Speech dereverberation based on Linear Prediction: an Acoustic Vector Sensor approach

This paper introduces a dereverberation algorithm based on Linear Prediction (LP) applied to the outputs of an Acoustic Vector Sensor (AVS). The approach applies adaptive beamforming to take advantage of the directional outputs of the AVS array to obtain a more accurate LP spectrum than can be obtained with a single channel or Uniform Linear Array (ULA) with a comparable number of channels. This is then used within a modified version of the Spatiotemporal Averaging Method for Enhancement of Reverberant Speech (SMERSH) algorithm derived for the AVS to enhance the LP residual signal. In a highly reverberant environment, the approach demonstrates a significant improvement compared to a ULA as measured by both the Signal to Reverberant Ratio (SRR) and Speech to Reverberation Modulation Energy Ratio (SRMR) for sources ranging from at 1m to 5m from the array.