Abstract: Provided are methods and systems for improving the intelligibility of speech in a noisy environment. A communication model is developed that includes noise inherent in the message production and message interpretation processes, and considers that these noises have fixed signal-to-noise ratios. The communication model forms the basis of an algorithm designed to optimize the intelligibility of speech in a noisy environment. The intelligibility optimization algorithm only does something (e.g., manipulates the audio signal) when needed, and thus if no noise is present the algorithm does not alter or otherwise interfere with the audio signals, thereby preventing any speech distortion. The algorithm is also very fast and efficient in comparison to most existing approaches for speech intelligibility enhancement, and therefore the algorithm lends itself to easy implementation in an appropriate device (e.g., cellular phone or smartphone).

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of estimating noise power spectral density PSD in an input sound signal comprising a noise signal part and a target signal part. The invention further relates to a system to its use. The object of the present invention is to provide a scheme for estimating the noise PSD in an acoustic signal consisting of a target signal contaminated by acoustic noise. The problem is solved by a method comprising the steps of d) providing a digitized electrical input signal to a control path and performing; d1) storing a number of time frames of the input signal each comprising a predefined number N2 of digital time samples xn (n=1, 2, . . .