Patent ID: 7359504

Claim:
An apparatus for processing a signal comprising: a microphone array for receiving an audio signal, the audio signal including a voice signal component and a noise signal component; a voice processing path having an input coupled to the microphone array, wherein the voice processing path comprises a beamform voice processor adapted to detect voice signals; a noise processing path having an input coupled to the microphone array, wherein the noise processing path comprises a beamform noise processor adapted to detect noise signals; a first echo controller coupled to the voice processing path, wherein the first echo controller determines a near end speech talk state, a far-end speech talk state, a no speech talk state, or both a near-end and far-end speech talk state, wherein a first echo controller output comprises a voice signal with reduced echo; a second echo controller coupled to the noise processing path, wherein the second echo controller determines the near end speech talk state, the far-end speech talk state, the no speech talk state, or both the near-end and far-end speech talk state, the second echo controller comprising: an adaptive filter for generating an approximated echo signal in the audio signal; and a subtractor for subtracting the approximated echo signal from an output of the noise processing path, wherein the output of the second echo controller is a noise signal with reduced echo; a noise reducer coupled to the output of the first echo controller and second echo controller, wherein the noise reducer utilizes the noise signal with reduced echo and the voice signal with reduced echo in a noise reduction process to generate an output signal with reduced noise; and a first voice activity detector, wherein the first activity detector receives a beamform voice processor output, beamform noise processor output, and the output signal with reduced noise from the noise reducer, and the first voice activity detector outputs a first voice/no voice signal to the noise reducer; and a second voice activity detector, wherein the second activity detector receives a far end audio signal, and the second voice activity detector outputs a second voice/no voice signal to the beamform voice processor and the beamform noise processor.