Patents by Inventor Phillip Hetherington
Phillip Hetherington has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
-
Patent number: 8494179Abstract: A noise reduction system includes multiple transducers that generate time domain signals. A transforming device transforms the time domain signals into frequency domain signals. A signal mixing device mixes the frequency domain signals according to a mixing ratio. Frequency domain signals are rotated in phase to generate phase rotated signals. A post-processing device attenuates portions of the output based on coherency levels of the signals.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2011Date of Patent: July 23, 2013Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8447044Abstract: A noise suppression system reduces low-frequency noise in a speech signal using linear predictive coefficients in an adaptive filter. A digital filter may update or adapt a limited set of linear predictive coefficients on a sample-by-sample basis. The linear predictive coefficients may be used to provide an error signal based on a difference between the speech signal and a delayed speech signal. The error signal represents an enhanced speech signal having attenuated and normalized low-frequency noise components.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2007Date of Patent: May 21, 2013Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8374855Abstract: A voice enhancement logic improves the perceptual quality of a processed signal. The voice enhancement system includes a noise detector and a noise attenuator. The noise detector detects and models the noise associated with rain. The noise attenuator dampens or reduces the rain noise from a signal to improve the intelligibility of an unvoiced, a fully voiced, or a mixed voice segment.Type: GrantFiled: May 19, 2011Date of Patent: February 12, 2013Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Adrian R. Groves
-
Patent number: 8374861Abstract: A voice activity detector indicates the presence of speech within a signal. The detector may determine whether the signal includes speech by calculating a variance of a signal-to-noise ratio across a plurality of portions of a signal, calculating a value based on the variance of the signal-to-noise ratio, performing a comparison between the value and a threshold, and identifying whether the signal contains speech based on the comparison between the value and the threshold.Type: GrantFiled: August 13, 2012Date of Patent: February 12, 2013Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Publication number: 20120321095Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice signal. The system improves the perceptual quality of a voice signal by removing unwanted noise components from a voice signal. The system removes undesirable signals that may result in the loss of information. The system receives and analyzes signals to determine whether an undesired random or persistent signal corresponds to one or more modeled noises. When one or more noise components are detected, the noise components are substantially removed or dampened from the signal to provide a less noisy voice signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 31, 2012Publication date: December 20, 2012Applicant: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
-
Patent number: 8335685Abstract: A speech enhancement system controls the gain of an excitation signal to prevent uncontrolled gain adjustments. The system includes a first device that converts sound waves into operational signals. An ambient noise estimator is linked to the first device and an echo canceller. The ambient noise estimator estimates how loud a background noise would be near the first device before or after an echo cancellation. The system then compares the ambient noise estimate to a current ambient noise estimate near the first device to control a gain of an excitation signal.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2009Date of Patent: December 18, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8326617Abstract: A speech enhancement system enhances transitions between speech and non-speech segments. The system includes a background noise estimator that approximates the magnitude of a background noise of an input signal that includes a speech and a non-speech segment. A slave processor is programmed to perform the specialized task of modifying a spectral tilt of the input signal to match a plurality of expected spectral shapes selected by a Codec.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas Paranjpe, Xueman Li
-
Patent number: 8326616Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the speech quality and intelligibility of a speech signal. The system includes a time-to-frequency converter that converts segments of a speech signal into frequency bands. A signal detector measures the signal power of the frequency bands of each speech segment. A background noise estimator measures a background noise detected in the speech signal. A dynamic noise reduction controller dynamically models the background noise in the speech signal. The speech enhancement renders a speech signal perceptually pleasing to a listener by dynamically attenuating a portion of the noise that occurs in a portion of the spectrum of the speech signal.Type: GrantFiled: August 25, 2011Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Xueman Li, Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8326614Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves speech conversion within an encoder and decoder. The system includes a first device that converts sound waves into operational signals. A second device selects a template that represents an expected signal model. The selected template models speech characteristics of the operational signals through a speech codebook that is further accessed in a communication channel.Type: GrantFiled: May 22, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Shreyas Paranjpe, Phillip A. Hetherington, Xueman Li
-
Patent number: 8326620Abstract: A voice activity detection process is robust to a low and high signal-to-noise ratio speech and signal loss. A process divides an aural signal into one or more bands. Signal magnitudes of frequency components and the respective noise components are estimated. A noise adaptation rate modifies estimates of noise components based on differences between the signal to the estimated noise and signal variability.Type: GrantFiled: April 23, 2009Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8326621Abstract: A system improves the perceptual quality of a speech signal by dampening undesired repetitive transient noises. The system includes a repetitive transient noise detector adapted to detect repetitive transient noise in a received signal. The received signal may include a harmonic and a noise spectrum. The system further includes a repetitive transient noise attenuator that substantially removes or dampens repetitive transient noises from the received signal. The method of dampening the repetitive transient noises includes modeling characteristics of repetitive transient noises; detecting characteristics in the received signal that correspond to the modeled characteristics of the repetitive transient noises; and substantially removing components of the repetitive transient noises from the received signal that correspond to some or all of the modeled characteristics of the repetitive transient noises.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2011Date of Patent: December 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
-
Publication number: 20120303367Abstract: An enhancement system improves the estimate of noise from a received signal. The system includes a spectrum monitor that divides a portion of the signal at more than one frequency resolution. Adaptation logic derives a noise adaptation factor of the received signal. A plurality of devices tracks the characteristics of an estimated noise in the received signal and modifies multiple noise adaptation rates. Weighting logic applies the modified noise adaptation rates derived from the signal divided at a first frequency resolution to the signal divided at a second frequency resolution.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 13, 2012Publication date: November 29, 2012Applicant: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8311819Abstract: A system detects a speech segment that may include unvoiced, fully voiced, or mixed voice content. The system includes a digital converter that converts a time-varying input signal into a digital-domain signal. A window function passes signals within a programmed aural frequency range while substantially blocking signals above and below the programmed aural frequency range when multiplied by an output of the digital converter. A frequency converter converts the signals passing within the programmed aural frequency range into a plurality of frequency bins. A background voice detector estimates the strength of a background speech segment relative to the noise of selected portions of the aural spectrum. A noise estimator estimates a maximum distribution of noise to an average of an acoustic noise power of some of the plurality of frequency bins.Type: GrantFiled: March 26, 2008Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Mark Fallat
-
Patent number: 8311840Abstract: A system and methods are provided for extending the frequency bandwidth of a harmonic signal. Harmonic content of a band-limited signal is extended to frequencies outside the signal's passband by performing a non-linear transformation on the complex spectrum of the band-limited signal in the frequency domain. The non-linear transformation may be accomplishes by a linear convolution of the complex spectrum with itself. A system for extending the frequency bandwidth of a harmonic signal includes a signal processor with a forward transform module for transforming a time domain signal into the frequency domain, a non-linear transform module for performing the non-linear transformation on the complex spectrum of the harmonic signal, and a reverse transform module for transforming the extended spectrum of the harmonic signal back into the time domain.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2005Date of Patent: November 13, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: David Giesbrecht, Phillip Hetherington, Xueman Li
-
Patent number: 8306821Abstract: A signal enhancement system reinforces signal content and improves the signal-to-noise ratio of a signal. The system detects, tracks, and reinforces non-stationary periodic signal components of a signal. The periodic signal components may represent vowel sounds or other voiced sounds. The system may detect, track, and attenuate quasi-stationary signal components in the signal.Type: GrantFiled: June 4, 2007Date of Patent: November 6, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Rajeev Nongpiur, Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8284947Abstract: A signal processing system detects reverberation. The system may suppress the reverberation and improve signal quality. The system analyzes frequency bands of an input signal to determine whether reverberation characteristics are present. When reverberation is detected, the system may attenuate the reverberant frequency band to reduce or eliminate the reverberation.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2004Date of Patent: October 9, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: David Giesbrecht, Phillip Hetherington
-
Patent number: 8271279Abstract: A speech enhancement system improves the perceptual quality of a processed voice signal. The system improves the perceptual quality of a voice signal by removing unwanted noise components from a voice signal. The system removes undesirable signals that may result in the loss of information. The system receives and analyzes signals to determine whether an undesired random or persistent signal corresponds to one or more modeled noises. When one or more noise components are detected, the noise components are substantially removed or dampened from the signal to provide a less noisy voice signal.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2006Date of Patent: September 18, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Shreyas A. Paranjpe
-
Patent number: 8260612Abstract: An enhancement system improves the estimate of noise from a received signal. The system includes a spectrum monitor that divides a portion of the signal at more than one frequency resolution. Adaptation logic derives a noise adaptation factor of the received signal. A plurality of devices tracks the characteristics of an estimated noise in the received signal and modifies multiple noise adaptation rates. Weighting logic applies the modified noise adaptation rates derived from the signal divided at a first frequency resolution to the signal divided at a second frequency resolution.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2011Date of Patent: September 4, 2012Assignee: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventor: Phillip A. Hetherington
-
Publication number: 20120221414Abstract: A system allocates channel bandwidth based on the data received from a plurality of remote sources. A de-multiplexer/priority circuit separates two or more different data streams into their components parts. A stream modification driver modifies one or more characteristics of the data received from the de-multiplexer/priority circuit based on a priority assigned to the data by the de-multiplexer/priority circuit. The de-multiplexer/priority circuit determines the data transfer rates for each of the different data streams based on the assigned priority.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicant: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Mario Vaira, Alex Escott
-
Publication number: 20120218375Abstract: A system allocates channel bandwidth based on the data received from a plurality of remote sources. A de-multiplexer/priority circuit separates two or more different data streams into their components parts. A stream modification driver modifies one or more characteristics of the data received from the de-multiplexer/priority circuit based on a priority assigned to the data by the de-multiplexer/priority circuit. The de-multiplexer/priority circuit determines the data transfer rates for each of the different data streams based on the assigned priority.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 4, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicant: QNX Software Systems LimitedInventors: Phillip A. Hetherington, Mario Vaira, Alex Escott