Patent ID: 7983906

Claim:
A speech encoding method using a voice activity detector for indicating an active voice mode and an inactive voice mode, said method comprising: receiving an input signal having a plurality of frames; determining whether each of said plurality of frames includes an active voice signal or an inactive voice signal; resetting an inactive voice counter and incrementing an active voice counter for each of said plurality of frames that is determined to include said active voice signal; resetting said active voice counter and incrementing said inactive voice counter for each of said plurality of frames that is determined to include said inactive voice signal; setting a voice flag in response to said active voice counter exceeding a first threshold value; resetting said voice flag in response to said inactive voice counter exceeding a second threshold value; detecting a first transition from said inactive voice signal to said active voice signal; indicating said active voice mode in response to said detecting said first transition; encoding said input signal using an active voice encoder in response to indicating said active voice mode; detecting a second transition from said active voice signal to said inactive voice signal following said first transition; continuing to indicate said active voice mode for a first period of time after said detecting said second transition in response to said voice flag being set and for a second period of time after said detecting said second transition in response to said voice flag being reset, wherein said first period of time is longer than said second period of time; indicating said inactive voice mode after said continuing; and encoding said input signal using an inactive voice encoder in response to indicating said inactive voice mode.