U.S. Philips Corporation

Hendrik J Kotmans

Petrus J Van Gerwen

Robert J Sluijter

Franciscus A Van De Laar

Theodoor A Claasen

Petrus C Sommen

A digital echo canceller has a receive path (2) and a send path (3) and comprises combining apparatus (10) for forming a send output signal [r(k)] as the difference between the signal [z(k)] applied to the send input (SI) and a replica signal [e(t)] used for cancelling an additive echo signal [e(k)] at the send input (SI) that has developed in response to a receive input signal [x(k)] applied to the receive input (RI), which echo canceller at least includes transforming apparatus (13, 15) for transforming the receive input signal [x(k)] and the send output signal [r(k)]; transforming apparatus (14) for transforming the replica signal [e(k)]; a digital adaptive filter (9) which has a number of filter coefficients for generating the replica signal [e(t)] in response to the receive input signal [x(k)] and the send output signal [r(k)], adaptation apparatus (12) for determining for each block m, adaptation components [A(p;m)] for each of the filter coefficients [W(p;m)] in response to the receive input signal [x(k)] and the send output signal [r(k)]; controllable gate means (17) for selectively passing the adaptation components [A(p;m)] to the adaptive digital filter (9); control apparatus (25-28, 21-24, 16) for determining respective levels of the send output signal [r(k)] and the receive input signal [x(k)] and for generating a control signal for the gate apparatus (17) in response to the levels thus determined, which control signals depend in a predetermined manner on the difference between the levels concerned.

Digital echo canceller comprising a double-talk detector

A digital echo canceller [1] with a good protection against double-talk comprises a first filter [9] for the echo cancellation proper, a second adaptive filter [11] for making continuously adapted filter coefficients available to the first filter [9] and gate means [15] which will only apply the adapted filter coefficients to the first filter [9] if certain conditions are satisfied. In the echo canceller [1] a specific filter combination is used, in which the first filter [9] is a time-domain programmable filter (TDPF) and the second filter [11] is a frequency-domain block-adaptive (FDAF), and further means [20,20(1)] are provided that are arranged in cascade with the gate means [15] for transforming the frequency-domain filter coefficients [W(p;m)] of the FDAF [11] into time-domain filter coefficients [w(i;m)] for the TDPF [9]. These measures result in the advantages of a negligible delay in the echo cancellation by the TDPF [9], and of the possibility to improve in a simple manner the convergence behavior of the FDAF [11] and considerably reduce its computational complexity.

Digital echo canceller

A frequency-domain block-adaptive digital filter (FDAF) having a finite impulse response of length N for filtering a time-domain input signal in accordance with the overlap-save method includes window means (11) for obtaining modifications (B(p;m)) of the 2N frequency-domain weighting factors (W(p;m)) from correlation products (A(p;m)). A known FDAF of this type contains five 2N-point FFT's, two of which are used in the window means (11). By utilizing a special time-domain window function which can be implemented very efficiently in the window means (11) with the aid of a frequency-domain convolution, a FDAF of this type containing only three 2N-point FFT's is obtained whose convergence properties are comparable to those of the known FDAF containing five 2N-point FFT's.

Frequency-domain block-adaptive digital filter

A speech analysis system in which segments of digitized speech are transformed into amplitude spectrums. For the voiced/unvoiced decision use is made of the peak value or spectral intensity in each amplitude spectrum. Basically a voiced decision is made when the spectral intensity increases monotonically over several segments by more than a given factor. An unvoiced decision is made if the spectral intensity drops below a given fraction of the maximum spectral intensity in the current voiced period. Refinements in the decisions are made by the use of fixed and adaptive thresholds.

Speech analysis system

Speech analysis system in which segments of speech are analyzed. For the voiced/unvoiced decision use is made of the average magnitude or waveform intensity of successive speech segments. Basically a voiced decision is made when the waveform intensity increases monotonically over several segments by more than a given factor. An unvoiced decision is made if the waveform intensity drops below a given fraction of the maximum waveform intensity in the current voiced period. Refinements in the decisions are made by the use of fixed and adaptive thresholds.

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Hendrik J Kotmans