APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ENCODING AT LEAST ONE PARAMETER ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNAL SOURCE

• US 20100125453A1
• Filed: 11/19/2008
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ashley, James P., Mittal, Udar, Francois, Holly L., Gibbs, Jonathan A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,725,500 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/219
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/167 Audio streaming, i.e. formatting and decoding of an encoded audio signal representation into a data stream for transmission or storage purposes

Abstract

Apparatus (119) for encoding at least one parameter associated with a signal source for transmission over k frames to a decoder comprises a processor (119) which is configured in operation to assign a predetermined bit pattern to n bits associated with the at least one parameter of a first frame of k frames and set the n bits associated with the at least one parameter of each of k−1 subsequent frames to values, such that the values of the n bits of the k−1 subsequent frames represent the at least one parameter. The predetermined bit pattern indicates a start of the at least one parameter.

Claims

1. An apparatus for encoding at least one parameter associated with a signal source for transmission over k frames to a decoder, the apparatus comprising:

a processor configured in operation to;

assign a predetermined bit pattern to n bits associated with the at least one parameter of a first frame of k frames, the predetermined bit pattern indicating a start of the at least one parameter; and

set the n bits associated with the at least one parameter of each of k−

1 subsequent frames to values, such that the values of the n bits of the k−

1 subsequent frames represent the at least one parameter.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein k and n are integers greater than one.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the values of the n bits in each of the k−

1 subsequent frames are selected to be different to values of the n bits of the predetermined bit pattern.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the n bits of the frame following the first frame represents a least significant or most significant digit of the at least one parameter.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter has a value in a predetermined range.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter is encoded within (2ⁿ−

1)<sup>(k−

1)</sup> values provided by the n bits of the k−

1 frames.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter has a value in a predetermined range and the n bits of the k−

1 frames provide (2ⁿ−

1)<sup>(k−

1)</sup> values covering the predetermined range and including values falling outside the predetermined range.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes a plurality of parameters.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of parameters are encoded within (2ⁿ−

1)<sup>(k−

1)</sup> values provided by the n bits of the k−

1 frames.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one parameter includes at least one of the following parameters:

stereo delay parameter, signal source identification parameter, head related transfer function (HRTF) description parameter, room reverberation description parameter, local signal-to-noise ratio measure parameter, and time stamp parameter.

11. A method of encoding at least one parameter associated with a signal source for transmission over k frames to a decoder, the method comprising:

assigning a predetermined bit pattern to n bits associated with the at least one parameter of a first frame of k frames, the predetermined bit pattern indicating a start of the at least one parameter;

setting the n bits associated with the at least one parameter of each of k−

1 subsequent frames to values, such that the values of the n bits of the k−

1 subsequent frames represent the at least one parameter.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the values of the n bits in each of the k−

1 subsequent frames are selected to be different to values of the n bits of the predetermined bit pattern.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter has a value in a predetermined range.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter is encoded within (2ⁿ−

1)<sup>(k−

1)</sup> values provided by the n bits of the k−

1 frames.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one parameter has a value in a predetermined range and the n bits of the k−

1 frames provide (2ⁿ−

1)<sup>(k−

1)</sup> values covering the predetermined range and including values falling outside the predetermined range.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting the predetermined bit pattern and the at least one parameter associated with the signal source over the k frames to the decoder.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a transmission of at least one parameter may be commenced asynchronously at any frame by transmitting the predetermined bit pattern in a first frame of k frames, followed by k−

1 subsequent frames to represent the at least one parameter.

18. A communication device comprising:

an input for receiving a signal from a signal source;

an apparatus for encoding at least one parameter associated with a signal source for transmission over k frames to a decoder, the apparatus comprising;

a processor configured in operation to;

assign a predetermined bit pattern to n bits associated with the at least one parameter of a first frame of k frames, the predetermined bit pattern indicating a start of the at least one parameter;

setting the n bits associated with the at least one parameter of each of k−

1 subsequent frames to values, such that the values of the n bits of the k−

1 subsequent frames represent the at least one parameter; and

a transmitter for transmitting the predetermined bit pattern and the at least one parameter associated with the signal source over the k frames to the decoder.

19. The communication device of claim 18, wherein the signal source is a speech source and the communication device further comprises a speech encoder for encoding a speech signal received from the speech source, wherein the transmitter is further arranged to transmit the encoded speech signal to the decoder.