Method for analyzing audio data

• US 20060120536A1
• Filed: 12/02/2005
• Published: 06/08/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Deutschland GmbH (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kemp, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 7,643,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/56
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2218/08 Feature extraction
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/48 specially adapted for particular use

Abstract

A method for analyzing audio data (AD) is provided wherein a signature (SAD) is generated based on a feature set (FS) comprising a plurality of time domain related features (TDFk). The signature (SAD) is formed in order to represent a plurality of temporal positions or ranges of a plurality of characteristics of time domain related features (TDFk) within said audio data (AD).

Claims

1. Method for analyzing audio data, comprising:

(A) a step of providing audio data (AD) to be analyzed as input data (I),

(B) a step of analyzing said audio data (AD) with respect to a feature set (FS) of a plurality of features (Fj;

j=1, . . . , n),

(C) a step of generating a signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) which is at least one of descriptive, representative and characteristic for said audio data (AD), and

(D) a step of providing as an analysis result, said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) as output data (O),

wherein said feature set (FS) comprises a plurality of time domain related features (TDFk;

k=1, . . . , m),

wherein said step (B) of analyzing said audio data (AD) is carried out based on a plurality of time domain related features (TDFk;

k=1, . . . , m), and

wherein said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) is formed in order to at least one of contain, describe, and represent a plurality of temporal positions or temporal ranges of a plurality of characteristics of a plurality of time domain related features (TDFk;

k=1, . . . , m) within said audio data (AD).

2. Method according to claim 1,

wherein audio data (AD) of a finite length are used, in particular with a determined beginning and a determined ending.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein absolute temporal positions of characteristics of time domain related features (TDFk) are involved in said step (C) of generating said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD).

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein relative temporal positions of characteristics of time domain related features (TDFk) are involved in said step (C) of generating said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD).

5. Method according to claim 1, wherein characteristics of the same time domain related feature (TDFk) are involved in said step (C) of generating said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD).

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein characteristics of time domain related features (TDFk) of the same type are involved in said step (C) of generating said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD).

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein characteristics of time domain related features (TDFk) of the different types are involved in said step (C) of generating said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD).

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the strength, the time course of the strength and local extremer of the strength of time domain related features (TDFk) are used as characteristics.

9. Method according to claim 1, wherein time domain related features (TDFk) of the same type are combined.

10. Method according to claim 1, wherein time domain related features (TDFk) of different types are combined.

11. Method according to claim 1, wherein an energy contour of the audio data (AD) is used as a time domain related feature (TDFk).

12. Method according to claim 1, wherein a zero crossing rate of the audio data (AD) is used as a time domain related features (TDFk).

13. Method according to claim 1, wherein analogue-to-digital converted data are used as said audio data (AD).

14. Method according to claim 1, wherein down-sampled data are used as said audio data (AD), in particular at a rate of 22050 Hz.

15. Method according to claim 1, wherein stereo-to-mono converted data are used as said audio data (AD).

16. Method according to claim 1, wherein data having a frame structure are used as said audio data (AD).

17. Method according to claim 16,

wherein said frame structure is formed by a sequence of consecutive time frames (Fr), each time frame (Fr) having a given and in particular fixed frame size (FrSi) and each time frame (Fr) being separated from consecutive time frames (Fr) by a given and in particular fixed frame shift (FrSh).

18. Method according to claim 17,

wherein the frame shift (FrSh) is chosen to be less than the frame size (FrSi).

19. Method according to claim 17,

wherein the frame size (FrSi) is about 16 ms and the frame shift (FrSh) is about 10 ms.

20. Method according to claim 16,

wherein temporal positions are given as indices with respect to said time frames (Fr) of the frame structure underlying the audio data (AD).

21. Method according to claim 1, wherein said step (A) of providing said audio data (AD) comprises at least one of receiving, reproducing, and generating said audio data (AD).

22. Method according to claim 1, wherein temporal positions in said signature (SAD) are given in their temporal order.

23. Method according to claim 1, wherein temporal positions in said signature (SAD) are given in the order of the magnitude or strength of the respective characteristics or features.

24. Method for classifying audio data, comprising:

a step (S1) of providing audio data (AD) as input data (I′

),

a step (S2) of generating a signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD),

a step (S3) of providing a comparison signature (CS),

a step (S4) of comparing said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) with said comparison signature (CS) and thereby generating comparison data (CD), and

a step (S5) of providing a classification result said comparison data (CD) as output data (O′

),

wherein said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) and in particular said comparison signature (CS) are obtained by analyzing audio data according to claim 1.

25. Method according to claim 24,

wherein said step (S3) of providing a comparison signature (CS) comprises:

a step of providing additional audio data (AD, AD′

) as additional input data (I′

) and

a step of generating an additional signature (SAD′

) for said additional audio data (AD′

), and

wherein said additional signature (SAD′

) for said additional audio data (AD′

) is used as said comparison signature (CS).

26. Method according to claim 25,

wherein said additional signature (SAD′

) for said additional audio data (AD) and thereby said comparison signature (CS) are obtained according to a method for analyzing audio data.

27. Method according to claim 24,

wherein at least two samples of audio data (AD, AD′

) are compared with respect to each other—

one (AD) of said samples (AD, AD′

) being assigned to said derived signature (SAD) and the other one (AD′

) of said samples (AD′

) being assigned to said additional signature (SAD′

) or said comparison signature (CS)—

in particular by comparing said signature (SAD) and said additional signature (SAD′

) or said comparison signature (CS) with respect to coinciding features and/or with respect to differing features.

28. Method according to claim 27,

wherein said at least two samples of audio data (AD, AD′

) to be compared with respect to each other are compared with respect to each other based of time domain related features (TDFk) first in a comparing pre-process and then based on additional features, e. g. based on features more complicated to calculate and/or based on frequency domain related features, in a more detailed comparing process.

30. Computer program product,

comprising computer program means which is adapted to perform the method for analyzing audio data according to claim 1, when it is executed on a computer or a digital signal processing means.

31. Computer readable storage medium,

comprising a computer program product according to claim 30.

29. Apparatus for analyzing audio data, comprising:

means for providing audio data (AD) to be analyzed as input data (I);

means for analyzing said audio data (AD) with respect to a feature set (FS) of a plurality of features (Fj, j=1, . . . n);

means for generating a signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) which is at least one of descriptive, representative and characteristic for said audio data (AD), and

and means for providing as an analysis result, said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) as output data (O),

wherein said feature set comprises a plurality of time domain related features,

wherein said audio data is analyzed based on a plurality of said time domain related features, and

wherein said signature (SAD) for said audio data (AD) is formed in order to at least one of contain, describe, and represent a plurality of temporal positions or temporal ranges of a plurality of characteristics of a plurality of time domain related features (TDFk;

k=1, . . . , m) within said audio data (AD).