PDPCRN: Parallel Dual-Path CRN with Bi-directional Inter-Branch Interactions for Multi-Channel Speech Enhancement

Multi-channel speech enhancement seeks to utilize spatial information to distinguish target speech from interfering signals. While deep learning approaches like the dual-path convolutional recurrent network (DPCRN) have made strides, challenges persist in effectively modeling inter-channel correlations and amalgamating multi-level information. In response, we introduce the Parallel Dual-Path Convolutional Recurrent Network (PDPCRN). This acoustic modeling architecture has two key innovations. First, a parallel design with separate branches extracts complementary features. Second, bi-directional modules enable cross-branch communication. Together, these facilitate diverse representation fusion and enhanced modeling. Experimental validation on TIMIT datasets underscores the prowess of PDPCRN. Notably, against baseline models like the standard DPCRN, PDPCRN not only outperforms in PESQ and STOI metrics but also boasts a leaner computational footprint with reduced parameters.