Method and apparatus for regaining watermark data that were embedded in an original signal by modifying sections of said original signal in relation to at least two different

• US 20110103444A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Magnolia Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Arnold, Michael, Baum, Peter Georg
• Granted Patent: US 8,194,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/224
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 19/018 Audio watermarking, i.e. embedding inaudible data in the audio signal

Abstract

Every watermarking processing needs a detection metric to decide at decoder side whether audio signal content is marked, and which symbol is embedded inside the audio signal content. The invention provides a new detection metric that achieves a reliable detection of watermarks in the presence of additional noise and echoes. This is performed by taking into account the information contained in the echoes of the received audio signal in the decision metric and comparing it with the corresponding metric obtained from decoding a non-marked audio signal, based on calculating the false positive detection rates of the reference sequences for multiple peaks. The watermark symbol corresponding to the reference sequence having the lowest false positive error is selected as the embedded one.

Claims

1. Method for regaining watermark data that were embedded in an original signal by modifying sections of said original signal in relation to at least two different reference data sequences, wherein a modified signal section is denoted as ‘

marked’ and

an original signal section is denoted as ‘

non-marked’

, said method including the steps;

correlating in each case a current section of a received version of said watermarked signal with candidates of said reference data sequences, wherein said received watermarked signal can include noise and/or echoes;

based on the correlation result values for said current signal section,

optionally determining whether said current signal section is non-marked and if not true, carrying out the following steps;

determining for each one of said candidate reference data sequences, based on two or more significant peaks in said correlation result values, the false positive error, wherein said false positive error is derived from the power density function of the amplitudes of the correlation result for a non-marked signal section and from a first threshold value related to said power density function;

selecting for said current signal section that one of said candidate reference data sequences which has the lowest false positive error, in order to provide said watermark data.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein said signal is an audio signal or a video signal.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said determining whether said current signal section is non-marked is carried out by calculating for said current signal section for each one of said candidate reference data sequences the probabilities of said two or more most significant peaks, followed by the steps:

depending on the number of said two or more most significant peaks, calculating a related number of probabilities that there are a corresponding number of two or more magnitude values in a correlation block which are larger than or equal to these significant peaks;

for each candidate reference data sequence, summing up said related number of probabilities so as to form a total probability value;

regarding said current signal section as non-marked if said total probability values for all candidate reference data sequences are less than a predetermined second threshold value.

4. Method according to claim 3, wherein said determination of non-marked signal sections is carried out only in a synchronization or initialization phase of said regaining of watermark data.

5. Method according to claim 1 wherein, for determining said false positive error, it is calculated for said two or more most significant peaks in said correlation result values whether they match a predetermined probability of a corresponding number of most significant peaks for non-marked signal sections.

6. Method according to claim 1, wherein for said current signal section for each one of said candidate reference data sequences the probabilities of said two or more most significant peaks are calculated, followed by the steps:

depending on the number of said two or more most significant peaks, calculating a related number of probabilities that there are a corresponding number of two or more magnitude values in a correlation block which are larger than or equal to these significant peaks;

for each candidate reference data sequence, summing up said related number of probabilities so as to form a total probability value;

regarding that candidate reference data sequence to which the lowest one of said total probability values is assigned as the one having said lowest false positive error.

7. Method according to claim 1, wherein for said current signal section:

a predetermined number of largest magnitude peak values in the correlation result values for non-marked signal content is obtained and these peaks are sorted according to their size,

and for each one of said candidate reference data sequences said predetermined number of largest magnitude peak values in the correlation result values is obtained and these peak values are sorted according to their size;

for each one of said candidate reference data sequences said predetermined largest magnitude peak values number of difference values between corresponding pairs of largest magnitude values of the current candidate reference data sequence and for non-marked content are summed up;

selecting that candidate reference data sequence for which the maximum sum of difference values was calculated as the one which was used for marking said current signal section.

8. Method according to claim 1, wherein said second threshold value is smaller than said first threshold value.

9. Apparatus for regaining watermark data that were embedded in an original signal by modifying sections of said original signal in relation to at least two different reference data sequences, wherein a modified signal section is denoted as ‘

marked’ and

an original signal section is denoted as ‘

non-marked’

, said apparatus including means being adapted for;

correlating in each case a current signal section of a received version of said watermarked signal with candidates of said reference data sequences, wherein said received watermarked signal can include noise and/or echoes;

based on the correlation result values for said current signal section,

optionally determining whether said current signal section is non-marked and if not true, carrying out the following steps;

determining for each one of said candidate reference data sequences, based on two or more significant peaks in said correlation result values, the false positive error, wherein said false positive error is derived from the power density function of the amplitudes of the correlation result for a non-marked signal section and from a first threshold value related to said power density function;

selecting for said current signal section that one of said candidate reference data sequences which has the lowest false positive error, in order to provide said watermark data.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said signal is an audio signal or a video signal.

11. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said determining whether said current signal section is non-marked is carried out by calculating for said current signal section for each one of said candidate reference data sequences the probabilities of said two or more most significant peaks, followed by the steps:

depending on the number of said two or more most significant peaks, calculating a related number of probabilities that there are a corresponding number of two or more magnitude values in a correlation block which are larger than or equal to these significant peaks;

for each candidate reference data sequence, summing up said related number of probabilities so as to form a total probability value;

regarding said current signal section as non-marked if said total probability values for all candidate reference data sequences are less than a predetermined second threshold value.

12. Apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said determination of non-marked signal sections is carried out only in a synchronization or initialization phase of said regaining of watermark data.

13. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein, for determining said false positive error, it is calculated for said two or more most significant peaks in said correlation result values whether they match a predetermined probability of a corresponding number of most significant peaks for non-marked signal sections.

14. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein for said current signal section for each one of said candidate reference data sequences the probabilities of said two or more most significant peaks are calculated, followed by the steps:

depending on the number of said two or more most significant peaks, calculating a related number of probabilities that there are a corresponding number of two or more magnitude values in a correlation block which are larger than or equal to these significant peaks;

for each candidate reference data sequence, summing up said related number of probabilities so as to form a total probability value;

regarding that candidate reference data sequence to which the lowest one of said total probability values is assigned as the one having said lowest false positive error.

15. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein for said current signal section:

a predetermined number of largest magnitude peak values in the correlation result values for non-marked signal content is obtained and these peaks are sorted according to their size,

and for each one of said candidate reference data sequences said predetermined number of largest magnitude peak values in the correlation result values is obtained and these peak values are sorted according to their size;

for each one of said candidate reference data sequences said predetermined largest magnitude peak values number of difference values between corresponding pairs of largest magnitude values of the current candidate reference data sequence and for non-marked content are summed up;

selecting that candidate reference data sequence for which the maximum sum of difference values was calculated as the one which was used for marking said current signal section.

16. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said second threshold value is smaller than said first threshold value.