CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR PROVIDING ISOLATION BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION PATHS OF A HANDS-FREE SUBSET

Abstract: A circuit is disclosed in which the effect of ambient noise on the voice control in a hands-free subset is greatly reduced. Frequency components of the ambient noise which lie outside the voice-frequency range are determined on a selective basis and are used, together with the voice levels of the two transmission paths of the subset, to control the send path. The control sig­ nal selectively derived from the ambient noise counter­ acts the control by the voice level of the send path. In the simplest case, it is derived via a filter (12, 18) designed to pass the desired frequency range, an amplifier (13, 19), and a sign-reversing rectifier stage (14, 20) whose output is combined in an adder (11) with the control signal derived from the voice level.

Description: The present invention relates to a circuit arrangement as set forth in the preamble of claim 1. A hands-free subset with such a circuit arrangement is described, for example, in an article by M.Slawik and H.Wiedmann published in "Elektrisches Nachrichtenwesen", Vol. 53, No. 4, 1978, pages 288 to 293. In such a hands-free facility, background noise is particularly disturbing, because such noise, like the voice signals, may cause the send path to be de-attenuated, and the receive path to be attenuated. As a result, the send path is constantly de-attenuated, and the subscriber at the opposite station can no longer get through because the receive path is blocked. Use of the hands-free facility is thus rendered very difficult. In the above article, a circuit for reducing the effect of continuous interfering noise is given on page 291, right column, penultimate paragraph, but this circuit is effective only in the presence of persistent, continuous noise, not in the presence of short-time noise with a high dynamic range. Furthermore, an electronic signal-processing arrangement with a voice-controlled noise suppressor is known (FR-A-2 236 320). The noise suppressor is controlled by a comparator which compares the amplitudes of two signals derived from an input signal by means of bandpass filters and having different speech-to-noise ratios. It is the object of the present invention to provide a circuit arrangement of the above kind which also reduces the effect of short-time background noise on hands-free telephone operation. This object is attained by the features set forth in the characterizing part of claim 1. The invention makes use of the fact that nearly every background noise occurring in an enclosed space contains a frequency component lying below the lower limit of the voice-frequency range, while this is not true for voice signals; this was found by a great number of measurements. The circuit arrangement in accordance with the invention interprets a low-frequency-containing signal picked up by a microphone as noise, and inhibits or reduces the de-attenuation of the send path and the attenuation of the receive path by the voice control circuit. Thus, background noise, such as the noise of running machines, ventilating fans, cooling installations, but also traffic noise or short-time noise, such as the slamming of doors, lose their effect on the voice control. Noise produced in the immediate vicinity of the microphone mostly contains frequencies above the voice-frequency range. Such noise (e.g., paper rustling, typewriter), which may also be very disturbing, can be rendered ineffective in analogous fashion by deriving a noise criterion from the level of a frequency range lying above the voice-frequency range. Further advantageous features of the circuit arrangement in accordance with the invention are claimed in the subclaims. Claims 2 to 4 describe different circuits for influencing the voice control by means of a previously derived noise criterion.Claim 5 specifies an advantageous frequency range for deriving a noise criterion. Claim 6 gives a circuit in which noise criteria are derived from frequency ranges lying above and below the voice-frequency range. An embodiment of the circuit arrangement in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing. The single figure of the drawing is a block diagram of the embodiment. The figure shows schematically the send path of a hands-free subset, comprising a voice control circuit 1 which acts on the send path via a line 15, and on the receive path via a line 16. Voice signals from the subscriber and ambient noise are picked up by a microphone 2, which converts them into electric signals. The frequency response of the microphone is chosen so that sound signals lying below the voice-frequency range are not completely suppressed. From the output of the microphone, the converted voice signals are applied through a first preamplifier 3, a first band-pass filter 4, and a variable-gain amplifier 5 to the subscriber line 6. The band-pass filter 4 removes the signal components lying outside the voice-frequency range, and the variable-gain amplifier amplifies the signal from the band-pass filter 4 under control of signals from the voice control circuit 1, thus producing the send signal. The send-path levels for the voice control circuit are tapped at the output of the first preamplifier 3 and at the output of the variable-gain amplifier 5. The two tap signals are summed in a first adder 7 and applied to a second band-pass filter 8 which limits the sum signal to the voice-frequency range or to a frequency band lying within the voice-frequency range. The output of the second band-pass filter is amplified in a first control-signal amplifier 9 and rectified in a following first rectifier stage 10. Before being applied as a control signal to the voice control unit, the rectified signal is combined in a second adder 11 with a second control signal which represents the noise level in the send path and is opposite in polarity to the first control signal. The noise-level signal is tapped from the send path directly at the output of the microphone and is fed to a low-pass filter 12 which rejects frequencies above 90 Hz. The output of the low-pass filter, like the first control signal derived via the band-pass filter 8, is amplified in a second control-signal amplifier 13 and rectified in a second rectifier stage 14. The diodes of this rectifier stage are so connected that the control signal appears as a negative potential at the ouput of this stage and, thus, at the input of the second adder 11. The latter delivers a sum signal in which the influence of low-frequency noise signal components in the send path is eliminated or at least greatly reduced. This sum signal and a control signal derived in the receive path (not shown) of the hands-free facility and applied over a line 17 are used to control the voice control circuit 1. In Fig. 1, an additional circuit is indicated by broken lines. It contains a high-pass filter 18, an additional control-signal amplifier 19, and an additional rectifier stage 20. This circuit derives a noise-level signal from the frequency range located above the voice-frequency range and is connected in parallel with the circuit consisting of the low-pass filter 12, the control-signal amplifier 13, and the rectifier stage 14. It counteracts the control by the voice level, too, and serves to reduce the effect of interfering noise produced near the microphone and containing high frequencies on the voice control.

Claims: Circuit arrangement for providing isolation between the two transmission paths of a hands-free subset, comprising a voice control circuit which, depending on the voice levels determined in the transmission paths, de-attenuates the transmission path having the higher voice level and attenuates the other transmission path via variable-gain amplifiers contained in the transmission paths, characterized in that at least one additional circuit (11, 12, 13, 14) is provided which selectively senses the level of the send path of the two transmission paths in a predetermined frequency range lying outside the voice-frequency range and, depending on this level, produces a control signal for the voice control circuit (1) which, counteracting the control by the voice level, prevents or reduces the de-attenuation of the send path. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the additional circuit includes a filter (12), a rectifier stage (14), and an adder (11), that the filter circuit is connected to the input of the send path, that the rectifier stage rectifies the amplified output of the filter and delivers its output in inverted form to the added, and that the adder combines the rectified and inverted output of the filter with a voice-level signal derived via a band-pass filter (8) and rectified by an additional rectifier stage, and delivers the sum signal to the voice control circuit. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the additional circuit includes a filter (12) and a rectifier stage (14), with the filter connected to the input of the send path, and the rectifier stage rectifying the output of the filter, and that a storage element and a gate circuit preceding said storage element are provided, the storage element serving to store a voice control signal derived from the voice level of the send path via a band-pass filter and applied to the gate circuit, and the gate circuit being controlled by the rectified output of the filter in such a way that the transfer of the voice control signal to the storage element is inhibited when the rectified output of the filter exceeds a predetermined value. A circuit arrangement as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the additional circuit includes a filter and a rectifier stage following said filter, with the filter connected to the input of the send path, that a variable-gain amplifier is provided which amplifies a voice control signal derived from the send path via a band-pass filter and feeds it to the voice control circuit, and whose gain is reduced by the output of the rectifier stage. A circuit arrangement as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the predetermined frequency range lies below the voice-frequency range and covers frequencies up to 90 Hz, and that the filter is a low-pass filter (12). A circuit arrangement as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that two additional circuits (11, 12, 13, 14; 18, 19, 20) are provided one of which includes a low-pass filter (12) and produces a control signal dependent on the level of a frequency range lying below the voice-frequency range, while the other includes a high-pass filter (18) and produces a control signal dependent on the level of a control signal lying above the voice-frequency range.

Inventors: RESCHKE, THOMAS
Applicants: ALCATEL N.V., ALCATEL SEL AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1987
Main classification: H04M9
IPC codes: H04M9