Qnx Software Systems Limited

2236008 Ontario Limited

Mark Fallat

Phillip Alan Hetherington

Michael Andrew Percy

Derek Sahota

Shreyas Anand Paranjpe

Phillip A Hetherington

A system enhances spatialization in which spatial information about sound sources at an originating location is represented in an audio signal. The system applies a phase difference analysis to the signals received from an array of spaced apart input devices or microphones to derive spatial or directional information about the relative directions of one or more satellite input devices or microphones. The signals from the satellite input devices or microphones are mixed by a function of their respective directions to generate a multichannel output signal. When processed by a remote or local system, the output signal provides a representation of the relative directions of the sound sources at the originating location at a receiving location.

Enhanced spatialization system with satellite device

A system enhances spatialization in an audio signal at a receiving location. The system applies a phase difference analysis to signals received from an array of spaced apart input devices that convert sound into electrical signals. The system derives spatial or directional information about the relative locations of the sound sources. The converted signals may be mixed using weights derived from the spatial information to generate a multichannel output signal that, when processed by a remote or local audio system, generates a representation of the relative locations of the sound sources at the originating location at the receiving location.

Enhanced spatialization system

The suppression of off-axis audio in an audio environment is provided. Off-axis audio may be considered audio that does not originate from a region of interest. The off-axis audio is suppressed by comparing a phase difference between signals from two microphones to a target slope of the phase difference between signals originating from the region of interest. The target slope can be adapted to allow the region of interest to move with the location of a human speaker such as a driver.

Off-axis audio suppression in an automobile cabin

Off-axis audio suppressions in an automobile cabin

A system detects a speech segment that may include unvoiced, fully voiced, or mixed voice content. The system includes a window function that passes signals within a programmed aural frequency range while substantially blocking signals above and below the programmed aural frequency range. A frequency converter converts the signals passing within the programmed aural frequency range into a plurality of frequency bins. A background voice detector estimates the strength of a background speech segment relative to the noise of selected portions of the aural spectrum. A noise estimator estimates a maximum distribution of noise to an average of an acoustic noise power of some of the plurality of frequency bins. A voice detector compares the strength of a desired speech segment to a maximum of an output of the background voice detector and an output of the noise estimator.

System for detecting speech with background voice estimates and noise estimates

A system improves speech detection or processing by identifying registration signals. The system encodes a limited frequency band by varying the amplitude of a pulse width modulated signal between predefined values. The signal is separated into frequency bins that identify amplitude and phase. The registration signal is measured by comparing a difference in average acoustic power in a plurality of adjacent bins over time.

System that detects and identifies periodic interference

A system detects a speech segment that may include unvoiced, fully voiced, or mixed voice content. The system includes a digital converter that converts a time-varying input signal into a digital-domain signal. A window function passes signals within a programmed aural frequency range while substantially blocking signals above and below the programmed aural frequency range when multiplied by an output of the digital converter. A frequency converter converts the signals passing within the programmed aural frequency range into a plurality of frequency bins. A background voice detector estimates the strength of a background speech segment relative to the noise of selected portions of the aural spectrum. A noise estimator estimates a maximum distribution of noise to an average of an acoustic noise power of some of the plurality of frequency bins. A voice detector compares the strength of a desired speech segment to a criterion based on an output of the background voice detector and an output of the noise estimator.

A system evaluates a hands free communication system. The system automatically selects a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC), vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV), or other combination of sounds from an intelligent database. The selection is transmitted with another communication stream that temporally overlaps the selection. The quality of the communication system is evaluated through an automatic speech recognition engine. The evaluation occurs at a location remote from the transmitted selection.

Measuring double talk performance

An end-pointer determines a beginning and an end of a speech segment. The end-pointer includes a voice triggering module that identifies a portion of an audio stream that has an audio speech segment. A rule module communicates with the voice triggering module. The rule module includes a plurality of rules used to analyze a part of the audio stream to detect a beginning and an end of the audio speech segment. A consonant detector detects occurrences of a high frequency consonant in the portion of the audio stream.

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Vancouver, Canada

Mark Fallat