System and method for processing audio frames

• US 20040254785A1
• Filed: 06/13/2003
• Published: 12/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: VIXS Systems Incorporated (Pixelworks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zeng, Hong
• Granted Patent: US 7,739,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/200.1
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/02 using spectral analysis, e.g. transform vocoders or subband vocoders

Abstract

In accordance with a specific implementation of the disclosure, a stream of audio frames is received and compressed using psycho-acoustical processing. The signal-to-mask ratio table generated by the psycho-acoustical algorithm is updated using only a portion of the received audio frames.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps:

receiving a first plurality of audio frames; and

modifying a first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon a subset of the first plurality of audio frames to generate a second cumulative audio frame signal, wherein the subset of the first plurality of audio frames is not identical to the first plurality of audio frames.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an audio frame bit allocation based upon the second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second plurality audio frames after modifying the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio; and

compressing the second plurality of audio frames based upon the second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a third plurality of audio frames after receiving the second plurality of audio frames; and

modifying the second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon a subset of the third plurality of audio frames to generate a third cumulative audio frame signal-to-noise mask ratio.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the subset of the third plurality of audio frames is not identical to the third plurality of audio frames.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving a fourth plurality audio frames; and

compressing the first plurality audio frames based upon the third cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio to a predetermined value prior to receiving the first set of data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio to a predetermined value prior to modifying the cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon the first audio frame.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio to the predetermined value, wherein the predetermined value is based upon a previously modified cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio that has been stored.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting the cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio to a predetermined value, wherein the predetermined value is selected based on an audio source.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the subset of the first plurality of audio frames based upon an available bandwidth of a data processor.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

receiving the first plurality of audio frames comprises receiving the first plurality of audio frames at a rate of approximately 128 kilobits per second or greater.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein:

receiving the first plurality of audio frames comprises receiving the first plurality of audio frames at a rate of approximately 224 kilobits per second or greater.

14. A method comprising the steps of:

determining if a current audio frame meets a predefined criteria;

when the current audio frame meets the predefined criteria modifying a first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon the current audio frame to generate a second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

compressing the current audio sample based upon the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

compressing the current audio sample based upon the second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the predefined criteria is representative of a number of received frames since the cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio was last modified.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the number of received frames is in the range of 1 to 1000.

19. A system comprising:

an information processing device;

a memory operably coupled to the information processing device to store instructions for controlling the information processing device to;

determine if a current audio frame meets a predefined criteria; and

when the current audio frame meets the predefined criteria to modify a first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon the current audio frame to generate a second cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising instructions to, when the current audio sample does not meet the predefined criteria, compress the current audio sample based upon the first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

21. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a first set of data representing a first audio frame, wherein the first set of data is time domain data;

determining a second set of data representing at least a portion the first audio frame, wherein the second set of data is frequency domain data;

modifying a cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based on the second set of data; and

determining a frame bit allocation based upon the cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio.

22. A system comprising:

a means for receiving a first plurality of audio frames; and

a means for modifying a first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon a subset of the first plurality of audio frames to generate a second cumulative audio frame signal, wherein the subset of the first plurality of audio frames is not identical to the first plurality of audio frames.

23. A storage media device storing control information to control an execution of a data processor to facilitate:

receiving a first plurality of audio frames; and

modifying a first cumulative audio frame signal-to-mask ratio based upon a subset of the first plurality of audio frames to generate a second cumulative audio frame signal, wherein the subset of the first plurality of audio frames is not identical to the first plurality of audio frames.