Patent ID: 8194851
Filing Date: 2012-06-05
Classification: H04M

Abstract:
1. A voice processing apparatus for processing voice signals generated by a plurality of microphones in a situation in which a voice emitted by a first sound source is collected by the plurality of microphones and in which a voice emitted by a second sound source including the voice emitted by the first sound source and collected as an echo component is collected by the plurality of microphones, the apparatus comprising: a band dividing portion dividing at least a first voice signal and a second voice signal generated by at least a first microphone and a second microphone among the plurality of microphones, respectively, into predetermined frequency bands; a sound source segregating portion segregating the echo component of the voice emitted by the first sound source included in the voice emitted by the second sound source in each of the predetermined frequency bands of the first and second voice signals thus divided by the band dividing portion based on the power of the voices emitted by the first and second sound sources and collected by the first and second microphones; and a band synthesis portion synthesizing the first and second voice signals from which the echo component of the first sound source has been segregated by the sound source segregating portion, into a voice signal including the voice emitted by the first sound source and a voice signal including the segregated echo component of the first sound source, wherein: the sound source segregating portion determines frequencies ω of the predetermined frequency bands, time i when the first microphone and the second microphone collect voices emitted by the first sound source and the second sound source, a first transfer characteristic H first power X the sound source segregating portion obtains the ratio between the first transfer characteristic H using a function E for finding an average of first values greater than a first threshold TH 1 , the first values being the second power X 2 (ω) divided by first power X 1 (ω) and another function E for finding an average of second values greater than a second threshold TH 2 , the values being the second first power X 1 (ω) divided by the second power X 2 (ω); the sound source segregating portion obtains a time-averaged first voice signal Y and the sound source segregating portion obtains a first voice signal Y