Patent ID: 8229739

Claim:
A speech processing apparatus comprising: a plurality of microphones which receive speech produced by a first sound source to obtain first speech signals for a plurality of channels having one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of microphones, the first sound source being either a human phonic organ or a loudspeaker; a calculation unit configured to calculate a first characteristic amount indicative of an inter-channel correlation of the first speech signals; a storage unit configured to store in advance a second characteristic amount in association with information, the second characteristic amount being indicative of an inter-channel correlation of second speech signals for the plurality of channels obtained by receiving speech produced by a second sound source by the plurality of microphones, the second sound source being either a human phonic organ or a loudspeaker, the information indicating that the second sound source is either the human phonic organ or the loudspeaker; and a collation unit configured to collate the first characteristic amount with the second characteristic amount to determine that the first sound source matches with either a human phonic organ or a loudspeaker based on an inter-channel correlation of a speech produced by a loudspeaker being greater than an inter-channel human correlation of speech produced by a human phonic organ.