Method and device for mitigating wind noise in a speech signal generated at a microphone of the device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017061979-A1
Application number	US-201514834512-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 25, 2015
Priority date	Aug 25, 2015
Publication date	Mar 2, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A mobile communication device and a method of mitigating wind noise in a speech signal generated at a microphone of the mobile communication device. A primary microphone of the mobile communication device receives speech and wind noise and generates a first speech signal based on the speech and the wind noise that is received. A secondary microphone of the mobile communication device receives attenuated speech and generates a second speech signal based on the attenuated speech that is received. The secondary microphone is shielded from the wind noise when the primary microphone receives speech and the wind noise. A processer of the mobile communication device processes the first speech signal to replace a low frequency portion of the first speech signal with the second speech signal in order to mitigate the wind noise in the first speech signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A mobile communication device comprising:
a primary microphone configured to receive speech and wind noise and generate a first speech signal based on the speech and the wind noise that is received; a secondary microphone configured to receive attenuated speech and generate a second speech signal based on the attenuated speech that is received, wherein the secondary microphone is shielded from the wind noise when the primary microphone receives the speech and the wind noise; and, a processor operably coupled to the primary microphone and the secondary microphone, the processor configured to:
process the first speech signal to replace a low frequency portion of the first speech signal with a low frequency portion of the second speech signal to mitigate the wind noise in the first speech signal.

2 . The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor further configured to replace the low frequency portion of the first speech signal with the low frequency portion of the second speech signal by:
filtering the low frequency portion of the second speech signal to generate an equalized signal; aligning, in time, the equalized signal with the low frequency portion of the first speech signal to generate a time-aligned equalized signal; and, mixing a high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal.

3 . The mobile communication device of claim 2 , wherein mixing comprises mixing the high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal in a time domain.

4 . The mobile communication device of claim 2 , wherein mixing comprises mixing the high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal in a frequency domain.

5 . The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
determine a frequency span of the wind noise received at the primary microphone; and, determine a frequency range of the low frequency portion of the first speech signal to be replaced based on the frequency span of the wind noise that is determined.

6 . The mobile communication device of claim 5 , wherein the frequency range of the low frequency portion of the first speech signal is 0 kHz to 3 KHz.

7 . The mobile communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
process the second speech signal to determine one or more parameters of the speech; and, enhance the first speech signal based on each of the one or more parameters of the speech that are determined.

8 . The mobile communication device of claim 7 , wherein each of the one or more parameters of the speech is a pitch of the speech, an onset of the speech, or an offset of the speech.

9 . The mobile communication device of claim 1 , further comprising a body having a top wall and an opposing bottom wall, wherein the primary microphone is disposed proximate the bottom wall, and wherein the secondary microphone is disposed proximate the top wall.

10 . The mobile communication device of claim 1 , further comprising a speaker and wherein the secondary microphone is disposed adjacent the speaker.

11 . The mobile communication device of claim 10 , further comprising a receiver cavity dimensioned to receive and retain the speaker and the secondary microphone.

12 . A method comprising:
at a mobile communication device comprising, a primary microphone, a secondary microphone, and a processor,
receiving, at the primary microphone, speech and wind noise;
generating, at the primary microphone, a first speech signal based on the speech and wind noise that is received;
receiving, at the secondary microphone, attenuated speech, wherein the secondary microphone is shielded from the wind when the primary microphone receives the speech and the wind noise;
generating, at the secondary microphone, a second speech signal based on the attenuated speech that is received; and,
processing, at the processor, the first speech signal to replace a low frequency portion of the first speech signal with a low frequency portion of the second speech signal to mitigate the wind noise in the first speech signal.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein processing further comprises:
filtering the low frequency portion of the second speech signal to generate an equalized signal; aligning, in time, the equalized signal with the low frequency portion of the first speech signal to generate a time-aligned equalized signal; and, mixing a high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein mixing comprising mixing the high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal in a time domain.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein mixing comprising mixing the high frequency portion of the first speech signal with the time-aligned equalized signal in a frequency domain.

16 . The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
determining, at the processor, a frequency span of the wind noise received at the primary microphone; and, determining, at the processor, a frequency range of the low frequency portion of the first speech signal to be replaced based on the frequency span of the wind noise that is determined.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the frequency range of the low frequency portion of the first speech signal is 0 kHz to 3 KHz.

18 . The method of claim 12 , wherein processing further comprises:
processing the second speech signal to determine one or more parameters of the speech; and, enhancing the first speech signal based on each of the one or more parameters of the speech that are determined.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein each of the one or more parameters of the speech is a pitch of the speech, an onset of the speech, or an offset of the speech.

20 . A computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for controlling a mobile communication device comprising, a primary microphone, a secondary microphone, and a processor to:
receive, at the primary microphone, speech and wind noise; generate, at the primary microphone, a first speech signal based on the speech and wind noise that is received; receive, at the secondary microphone, attenuated speech, wherein the secondary microphone is shielded from the wind noise when the primary microphone receives the speech and the wind noise; generate, at the secondary microphone, a second speech signal based on the attenuated speech that is received; and, process, at the processor, the first speech signal to replace a low frequency portion of the first speech signal with the second speech signal to mitigate the wind noise in the first speech signal.

Assignees

• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Laska Brady Nicholas
• Gordy James David
• Tetelbaum Michael

Classifications

• H04R2410/07

  Mechanical or electrical reduction of wind noise generated by wind passing a microphone · CPC title

• G10L2021/02165

  Two microphones, one receiving mainly the noise signal and the other one mainly the speech signal · CPC title

• G10L21/0232

  Processing in the frequency domain · CPC title

• H04R3/005

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H04R1/08

  Mouthpieces; {Microphones;} Attachments therefor · CPC title