Synopsys and Alango Partner for Voice Enhancement Package
Alango Technologies' Voice Enhancement Package (VEP), a suite of real-time software for improving speech recognition performance in voice-controlled multimedia devices, has been optimized for Synopsys' DesignWare ARC Data Fusion IP Subsystem, an integrated hardware and software product that processes data from sensor and audio sources with minimal energy consumption.
The combination of Alango's optimized audio signal pre-processing software with the ARC Data Fusion IP Subsystem enables designers to integrate a complete, pre-verified hardware and software solution for speech processing into a range of multimedia devices requiring minimal energy consumption.
"The increasing prevalence of voice activation and recognition in human-machine interfaces is requiring sophisticated speech-to-noise ratio enhancement technologies to enable highly accurate speech comprehension in noisy environments," said Alexander Goldin, CEO of Alango Technologies, in a statement. "Optimizing our Voice Enhancement Package for the ARC Data Fusion IP Subsystem gives SoC designers an ideal low-power solution enabling superior voice activation, recognition, and control capabilities in their products."
Alango's VEP suite includes a multi-microphone beamforming array and stereo echo canceller to enhance far-field speech pick-up and response to barge-in commands. The VEP is a front-end solution that performs audio signal pre-processing prior to the automatic speech recognition (ASR) and key word recognition (KWR) engines. The VEP receives the microphones' signals, applies acoustic echo cancellation, and then forms acoustic beams relative to the usage environment" These acoustic beams are then sent to the ASR engine for recognition.
The ARC Data Fusion IP Subsystem processes data from digital and analog sources and includes an audio processing library of common functions, including gain control, mixer, and sample rate conversion. Tightly coupled PDM and I2S peripherals simplify the integration of voice and audio I/O, such as MEMS microphones used for far-field voice user interfaces and hands-free voice commands. The integrated solution is optimized for "always on" data fusion combining sensor, voice, gesture and audio processing functions.
"Advanced IoT devices are incorporating multiple microphones to enable more precise voice recognition by identifying the origin of a sound and cancelling interferences," said John Koeter, vice president of marketing at Synopsys, in a statement. "By combining our ARC Data Fusion IP Subsystem with Alango's Voice Enhancement Package, designers can quickly integrate high-quality voice and speech capabilities into their SoCs while staying within their power and area budget."