Frequency & Channel Attention Network for Small Footprint Noisy Spoken Keyword Spotting

In this paper, we aim to improve the robustness of Keyword Spotting (KWS) systems in noisy environments while keeping a small memory footprint. We propose a new convolutional neural network (CNN) called FCA-Net, which combines mixer unit-based feature interaction with a two-dimensional convolution-based attention module. First, we introduce and compare lightweight attention methods to enhance noise robustness in CNN. Then, we propose an attention module that creates fine-grained attention weights to capture channel and frequency-specific information, boosting the model's ability to handle noisy conditions. By combining the mixer unit-based feature interaction with the attention module, we enhance performance. Additionally, we use a curriculum-based multi-condition training strategy. Our experiments show that our system outperforms current state-of-the-art solutions for small-footprint KWS in noisy environments, making it reliable for real-world use.

Advancing Airport Tower Command Recognition: Integrating Squeeze-and-Excitation and Broadcasted Residual Learning

Accurate recognition of aviation commands is vital for flight safety and efficiency, as pilots must follow air traffic control instructions precisely. This paper addresses challenges in speech command recognition, such as noisy environments and limited computational resources, by advancing keyword spotting technology. We create a dataset of standardized airport tower commands, including routine and emergency instructions. We enhance broadcasted residual learning with squeeze-and-excitation and time-frame frequency-wise squeeze-and-excitation techniques, resulting in our BC-SENet model. This model focuses on crucial information with fewer parameters. Our tests on five keyword spotting models, including BC-SENet, demonstrate superior accuracy and efficiency. These findings highlight the effectiveness of our model advancements in improving speech command recognition for aviation safety and efficiency in noisy, high-stakes environments. Additionally, BC-SENet shows comparable performance on the common Google Speech Command dataset.