Apparatus and Method for Multichannel Interference Cancellation

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This patent describes an apparatus and method for efficiently cancelling interference (such as acoustic echoes) in multi-channel audio systems. It introduces a novel approach where an estimated interference signal from a primary audio channel (such as a main microphone) is reused to help estimate and cancel interference in the other channels. This approach uses relative transfer functions to model the relationship between different channels, significantly reducing computational complexity compared to previous methods that performed full estimation for every channel independently.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Hands-free calling systems in smartphones, tablets, and computers, providing clear communication by reducing echoes and noise.
• Smart speakers and voice-activated assistants, enabling improved voice recognition and sound quality in multi-microphone arrays.
• Teleconference systems with multiple microphones and loudspeakers, thus reducing feedback and switching noises.
• Smart televisions and home entertainment systems that utilize multi-microphone setups for voice control and audio enhancement.
• Hearing aids or advanced audio recording equipment where multi-microphone interference suppression is crucial.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Reduces computational complexity and processing power required for multi-channel interference cancellation, making real-time implementation feasible even in resource-limited devices.
• Improves audio clarity by effectively removing unwanted echoes and interference across multiple channels.
• Scalable to systems with many microphones – as the approach is more efficient than traditional methods that require an independent estimation for each channel.
• Can be implemented in both time and frequency domains, increasing its flexibility for different audio processing architectures (e.g., for STFT or frequency domain processing).
• Can be adapted for software or hardware implementation and integrated into existing devices or audio processing chains.

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Patent Abstract

An apparatus for multichannel interference cancellation in a received audio signal comprising two or more received audio channels to obtain a modified audio signal comprising two or more modified audio channels is provided. The apparatus comprises a first filter unit (112) being configured to generate a first estimation of a first interference signal depending on a reference signal. Moreover, the apparatus comprises a first interference canceller (114) being configured to generate a first modified audio channel of the two or more modified audio channels from a first received audio channel of the two or more received audio channels depending on the first estimation of the first interference signal. Furthermore, the apparatus comprises a second filter unit (122) being configured to generate a second estimation of a second interference signal depending on the first estimation of the first interference signal. Moreover, the apparatus comprises a second interference canceller (124) being configured to generate a second modified audio channel of the two or more modified audio channels from a second received audio channel of the two or more received audio channels depending on the second estimation of the second interference signal.