Patent ID: 7650279

Claim:
A sound source separation apparatus, comprising: a plurality of sound input means for sequentially digitalizing a plurality of sound source signals from a plurality of sound sources at a constant sampling cycle to output the signals as a plurality of mixed sound signals; first Fourier transform means for performing, each time the mixed sound signal by a predetermined first time length is newly obtained, a Fourier transform process on a first time-domain signal that is the latest mixed sound signal having a length equal to or longer than the first time length to be converted into a first frequency-domain signal, and for temporarily storing the first frequency-domain signal in storage means; separating matrix learning calculation means for performing a leaning calculation through a frequency-domain independent component analysis method on the basis of one or a plurality of the first frequency-domain signals to calculate a first separating matrix; separating matrix setting means for setting and updating a second separating matrix used for a separation generation of a separation signal that is a sound source signal corresponding to one or a plurality of the sound sources on the basis of the first separating matrix; second Fourier transform means for performing, each time the mixed sound signal by a predetermined second time length which is shorter than the first time length is newly obtained, a Fourier transform process on a second time-domain signal that includes the latest mixed sound signal having a length two times as long as the second time length to be converted into a second frequency-domain signal, and for temporarily storing the second frequency-domain signal in storage means; separation filter process means for performing, each time the second frequency-domain signal is newly obtained, a filter process based on the second separating matrix on the second frequency-domain signal to be converted into a third frequency-domain signal, and for temporarily storing the third frequency-domain signal in storage means; inverse Fourier transform means for performing, each time the third frequency-domain signal is newly obtained, an inverse Fourier transform process on the third frequency-domain signal to be converted into a third time-domain signal, and for temporarily storing the third time-domain signal in storage means; and signal synthesis means for synthesizing, each time the third time-domain signal is newly obtained, both the signals at a part where time slots of the third time-domain signal and the third time-domain signal obtained one time before are overlapped one another to generate the separation signal.