Method and system for echo cancellation in presence of streamed audio
View Patent ↗During playing of a streamed audio while engaging in a voice communication session, a communication device may be operable to generate a background audio during an echo cancellation operation for the voice communication session, using known information associated with the streamed audio. The streamed audio may comprise audio content that is received from one or more external sources and/or locally generated within the communication device. The known information associated with the streamed audio may comprise an echo replica corresponding to an echo associated with the streamed audio and/or a modified version of the streamed audio. In instances when a residual echo suppression is operational during the echo cancellation operation, the communication device may be operable to suppress a residual echo based on a signal level of the echo replica corresponding to the echo associated with the streamed audio and/or a signal level of the modified version of the streamed audio.
1. A method for processing signals, the method comprising:
in a communication device comprising one or more speakers and one or more microphones:
receiving a streamed audio and a far-end voice;
combining said streamed audio and said far-end voice to generate a speaker output signal;
generating an echo replica of said speaker output signal;
playing said speaker output signal via said one or more speakers while said communication device is engaged in a voice communication session via said one or more microphones and said one or more speakers;
determining an energy level of said echo replica;
performing a residual echo suppression on said far-end voice of said voice communication session according to said energy level to generate a residual echo suppressed signal;
attenuating said streamed audio to generate a modified streamed audio;
generating a background audio in a send path that is used for communicating said voice communication session, said generating comprising inserting said modified streamed audio in said send path during an echo cancellation operation performing a residual echo suppression on a far-end voice of said voice communication session; and
determining a level of said residual echo suppression based on said echo replica associated with said streamed audio.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said streamed audio comprises audio content that is received from one or more external sources.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said streamed audio comprises audio content that is locally generated within said communication device.
4. The method according to claim 1 , comprising:
generating said echo replica of said speaker output signal using one or more filters during said echo cancellation operation; and
reducing an echo associated with said far-end voice using said generated echo replica during said echo cancellation operation.
5. The method according to claim 1 , comprising, when said residual echo suppression is operational during said echo cancellation operation, determining said energy level of said echo replica based on said modified streamed audio.
6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein attenuating said streamed audio to generate said modified streamed audio comprises performing frequency equalization.
7. A system for processing signals, the system comprising:
one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof for use in a communication device, said communication device comprising one or more speakers and one or more microphones, wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to:
during playing of a streamed audio via said one or more speakers while said communication device is engaged in a voice communication session via said one or more microphones and said one or more speakers, generate a background audio in a send path that is used for communicating said voice communication session using an echo replica associated with said streamed audio during an echo cancellation operation for said voice communication session;
perform a residual echo suppression on a far-end voice of said voice communication session;
determine an amount of effort of said residual echo suppression based on said echo replica associated with said streamed audio; and
generate said background audio in said send path by inserting said streamed audio in the send path.
8. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said streamed audio comprises audio content that is received from one or more external sources.
9. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said streamed audio comprises audio content that is locally generated within said communication device.
10. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to:
generate said echo replica associated with said streamed audio and an echo replica corresponding to an echo associated with said far-end voice using one or more filters during said echo cancellation operation; and
eliminate said echo associated with said far-end voice using said generated echo replica corresponding to said echo associated with said far-end voice during said echo cancellation operation.
11. The system according to claim 7 , wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to:
generate an echo replica corresponding to a mixed echo associated with said streamed audio and said far-end voice using one or more filters during said echo cancellation operation; and
eliminate said mixed echo associated with said far-end voice and said streamed audio using said generated echo replica corresponding to said mixed echo during said echo cancellation operation.
12. The system according to claim 11 , wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof that are operable to generate said background audio in said send path by inserting said streamed audio in the send path further comprise one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to modify said streamed audio by attenuating said streamed audio.
13. The system according to claim 12 , wherein, when said residual echo suppression is operational during said echo cancellation operation, wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to determine said amount of effort of said residual echo suppression based on a signal level of said streamed audio.
14. The system according to claim 12 , wherein said one or more processors, one or more circuits, or any combination thereof are operable to modify said streamed audio by performing at least one of energy level scaling or frequency equalization on said streamed audio.
15. A method for processing signals, the method comprising:
receiving a near-end voice via a microphone, the near end voice being configured to be transmitted to a remote device via a send path;
receiving a far-end voice, the far-end voice being configured to be played by at least one speaker;
receiving a streamed audio, the streamed audio being configured to be played by the at least one speaker;
generating an echo replica based on the far-end voice and the streamed audio;
generating an echo canceled signal based on the near-end voice and the echo replica; and
inserting the streamed audio into the send path to transmit the streamed audio to the remote device.
16. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising generating the streamed audio locally.
17. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising:
performing at least one of an energy level scaling or a frequency equalization to modify the streamed audio.
18. The method according to claim 17 , further comprising performing a bulk delay operation to assure a correct timing alignment of the streamed audio in the send path.
19. The method according to claim 15 , further comprising performing a residual echo suppression on the echo canceled signal by determining an echo masking level of the residual echo suppression based on a signal level of the echo replica.