Neural Network Augmented Kalman Filter for Robust Acoustic Howling Suppression

Abstract: Acoustic howling suppression (AHS) is a critical challenge in audio communication systems. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that leverages the power of neural networks (NN) to enhance the performance of traditional Kalman filter algorithms for AHS. Specifically, our method involves the integration of NN modules into the Kalman filter, enabling refining reference signal, a key factor in effective adaptive filtering, and estimating covariance metrics for the filter which are crucial for adaptability in dynamic conditions, thereby obtaining improved AHS performance. As a result, the proposed method achieves improved AHS performance compared to both standalone NN and Kalman filter methods. Experimental evaluations validate the effectiveness of our approach.