Abstract: Many processes for audio signal processing can benefit from voice activity detection, which aims to detect the presence of speech as opposed to silence or noise. The present disclosure describes, among other things, leveraging energy-based features of voice and insights on first and second formant frequencies of vowels to provide a low-complexity and low-power voice activity detector. A pair of two channels is provided whereby each channel is configured to detect voice activity in respective frequency bands of interest. Simultaneous activity detected in both channels can be a sufficient condition for determining that voice is present. More channels or pairs of channels can be used to detect different types of voices to improve detection and/or to detect voices present in different audio streams.

Abstract: A datapath circuit may include a digital multiply and accumulate circuit (MAC) and a digital hardware calculator for parallel computation. The digital hardware calculator and the MAC may be coupled to an input memory element for receipt of input operands. The MAC may include a digital multiplier structure with partial product generators coupled to an adder to multiply a first and second input operands and generate a multiplication result. The digital hardware calculator may include a first look-up table coupled between a calculator input and a calculator output register. The first look-up table may include table entry values mapped to corresponding math function results in accordance with a first predetermined mathematical function. The digital hardware calculator may be configured to calculate, based on the first look-up table, a computationally hard mathematical function such as a logarithm function, an exponential function, a division function and a square root function.

Abstract: Many processes for audio signal processing can benefit from voice activity detection, which aims to detect the presence of speech as opposed to silence or noise. The present disclosure describes, among other things, leveraging energy-based features of voice and insights on first and second formant frequencies of vowels to provide a low-complexity and low-power voice activity detector. A pair of two channels is provided whereby each channel is configured to detect voice activity in respective frequency bands of interest. Simultaneous activity detected in both channels can be a sufficient condition for determining that voice is present. More channels or pairs of channels can be used to detect different types of voices to improve detection and/or to detect voices present in different audio streams.

Abstract: A sensor polling unit for microprocessor integration comprises a configuration logic block associated with each of a plurality of external sensor devices. Each configuration logic block issues a read command for predetermined sensor data registers of the associated external sensor device via a read trigger supplied by a trigger generator. A global timer based on a microprocessor clock signal supplies a global time value to the trigger generators. A polling state machine is operatively coupled to the configuration logic blocks for receipt of respective read commands, and issues a corresponding read command to the external sensor device through a standardized bi-directional data communication interface connected to the external sensor device. The polling state machine receives register data transmitted by the external sensor device in response to the read command and transmits the received register data to a microprocessor accessible data memory area for storage.

Abstract: A sensor polling unit for microprocessor integration comprises a configuration logic block associated with each of a plurality of external sensor devices. Each configuration logic block issues a read command for predetermined sensor data registers of the associated external sensor device via a read trigger supplied by a trigger generator. A global timer based on a microprocessor clock signal supplies a global time value to the trigger generators. A polling state machine is operatively coupled to the configuration logic blocks for receipt of respective read commands, and issues a corresponding read command to the external sensor device through a standardized bi-directional data communication interface connected to the external sensor device. The polling state machine receives register data transmitted by the external sensor device in response to the read command and transmits the received register data to a microprocessor accessible data memory area for storage.

Abstract: A datapath circuit may include a digital multiply and accumulate circuit (MAC) and a digital hardware calculator for parallel computation. The digital hardware calculator and the MAC may be coupled to an input memory element for receipt of input operands. The MAC may include a digital multiplier structure with partial product generators coupled to an adder to multiply a first and second input operands and generate a multiplication result. The digital hardware calculator may include a first look-up table coupled between a calculator input and a calculator output register. The first look-up table may include table entry values mapped to corresponding math function results in accordance with a first predetermined mathematical function. The digital hardware calculator may be configured to calculate, based on the first look-up table, a computationally hard mathematical function such as a logarithm function, an exponential function, a division function and a square root function.