Method and test signal for measuring speech intelligibility

Abstract

The invention generally relates to measurement of speech intelligibility in a mobile communication network component handling two-way communication between two ends, typically a near-end and a far-end. A basic idea is to simulate (Sl) two-way speech communication based on test signals adapted for speech intelligibility measurements, detect double-talk (S2) during the simulated speech communication by using a double-talk detector, and perform (S3) speech intelligibility measurements only at periods of double-talk. In this way, it is for example possible to take the effects of echo into accountin the speech intelligibility measurements, while avoiding undesirable effects from non-linear processing (and possible added comfort noise) in the signal path for which speech intelligibility is measured.; Optionally, the operation of voice enhancement devices can be adjusted (S4) in response to the estimated speech intelligibility.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention relates generally to objective measurement of speech intelligibility in mobile communication networks, and more particularly to novel methods for measuring and / or improving speech intelligibility in such networks. Background technique [0002] Speech intelligibility, referred to simply as speech intelligibility, generally relates to the degree of speech comprehension and is a measure of the effectiveness of speech communication. People who speak quickly or slur their speech may be difficult to understand. However, even a message spoken fluently in the listener's native language may be misinterpreted by the listener if the message is not fully audible, and / or if the message has been distorted en route to the listener. On the other hand, for example, synthesized speech may be well understood by a listener, but is perceived as harsh, abnormal and generally of low quality, meaning that a message of poor quality may still be intelligi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] Although the introduction of STI methods represented a significant advance in the objective measurement of speech intelligibility, these methods are still quite time-consuming due to the large number of test signals required, and they are also specialized for simpler settings such as restricted listening spaces or isolated communication channel measurements

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