Adaptive digital filter for eliminating howling

摘要

An adaptive digital filter is connected in parallel with a transmission system and includes a plurality of delay circuits, a nonrecursive digital filter having coefficient parameters of the delay circuits so as to approximate the characteristics of the transmission system, and a correction circuit for correcting the coefficient parameters of the nonrecursive digital filter. The adaptive digital filter further includes a first variable attenuator, a second variable attenuator and a comparator. The first variable attenuator receives an input signal for the adaptive digital filter, variably attenuates the input signal in response to a first control signal, and supplies an attenuated input signal to the transmission system and the nonrecursive digital filter. The second variable attenuator receives a difference between the output signals from the nonrecursive digital filter and the transmission system and variably attenuates the difference signal in response to a second control signal. The attenuated difference signal serves as an output of the adaptive digital filter. The comparator compares the level of the input signal with the level of the output signal from the transmission system and drives the first or second attenuator, which receives a lower level signal when the level difference exceeds a predetermined value.