Method and system for pitch contour quantization in audio coding
First Claim
1. A method for coding an audio signal for providing parameters indicative of an audio signal, the parameters comprising timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, said method comprising:
- creating, based on the timewise unaltered pitch contour data, a plurality of simplified pitch contour segment candidates, each candidate corresponding to a sub-segment of the audio signal, wherein each sub-segment has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each candidate has a start segment point and an end segment point;
measuring deviation between each of the simplified pitch contour segment candidates and said pitch values in the corresponding sub-segment;
selecting, among said candidates, a plurality of consecutive segment candidates to represent the audio segment based on the measured deviations and one or more pre-selected criteria, wherein the start segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the end segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments; and
coding the sub-segment of the audio signal corresponding to the selected segment candidate with characteristics of the selected segment candidate.
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Abstract
A method and device for improving coding efficiency in audio coding. From the pitch values of a pitch contour of an audio signal, a plurality of simplified pitch contour segments are generated to approximate the pitch contour, based on one or more pre-selected criteria. The contour segments can be linear or non-linear with each contour segment represented by a first end point and a second end point. If the contour segments are linear, then only the information regarding the end points, instead of the pitch values, are provided to a decoder for reconstructing the audio signal. The contour segment can have a fixed maximum length or a variable length, but the deviation between a contour segment and the pitch values in that segment is limited by a maximum value.
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Citations
26 Claims
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1. A method for coding an audio signal for providing parameters indicative of an audio signal, the parameters comprising timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, said method comprising:
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creating, based on the timewise unaltered pitch contour data, a plurality of simplified pitch contour segment candidates, each candidate corresponding to a sub-segment of the audio signal, wherein each sub-segment has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each candidate has a start segment point and an end segment point; measuring deviation between each of the simplified pitch contour segment candidates and said pitch values in the corresponding sub-segment; selecting, among said candidates, a plurality of consecutive segment candidates to represent the audio segment based on the measured deviations and one or more pre-selected criteria, wherein the start segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the end segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments; and coding the sub-segment of the audio signal corresponding to the selected segment candidate with characteristics of the selected segment candidate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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an input end for receiving timewise unaltered pitch contour data, the timewise unaltered pitch contour data comprising a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment of an audio signal in time; and a data processing module configured to create a plurality of simplified pitch contour segment candidates, responsive to the timewise unaltered pitch contour data, each segment candidate corresponding to a sub-segment of the audio signal, wherein each sub-segment has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each candidate has a start segment point and an end segment point, and wherein the processing module is configured to measure deviation between each of the simplified pitch contour segment candidates and said pitch values in the corresponding sub-segment; and
to select, among said candidates, a plurality of consecutive segment candidates to represent the audio segment based on the measured deviations and pre-selected criteria, wherein the start segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the end segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A computer readable medium embodied with a software program for use in conjunction with an audio coding device, the audio coding device providing parameters indicative of the audio signal, the parameters comprising timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, said software program comprising:
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a code for creating a plurality of simplified pitch contour segment candidates based on the timewise unaltered pitch contour data, each candidate corresponding to a sub-segment of the audio signal, wherein each sub-segment has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each candidate has a start segment point and an end segment point; a code for measuring deviation between each of the simplified pitch contour segment candidates and said pitch values in the corresponding sub-segment; and a code for selecting, among said candidates, a plurality of consecutive segment candidates to represent the audio segment based on the measured deviations and pre-selected criteria, so as to allow a quantization module to code the sub-segments of the audio signal corresponding to the selected segment candidate with characteristics of the selected segment candidate, wherein the start segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the end segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments.
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17. An apparatus comprising:
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an input for receiving audio data indicative of an audio signal, wherein the audio signal is encoded for providing parameters indicative of the audio signal, the parameters including timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, and wherein the timewise unaltered pitch contour data in the audio segment in time is approximated by a plurality of consecutive simplified segments, each simplified segment corresponding to a sub-segment in the audio segment, wherein each of the sub-segments has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each of the simplified segments is defined by a first end point and a second end point, and wherein the first end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the second end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments, and wherein the received audio data comprises the end points defining the sub-segments; and a reconstructing module configured to reconstruct the audio segment based on the received audio data. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19)
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20. An electronic device comprising:
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a decoder for reconstructing an audio signal, wherein the audio signal is encoded for providing parameters indicative of the audio signal, the parameters including timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, and wherein the timewise unaltered pitch contour data in the audio segment in time is approximated by a plurality of consecutive simplified segments in the audio segment, each simplified segment corresponding to a sub-segment in the audio segment, wherein each of the sub-segments has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each of the simplified segments is defined by a first end point and a second end point, and wherein the first end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the second end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments, so as to allow the audio segment to be constructed based on the end points defining the sub-segments simplified segments; and an input configured for receiving audio data indicative of the end points and for providing the audio data to the decoder. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23)
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24. A communication network, comprising:
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a plurality of base stations; and a plurality of mobile stations communicating with the base stations, wherein at least one of the mobile stations comprises; a decoder configured for reconstructing an audio signal, wherein the audio signal is encoded for providing parameters indicative of the audio signal, the parameters comprising timewise unaltered pitch contour data containing a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment in time, and wherein the timewise unaltered pitch contour data in the audio segment in time is approximated by a plurality of consecutive simplified segments, each simplified segment corresponding to a sub-segment in the audio segment, wherein each of the sub-segments has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each of the simplified segments is defined by a first end point and a second end point, and wherein the first end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the second end points of at least some simplified segments are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments; and an input configured for receiving audio data indicative of the end points from at least one of the base stations for providing the audio data to the decoder.
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25. An apparatus comprising:
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means for receiving timewise unaltered pitch contour data, the timewise unaltered pitch contour data comprising a plurality of pitch values representative of an audio segment of an audio signal in time; and means, responsive to the timewise unaltered pitch contour data, for creating a plurality of simplified pitch contour segment candidates, each candidate corresponding to a sub-segment of the audio signal, wherein each sub-segment has a start-point pitch value and an end-point pitch value and each candidate has a start segment point and an end segment point, and for measuring deviation between each of the simplified pitch contour segment candidates and said pitch values in the corresponding sub-segment, and for selecting, among said candidates, a plurality of consecutive segment candidates to represent the audio segment based on the measured deviations and pre-selected criteria, wherein the start segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the start-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments and the end segment points of at least some selected segment candidates are different from the end-point pitch values of the corresponding sub-segments. - View Dependent Claims (26)
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Specification