WO2020078521A1 - Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum - Google Patents

Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2020078521A1
WO2020078521A1 PCT/EG2018/000019 EG2018000019W WO2020078521A1 WO 2020078521 A1 WO2020078521 A1 WO 2020078521A1 EG 2018000019 W EG2018000019 W EG 2018000019W WO 2020078521 A1 WO2020078521 A1 WO 2020078521A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
valleys
peaks
speech spectrum
speech
components
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/EG2018/000019
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Taha Kais Taha AL-SHALASH
Original Assignee
Al Shalash Taha Kais Taha
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Al Shalash Taha Kais Taha filed Critical Al Shalash Taha Kais Taha
Priority to PCT/EG2018/000019 priority Critical patent/WO2020078521A1/en
Publication of WO2020078521A1 publication Critical patent/WO2020078521A1/en

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10L—SPEECH ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES OR SPEECH SYNTHESIS; SPEECH RECOGNITION; SPEECH OR VOICE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES; SPEECH OR AUDIO CODING OR DECODING
    • G10L21/00—Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility
    • G10L21/02—Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation
    • G10L21/0316—Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation by changing the amplitude
    • G10L21/0364—Speech enhancement, e.g. noise reduction or echo cancellation by changing the amplitude for improving intelligibility
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R25/00—Deaf-aid sets, i.e. electro-acoustic or electro-mechanical hearing aids; Electric tinnitus maskers providing an auditory perception
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04R—LOUDSPEAKERS, MICROPHONES, GRAMOPHONE PICK-UPS OR LIKE ACOUSTIC ELECTROMECHANICAL TRANSDUCERS; DEAF-AID SETS; PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEMS
    • H04R2225/00—Details of deaf aids covered by H04R25/00, not provided for in any of its subgroups
    • H04R2225/43—Signal processing in hearing aids to enhance the speech intelligibility

Definitions

  • THE DISCLOSURE MAY BE USEFUL IN APPLICATIONS SUCH AS COMMUNICATION DEVICES, E.G. TELEPHONES, OR LISTENING DEVICES, E.G. HEARING INSTRUMENTS, HEADSETS, HEAD PHONES, AND ACTIVE EAR PROTECTION DEVICES.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Audiology, Speech & Language Pathology (AREA)
  • Quality & Reliability (AREA)
  • Computational Linguistics (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Neurosurgery (AREA)
  • Otolaryngology (AREA)
  • Prostheses (AREA)

Abstract

A method of operating an audio processing device to improve a user's perception to speech sound, the method comprising: splitting an audio signal into a plurality of frequency bands, identifying the peaks and valleys of speech spectrum, applying time delays to the valleys frequency components of speech spectrum each certain period of time.

Description

ENHANCE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS IN SPEECH SPECTRUM
TECHNICAL FIELD
THE PRESENT APPLICATION RELATES TO IMPROVE SPEECH PERCEPTION, E.G. SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY, IN PARTICULAR TO IMPROVE SOUND PERCEPTION FOR A PERSON, E.G. A HEARING IMPAIRED PERSON.
THE APPLICATION RELATES TO AN AUDIO PROCESSING DEVICE AND IT’S USE LIKE ALL KINDS OF HEARING AIDS AND COCHLEAR IMPLANTS.
THE APPLICATION FURTHER RELATES TO A DATA PROCESSING SYSTEM COMPRISING A PROCESSOR PERFORMING THE METHOD.
THE DISCLOSURE MAY BE USEFUL IN APPLICATIONS SUCH AS COMMUNICATION DEVICES, E.G. TELEPHONES, OR LISTENING DEVICES, E.G. HEARING INSTRUMENTS, HEADSETS, HEAD PHONES, AND ACTIVE EAR PROTECTION DEVICES.
BACKGROUND ART
THE SPREAD OF MASKING IN HEARING IMPAIRED PERSONS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT DECREASE THE SPEECH INTELLIGIBILITY BY DECREASING THE FREQUENCY RESOLUTION.
THE CENTRAL AUDITORY SYSTEM IN HEARING IMPAIRED PATIENTS FAILS TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY THE PEAKS IN THE SPEECH SPECTRUM FROM THE NEARBY VALLEYS DUE TO SPREAD OF MASKING. TEMPORAL INTEGRATION OF A SOUND MEAN THAT THE LOUDNESS OF A SOUND IS INCREASED BY INCREASING ITS DURATION TO CERTAIN LIMITS AND VISE VERSA
DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION
THE TEMPORAL INTEGRATION IN OTHERS WORDS MEANS THAT THE SOUND NEED TO BE FIXED IN FREQUENCY AND PHASE TO BUILD ITS LOUDNESS BUT IF A SOUND UNDERGO CONTINUOUS RANDOM TIME DELAYS THAT WILL LEAD TO CONTINUOUS PHASE CHANGES THAT WILL LEAD TO DECREASE THE TEMPORAL INTEGRATION FOR THAT SOUND AND DECREASE ITS LOUDNESS.
IN ORDER TO INCREASE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS IN SPEECH SPECTRUM I WILL IDENTIFY THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM FOR EACH PHONEME THEN CONTINUOUSLY CHANGE THE PHASES OF VALLEYS COMPONENTS BY APPLYING RANDOM TIME DELAYS FOR VALLEYS COMPONENTS EVERY CERTAIN PERIODS (E.G. EVERY 10 MILLISECOND) AND KEEP THE PEAKS COMPONENTS WITHOUT TIME DELAY. ·
THE RANDOM TIME DELAYS WILL LEAD TO CHANGES IN THE PHASES OF VALLEYS COMPONENTS IN SPECTRUM THAT WILL DECREASE THE TEMPORAL INTEGRATION OF SAID COMPONENTS THEN DECREASE THE LOUDNESS FOR THOSE COMPONENTS THAT WILL HELP THE CENTRAL AUDITORY SYSTEM TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY THE PEAKS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM FROM NEARBY LOW LOUDNESS VALLEYS COMPONENTS.
EXAMPLE FOR RANDOM TIME DELAYS'FOR VALLEYS COMPONENTS:
1- VALLEYS COMPONENTS DELAYED BY 0.7 MILLISECOND FOR 10 MILLISECOND
2- THEN VALLEYS COMPONENTS DELAYED BY 1.1 MILLISECOND FOR 10 MILLISECOND 3- THEN VALLEYS COMPONENTS DELAYED BY 0.5 MILLISECOND FOR
10 MILLISECOND
4- THEN VALLEYS COMPONENTS DELAYED BY 0.1 MILLISECOND FOR 10 MILLISECOND AND SO ON...
A. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
FIG (1): SINGLE PHONEME OF SPEECH SPECTRUM. l=PEAKS OF SPEECH
SPECTRUM THAT WILL HAVE NO TIME DELAYS, 2=V ALLEYS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM THAT WILL UNDERGO TIME DELAYS PERIODICALLY.

Claims

1- A METHOD OF OPERATING AN AUDIO PROCESSING DEVICE TO IMPROVE A USER'S PERCEPTION OF AN SPEECH SOUND, THE METHOD COMPRISING: SPLITTING AN AUDIO SIGNAL INTO A PLURALITY OF FREQUENCY BANDS; IDENTIFYING THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM.
2- THE METHOD OF CLAIM 1, FURTHER COMPRISING APPLYING TIME DELAYS TO THE VALLEYS FREQUENCY COMPONENTS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM EACH CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME.
3- A HEARING ASSISTANCE APPARATUS, COMPRISING: SPLITTING AN AUDIO SIGNAL INTO A PLURALITY OF FREQUENCY BANDS; IDENTIFYING THE PEAKS AND VALLEYS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM.
4 THE APPARATUS OF CLAIM 3, FURTHER COMPRISING APPLYING TIME DELAYS TO THE VALLEYS FREQUENCY COMPONENTS OF SPEECH SPECTRUM EACH CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME
PCT/EG2018/000019 2018-10-14 2018-10-14 Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum WO2020078521A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EG2018/000019 WO2020078521A1 (en) 2018-10-14 2018-10-14 Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EG2018/000019 WO2020078521A1 (en) 2018-10-14 2018-10-14 Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2020078521A1 true WO2020078521A1 (en) 2020-04-23

Family

ID=70283722

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/EG2018/000019 WO2020078521A1 (en) 2018-10-14 2018-10-14 Enhance the contrast between the peaks and valleys in speech spectrum

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2020078521A1 (en)

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6434246B1 (en) * 1995-10-10 2002-08-13 Gn Resound As Apparatus and methods for combining audio compression and feedback cancellation in a hearing aid
US20090046871A1 (en) * 2007-08-17 2009-02-19 Oxford J Craig Method and apparatus for audio processing
US20170332182A1 (en) * 2014-09-02 2017-11-16 Oticon A/S Binaural hearing system and method

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6434246B1 (en) * 1995-10-10 2002-08-13 Gn Resound As Apparatus and methods for combining audio compression and feedback cancellation in a hearing aid
US20090046871A1 (en) * 2007-08-17 2009-02-19 Oxford J Craig Method and apparatus for audio processing
US20170332182A1 (en) * 2014-09-02 2017-11-16 Oticon A/S Binaural hearing system and method

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