Abstract: A signal processing method for converting a signal received via a transmission path or read from a storage medium into a first audible signal, and suppressing a noise other than a desired signal contained in the first audible signal based on predetermined audio quality adjustment information, comprising steps of: in suppressing a noise other than a desired signal contained in the first audible signal to generate an enhanced signal, receiving audio quality adjustment information for adjusting audio quality; and adjusting audio quality of the enhanced signal using the audio quality adjustment information

Abstract: The present invention is characterized in performing noise suppression immediately before or after mixing signals received from a plurality of terminals. Thus, in multi-point connection for a plurality of terminal devices, a mixed signal can be supplied with high sound quality to a receiver terminal, regardless of the presence and performance of the noise suppression function in a transmitter terminal.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit and image forming unit, which is capable of stably conveying sheets discharged one after another to a tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple the bundle. A sheet conveying means is provided for selectively conveying the sheet to be discharged in the downstream and upstream directions of the sheet discharging direction, as well as moving the sheet in a direction intersecting the sheet conveying direction, and which is capable of moving up and down to be contactable with, and detachable from, the sheet.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit having a simple structure, capable of stably conveying sheets on a tray and causing less ruggedness in conveying and aligning the sheets discharged one after another to the tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple it. The sheet post-processing unit is provided with sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet stacked on the post-processing tray in the same and reverse directions with/from the sheet conveying direction and intersectional moving means for conveying the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by moving the sheet conveying means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. It conveys the sheet while keeping rollers of the sheet conveying means in contact with the sheet and aligns the sheet by hitting the trailing edge thereof against a trailing edge stopper and by hitting the side edge of thereof against a wall by moving the rollers in the intersecting direction.

Abstract: A signal processing device includes an adaptive filter (5), a noise estimation circuit (10), and a double talk detection circuit (81) and operates so that the double talk detection circuit (81) detects a double talk by using the estimated noise obtained by the noise estimation circuit (10). The signal processing device further includes noise estimation means and detects a double talk by using an estimated noise, a microphone signal, and pseudo-echo. An echo removal method and device detect a double talk by using a reliability coefficient expressed as continuous values between 0 and 1. By using continuous values instead of two values 0 and 1, it is possible to reduce the affect of a detection error.

Abstract: A robot includes first and second microphones and movable portions. The first microphone gathers a first sound reception signal by gathering mainly a target signal. The second microphone gathers a second reception sound signal by gathering mainly noise other than the target signal. The movable portions operate on the basis of the first sound reception signal output from the first microphone and the second sound reception signal output from the second microphone.

Abstract: An echo canceling method and apparatus for simultaneously erasing echoes produced on a plurality of transmission paths, for multiplexed lines which require a short convergence time and a less amount of operations. The echo canceling apparatus has a control circuit (70) which receives information on convergence degrees and input signal intensities from a plurality of adaptive filters (80, 81, 82) to distribute a number of coefficient updates to each adaptive filter corresponding to the information.

Abstract: A sheet processing apparatus including a first sheet stacking portion for stacking sheets thereon, a second sheet stacking portion provided downstream of the first sheet stacking portion with respect to a sheet conveying direction, a sheet holding device for holding the sheets stacked on the first sheet stacking portion, and a holding device moving device for moving the sheet holding device between a holding position for holding the sheets and a discharging position provided downstream of the holding position in the sheet conveying direction, wherein the discharging position has a predetermined distance upstream from a stop position in which the sheet holding device moved to a downstream side with respect to the sheet conveying direction by the holding device moving device is stopped to an upstream side.

Abstract: An automatic document feed device having reading means for stopping a conveyed document to a reading position on a platen and sequentially reading images of two sides of the document one side by one, includes an adjusting unit, provided upstream of the reading position on the platen, for adjusting an edge of the document, wherein the adjusting unit have a function for adjusting the edge of the document which is fed to read one side, and for reversing the document through the platen and adjusting the edge of the document which is fed again to read the other side of the document. A feed unit includes one of feed guide members and a feed roller in the feed path. The feed path unit is rotatably supported, thereby enabling the feed path to open.

Abstract: Information other than the result of correctly processing information can be reproduced. The information processing system comprises an information processing means 3, an information changing means 5, an information reproducing means 4. The information changing means 5 changes the result of processing, obtained by the information processing means 3. The information processing means 3 processes the information received by a sensor 2 and transmits the result of processing to the information reproducing means 4. The information changing means 5 adds or deletes information to or from the result of processing, obtained by the information processing means 3, by using an information analysis unit and a change-processing unit. If the information processing is interpretation that includes voice recognition, translation and voice synthesis, the first language received by the sensor 2 is translated into the second language by the information processing means 3 and is reproduced by the information reproducing means 4.

Abstract: A signal processor includes: a first adaptive filter that takes a first signal as input and generates a first pseudo signal; a first subtractor that subtracts the first pseudo signal from a second signal to supply a first differential signal as output; a second adaptive filter that takes the first signal as input to generate a second pseudo signal; a second subtractor that subtracts the second pseudo signal from the second signal to supply a second differential signal as output; a first step size control circuit that generates a first step size used in updating the first adaptive filter in accordance with the relation between the second pseudo signal and the second differential signal; and a second step size control circuit that generates a second step size used in updating the second adaptive filter in accordance with the relation between the first signal and the second signal.

Abstract: In a signal processing system, a set of channel signals from an array of sensors of different operating characteristics are processed in calibration circuitry that calculates individual average values of the channel signals and calculates an average of the individual average values of channel signals as a reference value. Reciprocal calculators calculate reciprocal values of the individual average values of the channel signals. Scaling circuitry scales the reciprocal values by the reference value to produce a set of amplitude calibration signals and scales the channel signals by the calibration signals respectively. As a result, the channel signals are normalized by their own average values and scaled by the reference value to produce a set of calibrated channel signals.

Abstract: In a noise suppression apparatus for suppressing noise contained in a speech signal, the speech signal is converted to a first vector of spectral speech components and a second vector of spectral speech components identical to the first vector. A vector of noise suppression coefficients is determined based on the first vector spectral speech components. A vector of estimated noise components is determined based on the first vector spectral speech components, and a speech section correction factor and a nonspeech section correction factor are calculated from the estimated noise components and the first-vector spectral speech components to produce a combined correction factor. The noise suppression coefficients are weighted by the combined correction factor to produce a vector of post-suppression coefficients. The second vector spectral speech components are weighted by the post-suppression coefficients to produce a vector of enhanced speech components.

Abstract: A robot includes first and second microphones and movable portions. The first microphone gathers a first sound reception signal by gathering mainly a target signal. The second microphone gathers a second reception sound signal by gathering mainly noise other than the target signal. The movable portions operate on the basis of the first sound reception signal output from the first microphone and the second sound reception signal output from the second microphone.

Abstract: There is provided a sheet post-processing unit having a simple structure, capable of stably conveying sheets on a tray and causing less ruggedness in conveying and aligning the sheets discharged one after another to the tray to form a bundle of sheets and to staple it. The sheet post-processing unit is provided with sheet conveying means for conveying the sheet stacked on the post-processing tray in the same and reverse directions with/from the sheet conveying direction and intersectional moving means for conveying the sheet in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction by moving the sheet conveying means in the direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. It conveys the sheet while keeping rollers of the sheet conveying means in contact with the sheet and aligns the sheet by hitting the trailing edge thereof against a trailing edge stopper and by hitting the side edge of thereof against a wall by moving the rollers in the intersecting direction.

Abstract: An apparatus for noise suppression has a converter for converting an input signal into a frequency-domain, an SNR calculator for determining a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) using the frequency-domain signal, a spectral gain generator for determining a spectral gain based on the SNR, a spectral gain modification unit for correcting the spectral gain to determine a modified spectral gain, a multiplier for weighting the frequency-domain signal using the modified spectral gain, and an inverse converter for converting the weighted frequency-domain signal into a signal in a time-domain signal. In the apparatus for noise suppression, it is preferable to calculate a weighted noisy speech power spectrum from the power spectrum of noisy speech and the power spectrum of estimated noise thereby determining an SNR.

Abstract: Switch 141 continuously switches between received signal 2 and a supplemental signal, which is obtained by processing the received signal 2 through filter 145 to use the output of switch 141 in place of received signal 2. Accordingly, adaptive filters 122 and 124 operate sometimes by using received signal 2 as the input signal and sometimes by using the supplemental signal as the input signal, so that it is possible to obtain adaptive filter coefficients by using twice the number of conditional equations as the case of using only received signal 2 as the input signal. Therefore, since the adaptive filter coefficients do not becomes indefinite, it is possible to converge the coefficients to the correct values. Further, since switching period between the original and the supplemental signals is controlled to be longer than the sampling period of the received signal, it is possible to suppress aliasing distortion of the received signal directly supplied to a speaker and to be maintain better sound quality.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an echo canceling method and apparatus for simultaneously erasing echoes produced on a plurality of transmission paths.

Abstract: The magnitude processing circuit 607 non-linearly processes the received signal 2 and then outputs a non-linear processed signal. The delay processing circuit 300 further delays the non-linear processed signal and then outputs a delayed processed signal. The delayed processed signal is time-multiplexed with the non-linear processed signal. The multiplexed signal is used instead of the received signal 2. The adaptive filters 122 and 124 operate alternately with the non-linear processed signal or with the delayed processed signal obtained by non-linearly processing and then delaying the received signal 2 as the input signal. Adaptive filter coefficients can be obtained by using twice the number of conditions compared with the number is twice that for the case where only the received signal 2 is used as the input signal.

Abstract: An echo canceling apparatus suitable for multiplexed transmission lines is provided that achieves a short convergence time and a small number of arithmetic operations. Adaptive filters are located in respective transmission lines. Each adaptive filter adaptively controls tap positions such that tap coefficients are located in dispersive regions which are obtained by removing fixed delays from the impulse response in an echo path. A controller receives tap position information from the adaptive filters to mutually compare the convergence degrees among the adaptive filters. Thus, the controller respectively supplies coefficient update control signals to the adaptive filters so as to suppress coefficient adaptation of an adaptive filter whose convergence is leading compared with the others.