Walter M Etter

6760435, Jul 6, 2004

Feb 8, 2000

09/500191

Walter Etter - Wayside NJ
Chin S. Chuang - Holmdel NJ

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

H04M 908

37940601, 37939003, 37940605, 37940612

An apparatus for enhancing intelligibility of a voice signal in a noisy environment includes a first noise estimator which estimates a far-end noise component from the far-end signal, and a second noise estimator which estimates a near-end noise component from the near-end signal. A noise reduction calculator determines a noise reduction gain from the estimated far-end noise, and an echo gain calculator determines an echo control gain. A master gain calculator combines both the echo control gain and the noise control gain into a master gain which is applied to the far-end signal. A comfort noise generator applies the pre-set minimum threshold of the master gain and constantly matches the spectrum of the far-end noise to synthesize a background noise for selectively mixing onto the far-end signal when echo is determined. Echo is determined based on a comparison of the near-end signal and the far-end signal spectra and by compensating the total gain applied. An automatic level controller adjusts the far-end signal responsive to the far-end signal level, and a noise compensator adjusts the far-end signal level responsive to the near-end noise, both adjustments being responsive to the identification of the far-end signal as either speech or noise.

7010118, Mar 7, 2006

Sep 21, 2001

09/956954

Walter Etter - Ocean NJ, US

Agere Systems, Inc. - Allentown PA

H04M 1/00
H04M 9/00

37939201

The amount of noise compensation applied to a signal is controlled by a system operating as both a noise-adaptive expander and compressor based on far-end and near-end noise level estimates.

7072831, Jul 4, 2006

Jun 30, 1998

09/107919

Walter Etter - Highlands NJ, US

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

G10L 21/02
G10L 15/20
G10L 11/06

704226, 704233, 704215

Enhanced estimation of the noise component of a signal is accomplished by using a plurality of filters. Each filter provides an estimate of a minimum sample in a sample set that includes a plurality of signal samples. A comparator, coupled to the plurality of filters, successively compares the estimates among the plurality of filters, and selects the signal estimate having the lowest magnitude. The selected signal estimate represents an enhanced estimate of the noise component of the signal.

7242763, Jul 10, 2007

Nov 26, 2002

10/303797

Walter Etter - Wayside NJ, US

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

H04M 1/00

37940614, 37940601, 37940608, 37940606, 37939201

Methods and systems for a mixed time-frequency domain compander, where the expander and compressor are applied in the frequency domain (subbands), while the limiter and the linear gain are applied in the time-domain (full band). Far-end noise reduction is achieved by adapting the expander gain to the far-end noise, near-end noise compensation is achieved by adapting the linear gain and the compressor gain to the near-end noise. The range of the linear gain section is set individually for each subband, but the linear gain is essentially applied to the full band signal via a scaling procedure. The scaling procedure first reduces the compander gain in the frequency domain by a scaling factor and then performs the reciprocal reverse scaling in the time domain. Far-end noise reduction is coupled to near-end noise compensation in order to avoid cross-modulation of the far-end noise by the near-end noise.

7366659, Apr 29, 2008

Jun 7, 2002

10/163356

Walter Etter - Wayside NJ, US

Lucent Technologies Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

G10L 11/00

704211, 704206

Time-scaled, sound signals (i. e. sounds output at differing speeds) are generated by mixing weighted time-and frequency-domain processed signals, the former signal generally representing speech-based signals while the latter representing music-based signals. The weights applied to each type of signal may be determined by a scaling factor, which in turn is related to the desired speed at which a listener desires to hear a sound signal. In one example of the invention, only stationary signal portions of an input sound signal are used to generate time-scaled processed signals. An adaptive frame-size may also be used to pre-process the separate signals prior to being weighted, which at least decreases the amount of unwanted reverberative sound qualities in a resulting sound signal. Together, techniques envisioned by the present invention produce improved, speed adjusted sound signals.

7542899, Jun 2, 2009

Sep 30, 2003

10/674721

Walter Etter - Wayside NJ, US

Alcatel-Lucent USA Inc. - Murray Hill NJ

G10L 19/14
G10L 11/00
G10L 19/00

704225, 704200, 704201

A method and apparatus for modifying the level of a speech signal is provided in which the gain parameter in the encoded speech signal is changed in a variable and cyclical manner over time. More specifically, a speech signal is encoded as a bit stream and the speech signal is transported in frames with each frame potentially being further sub-divided into sub-frames. The gain parameter, e. g. , fixed codebook gain, is modified in the speech signal in a variable and cyclical manner over a plurality of frames or sub-frames so that gain is temporally dispersed over a plurality of frames or sub-frames. In effect, the change in the amount of gain applied to the signal is effectively dispersed over time so that gradual and accurate changes in the output level of the signal can be achieved to better match actual signal conditions.

8135587, Mar 13, 2012

Apr 6, 2006

11/398555

Walter Etter - Highlands NJ, US

Alcatel Lucent - Paris

G10L 21/02

704226

Enhanced estimation of the noise component of a signal is accomplished by using a plurality of filters. Each filter provides an estimate of a minimum sample in a sample set that includes a plurality of signal samples. A comparator, coupled to the plurality of filters, successively compares the estimates among the plurality of filters, and selects the signal estimate having the lowest magnitude. The selected signal estimate represents an enhanced estimate of the noise component of the signal.

8559619, Oct 15, 2013

Jun 7, 2002

10/163359

Walter Etter - Wayside NJ, US

Alcatel Lucent - Paris

H04M 1/00
H04M 9/00

37939201, 379391

The sidetone noise level in a wireless or wired telephone, for example, is reduced by adjusting both noise and signal levels and/or by improving the signal-to-noise ratio of such signals.