Feedback cancelation for enhanced conversational communications in shared acoustic space

Abstract

A crosstalk cancelation technique reduces feedback in a shared acoustic space by canceling out some or all parts of sound signals that would otherwise be produced by a loudspeaker to only be captured by a microphone that, recursively, would cause these sounds signals to be reproduced again on the loudspeaker as feedback. Crosstalk cancelation can be used in a multichannel acoustic system (MAS) comprising an arrangement of microphones, loudspeakers, and a processor to together enhance conversational speech between in a shared acoustic space. To achieve crosstalk cancelation, a processor analyzes the inputs of each microphone, compares it to the output of far loudspeaker(s) relative to each such microphone, and cancels out any portion of a sound signal received by the microphone that matches signals that were just produced by the far loudspeaker(s) and sending only the remaining sound signal (if any) to such far loudspeakers.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority to commonly owned U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 091,383, filed December 12, 2014, and U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application No. 14 / 808,746, filed July 24, 2015, above The content of the application is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background technique [0003] Feedback (or "acoustic positive feedback") occurs when there is a loop of sound between an audio input (such as a microphone) and an audio output (such as a loudspeaker). For example, a signal picked up by a microphone can be amplified and passed through a loudspeaker. The sound from the loudspeaker can then be received again by the microphone, further amplified, and then passed out through the loudspeaker again. The frequency of the resulting sound is determined by the resonant frequencies in the microphones, amplifiers, and loudspeakers; the acoustics of the room, the directional pick...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0004] Conversation between two people may be difficult in a shared acoustic space where other people are speaking, other sources of noise (speech and non-speech), and / or other physical limitations of the environment make speech difficult accomplish

Feedback can be particularly detrimental for communication between two people in a shared acoustic space using microphones and loudspeakers

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