Abstract: A method (FIGS. 6-8) for detecting and attenuating N feedback frequencies in a digitized signal uses a tree structure containing a plurality of staged filters. In a step (602), an array of digital filters (FIG. 8) having N branches (40) is constructed. The array is arranged in a tree structure with each branch (40) having several stages (42, 44, and 46). Many of the N filters are used simultaneously in multiple different branches of the tree structure thus reducing the total number of filters required to detect all N feedback frequencies. Within each branch, N-1 of the N filters are notch filters, and each of the N- 1 notch filters attenuates the digitized signal at one of the N feedback frequencies. The remaining one filter in each of the N branches is a bandpass filter that passes the remaining of the N feedback frequency. Therefore, each branch of the tree passes a unique feedback frequency absent of all other N-1 feedback frequencies.

Abstract: Acoustic feedback is removed from an audio signal (50) by digitizing the audio signal (50) to produce a digitized audio signal (54). The digitized audio signal (54) is then filtered with an adaptive bandpass filter (56) to detect the frequency of the acoustic feedback, where the adaptive bandpass falter (56) is aligned with the feedback based on a phase relationship between the input and the output of the adaptive bandpass filter (56). A notch filter (58) is then configured based on the frequency of the acoustic feedback, and the digitized audio signal (54) is filtered with the notch filter (58) to attenuate the feedback. The feedback-attenuated digitized signal (62) is converted to a feedback-attenuated analog signal (70).