Speech Technology & Applied Research Corporation

Other

Kill the Cann, LLC

Joel MacAuslan

Richard Scott Goldhor

Keith Gilbert

Karen Payton

Venkatesh Rajagopalan Chari

Carol Espy-Wilson

Geoffrey F Gross

A system processes data signals consisting of sums of independent signal terms, zero or more of which signal terms may already have been identified, in order to generate one or more additional terms. Deflated versions of the data signals are created by subtracting from the data signals any previously identified signal terms. Additional independent signal terms are computed using a set of reference signals organized into mutually independent partioning support sets. The images of each support set are computed on the data signals. Computed images on a data signal that are non-zero are identified as additional independent signal terms of that data signal.

Using images and residues of reference signals to deflate data signals

In environments (such as acoustic and bioelectrical environments) characterized by multiple simultaneous sources, effective blind source separation from sensor response mixtures becomes difficult as the number of sources increases-especially when the true number of sources is both unknown and changing over time. However, in some environments, non-sensor information can provide useful hypotheses for some sources. Embodiments of the present invention provide an adaptive filtering architecture for validating such source hypotheses, extracting an estimated representation of source signals corresponding to valid hypotheses, and improving the separation of the remaining 'hidden' source signals from the sensor response mixtures.

Hypothesis-based estimation of source signals from mixtures

Deflation and decomposition of data signals using reference signals

A computer-implemented method comprises: (A) receiving first acoustic data representing a first cough train of a first human subject, wherein the first cough train comprises at least one first cough of the first human subject; (B) identifying at least one first value of at one first acoustic property of the first acoustic data; and (C) determining, based on the at least one first value of the at least one first acoustic property, whether the first acoustic data indicates that the first human subject has a severe respiratory illness.

Cough analysis

In environments (such as acoustic and bioelectrical environments) characterized by multiple simultaneous sources, effective blind source separation from sensor response mixtures becomes difficult as the number of sources increases&#x2014;especially when the true number of sources is both unknown and changing over time. However, in some environments, non-sensor information can provide useful hypotheses for some sources. Embodiments of the present invention provide an adaptive filtering architecture for validating such source hypotheses, extracting an estimated representation of source signals corresponding to valid hypotheses, and improving the separation of the remaining 'hidden' source signals from the sensor response mixtures.

Signal source separation partially based on non-sensor information

A system processes data signals consisting of sums of independent signal terms in order to generate one or more of those terms. The generated terms are computed using a set of reference signals to construct alternative support sets, whose images are computed on the data signals. Computed images that are independent of the residue of the data signal minus the image are identified as independent signal terms, as are the residues. These initial signal terms are used to compute additional terms. Identified terms from different data signals are organized into independent slices, and slices whose terms are supported by sets of reference signals are associated with those supporting sets.

Decomposing data signals into independent additive terms using reference signals

The available audio tracks of a multi-track television program are processed to remove or reduce certain components of the program, especially audience sounds, such as laughter. Such processing may be particularly applicable to 'canned' laughter. This applies to any program which is supplied with a plurality of audio channels, whether provided by cable, DVD, Internet streaming, or otherwise.

Automated television program editing

A technique for determining the number of constraints on, or topological dimension of, a set of input data produced by a nonlinear system, such as a pathological vocal or econometric system. The technique characterizes the tangent space about a predetermined base point by identifying a maximal set of non-redundant nonlinear fits to the data. It needs only a few data points and only assumes that the functional form of the true constraints is smooth. Each fit is equivalent to a set of contours, with the data lying along the zero-value contour. For each fit, the gradient at the base point in the uphill direction identifies the constraint direction. The number of linearly independent constraint directions provides the number of constraints near the base point. The remaining unconstrained directions define the tangent space, which has a dimensionality equal to the number of linearly independent unconstrained directions.

Determining a tangent space and filtering data onto a manifold

A technique for determining the number of constraints on a set of input data, or equivalently the topological dimension, especially when such data are produced by a nonlinear system, such as a pathological vocal system or econometric data and the like. The technique characterizes the tangent space about a predetermined base point by identifying a maximal set of non-redundant nonlinear fits to the data. It needs only a modest number of data points and does not assume prior knowledge of the functional form of the true constraints, other than smoothness. Each fit is equivalent to a set of contours (including curves, surfaces, and other manifolds), with the data themselves all lying along the zero-value contour of the fit. For each fit, the gradient of the fit at the base point in the uphill direction across the contours identifies the constraint direction. Considering all fits simultaneously, the number of constraint directions that are linearly independent provides the number of constraints in the neighborhood of the base point. The remaining unconstrained directions define the tangent space, and its dimensionality, which is precisely the number of linearly independent unconstrained directions, is precisely the inferred topological dimensionality of the original data.

A technique for separating an acoustic signal into a voiced (V) component corresponding to an electrolaryngeal source and an unvoiced (U) component corresponding to a turbulence source. The technique can be used to improve the quality of electrolaryngeal speech, and may be adapted for use in a special purpose telephone. A method according to the invention extracts a segment of consecutive values from the original stream of numerical values, and performs a discrete Fourier transform on the this first group of values. Next, a second group of values is extracted from components of the discrete Fourier transform result which correspond to an electrolaryngeal fixed repetition rate, F0, and harmonics thereof. An inverse-Fourier transform is applied to the second group of values, to produce a representation of a segment of the V component. Multiple V component segments are then concatenated to form a V component sample stream. Finally, the U component is determined by subtracting the V component sample stream from the original stream of numerical values.

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Nashua, NH, United States of America

Joel MacAuslan