US20060133621A1 - Wireless telephone having multiple microphones - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone and a method for processing audio signal in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone. The wireless telephone includes a first microphone, a second microphone, and a signal processor. The first microphone outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component. The second microphone outputs a second audio signal. The signal processor increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates generally to mobile telecommunication devices, and in particular to wireless telephones.
• 2. Background Art
• Background noise is an inherent problem in wireless telephone communication. Conventional wireless telephones include a single microphone that receives a near-end user's voice and outputs a corresponding audio signal for subsequent encoding and transmission to the telephone of a far-end user. However, the audio signal output by this microphone typically includes both a voice component and a background noise component. As a result, the far-end user often has difficulty deciphering the desired voice component against the din of the embedded background noise component.
• Conventional wireless telephones often include a noise suppressor to reduce the detrimental effects of background noise. A noise suppressor attempts to reduce the level of the background noise by processing the audio signal output by the microphone through various algorithms. These algorithms attempt to differentiate between a voice component of the audio signal and a background noise component of the audio signal, and then attenuate the level of the background noise component.
• Conventional wireless telephones often also include a voice activity detector (VAD) that attempts to identify and transmit only those portions of the audio signal that include a voice component. One benefit of VAD is that bandwidth is conserved on the telecommunication network because only selected portions of the audio signal are transmitted.
• In order to operate effectively, both the noise suppressor and the VAD must be able to differentiate between the voice component and the background noise component of the input audio signal. However, in practice, differentiating the voice component from the background noise component is difficult.
• What is needed then, is a wireless telephone that better mitigates the effect of background noise present in an input audio signal as compared to conventional wireless telephones, thereby resulting in the transmission of a cleaner voice signal during telephone communication. In particular, the desired wireless telephone should better differentiate between a voice component and a background noise component of an input audio signal as compared to conventional wireless telephones. Based on this differentiation, the improved wireless telephone should operate to cancel the background noise component of the audio signal. Additionally or alternatively, based on this differentiation, the improved wireless telephone should provide improved noise suppression and/or VAD functionality.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention is directed to a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone, wherein an audio signal output from the second microphone is used to differentiate between a voice component and a background noise component of an audio signal output from the first microphone. Based on this differentiation, a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention operates to cancel the background noise component of the audio signal output from the first microphone. Additionally or alternatively, based on this differentiation, a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention provides better noise suppression and/or VAD functionality.
• In particular, a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a first microphone, a second microphone, and a signal processor. The first microphone outputs a first audio signal that includes a voice component and a background noise component. The second microphone outputs a second audio signal. The signal processor increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.
• In one embodiment of the present invention the signal processor includes a background noise cancellation module. The background noise cancellation module receives the first and second audio signals and cancels at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.
• In an alternative embodiment of the present invention the signal processor includes a noise suppressor. The noise suppressor receives the first and second audio signals and suppresses at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.
• A wireless telephone in accordance with another embodiment-of the present invention includes a first microphone, a second microphone, and a voice activity detector (VAD). The first microphone outputs a first audio signal that includes a voice component and a background noise component. The second microphone outputs a second audio signal. The VAD receives the first and second audio signals and detects time intervals in which the voice component is present in the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal. In an example embodiment, the VAD provides input to a transmitter relating to the time intervals in which a voice component is present in the first audio signal. The transmitter selectively transmits the first audio signal to another telephone responsive to the input.
• The present invention also provides a method for processing audio Signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone. In an embodiment, the method includes outputting a first audio signal from the first microphone, wherein the first audio signal includes a voice component and a background noise component. A second audio signal is output from the second microphone. A ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal is increased based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.
• Increasing the ratio of the voice component to background noise component may include canceling at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal. Alternatively, increasing the ratio of the voice component to background noise component may include suppressing at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.
• A further method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes outputting a first audio signal from the first microphone, wherein the first audio signal comprises a voice component and a background noise component. A second audio signal is output from the second microphone. Time intervals in which the voice component is present in the first audio signal are detected based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal.
• Further embodiments and features of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of the various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES
• The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate the present invention and, together with the description, further serve to explain the principles of the invention and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the invention.
• FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram of the transmit path of a Conventional wireless telephone.
• FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of the receive path of a conventional wireless telephone.
• FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the front portion of a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the back portion of a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a transmit path of a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of a method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a signal processor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart of a method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 8 illustrates voice and noise components output from first and second microphones, in an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram of a background noise cancellation module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of a signal processor in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of a method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 12A illustrates an exemplary frequency spectrum of a voice component and a background noise component of a first audio signal output by a first microphone, in an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 12B illustrates an exemplary frequency spectrum of an audio signal upon which noise suppression has been performed, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a transmit path of a wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 14 is a flowchart depicting a method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIG. 15 shows exemplary plots depicting a voice component and a background noise component output by first and second microphones of a wireless telephone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
• The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers may indicate identical or functionally similar elements. Additionally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number may identify the drawing in which the reference number first appears.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
• The present invention provides a wireless telephone implemented with a first microphone and a second microphone. As will be described in more detail herein, an audio signal output by the second microphone is used to improve the quality of an audio signal output by the first microphone and/or to improve noise suppression and/or VAD technology incorporated within the wireless telephone.
• The detailed description of the invention is divided into six subsections. In the first subsection, an overview of the workings of a conventional wireless telephone are discussed. This discussion facilitates the description of the present invention. In the second subsection, an overview of a wireless telephone implemented with a first microphone and second microphone is presented. In the third subsection, a first embodiment of the present invention is described in which the output of the second microphone is used to cancel a background noise component output by the first microphone. In the fourth subsection, a second embodiment of the present invention is described in which the output of the second microphone is used to suppress a background noise component output by the first microphone. In the fifth subsection, a third embodiment of the present invention is discussed in which the output of the second microphone is used to improve VAD technology incorporated in the wireless telephone. In the sixth subsection, alternative arrangements of the present invention are discussed.
I. Overview of Signal Processing within Conventional Wireless Telephones
• Conventional wireless telephones use what is commonly referred to as encoder/decoder technology. The transmit path of a wireless telephone encodes an audio signal picked up by a microphone onboard the wireless telephone. The encoded audio signal is then transmitted to another telephone. The receive path of a wireless telephone receives signals transmitted from other wireless telephones. The received signals are then decoded into a format that an end user can understand.
• FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram of a typical transmitpath100 of a conventional digital wireless telephone. Transmitpath100 includes amicrophone109, an analog-to-digital (A/D)converter101, anoise suppressor102, a voice activity detector (VAD)103, aspeech encoder104, achannel encoder105, amodulator106, a radio frequency (RF)module107, and anantenna108.
• Microphone109 receives a near-end user's voice and outputs a corresponding audio signal, which typically includes both a voice component and a background noise component. The A/D converter101 converts the audio signal from an analog to a digital form. The audio signal is next processed throughnoise suppressor102.Noise suppressor102 uses various algorithms, known to persons skilled in the pertinent art, to suppress the level of embedded background noise that is present in the audio signal.
• Speech encoder104 converts the output ofnoise suppressor102 into a channel index. The particular format thatspeech encoder104 uses to encode the signal is dependent upon the type of technology being used. For example, the signal may be encoded in formats that comply with GSM (Global Standard for Mobile Communication), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), or other technologies commonly used for telecommunication. These different encoding formats are known to persons skilled in the relevant art and for the sake of brevity are not discussed in further detail.
• As shown inFIG. 1A,VAD103 also receives the output ofnoise suppressor102.VAD103 uses algorithms known to persons skilled in the pertinent art to analyze the audio signal output bynoise suppressor102 and determine when the user is speaking.VAD103 typically operates on a frame-by-frame basis to generate a signal that indicates whether or not a frame includes voice content. This signal is provided tospeech encoder104, which uses the signal to determine how best to process the frame. For example, ifVAD103 indicates that a frame does not include voice content,speech encoder103 may skip the encoding of the frame entirely.
• Channel encoder105 is employed to reduce bit errors that can occur after the signal is processed through thespeech encoder104. That is,channel encoder105 makes the signal more robust by adding redundant bits to the signal. For example, in a wireless phone implementing the original GSM technology, a typical bit rate at the output of the speech encoder might be about 13 kilobits (kb) per second, whereas, a typical bit rate at the output of the channel encoder might be about 22 kb/sec. The extra bits that are present in the signal after channel encoding do not carry information about the speech; they just make the signal more robust, which helps reduce the bit errors.
• Themodulator106 combines the digital signals from the channel encoder into symbols, which become an analog wave form. Finally,RF module107 translates the analog wave forms into radio frequencies, and then transmits the RF signal viaantenna108 to another telephone.
• FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram of a typical receivepath120 of a conventional wireless telephone. Receivepath120 processes an incoming signal in almost exactly the reverse fashion as compared to transmitpath100. As shown inFIG. 1B, receivepath120 includes anantenna128, anRF module127, achannel decoder125, aspeech decoder124, a digital to analog (D/A)converter122, and aspeaker129.
• During operation, an analog input signal is received byantenna128 andRF module127 translates the radio frequencies into baseband frequencies.Demodulator126 converts the analog waveforms back into a digital signal.Channel decoder125 decodes the digital signal back into the channel index, whichspeech decoder124 converts back into digitized speech. D/A converter122 converts the digitized speech into analog speech. Lastly,speaker129 converts the analog speech signal into a sound pressure wave so that it can be heard by an end user.
II. Overview of a Wireless Telephone Having Two Microphones in Accordance with The Present Invention
• A wireless telephone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes a first microphone and a second microphone. As mentioned above and as will be described in more detail herein, an audio signal output by the second microphone is used to improve the quality of an audio signal output by the first microphone or to support improved VAD technology.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate front and back portions, respectively, of awireless telephone200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As shown inFIG. 2, the front portion ofwireless telephone200 includes afirst microphone201 and aspeaker203 located thereon.First microphone201 is located so as to be close to a user's mouth during regular use ofwireless telephone200.Speaker203 is located so as to be close to a user's ear during regular use ofwireless telephone200.
• As shown inFIG. 3,second microphone202 is located on the back portion ofwireless telephone200.Second microphone202 is located so as to be further away from a user's mouth during regular use thanfirst microphone201, and preferably is located to be as far away from the user's mouth during regular use as possible.
• By mountingfirst microphone201 so that it is closer to a user's mouth thansecond microphone202 during regular use, the amplitude of the user's voice as picked up by thefirst microphone201 will likely be greater than the amplitude of the user's voice as picked up bysecond microphone202. Similarly, by so mountingfirst microphone201 andsecond microphone202, the amplitude of any background noise picked up bysecond microphone202 will likely be greater than the amplitude of the background noise picked up byfirst microphone201. The manner in which the signals generated byfirst microphone201 andsecond microphone202 are utilized bywireless telephone200 will be described in more detail below.
• FIGS. 2 and 3 show an embodiment in which first andsecond microphones201 and202 are mounted on the front and back portion of a wireless telephone, respectively. However, the invention is not limited to this embodiment and the first and second microphones may be located in other locations on a wireless telephone and still be within the scope of the present invention. For performance reasons, however, it is preferable that the first and second microphone be mounted so that the first microphone is closer to the mouth of a user than the second microphone during regular use of the wireless telephone.
• FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of a transmitpath400 of a wireless telephone that is implemented with a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Transmitpath400 includes afirst microphone201 and asecond microphone202. In addition, transmitpath400 includes an A/D converter410, an A/D converter412, asignal processor420, aspeech encoder404, achannel encoder405, amodulator406, anRF module407, and anantenna408.Speech encoder404,channel encoder405,modulator406,RF module407, andantenna408 are respectively analogous tospeech encoder104,channel encoder105,modulator106,RF module107, andantenna108 discussed with reference to transmitpath100 ofFIG. 1A and thus their operation will not be discussed in detail below.
• The method by which audio signals are processed along transmitpath400 of the wireless telephone depicted inFIG. 4 will now be described with reference to theflowchart500 ofFIG. 5. The present invention, however, is not limited to the description provided by theflowchart500. Rather, it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) from the teachings provided herein that other functional flows are within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
• The method offlowchart500 begins atstep510, in whichfirst microphone201 outputs a first audio signal, which includes a voice component and a background noise component. A/D converter410 receives the first audio signal and converts it from an analog to digital format before providing it to signalprocessor420.
• Atstep520,second microphone202 outputs a second audio signal, which also includes a voice component and a background noise component. A/D converter412 receives the second audio signal and converts it from an analog to digital format before providing it to signalprocessor420.
• Atstep530,signal processor420 receives and processes the first and second audio signals, thereby generating a third audio signal. In particular,signal processor420 increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.
• The third audio signal is then provided directly tospeech encoder404.Speech encoder404 andchannel encoder405 operate to encode the third audio signal using any of a variety of well known speech and channel encoding techniques.Modulator406, RF module andantenna408 then operate in a well-known manner to transmit the encoded audio signal to another telephone.
• As will be discussed in more detail herein,signal processor420 may comprise a background noise cancellation module and/or a noise suppressor. The manner in which the background noise cancellation module and the noise suppressor operate are described ire more detail in subsections III and IV, respectively.
III. Use of Two Microphones to Perform Background Noise Cancellation in Accordance with an Embodiment of the Present Invention
• FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment in which signalprocessor420 includes a backgroundnoise cancellation module605 and a downsampler615 (optional). Backgroundnoise cancellation module605 receives the first and second audio signals output by the first andsecond microphones201 and202, respectively. Backgroundnoise cancellation module605 uses the content of the second audio signal to cancel a background noise component present in the first audio signal to produce a third audio signal. The details of the cancellation are described below with reference toFIGS. 7 and 8. The third audio signal is sent to the rest of transmitpath400 before being transmitted to the telephone of a far-end user.
• FIG. 7 illustrates aflowchart700 of a method for processing audio signals using a wireless telephone having two microphones in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Flowchart700 is used to facilitate the description of how backgroundnoise cancellation module605 cancels at least a portion of a background noise component included in the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201.
• The method offlowchart700 starts atstep710, in whichfirst microphone201 outputs a first audio signal. The first audio signal includes a voice component and a background noise component. Instep720,second microphone202 outputs a second audio signal. Similar to the first audio signal, the second audio signal includes a voice component and a background noise component.
• FIG. 8 shows exemplary outputs from first andsecond microphones201 and202, respectively, upon which backgroundnoise cancellation module605 may operate.FIG. 8 shows an exemplary firstaudio signal800 output byfirst microphone201. Firstaudio signal800 consists of avoice component810 and abackground noise component820, which are also separately depicted inFIG. 8 for illustrative purposes.FIG. 8 further shows an exemplary secondaudio signal850 output bysecond microphone202.Second audio signal850 consists of a voice component860 and abackground noise component870, which are also separately depicted inFIG. 8. As can be seen fromFIG. 8, the amplitude of the voice component picked up by first microphone201 (i.e., voice component810) is advantageously greater than the amplitude of the voice component picked up by second microphone202 (i.e., voice component860), and vice versa for the background noise components. As was discussed earlier, the relative amplitude of the voice component (background noise component) picked up byfirst microphone201 andsecond microphone202 is a function of their respective locations onwireless telephone200.
• At step730 (FIG. 7), backgroundnoise cancellation module605 uses the second audio signal to cancel at least a portion of the background noise component included in the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201. Finally, the third audio signal produced by backgroundnoise cancellation module605 is transmitted to another telephone. That is, after backgroundnoise cancellation module605 cancels out at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201 to produce a third audio signal, the third audio signal is then processed through the standard components or processing steps used in conventional encoder/decoder technology, which were described above with reference toFIG. 1A. The details of these additional signal processing steps are not described further for brevity.
• In one embodiment, backgroundnoise cancellation module605 includes an adaptive filter and an adder.FIG. 9 depicts a backgroundnoise cancellation module605 including anadaptive filter901 and anadder902.Adaptive filter901 receives the second audio signal fromsecond microphone202 and outputs an audio signal.Adder902 adds the first audio signal, received fromfirst microphone201, to the audio signal output byadaptive filter901 to produce a third audio signal. By adding the first audio signal to the audio signal output byadaptive filter901, the third audio signal produced byadder902 has at least a portion of the background noise component that was present in the first audio signal cancelled out.
• In another embodiment of the present invention,signal processor420 includes a backgroundnoise cancellation module605 and adownsampler615. In accordance with this embodiment, A/D converter410 and A/D converter412 sample the first and second audio signals output by first andsecond microphones201 and202, respectively, at a higher sampling rate than is typically used within wireless telephones. For example, the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201 and the second audio signal output bysecond microphones202 can be sampled at 16 kHz by A/D converters410 and412, respectively; in comparison, the typical signal sampling rate used in a transmit path of most conventional wireless telephones is 8 kHz. After the first and second audio signals are processed through backgroundnoise cancellation module605 to cancel out the background noise component from the first audio signal,downsampler615 downsamples the third audio signal produced bybackground cancellation module605 back to the proper sampling rate (e.g. 8 kHz). The higher sampling rate of this embodiment offers more precise time slicing and more accurate time matching, if added precision and accuracy are required in the backgroundnoise cancellation module605.
• As mentioned above and as is described in more detail in the next subsection, additionally or alternatively, the audio signal output by the second microphone is used to improve noise suppression of the audio signal output by the first microphone.
IV. Use of Two Microphones to Perform Improved Noise Suppression in Accordance with an Embodiment of the Present Invention
• As noted above,signal processor420 may include a noise suppressor.FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which signalprocessor420 includes anoise suppressor1007. In accordance with this embodiment,noise suppressor1007 receives the first audio signal and the second audio signal output by first andsecond microphones201 and202, respectively.Noise suppressor1007 suppresses at least a portion of the background noise component included in the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal. The details of this background noise suppression are described in more detail with reference toFIG. 11.
• FIG. 11 illustrates aflowchart1100 of a method for processing audio signals using a wireless telephone having a first and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This method is used to suppress at least a portion of the background noise component included in the output of the first microphone.
• The method offlowchart1100 begins atstep1110, in whichfirst microphone201 outputs a first audio signal that includes a voice component and a background noise component. Instep1120,second microphone202 outputs a second audio signal that includes a voice component and a background noise component.
• Atstep1130,noise suppressor1007 receives the first and second audio signals and suppresses at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the first and second audio signals to produce a third audio signal. The details of this step will now be described in more detail.
• In one embodiment,noise suppressor1007 converts the first and second audio signals into the frequency domain before suppressing the background noise component in the first audio signal.FIGS. 12A and 12B show exemplary frequency spectra that are used to illustrate the function ofnoise suppressor1007.
• FIG. 12A shows two components: avoice spectrum component1210 and anoise spectrum component1220.Voice spectrum1210 includes pitch harmonic peaks (the equally spaced peaks) and the three formants in the spectral envelope.
• FIG. 12A is an exemplary plot used for conceptual illustration purposes only. It is to be appreciated thatvoice component1210 andnoise component1220 are mixed and inseparable in audio signals picked up by actual microphones. In reality, a microphone picks up a single mixed voice and noise signal and its spectrum.
• FIG. 12B shows an exemplary single mixed voice and noise spectrum before noise suppression (i.e., spectrum1260) and after noise suppression (i.e., spectrum1270). For example,spectrum1260 is the magnitude of a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201.
• A typical noise suppressor keeps an estimate of the background noise spectrum (e.g.,spectrum1220 inFIG. 12A), and then compares the observed single voice and noise spectrum (e.g.,spectrum1260 inFIG. 12B) with this estimated background noise spectrum to determine whether each frequency component is predominately voice or predominantly noise. If it is considered predominantly noise, the magnitude of the FFT coefficient at that frequency is attenuated. If it is considered predominantly voice, then the FFT coefficient is kept as is. This can be seen inFIG. 12B.
• There are many frequency regions wherespectrum1270 is on top ofspectrum1260. These frequency regions are considered to contain predominantly voice. On the other hand, regions wherespectrum1260 andspectrum1270 are at different places are the frequency regions that are considered predominantly noise. By attenuating the frequency regions that are predominantly noise,noise suppressor1007 produces a third audio signal (e.g., an audio signal corresponding to frequency spectrum1270) with an increased ratio of the voice component to background noise component compared to the first audio signal.
• The operations described in the last two paragraphs above correspond to a conventional single-microphone noise suppression scheme. According to an embodiment of the present invention,noise suppressor1007 additionally uses the spectrum of the second audio signal picked up by the second microphone to estimate thebackground noise spectrum1220 more accurately than in a single-microphone noise suppression scheme.
• In a conventional single-microphone noise suppressor,background noise spectrum1220 is estimated between “talk spurts”, i.e., during the gaps between active speech segments corresponding to uttered syllables. Such a scheme works well only if the background noise is relatively stationary, i.e., when the general shape ofnoise spectrum1220 does not change much during each talk spurt. Ifnoise spectrum1220 changes significantly through the duration of the talk spurt, then the single-microphone noise suppressor will not work well because the noise spectrum estimated during the last “gap” is not reliable. Therefore, in general, and especially for non-stationary background noise, the availability of the spectrum of the second audio signal picked up by the second microphone allowsnoise suppressor1007 to get a more accurate, up-to-date estimate ofnoise spectrum1220, and thus achieve better noise suppression performance.
• Note that the spectrum of the second audio signal should not be used directly as the estimate of thenoise spectrum1220. There are at least two problems with using the spectrum of the second audio signal directly: first, the second audio signal may still have some voice component in it; and second, the noise component in the second audio signal is generally different from the noise component in the first audio signal.
• To circumvent the first problem, the voice component can be cancelled out of the second audio signal. For example, in conjunction with a noise cancellation scheme, the noise-cancelled version of the first audio signal, which is a cleaner version of the main voice signal, can pass through an adaptive filter. The signal resulting from the adaptive filter can be added to the second audio signal to cancel out a large portion of the voice component in the second audio signal.
• To circumvent the second problem, an approximation of the noise component in the first audio signal can be determined, for example, by filtering the voice-cancelled version of the second audio signal withadaptive filter901.
• The example method outlined above, which includes the use of a first and second audio signal, allowsnoise suppressor1007 to obtain a more accurate and up-to-date estimate ofnoise spectrum1220 during a talk spurt than a conventional noise suppression scheme that only uses one audio signal. An alternative embodiment of the present invention can use the second audio signal picked up by the second microphone to help obtain a more accurate determination of talk spurts versus inter-syllable gaps; and this will, in turn, produce a more reliable estimate ofnoise spectrum1220, and thus improve the noise suppression performance.
• For the particular example ofFIG. 12B,spectrum1260 in the noise regions is attenuated by 10 dB resulting inspectrum1270. It should be appreciated that an attenuation of 10 dB is shown for illustrative purposes, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons having ordinary skill in the art thatspectrum1260 could be attenuated by more or less than 10 dB.
• Lastly, the third audio signal is transmitted to another telephone. The processing and transmission of the third audio signal is achieved in like manner to that which was described above in reference to conventional transmit path100 (FIG. 1A).
• As mentioned above and as is described in more detail in the next subsection, additionally or alternatively, the audio signal output by the second microphone is used to improve VAD technology incorporated within the wireless telephone.
V. Use of Two Microphones to Perform Improved VAD in Accordance with an Embodiment of the Present Invention
• FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of a transmitpath1300 of a wireless telephone that is implemented with a first microphone and a second microphone in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Transmitpath1300 includes afirst microphone201 and asecond microphone202. In addition, transmitpath1300 includes an A/D converter1310, an A/D converter1312, a noise suppressor1307 (optional), aVAD1320, aspeech encoder1304, achannel encoder1305, amodulator1306, anRF module1307, and anantenna1308.Speech encoder1304,channel encoder1305,modulator1306,RF module1307, andantenna1308 are respectively analogous tospeech encoder104,channel encoder105,modulator106,RF module107, andantenna108 discussed with reference to transmitpath100 ofFIG. 1A and thus their operation will not be discussed in detail below.
• For illustrative purposes and not limitation, transmitpath1300 is described in an embodiment in whichnoise suppressor1307 is not present. In this example embodiment,VAD1320 receives the first audio signal and second audio signal output byfirst microphone201 and thesecond microphone202, respectively.VAD1320 uses both the first audio signal output by thefirst microphone201 and the second audio signal output bysecond microphone202 to provide detection of voice activity in the first audio signal.VAD1320 sends an indication signal tospeech encoder1304 indicating which time intervals of the first audio signal include a voice component. The details of the function ofVAD1320 are described with reference toFIG. 14.
• FIG. 14 illustrates aflowchart1400 of a method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first and a second microphone, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. This method is used to detect time intervals in which an audio signal output by the first microphone includes a voice component.
• The method offlowchart1400 begins atstep1410, in whichfirst microphone201 outputs a first audio signal the includes a voice component and a background noise component. Instep1420,second microphone202 outputs a second audio signal that includes a voice component and a background noise component.
• FIG. 15 shows exemplary plots of the first and second audio signals output by first andsecond microphones201 and202, respectively.Plot1500 is a representation of the first audio signal output byfirst microphone201. The audio signal shown inplot1500 includes avoice component1510 and abackground noise component1520. The audio signal shown inplot1550 is a representation of the second audio signal output bysecond microphone202.Plot1550 also includes avoice component1560 and abackground noise component1570. As discussed above, sincefirst microphone201 is preferably closer to a user's mouth during regular use thansecond microphone202, the amplitude ofvoice component1510 is greater than the amplitude ofvoice component1560. Conversely, the amplitude ofbackground noise component1570 is greater than the amplitude ofbackground noise component1520.
• As shown instep1430 of flowchart.1400,VAD1320, based on the content of the first audio signal (plot1500) and the second audio signal (plot1550), detects time intervals in whichvoice component1510 is present in the first audio signal. By using the second audio signal in addition to the first audio signal to detect voice activity in the first audio signal,VAD1320 achieves improved voice activity detection as compared to VAD technology that only monitors one audio signal. That is, the additional information coming from the second audio signal, which includes mostlybackground noise component1570, helpsVAD1320 better differentiate what in the first audio signal constitutes the voice component, thereby helpingVAD1320 achieve improved performance.
• As an example, according to an embodiment of the present invention, in addition to all the other signal features that a conventional single-microphone VAD normally monitors,VAD1320 can also monitor the energy ratio or average magnitude ratio between the first audio signal and the second audio signal to help it better detect voice activity in the first audio signal. This possibility is readily evident by comparingfirst audio signal1500 andsecond audio signal1550 inFIG. 15. Foraudio signals1500 and1550 shown inFIG. 15, the energy offirst audio signal1500 is greater than the energy ofsecond audio signal1550 during talk spurt (active speech). On the other hand, during the gaps between talk spurts (i.e. background noise only regions), the opposite is true. Thus, the energy ratio of the first audio signal over the second audio signal goes from a high value during talk spurts to a low value during the gaps between talk spurts. This change of energy ratio provides a valuable clue about voice activity in the first audio signal. This valuable clue is not available if only a single microphone is used to obtain the first audio signal. It is only available through the use of two microphones, andVAD1320 can use this energy ratio to improve its accuracy of voice activity detection.
VI. Alternative Embodiments of the Present Invention
• In an example alternative embodiment (not shown),signal processor420 includes both a background noise cancellation module and a noise suppressor. In this embodiment, the background noise cancellation module cancels at least a portion of a background noise component included in the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal. Then the noise suppressor receives the second and third audio signals and suppresses at least a portion of a residual background noise component present in the third audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal, in like manner to that described above. The noise suppressor then provides a fourth audio signal to the remaining components and/or processing steps, as described above.
• In another alternative example embodiment, a transmit path having a first and second microphone can include a signal processor (similar to signal processor420) and a VAD (similar to VAD1320). A person having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that a signal processor can precede a VAD in a transmit path, or vice versa. In addition, a signal processor and a VAD can process the outputs of the two microphones contemporaneously. For illustrative purposes, and not limitation, an embodiment in which a signal processor precedes a VAD in a transmit path having two microphones is described in more detail below.
• In this illustrative embodiment, a signal processor increases a ratio of a voice component to a background noise component of a first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and a second audio signal to produce a third audio signal (similar to the function ofsignal processor420 described in detail above). The third audio signal is then received by a VAD. The VAD also receives a second audio signal output by a second microphone (e.g., second microphone202). In a similar manner to that described in detail above, the VAD detects time intervals in which a voice component is present in the third signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal.
• In a still further embodiment, a VAD can precede a noise suppressor, in a transmit path having two microphones. In this embodiment, the VAD receives a first audio signal and a second audio signal output by a first microphone and a second microphone, respectively, to detect time intervals in which a voice component is present in the first audio signal based on the content of the first and second audio signals, in like manner to that described above. The noise suppressor receives the first and second audio signals and suppresses a background noise component in the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal, in like manner to that described above.
VII. Conclusion
• A wireless telephone implemented with at least two microphones has been disclosed. Specific reference to a wireless telephone having two microphones was presented for illustrative purposes only, and not limitation. It will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art that other types of telephones (e.g., corded telephones, corded telephone headsets, and/or BLUETOOTH ™ telephone headsets, developed by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. of Overland Park, Kans., U.S.A. ) could be implemented with a first and second microphone. In the example of the corded telephone headset, the first microphone could be mounted on the headset and the second microphone could be mounted on a handset of the telephone. For example, the second microphone could be mounted on the telephone in like manner to eithermicrophone201 ormicrophone202 ofwireless telephone200. As another example, a BLUETOOTH ™ wireless telephone headset can have a first microphone mounted at the tip of its microphone boom close to the mouth of a user and a second microphone mounted at its base, which is supported near one of the user's ears by a hook over the ear lobe. It is to be appreciated that these other types of telephones and/or headsets implemented with a first and second microphone are contemplated within the scope of the present invention.
• The specifications and the drawings used in the foregoing description were meant for exemplary purposes only, and not limitation. It is intended that the full scope and spirit of the present invention be determinedly the claims that follow.

Claims (28)

1. A wireless telephone, comprising:

a first microphone that outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component;

a second microphone that outputs a second audio signal; and

a signal processor that increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

2. The wireless telephone ofclaim 1, wherein the first microphone is mounted on a first portion of the wireless telephone and the second microphone is mounted on a second portion of the wireless telephone such that the first microphone is closer to the mouth of a user than the second microphone during regular use of the wireless telephone.

3. The wireless telephone ofclaim 1, wherein the signal processor comprises a background noise cancellation module that receives the first and second audio signals and cancels at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.

4. The wireless telephone ofclaim 3, wherein the background noise cancellation module comprises:

an adaptive filter that filters the second audio signal; and

an adder that adds the filtered second audio signal to the first audio signal, thereby canceling at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal.

5. The wireless telephone ofclaim 3, further comprising:

a first analog-to-digital (A/D) converter connected to the first microphone that converts the first audio signal from an analog form to a digital form prior to receipt of the first audio signal by the background noise cancellation module; and

a second A/D converter connected to the second microphone that converts the second audio signal from an analog form to a digital form prior to receipt of the second audio signal by the background noise cancellation module.

6. The wireless telephone ofclaim 5, wherein the first and second A/D converters sample the respective first and second audio signals at a first sampling rate before providing the first and second audio signals to the background noise cancellation module; and

wherein the background noise cancellation module includes a downsampler that down samples the third audio signal to a second sampling rate, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

7. The wireless telephone ofclaim 3, wherein the signal processor further comprises a noise suppressor that receives the second and third audio signals and suppresses at least a portion of a residual background noise component of the third audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal to produce a fourth audio signal.

8. The wireless telephone ofclaim 7, wherein the noise suppressor suppresses at least a portion of the residual background noise component by adapting a frequency spectrum corresponding to the third audio signal.

9. The wireless telephone ofclaim 3, further comprising:

an adaptive filter that filters the third audio signal to produce a fourth audio signal;

an adder that adds the second audio signal to the fourth audio signal thereby canceling at least a portion of a voice component from the second audio signal to produce a fifth audio signal; and

a noise suppressor that receives the third audio signal and the fifth audio signal and suppresses at least a portion of a residual background noise component of the third audio signal based on the content of the third audio signal and the fifth audio signal to produce a sixth audio signal.

10. The wireless telephone ofclaim 1, wherein the signal processor comprises a noise suppressor that receives the first and second audio signals and suppresses at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.

11. The wireless telephone ofclaim 1, further comprising:

a voice activity detector (VAD) that receives the second and third audio signals and detects time intervals in which a voice component is present in the third audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal.

12. The wireless telephone ofclaim 11, wherein the VAD provides input to a transmitter relating to the time intervals in which a voice component is present in the third audio signal; and

wherein the transmitter selectively transmits the third audio signal to another telephone responsive to the input.

13. The wireless telephone ofclaim 11, wherein the VAD detects the time intervals by monitoring an energy ratio of the second audio signal and the third audio signal.

14. A method for processing audio signals in a wireless telephone having a first microphone and a second microphone, comprising:

outputting a first audio signal from the first microphone, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component;

outputting a second audio signal from the second microphone; and

increasing a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the increasing step comprises:

canceling at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.

16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein canceling at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal comprises:

filtering the second audio signal using an adaptive filter; and

adding the filtered second audio signal to the first audio signal, thereby canceling at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal.

17. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising:

converting each of the first and second audio signals from an analog form to a digital form prior to the canceling step.

18. The method ofclaim 17, wherein converting each of the first and second audio signals from an analog form to a digital form comprises sampling the first and second audio signals at a first sampling rate, and wherein the method further comprises downsampling the third audio signal to a second sampling rate, wherein the second sampling rate is lower than the first sampling rate.

19. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the increasing step comprises:

suppressing at least a portion of the background noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce the third audio signal.

20. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising:

suppressing at least a portion of a residual background noise component of the third audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal to produce a fourth audio signal.

21. The method ofclaim 20, wherein the suppressing step comprises suppressing at least a portion of the residual background noise component by adapting a frequency spectrum corresponding to the third audio signal.

22. The method ofclaim 14, further comprising:

detecting time intervals in which a voice component is present in the third audio signal based on the content of the second audio signal and the third audio signal.

23. The method ofclaim 22, further comprising:

selectively transmitting the third audio signal to another telephone during the time intervals in which a voice component is present in the third audio signal.

24. A corded telephone, comprising:

a first microphone that outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component;

a second microphone that outputs a second audio signal; and

a signal processor that increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

25. A headset telephone, comprising:

a headset having a first microphone that outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component; and

a handset having a second microphone that outputs a second audio signal and a signal processor that receives the first and the second audio signals and increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

26. A headset telephone, comprising:

a headset having a first microphone that outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component, and the headset having a second microphone that outputs a second audio signal; and

a handset having a signal processor that receives the first and the second audio signals and increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

27. A headset telephone, comprising:

a headset having a first microphone that outputs a first audio signal, the first audio signal comprising a voice component and a background noise component, and the headset having a second microphone that outputs a second audio signal; and

the headset having a signal processor that receives the first and the second audio signals and increases a ratio of the voice component to the noise component of the first audio signal based on the content of at least one of the first audio signal and the second audio signal to produce a third audio signal.

28. The telephone ofclaim 27, wherein the headset is a BLUETOOTH™ headset.

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