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`= Attorney Docket No.|ALPH.P020UTILITY —
`PATENT APPLICATION
`First Inventor
`Gregory C. Burnett
`co
`TRANSMITTAL
`eee
`C=“| —n
`Title
`for new nonprovisional applications under 37 CFR 1.53(b
`Express Mail Label No.| EV 235 875 739 US Pas
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`

`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`Attormey Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`Patent
`
`aLaSeae!aeaS
`
`Richard L. Gregory, Jr. (Print NameofPerson Mailing Application)
`
`Transmittal of Patent Application for Filing
`
`Certification Under 37 C.F:R. §1.10 (ifapplicable)
` EV 235 875 739 US
`:
`“Express Mail" Label Number
`
`March 27, 2003 _
`Date of Deposit
`
`I hereby certify that this application, and any other documents referred to as enclosed herein are being deposited in an
`envelope with the United States Postal Service "Express Mail Post Office to Addressee" seryice under 37 CFR §1.10
`on the date indicated above and addressed to the Assistant Commiggioy
`g
`
`
`Microphone and Voice Activity Detection (VAD) Configurations For Use With
`
`Communication Systems
`
`INVENTORS:
`
`GREGORY C. BURNETT
`NICOLAS J, PETIT
`ANDREW E. EINAUDI
`ALEXANDER M. ASSEILY
`
`
`RELATED APPLICATIONS
`
`This application claimspriority from United States Patent Application Number
`
`60/368,209, entitled MICROPHONE AND VOICE ACTIVITY DETECTION (VAD)
`
`CONFIGURATIONS FOR USE WITH PORTABLE COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS,
`
`filed March 27, 2002, which is currently pending.
`
`Further, this application relates to the following United States Patent
`Applications: Application Number 09/905,361, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS
`FOR REMOVING NOISE FROM ELECTRONICSIGNALS,filed July 12, 2001;
`Application Number 10/159,770, entitled DETECTING VOICED AND UNVOICED
`SPEECH USING BOTH ACOUSTIC AND NONACOUSTIC SENSORS, filed May 30,.
`
`2002; Application Number 10/301,237, entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR
`_ REMOVINGNOISE FROM ELECTRONIC SIGNALS,filed November 21, 2002; and
`Application number 10/383,162, entitled VOICE ACTIVITY DETECTION (VAD)
`
`10
`
`20
`
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`

` Aa aR
`
`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`DEVICES AND METHODSFOR USE WITH NOISE SUPPRESSION SYSTEMS,
`
`filed March 5, 2003.
`
`.
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD
`- The disclosed embodimentsrelate to systems and methodsfor detecting and
`processing a desired acoustic signal in the presence of acoustic noise.
`
`.
`BACKGROUND
`Manynoise suppression algorithms and techniques have been developed over the
`years. Most of the noise suppression systems in use today for specch communication
`systems are based ona single-microphonespectral subtraction techniquefirst develop in
`the 1970’s and described, for example, by S. F. Boll in “Suppression of Acoustic Noise in
`
`Speech using Spectral Subtraction," IEEE Trans. on ASSP, pp. 113-120, 1979. These
`techniques have been refined overthe years, but the basic principles of operation have
`remained the same. See, for example, United States Patent Number 5,687,243 of
`
`McLaughlin,et al., and United States Patent Number 4,811,404 of Vilmur,etal.
`
`Generally, these techniques makeuse of a single-microphone Voice Activity Detector
`
`(VAD)to determine the background noise characteristics, where “voice” is generally
`
`understood to include human voiced speech, unvoiced speech, or a combination of voiced
`
`and unvoiced speech.
`The VAD hasalso been used in digital cellular systems. As an cxample of such a
`use, see United States Patent Number6,453,291 ofAshley, where a VAD configuration
`appropriate to the front-end of a digital cellular system is described. Further, some Code
`Division Multiple Access (CDMA)systemsutilize a VAD to minimizethe effective radio
`spectrum used, thereby allowing for more system capacity. Also, Global System for
`Mobile Communication (GSM)systems can include a VADto reduce co-channel
`interference and to reduce battery consumption on the client or subscriber device.
`Thesetypical single-microphone VAD systemsare significantly limited in
`capability as a result ofthe analysis of acoustic information received by the single
`microphone, wherein the analysis is performed using typical signal processing
`techniques. In particular, limitations in performanceof these single-microphone VAD
`
`15
`
`20
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`25
`
`30
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`ratal
`
`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`systems are noted when processing signals having a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and
`in settings where the background noise varies quickly. Thus, similar limitations are
`found in noise suppression systems using these single-microphone VADs.
`
`Manylimitations of these typical single-microphone VAD systems were
`
`5
`
`overcome with the introduction of the Pathfinder noise suppression system by Aliph of
`
`-San Francisco, California (http://www.aliph.com), described in detail in the Related
`Applications. The Pathfinder noise suppression system differs from typical noise
`cancellation systems in several important ways. For example, if uses an accurate voiced -
`activity detection (VAD)signal along with two or more microphones, where the
`10 microphones detect a mix of both noise and speech signals. While the Pathfinder noise
`
`suppression system can be used with and integrated in a number of communication
`
`systems and signal processing systems, so can a variety of devices and/or methods be
`
`used to supply the VADsignal. Further, a number of microphone types and
`
`configurations can be used to provide acoustic signal information to the Pathfinder
`
`15.
`
`system.
`
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`AA ay
`
`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
`
`Figure 1 is a block diagram of a signal processing system including the Pathfinder
`noise removal or suppression system and a VAD system, under an embodiment.
`
`Figure 1A is a block diagram of a noise suppression/communication system
`
`including hardware for use in receiving and processing signals relating to VAD, and
`
`utilizing specific microphone configurations, under the embodimentof Figure 1.
`Figure 1B is a blockdiagram of a conventional adaptive noise cancellation system
`of the priorart.
`.
`
`Figure 2 is a table describing different types of microphones and the associated
`
`10
`
`spatial responsesin the priorart.
`
`Figure 3A shows a microphone configuration using a unidirectional speech
`
`microphoneand an omnidirectional noise microphone, under an embodiment.
`
`Figure 3B shows a microphone configuration in a handset using a unidirectional
`
`speech microphone and an omnidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`
`15
`
`Figure 3A.
`
`Figure 3C shows a microphone configuration in a headset using a unidirectional
`
`speech microphone and an omnidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`Figure 3A.
`
`Figure 4A shows a microphone configuration using an omnidirectional speech
`
`20
`
`microphone and a unidirectional noise microphone, under an embodiment.
`
`Figure 4B shows a microphoneconfiguration in a handset using an omnidirectional
`
`speech microphoneandaunidirectional noise microphone, under the embodimentof
`Figure 4A.
`
`Figure 4C shows a microphoneconfiguration in a headset using an omnidirectional
`
`25
`
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`Figure 4A.
`|
`'
`Figure 5A shows a microphone configuration using an omnidirectional speech
`
`microphone and a unidirectional noise microphone, under an alternative embodiment.
`
`Figure 5B showsa microphoneconfiguration in a handset using an omnidirectional
`30
`speech microphone andaunidirectional noise microphone, under the embodimentof-
`
`Figure 5A.
`
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`

`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`aEeaaas
`
`Figure 5C shows a microphone configuration in a headset using an omnidirectional
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone,under the embodiment of
`Figure 5A.
`- Figure 6A shows a microphone configuration using a unidirectional speech
`microphone and a unidirectional noise microphone, under an embodiment.
`
`5
`
`Figure 6B shows a microphoneconfiguration in a handset using a unidirectional
`
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`
`Figure 6A.
`
`Figure 6C shows a microphone configuration in a headset using a unidirectional
`
`10—speech microphone and a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`
`Figure 6A.
`
`Figure 7A shows a microphone configuration using a unidirectional speech
`microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under an alternative embodiment.
`
`Figure 7B shows a microphone configuration in a- handset using a unidirectional
`
`15.
`
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`Figure 7A.
`.
`Figure 7C shows a microphoneconfiguration in a headset using a unidirectional
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`
`Figure 7A.
`
`20
`
`Figure 8A shows a microphone configuration using a unidirectional speech
`
`25
`
`microphone and a unidirectional noise microphone, under an embodiment.
`Figure 8B shows a microphone configuration in a handset using a unidirectional
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodimentof
`Figure 8A.
`.
`Figure 8C showsa microphone configuration in a headset using a unidirectional
`speech microphoneand a unidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`Figure 8A.
`
`Figure 9A shows a microphoneconfiguration using an omnidirectional speech
`
`microphone and an omnidirectional noise microphone, under an embodiment.
`
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`

`re
`Sey wate
`US ata ES.
`
`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`Figure 9B shows a microphone configuration in a handset using an omnidirectional
`
`speech microphone and an omnidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`
`Figure 9A.
`
`Figure 9C shows a microphone configuration in a headset using an omnidirectional
`speech microphone and an omnidirectional noise microphone, under the embodiment of
`Figure 9A.
`
`Figure 10A showsan area of sensitivity on the human head appropriate for
`
`receiving a GEMSsensor, under an embodiment.
`
`Figure 10B shows GEMSantenna placementon a generic handset or headset
`device, under an embodiment.
`
`10
`
`Figure 11A showsareas of sensitivity on the human head appropriate for placement
`
`of an accelerometer/SSM,under an embodiment.
`
`Figure 11B shows accelerometer/SSM placement on a generic handset or headset
`
`device, under an embodiment.
`
`15
`
`20
`
`25
`
`In the drawings, the same reference numbersidentify identical or substantially
`
`similar elements or acts. To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or
`act, the most significant digit or digits in a reference numberrefer to the Figure number
`
`in which that elementis first introduced (e.g., element 105 is first introduced and
`
`discussed with respect to Figure 1).
`The headings provided herein are for convenience only and do not necessarily
`affect the scope or meaning of the claimed invention. The following description provides
`
`specific details for a thorough understanding of, and enabling description for,
`
`embodiments of the invention. However, one skilled in the art will understand that the
`
`invention may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known
`structures and functions have not been shown or described in detail to avoid
`unnecessarily obscuring the description of the embodimentsof the invention.
`
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`

`sth
`Hi
`
`Saas
`
`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`;
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION
`Numerous communication systemsare described below,including both handset
`and headset devices, which use a variety of microphoneconfigurations to receive _
`acoustic signals of an environment. The microphone configurations include, for example,
`a two-microphonearray including two unidirectional microphones, and a two-
`microphonearray including one unidirectional microphone and one omnidirectional
`microphone,but are not so limited. The communication systems can also include Voice
`Activity Detection (VAD) devices to provide voice activity signals that include
`
`information of human voicing activity. Components of the communications systems
`
`receive the acoustic signals and voice activity signals and, in response, automatically
`generate control signals from data of the voice activity signals. Components of the
`communication systems use the control signals to automatically select a denoising
`
`method appropriate to data of frequency subbandsofthe acoustic signals. The selected
`
`denoising method is applied to the acoustic signals to generate denoised acoustic signals
`whenthe acoustic signals include speech and noise.
`.
`‘Numerous microphone configurations are described below for usc with the
`Pathfinder noise suppression system. As such, each configuration is described in detail
`
`along with a method ofusc to reduce noise transmission in communication devices, in the
`
`10
`
`15
`
`context of the Pathfinder system. When the Pathfinder noise suppression system is
`
`20
`
`referred to, it should be kept in mind that noise suppression systemsthat estimate the
`
`noise waveform and subtract it from a signal and that usc or arc capable of using the
`
`disclosed microphone configurations and VADinformation for reliable operation are
`
`included in that reference. Pathfinder is simply a convenient referenced implementation
`for a system that operates on signals comprising desired spccch signals along with noise.
`Thus, the use of these physical microphone configurations includes butis not limited to
`applications such as communications, speech recognition, and voice-feature control of
`applications and/or devices.
`The terms “‘speech” or “voice” as used herein generally refer to voiced, unvoiced,
`or mixed voiced and unvoiced human speech. Unvoiced speech or voiced speech is
`distinguished where necessary. However, the term “speech signal” or “speech”, when
`
`used as a converse to noise, simply refers to any desired portion of a signal and does not
`
`25
`
`30
`
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`

`Attorney Docket No. ALPH.P020
`
`aaTG at
`
`
`
`necessarily have to be human speech. It could, as an example, be music or some other
`type of desired acoustic information. As used in the Figures, “speech” is meant to mean
`any signalof interest, whether human speech, music, or anything othersignalthatit is
`desired to hear.
`
`In the same manner,“noise” refers to unwanted acoustic information that distorts
`
`a desired speech signal or makes it moredifficult to comprehend. ““Noise suppression”
`
`generally describes any method by which noise is reduced or eliminated in an electronic
`
`signal.
`
`Moreover, the term “VAD”is generally defined as a vector orarray signal, data,
`or informationthat in some mannerrepresents the occurrence ofspeech in the digital or
`
`analog domain. A commonrepresentation of VAD informationis a one-bit digital signal
`
`sampled at the same rate as the corresponding acoustic signals, with a zero value
`representing that no speech has occurred during the corresponding time sample, anda .
`unity value indicating that speech has occurred during the corresponding time sample.
`
`15
`
`While the embodiments described herein are generally described in the digital domain,
`
`the descriptions are also valid for the analog domain.
`
`The term “Pathfinder”, unless otherwise specified, denotes any denoising system
`
`using two or more microphones, a VAD device and algorithm, and which estimates the
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`noise in a signal and subtracts it from that signal. The Aliph Pathfinder system is simply
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`a convenient reference for this type of denoising system, although it is more capable than
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`the above definition. In some cases (such as the microphonearrays described in Figures
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`8 and 9), the “full capabilities” or “full version” of the Aliph Pathfinder system are used
`(as there is a significant amount of speech energy in the noisc microphone), and these
`cases will be enumerated in the text. “Full capabilities” indicates the use of both H)(z)
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`and H>(z) by the Pathfinder system in denoising the signal. Unless otherwise specified,it
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`is assumed that only H;(z) is used to denoise the signal.
`The Pathfinder system is a digital signal processing- (DSP) based acoustic noise
`suppression and echo-cancellation system. The Pathfinder system, which can couple to
`the front-end of speech processing systems, uses VAD information andreceived acoustic
`information to reduce or eliminate noise in desired acoustic signals by estimating the
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`noise waveform and subtracting it from a signal including both speech and noise. The
`Pathfinder system is described further belowand in the Related Applications.
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`Figure 1 is a block diagram of a signal processing system 100 including the
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`Pathfinder noise removal or suppression system 105 and a VAD system 106, under an
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`embodiment. The signal processing system 100 includes two microphones MIC 1 103
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`and MIC 2 104 that receive signals or information from at least one speech signal source
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`101 and at least one noise source 102. The path s(n) from the speech signal source 101 to
`MIC 1 and the path n(n) from the noise source 102 to MIC 2 are considered to be unity.
`Further, H(z) represents the path from the noise source 102 to MIC 1, and H2(z)
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`represents the path from the speech signal source 101 to MIC 2.
`Components ofthe signal processing system 100, for example the noise removal
`system 105, couple to the microphones MIC 1 and MIC 2 via wireless couplings, wired
`couplings, and/or a combination ofwireless and wired couplings. Likewise, the VAD
`system 106 couples to components of the signal processing system 100,like the noise
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`removal system 105, via wireless couplings, wired couplings, and/or a combination of
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`wireless and wired couplings. As an example, the VAD devices and microphones
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`described below as components of the VAD system 106 can comply with the Bluetooth
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`wireless specification for wireless communication with other components of the signal
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`processing system, but are not so limited.
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`. Figure 1A is a block diagram of a noise suppression/communication system
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`including hardware for use in receiving and processing signals relating to VAD, and
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`utilizing specific microphone configurations, under an embodiment. Referring to Figure
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`1A, each of the embodiments described below includes at least two microphones in a
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`specific configuration 110 and one voiced activity detection (VAD) system 130, which
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`includes both a VAD device 140 and a VAD algorithm 150, as described in the Related
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`Applications. Note that in some embodiments the microphoneconfiguration 110 and the
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`VADdevice 140 incorporate the same physical hardware, but they are not so limited.
`Both the microphones 110 and the VAD 130 input information into the Pathfinder noise
`suppression system 120 which usesthe received information to denoise the information
`in the microphones and output denoised speech 160 into a communications device 170.
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`The communications device 170 includes both handset and headset communication
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`devices, but is not so limited. Handsets or handset communication devices include, but
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`are not limited to, portable communication devices that include microphones, speakers,
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`communications electronics and electronic transceivers, such as cellular telephones,
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`portable or mobile telephones,satellite telephones, wireline telephones, Internet
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`telephones, wireless transceivers, wireless communication radios, personal digital
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`assistants (PDAs), and personal computers (PCs).
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`I{[eadset or headset communication devices include, but are not limited to, self-
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`contained devices including microphones and speakers generally attached to and/or worn
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`on the body. Headsets often function with handsets via couplings with the handsets,
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`where the couplings can be wired, wireless, or a combination of wired and wireless
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`connections. However, the headsets can communicate independently with components of
`a communications network.
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`The VAD device 140 includes, but is not limited to, accelerometers, skin surface
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`microphones (SSMs), and electromagnetic devices, along with the associated software or
`algorithms. Further, the VAD device 140 includes acoustic microphones along with the
`associated software. The VAD devices and associated software are described in United
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`States Patent Application number 10/383,162, entitled VOICE ACTIVITY DETECTION
`(VAD) DEVICES AND METHODS FOR USE WITH NOISE SUPPRESSION
`SYSTEMS,filed March 5, 2003.
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`The configurations described below of each handsct/headsct design include the
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`location and orientation of the microphones and the method used to obtain a reliable
`VADsignal. All other components (including the speaker and mounting hardwarefor
`headsets and the speaker, buttons, plugs, physical hardware, etc. for the handsets) are
`inconsequential for the operation of the Pathfinder noise suppression algorithm and will
`not be discussed in great detail, with the exception of the mounting of unidirectional
`microphonesin the handset or headset. The mounting is described to provide information
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`for the proper ventilation of the directional microphones. Those familiar with the state of
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`- the art will not have difficulty mounting the unidirectional microphones correctly given
`the placementandorientation informationin this application.
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`Furthermore, the method of coupling (either physical or electromagnetic or
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`otherwise) ofthe headsets described below is inconsequential. The headscts described
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`work with any type of coupling, so they are not specified in this disclosure. Finally, the
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`microphone configuration 110 and the VAD 130 are independent, so that any microphone
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`configuration can work with any VAD device/method,unless it is desired to use the same
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`In this case the VAD
`microphonesfor both the VAD and the microphoneconfiguration.
`can place certain requirements on the microphone configuration. These exceptions are
`noted in the text.
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`MICROPHONE CONFIGURATIONS
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`The Pathfinder system, although using particular microphone types
`(omnidirectional or unidirectional, including the amount of unidirectionality) and
`microphoneorientations, is not sensitive to the typical distribution of responses of
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`individual microphones of a given type. Thus the microphonesdo not need to be
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`matched in terms of frequency response nor do they need to be especially sensitive or
`expensive. In fact, configurations described herein have been constructed using
`inexpensiveoff-the-shclf microphones, which have provento bevery effective. As an
`aid to review, the Pathfinder setup is shown in Figure 1 and is explainedin detail below
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`and in the Related Applications. The relative placement and oricntation of the
`microphones in the Pathfinder system is described herein. Unlike classical adaptive noise
`cancellation (ANC), which specifies that there can be no speechsignalin the noise
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`microphone, Pathfinder allows speech signal to be present in both microphones which
`means the microphones can be placed very close together, as long as the configurations in
`the following scction are used. Following is a description of the microphone
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`configurations used to implement the Pathfinder noise suppression system.
`There are many different types of microphonesin usc today, but generally speaking,
`there are two main categories: omnidirectional (referred to herein as “OMNI
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`microphones” or “OMNI”) and unidirectional (referred to herein as “UNI microphones”
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`or “UNI”). The OMNI microphonesare characterized by relatively consistent spatial
`response with respect to relative acoustic signal location, and UNI microphones are
`characterized by responsesthat vary with respect to the relative orientation of the
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`acoustic source and the microphone. Specifically, the UNI microphonesare normally
`designed to be less responsive behind andto the sides of the microphonesothat signals
`from the front of the microphone are emphasizedrelative to those from the sides and rear.
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`There are several types of UNI microphones(although really only one type of
`OMNI)andthetypes are differentiated by the mi