Google Inc.

Oticon A/s

Richard C Hendriks

Richard Heusdens

Jesper Bruun Jensen

Willem Bastiaan Kleijn

Ulrik Kjems

Meng Guo

Guoqiang Zhang

Jamal Amini

Yuan Zeng

Cees H Taal

Provided are methods and systems for improving the intelligibility of speech in a noisy environment. A communication model is developed that includes noise inherent in the message production and message interpretation processes, and considers that these noises have fixed signal-to-noise ratios. The communication model forms the basis of an algorithm designed to optimize the intelligibility of speech in a noisy environment. The intelligibility optimization algorithm only does something (e.g., manipulates the audio signal) when needed, and thus if no noise is present the algorithm does not alter or otherwise interfere with the audio signals, thereby preventing any speech distortion. The algorithm is also very fast and efficient in comparison to most existing approaches for speech intelligibility enhancement, and therefore the algorithm lends itself to easy implementation in an appropriate device (e.g., cellular phone or smartphone).

Mutual information based intelligibility enhancement

The application relates to a hearing device adapted for being located at or in a first ear of a user, or to be fully or partially implanted in the head at a first ear of a user, the hearing device comprising

Binaural beamformer filtering unit, a hearing system and a hearing device

Methods and systems are provided for implementing a distributed algorithm for beam-forming (e.g., MVDR beam-forming) using a message-passing algorithm. The message-passing algorithm provides for computations to be performed in a distributed manner across a network, rather than in a centralized processing center or 'fusion center'. The message-passing algorithm may also function for any network topology, and may continue operations when various changes are made in the network (e.g., nodes appearing, nodes disappearing, etc.). Additionally, the message-passing algorithm may minimize the transmission power per iteration and, depending on the particular network, also may minimize the transmission power required for communication between network nodes.

Distributed beamforming based on message passing

The application relates to a method of providing a speech intelligibility predictor value for estimating an average listener's ability to understand of a target speech signal when said target speech signal is subject to a processing algorithm and/or is received in a noisy environment. The application further relates to a method of improving a listener's understanding of a target speech signal in a noisy environment and to corresponding device units. The object of the present application is to provide an alternative objective intelligibility measure, e.g. a measure that is suitable for use in a time-frequency environment. The invention may e.g. be used in audio processing systems, e.g. listening systems, e.g. hearing aid systems.

Speech intelligibility predictor and applications thereof

A method estimates noise power spectral density (PSD) in an input sound signal to generate an output for noise reduction of the input sound signal. The method includes storing frames of a digitized version of the input signal, each frame having a predefined number N2 of samples corresponding to a frame length in time of L=N/sampling frequency. It further includes performing a time to frequency transformation, deriving a periodogram comprising an energy content |Y|from the corresponding spectrum Y, applying a gain function G(k,m)=f(&#x3c3;(km),&#x3c3;), |Y(k,m)|), to estimate a noise energy level |&#x174;|in each frequency sample, where &#x3c3;is the speech PSD and &#x3c3;the noise PSD. It further includes dividing spectra into a number of sub-bands, and providing a first estimate |{circumflex over (N)}|of the noise PSD level in a sub-band and a second, improved estimate |{circumflex over (N)}|of the noise PSD level in a subband by applying a bias compensation factor B to the first estimate.

Growing community of inventors

GA Delft, Netherlands

Richard C Hendriks