Fortemedia, Inc.

Fortmedia, Inc.

Ming Zhang

Wan-Chieh Pai

Yen-Son Paul Huang

Xiaoyan Lu

Kuoyu Lin

Chi-Chian Yu

Jian Zhang

Bo-Ren Bai

Kai Xu

Lili Chen

Zhen Hou

Jun Yang

Younan Lu

Hang Yu

Jie Yu

Ioudin Jean Chen

Yaying Liu

Han-Hsin Liu

Qin He

An audio device is provided, employing a defect detection method to detect defectiveness within a microphone array. The microphone array comprising a first microphone and a second microphone, respectively, generates a first audio signal and a second audio signal from ambient audio signals. An error detector is provided to detect functions of the first and second microphones based on the first and second audio signals to generate a status signal. A digital signal processor (DSP) processes the first and second audio signals based on the status signal. If the status signal indicates that only the first microphone or the second microphone is defective, the DSP switches to a single microphone mode in which only the remaining normal microphone is enabled. If the status signal indicates that both the first and second microphones are defective, the DSP generates an error indication signal and stops processing the first and second audio signals.

Audio device utilizing a defect detection method on a microphone array

The invention provides a phase calibration module, calibrating phase mismatch between microphone signals output by a plurality of microphones of an array microphone. In one embodiment, the phase calibration module comprises a subband filter, a delay calculation module, and a delay compensation filter. The subband filter extracts a high frequency component and a low frequency component from each of the microphone signals to obtain a plurality of high-frequency component signals and a plurality of low-frequency component signals. The delay calculation module calculates delays between the low-frequency component signals. The delay compensation filter then compensates the low-frequency component signals for phase mismatches therebetween according to the calculated delays to obtain a plurality of calibrated low-frequency component signals.

Method for phase mismatch calibration for an array microphone and phase calibration module for the same

The invention provides an apparatus capable of automatic volume adjustment. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a speaker, an array microphone located in the vicinity of the speaker, a beamforming module, a signal-to-noise ratio calculation module, and a volume adjustment module. The speaker first broadcasts a first audio signal. The array microphone converts a sound into a plurality of second audio signals. The beamforming module derives a speaker sound signal and an ambient noise signal from the second audio signals, wherein the speaker sound signal mainly comprises speaker sound components generated by the speaker and the ambient noise signal mainly comprises noises other than the speaker sound components. The signal-to-noise ratio calculation module calculates a ratio of a first power of the speaker sound signal to a second power of the ambient noise signal to obtain a signal-to-noise ratio. The volume adjustment module then adjusts a volume of the first audio signal according to the signal-to-noise ratio before the first audio signal is delivered to the speaker.

Method and apparatus for automatic volume adjustment

The invention provides a dynamic range control module installed in a speech processing apparatus. In one embodiment, the dynamic range control module comprises a buffer, a voice activity detector, a peak calculation module, and an amplitude adjusting module. The buffer buffers a speech signal to obtain a delayed speech signal. The voice activity detector determines a syllable from the delayed speech signal. The peak calculation module calculates peak amplitude of the syllable. The amplitude adjusting module determines an attenuation factor corresponding to the syllable according to the peak amplitude in the syllable, and adjusts amplitude of the whole syllable with the same gain according to the attenuation factor to obtain an adjusted speech signal.

Dynamic range control module, speech processing apparatus, and method for amplitude adjustment for a speech signal

The invention provides an electronic apparatus. In one embodiment, the electronic apparatus comprises a video camera, a video processing module, an array microphone, and an audio processing module. The video camera adjusts a focal length according to a zoom-in/out control signal and captures an image of a plurality of target objects according to the focal length to generate a raw video signal. The video processing module generates the zoom-in/out control signal to adjust the focal length of the video camera. The array microphone comprises a plurality of microphones converting sounds of the target objects into a plurality of raw audio signals. The audio processing module adjusts a beamwidth for beamforming according to the zoom-in/out control signal, and performs a beamforming process according to the beamwidth on the raw audio signals to generate a first audio signal comprising mainly voice components of the target objects.

Electronic apparatus and method for receiving sounds with auxiliary information from camera system

A small array microphone system includes an array microphone having a plurality of microphones and operative to provide a plurality of received signals, each microphone providing one received signal. A first voice activity detector (VAD) provides a first voice detection signal generated using the plurality of received signals to indicate the presence or absence of in-beam desired speech. A second VAD provides a second voice detection signal generated using the plurality of received signals to indicate the presence or absence of out-of-beam noise when in-beam desired speech is absent. A reference signal generator provides a reference signal based on the first voice detection signal, the plurality of received signals, and a beamformed signal, wherein the reference signal has the desired speech suppressed. A beamformer provides the beamformed signal based on the second voice detection signal, the reference signal, and the plurality of received signals, wherein the beamformed signal has noise suppressed. A multi-channel noise suppressor operative to further suppress noise in the beamformed signal and provide an output signal. A speech reliability detector provides a reliability detection signal indicating the reliability of each frequency subband. The first voice detection signal, the second voice detection signal, the reliability detection signal and the output signal are provided to the speech recognition engine.

Method and apparatus for noise suppression in a small array microphone system

A device includes a main body, a microphone module, and an acoustic guard. The microphone module is connected to the main body and comprises a first acoustic opening and a second acoustic opening, wherein the microphone module receives sound waves via both the first and second acoustic openings. The acoustic guard covers the second acoustic opening and comprises a first sound inlet via which the sound waves enter the acoustic guard and reach the second acoustic opening.

Device with acoustic guard

The invention provides a beam forming method for a small array microphone apparatus to generate cone beam pattern by processing a combined bi-directional beam pattern of two virtual bi-directional microphones formed through at least three omni-directional microphones arranged in an L-shape. The invention also provides a small array microphone apparatus using the beam forming method according to the invention to suppress noise by processing a combined bi-directional beam pattern of two virtual bi-directional microphones formed through at least three omni-directional microphones arranged in an L-shape, thereby outputting a clear audio signal with cone beam pattern.

Small array microphone apparatus and beam forming method thereof

A hands-free voice communication apparatus includes a speakerphone and earpiece combo, a digital signal processing (DSP) module, and a communication module. The hands-free apparatus may be used as a speakerphone or an earpiece. The speakerphone and earpiece combo includes a loudspeaker and one or multiple microphones. The loudspeaker provides an acoustic output. Each microphone receives an acoustic input and provides an input signal. The DSP module performs digital signal processing on the input signals from the microphones and provides an output signal for the loudspeaker. The DSP module may perform digital signal processing with different sets of parameters for the speakerphone and earpiece modes. The communication module provides communication between the hands-free apparatus and a communication device, e.g., a cellular phone or a wireless PDA.

Hands-free voice communication apparatus with speakerphone and earpiece combo

A voice recognition system and method thereof. The communication system comprises a setup controller, a voice recognition controller, and an application controller. The setup controller receives a voice keyword table including a voice recognizable keyword and a corresponding application instruction. The voice recognition controller, coupled to the setup controller, receives the voice keyword table from the setup controller, receives a first voice input, and matches a first voice input to the voice recognizable keyword to determine the corresponding application instruction. The application controller, coupled to the voice recognition controller, receives and performs the corresponding application instruction. The setup controller, the voice recognition controller, and the application controller communicate through wireless communication.

Voice recognition system and method thereof

The invention provides an Internet communication device. The Internet communication device plays a remote audio signal received via a network and transmits an audio signal back to the remote party to complete the communication. The Internet communication device comprises a line-in speech detection module and a line-in channel control module. The line-in speech detection module detects whether the remote audio signal is speech or not to generate a remote speech detection result. The line-in channel control module then attenuates the remote audio signal if the remote speech detection result indicates that the remote audio signal is not speech, thus, all noise including non-stationary noise is removed from the remote audio signal.

Internet communication device and method for controlling noise thereof

A broadside small array microphone beamforming unit comprises a first omni-directional microphone to generate a signal X(), a second omni-directional microphone to generate a signal X(), a first delay unit delaying the signal X() to generate a signal X(&#x2212;T), a second delay unit delaying the signal X() to generate a signal X(&#x2212;T), a first substrator subtracting the signal X(&#x2212;T) from the signal X() to generate a signal R(t)=X()&#x2212;X(&#x2212;T), a second substrator subtracting the signal X(&#x2212;T) from the signal X() to generate a signal L(t)=X()&#x2212;X(&#x2212;T), a third delay unit delaying the signal R(t) to generate a signal R'(t)=R(t&#x2212;D), a gain function unit convoluting the signal L(t) with a gain function G(t) to generate a signal L&#x2032;(t)=L(t)*G(t&#x2212;i), and a substrator subtracting the signal L&#x2032;(t) from the signal R&#x2032;(t) to generate a signal B&#x2032;(t)=R&#x2032;(t)&#x2212;L&#x2032;(t).

Broadside small array microphone beamforming unit

The invention provides a full-duplex communication device. In one embodiment, the full-duplex communication device comprises a first adaptive filter, a second adaptive filter, a channel decoupling module, and a frequency processing module. The first adaptive filter having a first tap length filters out echoes of a far-end talker from a first near-end signal carrying voices of a near-end talker according to a far-end signal carrying voices of the far-end talker to obtain a second near-end signal. The second adaptive filter having a second tap length less than the first tap length filters out echoes of the far-end talker from the first near-end signal according to the far-end signal to obtain a third near-end signal. The channel decoupling module processes the second near-end signal to generate a fourth near-end signal and subtracts the second near-end signal from the third near-end signal to obtain a fifth near-end signal. Finally, the frequency processing module cancels echoes of the far-end talker from the fourth near-end signal in frequency domain according to the fifth near-end signal to obtain a six near-end signal.

Full-duplex communication device and method of acoustic echo cancellation therein

Techniques for performing acoustic echo cancellation are described. An ADC oversamples an analog signal from a microphone and provides a near-end signal having a wider bandwidth than the bandwidth of a communication channel. A subband filter receives and filters the near-end signal, provides an in-band signal having spectral components in a frequency band of interest, and provides an out-of-band signal having spectral components in at least one other frequency band. An adaptive filter receives a reference signal and the in-band signal, derives an echo estimate signal with the reference signal, cancels a portion of the echo in the in-band signal with the echo estimate signal, and provides an intermediate signal. A double-talk detector detects for double talk based on the out-of-band signal and the intermediate signal, e.g., by determining a power ratio based on the powers of the out-of-band and intermediate signals and detecting for double talk based on the power ratio.

Acoustic echo cancellation with oversampling

An electronic device includes a housing, a plurality of microphones, and a plurality of guide tubes. The plurality of microphones are disposed in the housing. The plurality of guide tubes extend from the housing toward the plurality of microphones, whereby the plurality of microphones in the housing receives external sound via the guide tubes.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Ming Zhang