Adaptive Delay Diversity Filtering for Variable Echo Delays

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing adaptive filters face challenges in efficiently canceling echoes due to varying time delays between speaker output and microphone input signals, particularly when large changes occur in the signal travel path, leading to increased computational load and longer convergence times.

Innovation Solution

An adaptive delay diversity filter using multiple sub-filters that share calculation values and adjust their number through a pruning method, allowing efficient echo cancellation with a short filter length and reduced computational load, even with large variations in time delay.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the filter length is increased to cope with large time delay variation, then the echo cancellation capability is improved, but the convergence time becomes longer and computational load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveecho cancellation capabilityVSAvoidconvergence time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the long filter into multiple sub-filters, each handling a specific time delay range. This segmentation allows the system to process echoes with varying delays efficiently without requiring a single excessively long filter, thereby reducing convergence time while maintaining echo cancellation capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent dynamically selects and activates sub-filters based on the actual time delay conditions. By adaptively adjusting which sub-filters are active, the system optimizes performance for current echo conditions without the computational burden of maintaining all sub-filters active, thus reducing computational load while preserving reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the filter length is increased to cope with large time delay variation, then the echo cancellation capability is improved, but the computational load increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveecho cancellation capabilityVSAvoidcomputational load
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSPower

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the filtering operation into multiple independent sub-filters that can be selectively activated. This allows the computational load to be distributed and optimized based on actual needs, preventing the excessive computational burden that would result from a single long filter processing all delay variations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the operational parameters by adjusting which sub-filters are active based on detected time delay characteristics. This dynamic parameter adjustment enables the system to maintain high echo cancellation performance while adapting computational resources to match actual requirements, thereby reducing overall computational load.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple sub-filters are used to handle time delay variation, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime delay variation handlingVSAvoidfilter structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent organizes multiple sub-filters into a structured array where each sub-filter handles a specific portion of the time delay range. This segmentation provides adaptability to various delay conditions while maintaining a systematic and manageable structure, avoiding the chaos that would result from an unorganized multi-filter approach.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent designs sub-filters with shared computational components and structures that can be reused across different sub-filters. This multi-functionality approach allows the system to handle diverse time delay variations using a standardized framework, reducing the overall complexity that would arise from completely independent filter designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4199368B1Adaptive delay diversity filter and method using same
Publication Date: 2025.08.20 AUZDSP CO LTD
  • EP4199368B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2A
  • EP4199368B1 patent drawingFigure 2B
  • EP4199368B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

The present invention relates to a new type of adaptive filter and an echo cancellation apparatus and method using the same, and discloses an adaptive delay diversity filter for coping with the situation in which variation in a time delay between a reference signal and a target signal of an adaptive filter is large. The adaptive delay diversity filter includes multiple sub-filters, each of which generates output through filtering by utilizing a signal, obtained by applying different time delay values to the reference signal, as a reference signal, and selects the best output value among generated output values of the multiple sub-filters, as an output value of the adaptive delay diversity filter. Further, the adaptive delay diversity filter includes a means for reducing a computational load.