Abstract: A hearing aid, signal processing method and program enables TV sound to be made easier for a hearing aid user to hear when wishing to watch TV, and a person's voice to be made easier to hear when wishing to converse with that person. The hearing aid includes another-person's speech detection section that detects speech of a speaker other than the wearer using detected sound source direction information, an own-speech detection result, and a TV sound detection result, and a per-sound-source frequency calculation section that calculates the frequency of each sound source using an own-speech detection result, TV sound detection result, other-speaker's speech detection result, and sound source direction information. A scene determination section determines a scene using sound source direction information and a per-sound-source frequency; and an output sound control section controls hearing of the hearing aid according to a determined scene.

Abstract: A conversation detection apparatus uses a head-mounted microphone array to accurately determine whether a speaker in front is a conversing person or not.

Abstract: A signal processing method includes separating a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations, and performing speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judging whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generating speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. The signal processing signal also includes at least one of calculating and analyzing an utterance overlap duration using the speech section information for combinations of the plurality of excitation signals and of calculating and analyzing a silence duration. The signal processing signal further includes calculating a degree of establishment of a conversation indicating the degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted utterance overlap duration or the silence duration.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hearing aid system capable of increasing the clearness of sound spoken by a speaker while reproducing the incoming direction of the sound spoken by the speaker without using an inverse mapping rule.

Abstract: A recording medium is provided that records a separating step of separating a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations, and a step of performing speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judging whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generating speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. The recording medium also includes at least one of a step of calculating and analyzing an utterance overlap duration using the speech section information for combinations of the plurality of excitation signals and a step of calculating and analyzing a silence duration. The recording medium further includes a step of calculating a degree of establishment of a conversation indicating the degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted utterance overlap duration or the silence duration.

Abstract: A signal processing method includes separating a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations, and performing speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judging whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generating speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. The signal processing signal also includes at least one of calculating and analyzing an utterance overlap duration using the speech section information for combinations of the plurality of excitation signals and of calculating and analyzing a silence duration. The signal processing signal further includes calculating a degree of establishment of a conversation indicating the degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted utterance overlap duration or the silence duration.

Abstract: A recording medium is provided that records a separating step of separating a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations, and a step of performing speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judging whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generating speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. The recording medium also includes at least one of a step of calculating and analyzing an utterance overlap duration using the speech section information for combinations of the plurality of excitation signals and a step of calculating and analyzing a silence duration. The recording medium further includes a step of calculating a degree of establishment of a conversation indicating the degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted utterance overlap duration or the silence duration.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus and signal processing method capable of correctly detecting that a conversation is established even in a daily environment are provided. In signal processing apparatus (100), excitation separation section (130) separates a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations. Speech detection section (140) performs speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judges whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generates speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. Identification parameter extraction section (150) extracts an identification parameter indicating a feature value of a daily conversation based on a plurality of excitation signals or speech section information. Conversation establishment degree calculation section (160) calculates and outputs a degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted identification parameter.

Abstract: A hearing aid device includes a plurality of microphones which converts picked sound to audio signals, an inter-signal phase difference calculation unit which calculates a phase difference between a first audio signal and a second audio signal, a hand placement determination unit, a directivity sound pickup unit which generates an output signal, a nonlinear amplification unit which controls the signal level of the output signal acquired from the directivity sound pickup unit, and a hearing aid process control unit which, when the hand placement determination unit determines that a state where a phase difference is equal to or smaller than a first threshold value continues for a first time, controls the directivity sound pickup unit such that at least one of the sensitivity-frequency characteristic and the frequency characteristics of the audio signals becomes nondirective, and controls the nonlinear amplification unit to amplify the signal levels of the acquired audio signals.

Abstract: A multichannel echo canceller according to the present invention includes an echo cancellation section which receives loudspeaker input signals sp1, sp2 including a second acoustic signal to be respectively inputted to a plurality of loudspeakers 10, 20 provided in a first location and detection signals m1, m2 detected by a plurality of microphones 11, 21 provided in the first location; separates a first acoustic signal and a second acoustic signal, which are included in the detection signals m1, m2, by performing signal processing based on an independent component analysis; cancels as an echo the second acoustic signal, which is included in the detection signals m1, m2, by outputting only the separated first acoustic signal to a plurality of loudspeakers 30, 40 provided in a second location.

Abstract: Provided are a hearing aid, signal processing method, and program that enable TV sound to be made easier for a hearing aid user to hear when wishing to watch TV, and a person's voice to be made easier to hear when wishing to converse with that person. A hearing aid (100) is provided with an other-person's speech detection section (150) that detects speech of a speaker other than the wearer using detected sound source direction information, an own-speech detection result, and a TV sound detection result, and a per-sound-source frequency calculation section (160) that calculates the frequency of each sound source using an own-speech detection result, TV sound detection result, other-speaker's speech detection result, and sound source direction information. A scene determination section (170) determines a scene to be a “conversation scene,” “TV viewing scene,” and “‘TV viewing while . . .

Abstract: A conversation detection apparatus uses a head-mounted microphone array to accurately determine whether a speaker in front is a conversing person or not.

Abstract: Disclosed are a hearing aid device and a hearing aid method capable of controlling a directivity process or an amplification process in a hearing aid with a user's hand placement so as to match a users intuition.

Abstract: A signal processing apparatus and signal processing method capable of correctly detecting that a conversation is established even in a daily environment are provided. In signal processing apparatus (100), excitation separation section (130) separates a mixed sound signal in which a plurality of excitations are mixed into the respective excitations. Speech detection section (140) performs speech detection on the plurality of separated excitation signals, judges whether or not the plurality of excitation signals are speech and generates speech section information indicating speech/non-speech information for each excitation signal. Identification parameter extraction section (150) extracts an identification parameter indicating a feature value of a daily conversation based on a plurality of excitation signals or speech section information. Conversation establishment degree calculation section (160) calculates and outputs a degree of establishment of a conversation based on the extracted identification parameter.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hearing aid system capable of increasing the clearness of sound spoken by a speaker while reproducing the incoming direction of the sound spoken by the speaker without using an inverse mapping rule.

Abstract: A sound classification system for adding and correcting a sound type is disclosed. When the add/correct command processor receives a command to add or correct a sound type, the data in the first database is stored in the second database, and the type adding/correcting device adds the feature of the sound to the first database, and re-calculates the statistical values. Besides, the classifier re-classifies the sample sounds, and the precision calculator calculates a ratio of accurate classification. When the ratio is high, the type adding/correcting device stores, in the feature database, the feature of the sound for which a type is to be added or corrected. When the ratio is low, the second database restores the data back to the first database.

Abstract: A sound classification system for adding and correcting a sound type is disclosed. When the add/correct command processor receives a command to add or correct a sound type, the data in the first database is stored in the second database, and the type adding/correcting device adds the feature of the sound to the first database, and re-calculates the statistical values. Besides, the classifier re-classifies the sample sounds, and the precision calculator calculates a ratio of accurate classification. When the ratio is high, the type adding/correcting device stores, in the feature database, the feature of the sound for which a type is to be added or corrected. When the ratio is low, the second database restores the data back to the first database.

Abstract: A multichannel echo canceller according to the present invention includes an echo cancellation section which receives loudspeaker input signals sp1, sp2 including a second acoustic signal to be respectively inputted to a plurality of loudspeakers 10, 20 provided in a first location and detection signals m1, m2 detected by a plurality of microphones 11, 21 provided in the first location; separates a first acoustic signal and a second acoustic signal, which are included in the detection signals m1, m2, by performing signal processing based on an independent component analysis; cancels as an echo the second acoustic signal, which is included in the detection signals m1, m2, by outputting only the separated first acoustic signal to a plurality of loudspeakers 30, 40 provided in a second location.

Abstract: [PROBLEM]It is an object of the present invention to provide a voice communication apparatus which can prevent its echo suppressing characteristic from being deteriorated in response to the varied relative location of the microphone unit with respect to the speaker unit, and maintain the quality of the near-end signal to be transmitted to the far-end speaker.

Abstract: A method and apparatus enabling information including respective angular directions to be obtained for one or more sound sources includes a sound source direction estimation section for frequency-domain and time-domain processing of sets of output signals from a microphone array to derive successive estimated angular directions of each of the sound sources. The estimated directions can be utilized by a passage detection section to detect when a sound source is currently moving past the microphone array and the direction of the sound source at the time point when such passage detection is achieved, and a motion velocity detection section which is triggered by such passage detection to calculate the velocity of the passing sound source by using successively obtained estimated directions.