sound to a pre-determined static threshold;
determining based on the energy distribution that the sound includes a sound caused by an acoustical environment when the subband signal centroid values are below the pre-determined static threshold; and
reducing, via a noise reduction circuit, the sound caused by the acoustical environment in response to the comparison of the signal subband centroid values being below the pre-determined static threshold.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 23 , further including program instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform:
determining a spectrum of the sound.

25. The audio processing device of claim 1 , wherein the sound caused by the acoustical environment is a sound caused by wind.

Assignees

• Intel Ip Corp

Inventors

• Nelke Christoph
• Chatlani Navin
• Beaugeant Christophe
• Vary Peter

Classifications

• G10L25/21 Primary

  the extracted parameters being power information · CPC title

• H04S2400/15

  Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction · CPC title

• G10L25/51

  for comparison or discrimination · CPC title

• G10L25/24

  the extracted parameters being the cepstrum · CPC title

• G10L2021/02082

  the noise being echo, reverberation of the speech · CPC title